105 - 109

Chapter 105: Chapter 105

[Knight 'Igrit' is requesting your permission to advance his grade.]

[Will you permit the advancement?]

'Permission to advance?'

Surprised by the never-before-seen System message, Jin-Woo quickly confirmed Igrit's information to make sure.

[Igrit Lv. Max]

Knight grade.

It's now possible to advance the grade after the level requirement has been met. Will advance to the next grade when the Sovereign gives his permission.

'Igrit's level…..??'

The level that previously hovered around the 30 mark had changed to 'Max' before he had noticed it. It must've been the case that, once the Shadow Soldier's level cap had been met, he'd be given an opportunity to advance to the next grade.

'Is the requirement level for advancement somewhere between the late thirties and early forties?'

When taking into account the potential level-ups happening during a single battle, he suspected that the required level had to be around there somewhere.

Considering that the average level of the Shadow Soldiers was still around the early twenties, it sure as heck felt like a cumbersome requirement.

'Besides all that, it also needs my consent, too.'

That must've been the reason why Jin-Woo thought there were hints of unknown but earnest yearning in Igrit's eyes as he ran over here.

'...'

Igrit didn't raise his lowered head at all.

Jin-Woo could even sense a nervous determination emanating from Igrit as he waited for his lord's decision without budging an inch from his kneeling position.

Jin-Woo was even tempted to pat the dude on the shoulder and praise him for the job well done.

'This guy….'

Jin-Woo's gaze shifted back to the System message.

[Will you permit the advancement?]

The message was blinking slowly as if to urge him for an answer.

Igrit was one of the very first to become his Shadow Soldiers, not to mention one who fought the hardest until now, as well. Was there a reason not to allow the grade advancement here?

Without a shred of hesitation, Jin-Woo replied to the System's message.

"I allow it."

[Please designate the command phrase.]

'I need a command phrase for something like this, too?'

Jin-Woo frowned briefly, but changed his mind just as quick.

'Oh, well.'

Quite a few became Shadow Soldiers at the same time. For today, it was only Igrit, but if more than a few soldiers requested him for the advancement permission at the same time in the near future, then it might become rather tedious and time consuming to answer their call one by one. Especially so, if it happened during the middle of a fight.

The command phrase would prove to be useful on those occasions, that's for sure. After a short deliberation, Jin-Woo spoke up.

"Permitted."

He went with the 'Simple is best' mantra.

As soon as the command phrase was set, changes rapidly took place. It began from beneath Igrit's feet.

Wuuuaaahhh-!!

Accompanied by screams coming from a distant place, countless black hands emerged from Igrit's shadow and they grabbed onto every part of him.

'What's this?'

Jin-Woo observed in great interest the unfolding process of the advancement. At first, he thought that those black hands would drag Igrit back into the shadow, but in reality, the opposite happened, instead.

The hands holding onto Igrit turned into black smoke and spun around him quite ferociously, before getting absorbed by him. It was as if Igrit was absorbing the black smoke voluntarily.

Psuuuuuaaahhk!

Igrit emerged from the dissipating black smoke while emitting a far greater aura than ever before.

Tti-ring.

The System message informed Jin-Woo of the results.

[The current grade of Knight 'Igrit' has advanced from 'Knight grade' to 'Elite Knight grade'.]

'Niiice!'

Jin-Woo did his best to calm his trembling heart and rechecked Igrit's information window.

[Igrit Lv.1]

Elite Knight grade

'His level has been reset, but his current grade is the same as Fangs now.'

Before joining Jin-Woo's army of the Shadow Soldiers recently, Fangs used to be the boss monster of a rank A dungeon. Now that Igrit was on the same grade as a creature that powerful, it could only mean that his abilities had grown by that great a deal now.

Ba-dump…

Jin-Woo's heart beat faster. The theory he came up with back when he became the Shadow Sovereign turned out to be correct.

'It wasn't just me who can get stronger.'

Jin-Woo's gaze swept over each of his Shadow Soldiers.

'All these guys are growing stronger alongside me, too.'

After Igrit changed so noticeably through the grade advancement, he was reminded once more of his soldiers' capability for growth. He was now beset with the desire to urgently raise the levels of other soldiers and have them advance to the next grade as soon as possible.

'Looks like one more thing has been added to my to-do list, huh?'

And so, as he stood there checking out his soldiers while feeling rather satisfied with himself….

From afar, he spotted Tank quickly approaching closer with a dead body of a demon that escaped a little while ago in his jaw.

'Uh?'

However, the light shining in Tank's eyes as he hurriedly ran closer also seemed rather suspicious, too. Those eyes, that aura….

Jin-Woo quietly stared, before asking aloud with a disbelieving expression on his face.

"Even you?!"

Tank finally stopped right in front of Jin-Woo's nose and quickly discarded the corpse he worked so hard to bring here. He then began prostrating as well, with his front legs gathered together before his head.

"Wuuong."

And sure enough, another message popped up in Jin-Woo's view.

Tti-ring.

[Elite 'Shadow Beast Soldier' is requesting for permission to advance his grade.]

[Will you permit the advancement?]

'….Holy cow.'

Jin-Woo facepalmed in surprise. A quick confirmation of Tank's information revealed that his level had also reached the cap as well.

[Shadow Beast Soldier Lv. Max]

Elite grade

It's now possible to advance the grade after the level requirement has been met. Will advance to the next grade when the Sovereign gives his permission.

'Wait a minute….'

Jin-Woo found this rather odd.

Unlike the tireless battle machine named Igrit, who started off as a level 7 and maintained his sky-high level until now, Tank was still a far away from meeting the level cap that Jin-Woo suspected to be the advancement requirement.

Yet, both Igrit and Tank were about to advance around the same time?

The difference in these two guys' levels wasn't something that could be bridged by this one battle alone.

'Could it be…. the required level is different for each grade?'

If so, then it made sense.

He thought that since Tank was an 'Elite' rank, his level cap would be lower which meant his advancement would be faster; on the other hand, Igrit and his 'Knight' grade needed more time to advance.

If that was the case, then indeed it was possible for the timing of their advancements to match so coincidentally like this.

When Jin-Woo's thoughts reached this point, a certain possibility suddenly entered his mind.

'Wait, if I reach the right level, could I advance in grade, too?'

It was just that the required level was so high that he hadn't reached it yet.

'….Eiii, there's no way.'

Jin-Woo smirked to himself. At the same time, he allowed the advancement to commence.

"Permitted."

As soon as his permission left his lips, the same type of process as Igrit took place with Tank as well. Hands emerged from the shadow, changed to smoke, and got absorbed into Tank.

Shuuaahhak….

And just like Igrit, Tank also became a realm stronger than before.

[The current grade of Elite 'Shadow Beast Soldier' has advanced from 'Elite grade' to 'Knight grade'.]

However, there were some differences, too.

Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring.

The mechanical beep went off continuously and System messages popped up one after another.

[You can bestow a name to a soldier with Knight grade or above.]

[The bestowed name will be maintained until the Shadow Soldier is dismissed.]

[Please assign the soldier's name.]

Tank was a temporary name Jin-Woo came up with on a whim.

Since a name couldn't be assigned unless a soldier was a Knight grade, Tank's official moniker had been stuck as a 'Shadow Beast Soldier'. If it weren't for his twice-as-huge frame compared to other bears, there was no way to differentiate Tank from the others.

But now, Jin-Woo could freely assign a name now.

A deep smile formed on his face.

"Tank."

[Will you assign it as 'Tank'?]

"I will."

When Jin-Woo confirmed it, the information on the 'Shadow Beast Soldier' changed.

[Tank Lv.1]

Knight grade.

Perhaps he knew that the advancement process had ended, Tank raised his body up. Standing on his hind legs, he was as tall as a regular two-story house now. Jin-Woo wholeheartedly praised him.

"You finally have a name now, Tank."

Feeling pleased, Tank raised its head up high and roared out loudly.

"You guys all did well."

So, time to take a well-deserved break until the next floor.

Jin-Woo recalled his soldiers back into his shadow, and while doing that, he couldn't help but spot Iron and his drooping shoulders. The poor guy was the only one out of the 'old' members to not get an advancement today.

Shururu….

After his soldiers disappeared as shadows, Jin-Woo left the castle. Esil was waiting for him outside with a rather haggard face.

"E-excuse me, Sir Jin-Woo?"

"I told you, stop calling me a Sir."

"Y-yes."

Esil hesitated somewhat after Jin-Woo curtly replied to her, but eventually, she spoke again.

"Excuse me…. Uhm, Jin-Woo… sir."

The demons were a lot more 'sensitive' towards one's seniority than expected, it seemed.

"….Fine. What now?"

"Do you know…. how many clans have ceased to exist by your hands?"

Currently, they were on the 89th floor.

Esil's clan was on the 80th, so that would make nine clans?

What with her witnessing a clan being killed off every time they climbed up a floor, Esil had finally grown too anxious to remain silent.

"Clans of superior aristocrats are managing the floors 90 and above. They are on another level compared to the upper aristocrats you've encountered so far."

Jin-Woo didn't slow down his steps, but still asked her anyway.

"Okay, so what?"

"How about resolving the matters with dialogue from now on? If you talk to them nicely, they might hand over the Entry Permit like my cla…."

Jin-Woo cut her off there.

"If I was weaker than your clan, you think your people would've tried talking to me at all?"

Esil quickly shut her mouth up. A measly little human dared to show up uninvited to a castle full of demons, and not only that, proceeded to demand something from said castle, too?

That human wouldn't have been able to return home alive.

"That's how it is."

Jin-Woo smirked deeply.

Whether it was a monster from a regular dungeon, or a monster from instant dungeons, the relationship with humans would go only as far.

'The strong will devour the weak.'

Jin-Woo agreed with that concept. Besides, he was urgently pressed for both the Entry Permits and the level-ups, so he wasn't planning to give up on either of those.

'...'

Jin-Woo glanced at Esil to his side.

He found her continued silence and the expression of dejection strange and asked her about it.

"I thought it'd be a good thing for your people if other clans were destroyed?"

"Pardon?"

"Didn't you say that demon clans are bitterly contesting with one another on the hierarchy or whatever?"

"Ah, that…. That is true. However…."

From here onwards, they were stepping into the territories of the superior aristocrats.

If Jin-Woo failed in his conquest for some reason, then the fury of those superior aristocrats would be directed in full towards her and her own clan. Esil was worried about that.

Regardless of her worries, Jin-Woo spoke up confidently.

"I'll make your Radish Clan as the number one on the pecking order."

'….But, our clan is Radiru, you know.'

Esil could only complain meekly in her mind.

Soon, they would be stepping into the upper floor. Could a lone man manage to destroy the superior aristocrats and their clans with nothing but his own powers?

'…..Eiii, I don't care anymore.'

She had taken on the task of being his guide, so all she had to do was to do her job properly. Esil decided to give up on sweating over it.

'Ah, I almost forgot….'

Still, there was this one thing she just had to ask.

"Excuse me, Jin-Woo…. sir"

"Yeah?"

Jin-Woo looked back at her.

Having witnessed Jin-Woo continuously destroy other demon clans so easily, she found it pretty scary to meet his eyes anymore, so Esil quickly lowered her gaze to her feet and asked.

"Why did you spare my clan?"

Without a doubt, the Radiru Clan would never be able to oppose this man's quest. She knew her clan's military might the best, and now that she had witnessed Jin-Woo's true power, she was sure of this fact.

Even then, her Radiru clan emerged relatively unscathed from this merciless man's onslaught. Why was that? She was really curious.

Jin-Woo entered the floor-transfer magic circle and turned around to face Esil.

"Cuz I find you likeable."

Even though she was a monster, she knew when to surrender, she knew when to negotiate, and most importantly, offered up quite a bit of useful information, too.

"P-p-pardon me?!"

Esil flinched grandly in surprise, and her neck rapidly dyed in a crimson colour. She stood on the spot hesitating as she fidgeted with her fingers in a clear fluster. Their schedule had been affected by her being rooted to the spot like that, so Jin-Woo asked her to get a move on.

"Aren't you coming?"

Then, he glanced at the System message asking him which floor he'd like to go.

"If you don't get in now, we'll go back to the 80th floor, okay?"

"I-I'm sorry."

Her face still blushing deeply in red, Esil hurriedly entered the magic circle.

'...'

However, she couldn't raise her head again even after arriving on the next floor.

The Incheon International Airport.

The representatives from the Japanese Hunter Association arrived in South Korea to discuss the matters of Jeju Island's ant problem. They already had set up a conference with the Korean counterparts.

Along with the Japanese Hunter Association's President Matsumoto Shigeo, Japan's number one Hunter, the rank S Goto Ryuji stepped into the airport. (TL note at the end)

The atmosphere within the airport seemed a bit chaotic, so Matsumoto Shigeo took a look around to see what was what.

"What's happening here?"

"…..There is a very powerful presence nearby."

"Stronger than you?"

Goto Ryuji smirked derisively.

Seeing the fully-confident face of Goto Ryuji, Matsumoto Shigeo didn't bother to ask anymore.

'There's no way South Korea can produce someone like that.'

Not too long after that, an employee from the Korean Hunters Association hurriedly ran forward to greet and received them.

"I'm terribly sorry. I was delayed by all the chaos unfolding inside the airport at the moment."

The employee hurriedly lowered his head in apology. Matsumoto Shigeo hid his dissatisfaction expertly and formed a magnanimous smile.

"It's fine. However, is there something going on at the airport?"

"Ah, that…. It's nothing serious, sir. It's just that a Hunter from the United States has arrived just now."

"What brings an American Hunter to South Korea?"

"I hear that it's a personal matter, sir. I'm sure that there's nothing to worry about."

The employee thought the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo was worried about a possible dungeon break and did his best to assuage the Japanese group's fears.

Unfortunately, Matsumoto Shigeo's expression remained dark.

'A Hunter from America, is it…. I hope this person won't interfere with our business here.'

Goto Ryuji's gaze was fixed in the direction of the noisy crowd of people over yonder. Most likely, that's where the American Hunter was.

Meanwhile, Matsumoto Shigeo confirmed the time.

If he were to make it to the conference on time, he needed to get going now.

Matsumoto Shigeo spoke.

"Let's go."

Chapter 106: Chapter 106

Two Association Presidents, Goh Gun-Hui and Matsumoto Shigeo, sat down while facing each other.

On either side of the two men, representatives from the Japanese Hunter's Association and their Korean counterparts, as well as higher-ups from various government departments sat in a row.

With the subject matter being what it was, the conference was moving at a brisk pace.

"How do you feel about forming a united assault team comprising of top-ranked Japanese and Korean Hunters?"

This explosive suggestion from Matsumoto Shigeo caused the Koreans present to show much surprise on their faces.

They were all under the impression that today's conference would be to discuss the reparation Japanese would demand for the damage they had suffered.

But then, the Japanese were saying they would voluntarily help with taking care of this headache?

What kind of jackpot was this?

The surprised state of the Korean politicians didn't last long, though, as it was soon replaced by the brightened complexions, instead. With the sole exception of one man, that was.

Only Goh Gun-Hui maintained a sharp glare as he observed Matsumoto Shigeo.

"Are you saying that you wish to attack the nest of the ants by forming an alliance?"

"That is correct."

"We're aware that Japan enjoys an abundance of top-ranked Hunters. However, it is still far too dangerous to invade Jeju Island."

Goh Gun-Hui also added that there were several times more of the monsters to be found on the island compared to two years ago, when the last subjugation effort failed.

It was here that Matsumoto Shigeo formed a rather suspicious smile.

"It'd prove to be dangerous indeed if we rushed into the enemy's main camp without a proper plan."

One of the Korean politicians, utterly hooked by the suggestion from the Japanese that they would help, asked in an expectant manner.

"Do you have a good plan in mind?"

"Yes."

Matsumoto Shigeo gathered everyone's attention to himself with a quick answer, but then, continued on only after taking a bit of time for himself.

"Of course, we have one."

With a single command from him, the prepared files matching the exact number of Korean representatives were placed in front of them.

"These are all the data compiled from our observation of the ants."

While the Koreans attendees of the conference were perusing through the file, Matsumoto Shigeo began his in-depth explanation.

"Each ant may be strong enough to rival a high-rank Hunter, but it also possesses a fatal weakness. And that's their short lifespan."

Ants could only live for around one year at most.

"Which means, if the ant queen is removed from the equation, every ant found on Jeju Island will eventually die out in around one year."

"Indeed…."

The Korean attendees nodded their heads as they read the well-researched data.

Only the queen needed to be eliminated.

That sounded a whole lot more achievable than killing thousands of unrankable monsters that came out of a rank S Gate. However, Goh Gun-Hui's glare remained icy cold.

'What a nonsensical notion that is….'

He knew the truth already.

He knew that the act of killing one queen was no different than actually trying to kill every single one of the thousands of those monsters.

"Are you making this suggestion because you don't know of ants' instincts to sacrifice themselves in order to protect their queen?"

When Goh Gun-Hui pointed this fact out, Matsumoto Shigeo simply smiled and lightly rebutted him.

"Of course I know. If we were to kill the queen, we'd most likely have to break through the defensive wall of thousands of ants."

Goh Gun-Hui's suspicions grew only larger and larger after he saw how relaxed Matsumoto Shigeo's demeanour was.

'Just what are they thinking?'

The corner of Matsumoto Shigeo's lips arched up.

"However, what if all of the ants abandon the ant tunnel for some reason?"

The ant queen lived in the deepest part of the ant tunnel. Why would the ants leave the ant tunnel unguarded, when they were supposed to protect the queen as well as the eggs at all cost?

When questioning expressions formed on the faces of all the Korean representatives, Matsumoto Shigeo opened his mouth to answer their confusion.

"There have been. A total of three times."

Three times?

There had been three times where such an event occurred?

But, besides all that – how did Japan know so intimately about such things in the first place?

The answer to this question arrived right away.

"The ants emptied out of their tunnel to fight, when the Korean Hunters landed on Jeju Island for the subjugation operations three times in the past."

"Keu-euhk."

Goh Gun-Hui tightly clenched his fists resting on his knees.

While the Hunters of South Korea risked their lives and fought, the Japanese were covertly spying on them. No one here criticised Japan for not helping South Korea out back then.

But regardless, how could they use the misfortune of the neighbouring nation as their research material, and then proudly reveal the results to said neighbour like this?

A rank S lost his life during the third failed attempt. And besides him, countless others also died. The Association President Goh Gun-Hui had to watch them die from a very close vantage point back then.

His clenched fists were trembling hard now.

'Mm…?'

Sensing that the complexion of Goh Gun-Hui was getting rather suspicious, Japan's best Hunter, Goto Ryuji unleashed his own magical energy.

It was a warning – if the other side tried to do something untoward, then this side would also make a move.

Attending the conference as Goh Gun-Hui's bodyguard, Woo Jin-Cheol quickly approached the Association President's side.

"….Sir?"

"….I'm okay now."

Goh Gun-Hui dismissed Woo Jin-Cheol, and the latter quietly stepped back.

Regardless of what the Japanese's attitude was like, this presented a golden opportunity to deal with the ants once and for all if their research data proved to be reliable.

'I can't afford to let slip such an opportunity because of my personal feelings.'

Goh Gun-Hui could only calm his boiling anger inwardly.

Once the threatening tension of the conference room dissipated, Matsumoto Shigeo finally got to the main point.

"The Japanese Hunters will take on that role."

Japan's rank S Hunters would split into several teams and attack Jeju Island from different directions. Ants would rush out to face the intruders, and just like before, the tunnel with ant queen hiding in it would be emptied out.

"We wish to ask Korea's top Hunters with the killing of the queen."

South Korea's rank S Hunters would sneak into the island using a helicopter, and once they kill off the queen, they escape via a helicopter again.

Noisy, noisy…..

The plan put forward by the Japanese was rather detailed and sounded quite doable, so the Korean representatives began to get heated up from excitement.

"If we follow the Japanese plan, do we get to recover Jeju Island?"

"These Japanese b*stards, they have finally showed their hands now that they too have become victims."

"This is a great chance."

"Let's seize this opportunity and use the Japanese Hunters to reclaim Jeju Island."

Goh Gun-Hui didn't participate in the heated discussion of the Korean representatives, choosing to quietly mull over Matsumoto Shigeo's suggested plan, instead.

'Without a doubt, there is a good chance.'

There were 21 rank S Hunters in Japan.

In comparison, there were only eight in South Korea.

But, by excluding himself who couldn't move due to health reasons, or the other Hunter who had to retire early, then realistically speaking, there were only six that could participate.

'It'll be impossible to draw and scatter the attention of thousands of ants with that number.'

In order to do so, they needed Japan and her twenty or so top-ranked Hunters. Even if they were to be split into groups of five, you'd still get four groups, and that would be enough to buy the Koreans time to do their job.

But the real problem was, would South Korea's top Hunters actually be able to kill the boss of a rank S dungeon, the ant queen?

'Is it even possible?'

It was then, Goh Gun-Hui suddenly remembered the name of Seong Jin-Woo.

Seong Jin-Woo was strong enough to solo kill the boss of a rank A dungeon, so what if he worked together with other rank S Hunters?

Ba-dump, ba-dump….

Goh Gun-Hui's heart began racing now.

'We can't delay this any longer.'

Currently, ant monsters were evolving at a rapid pace. No one could predict precisely when the entirety of the ant army would become flight-capable. It could be ten years, five, or even, right next year.

Before something like that happened, the Koreans had to kill off the dastardly ants, and if they had to resort to borrowing another country's strength, then so be it.

But, before that….

"What does Japan want as compensation from this cooperation?"

The Association President Goh Gun-Hui didn't let this important matter slip through.

Matsumoto Shigeo did his best to form the most magnanimous smile he could physically perform.

"When the rest of ants die in a year, we evenly split the magic crystals left behind on the island."

Only that much?

Goh Gun-Hui tilted his head, unconvinced.

"Will you really be happy with only that?"

Goh Gun-Hui's question caused the Korean government officials and politicians near him to frown rather deeply.

'If they are willing to do it for a small asking price, he should just gladly accept it, so why is he questioning them like this?'

'What will he do if the Japanese decide to change their mind all of a sudden…?'

'Association President Goh Gun-Hui, you're still too distrusting, what with your background being a man who used to run a corporation.'

Their hot dagger-like glares stabbed deeply into Goh Gun-Hui. He had no choice but to shut his mouth.

A short discussion took place between the Korean attendees, but no one raised a voice of objection.

In the end, the Japanese's proposal was approved unanimously.

After the conference successfully came to an end, Matsumoto Shigeo approached Goh Gun-Hui with a beaming smile and offered his right hand.

"The future of our two nations depends on this cooperation. Let us combine our resources together and do our best."

After returning to his hotel room, Matsumoto Shigeo placed a cigarette in between his lips. Goto Ryuji to his side lit it up for him.

"You worked hard today, sir."

"Mister Goto, it's you who worked hard today."

"You're praising me too much, sir."

"I'm not. Didn't you see Goh Gun-Hui's face back then?"

Matsumoto Shigeo smirked deeply.

The fleeting emotion that flickered in and out momentarily on Goh Gun-Hui's face back then – it was definitely rage. The reason why Matsumoto Shigeo was able to display so much leisure in front of a rank S Hunter who reputedly possessed the greatest strength in South Korea, was simple – because, he had a powerful ally standing behind him.

And that was Goto Ryuji, Japan's number one melee-type Hunter. And also, the trustworthy right-hand man of the President of the Japanese Hunter Association, Matsumoto Shigeo.

Recalling Goh Gun-Hui's expression, Matsumoto formed a mocking smile.

"Borrowing the power of someone whom you don't even want to talk to. Now that would be quite intolerable from the perspective of the weak."

Goto Ryuji also smirked as well.

In the end, the Koreans agreed to work with the Japanese, just as Matsumoto Shigeo had predicted. Everything was moving according to plan.

"South Korea is merely the beginning."

Matsumoto Shigeo spoke up.

"Hunters are the new power, the new political influence. With this power given to Japan, I shall create a new empire."

His gaze then shifted over to Goto Ryuji.

"And you shall become its next emperor."

If Matsumoto Shigeo was to be considered the first ruler of the empire founded on his crafty schemes, then Goto Ryuji would be the second by relying on his powers alone. And this was the reason why Goto Ryuji treated Matsumoto Shigeo as his superior all this time.

It was then.

"I almost forgot."

Matsumoto Shigeo recalled something and asked Goto Ryuji while killing the cigarette.

"Do we still not have any information on South Korea's newest rank S Hunter?"

"Even the South Koreans don't seem to know much about that man, sir."

"…Is that so."

They already knew everything there was to know regarding all of South Korea's top Hunters. Except for one person.

They didn't have a single reliable piece of information on the Hunter who was registered as a rank S recently. The unknown factor could cause deviations to their plan. Now that his ambition had been revealed in full with the commencement of this operation, Matsumoto Shigeo couldn't afford any form of deviation whatsoever to his plan.

'Although it is questionable what a single person could achieve on his own, but, still….'

There were five such people in the entire world.

They were referred to as Hunters on the rank of 'Special Authority', which meant that each one of them possessed power equalling that of a country's military.

They all shared one common point; each one of them had cleared at least one rank S Gate in the past. A Hunter with that kind of ability could easily disrupt his plan.

'However, the odds of that are extremely low.'

Taking into account that there were seven billion people on Earth, the odds would be less than a billion to one. If someone of that calibre appeared, then there was no way the South Koreans would keep quiet about him. But judging from the current atmosphere, there didn't seem to be any cause for concern on that front.

'I can't ruin everything by being too cautious here.'

Matsumoto Shigeo picked up his phone.

Then, he gave his command to the higher-ups of his own Association, who were all anxiously waiting for his call back home.

"The Koreans have agreed to work with us, so summon all the rank S Hunters as planned."

Goh Gun-Hui was also calling the Korean Hunters at that moment.

The first priority was to explain the seriousness of the current situation. He was planning to fine-tune the Association's schedule accordingly, but….

"What did you say??"

A completely unexpected piece of news flew out of nowhere and punched him in the face.

"You can't get in touch with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo at all???"

For some reason, only Seong Jin-Woo was out of reach.

"His phone's been switched off for several days as well, sir. We can't even figure out where he could be."

"…."

Goh Gun-Hui shut his mouth tightly then, before opening his mouth. He sounded exasperated at that moment.

"In that case, summon the other Hunters excluding him as soon as possible."

"Understood, sir."

The agent of the Association bowed and quickly ran out of the President's office. Goh Gun-Hui's expression hardened as he fell into deep contemplation.

'Where could he possibly be?'

After hearing the report of Seong Jin-Woo going missing, Goh Gun-Hui suddenly had a foreboding premonition of the future.

Chapter 107: Chapter 107

Just as Esil had alluded to earlier, the difficulty of the quest rose up steeply from the 90th floor upwards. The levels and the number of monsters guarding each floor's castle were so much incomparably higher compared to the lower floors.

It got so tough that he no longer could enjoy the fruit of his current sky-high Intelligence Stat – his MP used to hover near the max almost all the time, but now, it fluctuated greatly every time there was a battle.

That showed just how many of his Shadow Soldiers were destroyed and had to be revived over and over again.

It wasn't some fluke that Jin-Woo managed to clear the 90th floor, however.

Just like a hammer shaping the raw iron that had been heated for a long, long time, he had been constantly polishing his skills as he climbed up from the lowest floor to get to where he was now.

The clear evidence of that was his current level, which had reached 90 already.

The fiercer the resistance of the superior Demon Aristocrats became, the stronger the attacks of Jin-Woo and his Shadow Soldiers got in order to break past their defences.

[Level up!]

As Jin-Woo exited from the castle carrying the 97th floor's Entry Permit, haze-like gas was rising up from his body. That steam was from his sweat evaporating in the heat, caused by the friction of him moving beyond the physical limits.

That was a clear indication of how much of a life-or-death struggle this battle had been. And accordingly, Jin-Woo's face was filled with the satisfaction from the victory well earned.

Esil had been hiding until then, and when she saw him, quickly ran up to his side.

She could see a castle was roaring in flames behind Jin-Woo, and the Entry permit held firmly in his hand.

'Fifth-ranked Ricardo Clan, and now, even the fourth-ranked Faetos Clan, too….'

Esil no longer had any reserve energy to be shocked anymore. If every other intruder boasted strength on this scale, then rather than protecting her land, it'd be difficult to even survive from the initial assault, instead.

"Are all the other Humans as powerful as you?"

Esil anxiously asked.

Jin-Woo combed through his memory for a bit, before making a suitable reply.

"Maybe, there are two more, I think."

Goh Gun-Hui and Cha Hae-In were those two. Jin-Woo had no doubt that they were much stronger than other rank S Hunters he came in contact with so far.

As for the rest, which were Baek Yun-Ho, Choi Jong-In and Im Tae-Gyu, he didn't feel that they were that particularly strong.

Especially for Choi Jong-In – he seemed to be highly rated by everyone, but to Jin-Woo's eyes, that seemed to be the case solely due to him being in charge of South Korea's top-ranked Guild, the 'Hunters', rather than because his own skills were impressive.

'If I were to judge from their auras alone, Cha Hae-In is several times stronger than Choi Jong-In.'

Without a doubt, one could still find differences in power even among the ranks of 'S' Hunters.

No, maybe the differences found within this rank would be far greater than any other ranks precisely because those who couldn't be measured by regular means were all lumped in together here.

Jin-Woo formed a subtle smirk.

'How would I perceive others after I get out of here?'

Just like how the feelings he got from Baek Yun-Ho differed from their first meeting to the second, would there be a change in how he perceived the Association President Goh Gun-Hui?

Jin-Woo's heart raced faster when he thought about checking out how much he had changed.

'But, before I can do that….'

He had to clear this Demon's Castle instant dungeon first. There were only four more floors remaining. He'd get to clear this dungeon soon enough. Jin-Woo turned to speak to Esil.

"You should go back to your people now."

She had been utterly dejected after hearing that there were two more people like Jin-Woo out there, but then, she was jolted out of her morose state and raised her head.

"Excuse me?"

"I'll find my own paths on the floors above this one."

Thanks to Esil guiding the way, he got to quickly locate the Demon Aristocrats and their castles. However, he no longer needed her help from now on.

'Well, my Perception Stat has risen up pretty high so that's one of the reasons, but also….'

The auras emanating from the superior aristocrats were so strong that he could easily locate them from afar now. She didn't do much besides showing him the way, so he didn't want to walk around with one more luggage anymore if he could help it.

When he finished explaining himself like that….

"A-am I no longer useful to you?"

Esil's complexion had paled completely.

'She's a funny one until the end, huh.'

Jin-Woo suppressed his laughter as he saw Esil's reaction that always managed to exceed his expectations. He then walked right up to her nose.

'Heok!'

Esil's eyes opened wider as he got progressively closer and closer.

'A-am I being eliminated, as well?'

Ba-dump, ba-dump….

Her pounding heartbeat sounded like thunderclaps to her ears.

She then spotted Jin-Woo raising his hand. Seeing the tip of his hand slowly approach her face, Esil could only squeeze her eyes shut in terror.

However….

'….Uh?'

His hand lightly rested on her shoulder, instead. The warmth spreading from her shoulder prompted her to open her eyes just a little. Jin-Woo's face was oh-so close to hers. As if he was waiting for her to open her eyes, he began smiling brightly right away.

"You really worked hard until now. Thank you."

With that, it was done.

Jin-Woo thought that he made a good-enough goodbye just then, and he took large strides to enter the floor-transfer magic circle.

Tti-ring.

[Floors 1 to 96 have been opened.]

[Which floor would you like to transfer to?]

He turned around to look at Esil's face, and he saw the emotions of surprise and wistful longing forming the perfect two halves of her expression.

Terror, anxiety, shock, wistfulness….

Those were the range of emotions the monsters with intelligence had shown him.

Were they truly residents of another world, just as Esil said, or were they simply figments of the System's imagination, brought to reality for this dungeon?

'I can't tell that yet, but….'

If he continued to gather more clues in this manner, eventually he'd get to understand the true identity of the System as well as what it wanted from him.

Meanwhile, the hesitant Esil finally mustered up some courage to call out to Jin-Woo.

"Uhm, excuse me…."

But, almost at the same time, Jin-Woo raised his head and replied to the System message.

"97th floor."

97, 98, 99….

Jin-Woo finally acquired the 'key' to enter the abode of the Demon King.

[Item: Entry Permit]

Rarity: ??

Type: ??

A permit allowing you to enter the 100th floor of the Demon's Castle. Can only be used on the 99th floor's floor-transfer magic circle.

Just how much hardship did he have to go through for this thing? Before entering the 100th floor where the Demon King was waiting for his arrival, Jin-Woo checked out his Status first.

[Level: 93]

His level was already knocking on 100's doorway. He could sense his increased Stats throughout his entire body. Strength flowed in every corner of his body, and his senses were so much sharper than before. His condition was at its peak.

'Very good.'

Jin-Woo summoned the Store. He topped up his HP and MP with potions bought from there. He even bought some bandages as well. Just like before, he wrapped it around the right hand holding the dagger. It had been a long time since he felt this nervous.

Once he was done, he slowly moved his body this way and that.

Swish….

Slice….

'Hmm, it's not too bad, I guess?'

His movement gradually picked up speed, his limbs moving accurately according to his commands.

Faster! Even faster!

Jin-Woo left behind countless after-images in the air but quite suddenly, he stopped moving altogether. Hot steam rose up like a fog from his shoulders.

Should he say this was sufficient for a warm-up?

Whatever the case might have been, he was finished with his preparations now.

"Fuu…."

Jin-Woo inhaled and exhaled a big chunk of air, before stepping onto the floor-transfer magic circle. Just like before, the magic circle asked for his destination, and Jin-Woo confidently replied.

"100th floor."

By the time he blinked, the surroundings had already changed. Jin-Woo surveyed his new surroundings.

'There are no flames here?'

The horrifying flames that seemingly burned for all eternity on the lower floors were all gone, and he could only see the burnt-out remains. He raised head and spotted snowflakes falling from the sky.

'….Snow?'

The colour seemed a little off for real snowflakes, so he extended his hand out. The flakes falling on his hand didn���t melt down, weirdly enough. When he took a closer look, he realised that it was actually ash.

Ash was falling from the sky like snow.

It was then.

Tti-ring.

He heard the familiar mechanical beep. Jin-Woo's sharpened glare was directed to the distant skies above.

'So, it's above me….'

Soon, the System alerted him to the entrance of the enemy via its trusty messages.

[The Demon King Baran has discovered the intruder!]

A black dot that wandered in the sky….

That black dot gradually got closer to the ground, before settling down on a spot pretty far away. It was a winged lizard-like creature.

After successfully landing on the ground, the lizard flapped its large wings and screeched out aloud.

Kiiiiieeeehhhk!!

Just above the head of the lizard, Jin-Woo saw a face of a demon, with a certain blue aura oozing out from it. A male creature kitted out in a flashy set of armour that only royalty might wear, while riding on the back of the large winged lizard….

The four words could clearly be seen above the male demon's head.

[The Demon King, Baran]

This boss was emitting an extraordinary aura.

Cold sweat formed on Jin-Woo's forehead. As befitting the boss protecting the top floor of a dungeon this massive, the creature was full of magnificent splendour.

Jin-Woo's gaze shifted to the side of the boss, however.

'Mm?'

The lizard this boss was riding on also possessed a name of its own.

[The Sky Dragon Kaisellin]

'….Sky Dragon?'

Judging from its name and its appearance, it didn't look like a demon at all.

'Wait a minute…. If it's not a demon, then could I….?'

Even if he worked his butt off to kill demons, he couldn't extract their shadows. So, he had already given up on acquiring a useful shadow in this place. But, what if it was a non-demon monster that could also fly?

'....I want it.'

If he could extract its shadow, then definitely he would.

This would be the first time he ran into a shadow he so dearly wanted to extract since encountering the leader of the White Phantoms, Baruka. Jin-Woo swallowed his dry saliva.

It was then, Baran raised its hand towards the sky.

Tti-ring.

[The Demon King Baran has activated 'Skill: The Army of Hell'.]

'….The Army of Hell??'

Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring.

Several warning bells rang one after the other in Jin-Woo's ears.

[Demon Soldiers have been summoned!]

[Demon Knights have been summoned!]

[Demon Generals have been summoned!]

Along with the messages filling up his view, an army entirely consisting of demons appeared around the Demon King. Even at a casual glance, there must've been over a thousand of them.

'So, this must be the beginning.'

Jin-Woo also released all of his hidden magic energy.

When Baran arrogantly lowered the hand pointing at the sky in the direction of Jin-Woo, the demonic army rushed at him like a black tide.

Rumble-!!

The ground vibrated from the forceful march of the demons.

Jin-Woo stared at the Demon King's army as the corner of his lips arched up.

'I also have soldiers too, you know.'

Jin-Woo opened his mouth.

"My shadows…."

In the blink of an eye, Jin-Woo's shadow spread out to all the surrounding areas. He had activated the skill, 'Sovereign's Territory'. When the Demon King's army set foot within the darkened land, Jin-Woo finally summoned his Shadow Soldiers.

"….Show yourselves."

His shadows stood up all at once to answer his call.

'….!!!'

Jin-Woo could acutely feel the confusion and panic among the enemies' ranks.

Wuuoooohhh!!

Kkkrrroar!!

Immediately seizing upon this opening, the two 'physical' type Knight grade soldiers, Iron and Tank, ran forward with everything they had and crashed into the enemy.

Kaboom!!

"Kuwaahk!!"

"Kehgehk!!"

Dozens of demons screamed and were flung away from the absurd strengths of the two Shadow Soldiers. Right behind them, over one hundred soldiers rushed forward like a black tidal wave.

And the highlight of this opening salvo obviously belonged to Igrit!

He jumped lightly over the head of Iron and landed gently on the ground, before using the swords he held in each hand to cut and slice apart every demon he could find.

"Kiieeehhk!!"

"Keuhark!!"

It was a performance befitting the grade of 'Elite Knight'.

'By the way, Igrit isn't the only Elite Knight in my army, you know.'

Jin-Woo's gaze shifted over to his side.

Fangs had finished gigantifying himself by then, and walked forward with large, heavy thuds as if to emphasize that it was his turn to fight. Jin-Woo formed a content expression as he watched Fangs' large back.

Fuu-wuu-wuheup.

Fangs took a deep, deep breath. His chest puffed up noticeably. Jin-Woo quickly recalled all the Shadow Soldiers found in front of Fangs, so his giant soldier could attack without holding anything back. The soldiers reverted to shadows, and shifted to the new location Jin-Woo pointed with his finger.

And then…..

Kuwuuuuuuu….

Massive, ferocious pillar of flames spewing out from Fangs' mouth completely vaporised the demons on the ground. The flames didn't stop there, though.

Kuwuuuuuu…..

Fangs moved his head left to right, and utterly incinerated all demons trapped with the arc of the attack. All those poor demons swallowed up by the flames couldn't even leak out a scream.

A few Shadow Soldiers were sucked into the attack in the process as well, but as long as they were under the influence of their Sovereign, it was possible to infinitely revive them.

'Very good!'

Jin-Woo clenched his fists tightly.

One hundred-plus Shadow Soldiers were overwhelming the army over ten times their numbers. The demonic soldiers and their ranks crumbled in no time at all.

But, it was then.

Baran stopped standing back passively, and finally made his move. Countless arcs of blue sparks buzzed and crackled within the wide-open mouth of the boss creature.

Gahaaaaahark!

Along with that hair-raising yell, a chill-inducing beam of blue light enveloped the Shadow Soldiers.

Kwa-bzzzzzzzzzz!!

'….Lightning?!'

Jin-Woo's eyes widened from sheer surprise.

Soldiers getting swept up in the blue electrical storm disintegrated in an instant, while those that managed to avoid instant death stood still in their spots as if they were frozen solid.

'….It's not regular lightning.'

Lightning bolts containing horrifying destructive power, as well as side-effects of stunning their targets, fell all over the place. And of course, one of these blue-coloured electrical storms also headed for Jin-Woo as well.

Cra-ckle!!

Quite unlike his Shadow Soldiers, he didn't receive a single lick of damage, however.

All burn-related damage was absorbed by the 'Wind Robe' he currently had on, and….

[You have resisted abnormal status with the effects of 'Buff: Immunity'.]

[You have resisted abnormal status with the effects of 'Buff: Immunity'.]

[You have resisted abnormal status with the effects of 'Buff: Immunity'.]

….As for the lightning's stun effect, his abnormal status immunity buff dealt with it.

Jin-Woo dashed towards Baran right away. If he didn't stop the boss's AOE magic right now, there was a good chance that the flow of battle would shift away from his favour.

Baran's glare landed on Jin-Woo.

Gahaaaaahk!!

Another ear-screeching yell exploded out from the boss's wide open mouth, and blue streaks of lightning rained all around Jin-Woo.

Crackle, crack, crackle!!

However, Baran flinched grandly upon realising that the concentrated lightning attacks had no effect on Jin-Woo.

'…..!!'

He sensed the boss's agitation quite clearly.

Utilising the skill 'Dash' that had reached the maximum achievable level, Jin-Woo closed the distance in the blink of an eye and jumped up high in the air. Baran also unsheathed its sword.

Jin-Woo's reverse-gripped 'Baruka's Dagger' and the Demon King's blade, infused with bluish flames, clashed face to face.

BOOM!!

A huge explosion of noise spread out; Baran was shoved off the Sky Dragon, while Jin-Woo was flung away by the rebound as well.

Jin-Woo stopped rolling on the ground and got up at the same time as Baran. They glared at each other only for a brief moment.

Both of them dashed towards each other with everything they had almost out of pure instinct.

Gaaaaaahk!!

Baran spat out more blue sparks from his mouth.

Craaaackle!! Crack!!

Countless blue-coloured rays of light crashed down on him. Jin-Woo continued to run forward while believing in the defensive properties of the robe, but then, he sensed something was off.

'….It's getting hotter?'

When he glanced back, he realised that the end of the robe was on fire. He quickly threw off the robe.

'I guess that's as far as the robe can protect me.'

In the end, it was an artefact crafted by humans. It had already performed its job quite admirably up to this point, so he felt no regret. From here onwards, Jin-Woo had to take care of things on his own.

He swallowed his saliva.

Gaaahhhhak!!

As if it had sensed that an opportunity had arrived, the intensity of the blue sparks crackling within Baran's mouth increased by a notch. Jin-Woo heightened his senses as much as he could to get ready.

'I can do this.'

No, he simply had to do this.

With time slowing down substantially in his perspective, Jin-Woo calmly evaded each and every single one of the blue arcs of lightning flying right at him.

'….Why is this happening?'

Craaackle!

As Baran's figure got closer and closer, Jin-Woo began recalling his memories of the Demon's Castle one by one. Even during that, he still managed to evade the blue lightnings.

Craaaackle!!

His heart was beating quite gently right now.

Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump….

Jin-Woo dodged all of Baran's attacks by a truly paper-thin margin, and eventually, stood before the Demon King.

'….Ah.'

Only then did he finally realise why he was reminiscing about the events of the Demon's Castle like this. Because, he was feeling grateful.

'Thanks.'

To grant him this great power to fight evenly against an absurdly strong monster like this….

As he climbed up each floor, he was moulded and refined further and further. It was as if he was being trained precisely for this moment.

So, how could he not feel grateful right now?

Swish-!

Baran slashed down diagonally with his sword, and Jin-Woo raised 'Baruka's Dagger' in his right hand to block it, before using the 'Knight Killer' to stab the Demon King's shoulder.

Crack!!

The weapon designed specifically to tear through the enemy's armour dug deeply into Baran's shoulder.

'...!!'

Jin-Woo momentarily thought that he could hear Baran's soundless scream just then. He yanked the 'Knight Killer' out. Flames of rage erupted within Baran's eyes. The Demon King began panting out rather laboriously.

Finally, the boss made his move.

Jin-Woo's two daggers and Baran's sword swished and swung and clashed against each other countless times, leaving behind several wounds on their bodies.

Clang!! Claaaank!! Clang, clunk!!

Every time their blades collided, the ground around the two caved in by the shock waves emanating from the collision of the magic energy.

A deep frown formed on Jin-Woo's forehead.

'Even with such a deep wound on his shoulder….'

As befitting the title of the Demon King, Baran's powers were nothing to scoff at. Jin-Woo felt aching coming from his wrists. He realised that he'd be in a disadvantageous position if things continued on in this fashion.

'I need to break this deadlock.'

Jin-Woo and Baran both had two hands. However, Jin-Woo also possessed a hidden third hand.

'Ruler's Reach!'

Out of the blue, a powerful impact force pushed Baran down on one knee.

Thud!

'….??'

Even before Baran could recover from his confusion, Jin-Woo's fist slammed hard into the Demon King's face.

Ka-boom!!

Baran's uncontrollable tumbling only came to an end after it rolled on the ground for dozens of metres. However, it couldn't get up. Because, Jin-Woo was already straddling the torso of the Demon King by then.

Baran quickly opened its mouth wide towards him.

Gah-ark!

Too bad, Baran couldn't fire off another lightning. Jin-Woo's left fist shoved deep into the Demon King's mouth ensured that the 'spell' would remain sealed.

'…..!!'

Baran's eyes shook hard.

Meanwhile, Jin-Woo raised his fist up high, choosing not to use the dagger wrapped around his hand.

Slam!!

Boom!!

Slam!!

Kaboom!!

The terrifying physical power from the Strength Stat that had exceeded 200 rapidly shaved away the boss monster's HP.

And finally….

Jin-Woo placed almost all of his strength into the raised right fist.

Fuu-huup!

In an instant, his shoulder and arm muscles expanded greatly, and the air around him became so heavy that it actually sank lower. An enormous amount of magic energy pooling around his right arm forced all sounds away, and instantly, the surroundings became eerily quiet.

'.....'

Within this brief respite of silence, Jin-Woo looked down at the boss below him and murmured.

"Thanks for everything."

Of course, there was no reply. The Demon King only glared at Jin-Woo with hatred deeply burning in its eyes.

'I'm sure you'll never understand what I'm trying to say here.'

Even then, he wanted to convey this emotion welling up inside his chest.

After he gave his honest thanks…

Jin-Woo landed the final hit against the 'owner' of this Demon's Castle.

KABOOM!!

And then, he was greeted by the sound of 'Tti-ring!' as well as several messages that made him feel even better.

[You killed the Demon King, Baran.]

[You have acquired Baran's Soul.]

[You have completed 'Quest: Collect the Souls of Demons! (2)'.]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

Chapter 108: Chapter 108

"Fuu…"

Jin-Woo spat out a short sigh of relief.

This was the moment his long march that started from the very first floor of the Demon's Castle dungeon was drawing to a close here on this 100th floor.

He closed his eyes for a moment in order to get a grip on his turbulent emotions, only for the image of his mom's face to pop up.

'…'

When he reopened his eyes, the System messages that hadn't gone away yet entered his view again. Four alerts of him levelling up floated up there.

'I rose up four levels in one go?'

Jin-Woo's expression brightened up considerably. Thinking back to how his levelling speed had slowed down to a crawl after he broke past level 90, he couldn't help but revel in happiness.

He quickly checked his Status Window.

[Level: 97]

Indeed, his level had jumped up by four.

'Niiice!!'

Jin-Woo fist-pumped.

A dizzying sense of achievement was quickly added on top of the relief he felt from finally clearing this dungeon. However, he quickly put aside this joy to the back of his mind.

He still had something far more important than levelling up right now.

'The Purified Blood of the Demon King.'

That was the final puzzle piece to craft the item, 'Divine Water of Life'. Jin-Woo quickly unwrapped the bandage off his hand and reached out towards the blinking lights on the corpse of the Demon King, Baran.

[You have discovered 'Item: Demon Sovereign's Ring'. Will you take it?]

[You have discovered 'Item: Demon King's Longsword'. Will you take it?]

[You have discovered 'Item: Demon King's Shortsword'. Will you take it?]

[You have discovered 'Item: Demon King's Shortsword'. Will you take it?]

[You have discovered 'Item: Baran's Two Horns'. Will you take it?]

[You have discovered 'Ingredient Item: Purified Blood of the Demon King'. Will you take it?]

Rather than feeling elated, Jin-Woo felt anxious instead from the list of 'item discovered' messages that continued to pop up. Because, he couldn't spot the item he was looking for. However, he cried out in excitement as soon as he spotted the very last item, 'Purified Blood of the Demon King'.

'It's here!'

Jin-Woo quickly acquired all the items and lifted up the item that must've been the Purified Blood of the Demon King.

[Ingredient Item: Purified Blood of the Demon King]

Rarity: ??

Type: Ingredient

This is the liquid created from purifying the blood of Baran, the Sovereign of the demons.

Possesses immense magical energy, but even after going through the purifying process, the blood still retains strong toxins. In order to use the blood as a medical ingredient, both the 'Fragment of the World Tree' and 'Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes' are needed to neutralize the toxin.

The red liquid sloshed inside a clear glass bottle according to the angle it was held.

'This is the blood of the Demon King….'

He already possessed the other two ingredients, 'Fragment of the World Tree' and the 'Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes'. So, what was there to hesitate about?

Jin-Woo promptly summoned the Crafting Skill Window.

[Crafting Skills]

Consumable: Divine Water of Life (3/3)

Different from the past, the words 'Divine Water of Life' was now blinking constantly. When he checked the details, the words 'Crafting possible' immediately caught his attention.

[Divine Water of Life]

Crafting possible

Ingredients:

Purified Blood of the Demon King (1/1)

Fragment of the World Tree (1/1)

Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes (1/1)

[Will you start crafting 'Item: Divine Water of Life'?]

Jin-Woo was in a hurry to see the finished article, so he didn't waste any more time and chose to start the crafting process.

"Start."

[Crafting process for 'Item: Divine Water of Life' has commenced.]

[10, 9, 8���.]

Jin-Woo waited for the result with bated breath.

[7, 6, 5….]

[The 'percentage of Crafting success' and 'number of finished items' will depend on Crafter's Intelligence Stat.]

Jin-Woo's eyes widened.

'Are you telling me only now that the odds of success, as well as the number of completed items, will depend on the Intelligence Stat?!'

If you were stupid, then you couldn't even craft anything?

….It did sound somewhat logical, so Jin-Woo could only nod his head.

In the meantime, the countdown steadily ticked on.

[4, 3, 2….]

Why did the words 'percentage of Crafting success' get on his nerves so much? The only solace he could take away right now was the fact that he had at least woke up to the importance of the Intelligence Stat quickly enough to invest a lot of extra Stat points there.

[….1, 0.]

[Crating process has been completed!]

[Crafting is a success!]

[You have acquired 'Item: Divine Water of Life x6'.]

"That's what I��m talking about!!"

Jin-Woo had been waiting anxiously until then, but as soon as the 'Success!' message popped up, he raised his hands high up into the sky.

'….Huh?'

However, he quickly discovered something a bit odd. The bottle containing the blood of the Demon King still remained in his right hand.

'Well, uh, the amount of blood has decreased by a little, but….'

Jin-Woo tilted his head, before summoning the 'Fragment of the World Tree' and the 'Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes' from his Inventory.

The only thing that appeared on the ground was the slightly-shaved-on-the-edge Fragment of the World Tree, though. He accessed his Inventory and searched, but couldn't find the Spring Water anywhere.

'Could it be….?'

Feeling a bit suspicious, he confirmed the Crafting Skill Window, and his suspicion was soon answered in full.

-Ingredients:

Purified Blood of the Demon King (1/1)

Fragment of the World Tree (1/1)

Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes (0/1)

Out of the three ingredients, only the Spring Water showed '0'.

'So, it's something like, not all the ingredients will be used up, but only the necessary amount – is that it?'

The Crafting process must've come to a stop because the Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes had run out, unlike with other two ingredients.

From the get-go, he got this feeling that the Crafting process wouldn't have required a lot of the Demon King's blood. As for the Fragment of the World Tree, it was a gigantic piece of lumber when he had initially acquired it, to begin with.

It was rather obvious that the Spring Water contained within a small bottle would be the first one to run out.

Jin-Woo grinned widely in satisfaction.

'Well, it's not a bad result for me regardless.'

Because, as long as he could find more of that 'Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes' in the future, he'd get to craft more of this Divine Water of Life.

'Hold on, there's another problem to consider, isn't there?'

Jin-Woo was desperate for a bottle of this Divine Water, yet now, there were six wooden bottles waiting for him on the ground, so it was rather difficult for him to calm his wildly beating heart.

[Item: Divine Water of Life]

Rarity: S

Type: Consumable

A mysterious liquid medicine that cures any and all illnesses through powerful magic contained within. The effect will only manifest after one whole bottle has been consumed.

Would this item truly cure his mother's illness?

'….I guess I'll find out later today.'

His heart palpitated faster.

Jin-Woo carefully stored away all six bottles in his Inventory, as well as the remaining ingredients. Even then, he still had lots of other items to go through.

'One ring, one longsword, two shortswords and two japtems.'

Because Baran was the boss of a rank S dungeon, it sure coughed up a lot of loot. This proverbial pile of treasure was a sight for sore eyes, but there was no reason to go through all of them right now.

Indeed, his priority lay with getting out of here to see his mother.

Jin-Woo simply dumped all the items acquired from the corpse of the Demon King in his trusty Inventory. And then, while lightly dusting his hands, took a look around him.

'I've got a pressing matter to attend to, but….'

….But, he shouldn't miss out on other things because of that, no?

Wasn't there an old saying about 'the more of a hurry you are in, you should take the longer of the routes available' or some such?

Jin-Woo looked behind him, and found his Shadow Soldiers standing at attention in rows, having massacred an army ten times their number. Behind his boys, dead demons were strewn about everywhere.

'What about the Sky Dragon?'

Jin-Woo's wandering gaze hurriedly searched for the monster that the Demon King rode around in. Worryingly enough, all he could spot were the corpses of demons piled up on high, with not a hint of the Sky Dragon anywhere.

'Wait, it couldn't have flown away during the fight, right?'

Thankfully though, his worries didn't last for long. Iron was dragging a limp corpse behind him. It was none other than the Sky Dragon, Kaisellin.

"Iron, nicely done."

Maybe Iron felt embarrassed by Jin-Woo's praise, which was a first in a while, because he began scratching the back of his head. Of course, it was still the back of his helmet, though.

Jin-Woo lightly patted the shoulder of Iron and stood before the Sky Dragon's body.

'It's as I thought.'

Just as he suspected it from the monster's name and its appearance, he could see the black smoke slowly rising up from the corpse of the Sky Dragon. Which meant, it was possible to extract its shadow.

Jin-Woo extended his hand out.

"Rise up."

The Shadow Extraction worked without any problems whatsoever, perhaps due to his much higher level.

Kiyaaaahhhk-!

Accompanied by the death throes of a beast, a creature covered in some type of black gas crawled out of the Sky Dragon's shadow. The dead Dragon's shadow immediately recognised his new owner and lowered his head in front of Jin-Woo.

[Please assign the name of the Shadow Soldier.]

'Oh.'

Jin-Woo formed a surprised expression.

Since he didn't get to witness the creature fighting, he only assumed it to be a mount and not much else, but it must've been pretty handy in battles, because the Sky Dragon's shadow started right away as a Knight grade.

If he considered the fact that the ace of the Shadow Army, Igrit, was also a Knight grade not too long ago, this was a surprising development. But, then again, it made some sense. There was no way a boss referred to as the 'Demon King' would ride on a weak, pathetic monster, now was there?

Jin-Woo was genuinely satisfied with the grade of his new soldier, and replied to the System message.

"Kaisellin…. No, wait."

Inexplicably, he thought that name was a bit too long.

"…Kaisel."

The Sky Dragon, now bestowed with a brand new name, raised his head up high into the sky and spat out a lengthy roar.

Kiiieeeehhk!!

"Everyone, you all worked hard."

With those words, Jin-Woo stored all of his Shadow Soldiers, including the new addition of Kaisel, back into his shadow. It was almost time to make his exit from the Demon's Castle. There was one more thing still remaining, however.

Jin-Woo opened the inbox, where the quest completion messages were still waiting for him.

[You have completed 'Normal Quest: Collect the Souls of Demons! (2).]

[Completion rewards are now available.]

[Will you confirm the rewards?] (Y/N)

'Yes, obviously.'

As soon as he answered, the list of rewards popped up in his view.

Tti-ring.

[Following rewards are made available.]

One highest grade Rune Stone

Bonus Stat points +30

Unknown reward

[Will you take them all?]

The so-called 'Shadow Exchange' skill. Just what could it be?

As he had been curious about this 'highest-grade' Rune Stone ever since the beginning of the quest, Jin-Woo chose to take that one first.

'Okay, I choose the first reward for the time being.'

Tti-ring.

['Highest grade Rune Stone: Shadow Exchange' has been delivered.]

After that message came and gone, he felt a small rock residing within his palm. When he brought the hand closer to his nose and opened it, he found a jet-black Rune Stone resting there. Its colour was completely different from the 'regular' Rune Stones.

Also, its hue came across as so much more mysterious compared to the average black colour.

Crumble.

Unlike in the past, when he physically had to break the Stone, the item crumbled all on its own the moment he thought about squeezing his hand.

The pitch-black aura rising up from the shattered Rune Stone slowly enveloped Jin-Woo, before getting absorbed into his body.

He hurriedly checked his Skill Window.

[Skill: Shadow Exchange Lv.1]

Class-specific skill.

Mana required to activate: None.

The summoner can switch locations with the designated Shadow Soldier.

Once activated, you must wait three hours of 'cool down' period before being able to use the skill again. The 'cool down' period will change according to the Skill's level.]

'Heok!!!'

Jin-Woo's eyes widened as he read the skill's description.

Sure, it might be handicapped by the limitation of the cool down period, but…. No, instead, it was an incredible skill that perhaps necessitated that cool down period to make it fair.

'Doesn't this mean it's possible to switch locations regardless of where my Shadow Soldier is?'

Depending on how he used it, this was almost on the level of teleportation.

Jin-Woo was about to summon a Shadow Soldier and test this new skill out right away, but quickly changed his mind.

'If I'm to test it out, I might as well try it with a soldier that's really far away.'

Thankfully, he did leave behind a handful of soldiers outside the Demon's Castle. He hid three of them in his sister's shadow, while five were patrolling the district as of this moment.

'There's nothing to think about, is it?'

He didn't know what kind of an after-effect the skill might have, and also, he couldn't just haphazardly pop out near his sister's location, either. And that was after setting aside the possibility of his sister freaking out, too.

So, he sought out the 'signal' emitted from one of the five Shadow Soldiers patrolling around his district and zeroed in on it.

"….Shadow Exchange."

As soon as Jin-Woo opened his mouth…

"….Uh? Eh?"

As if gravity was powerfully pulling him down, he was rapidly sucked into his own shadow.

Chapter 109: Chapter 109

Just before Jin-Woo was completely swallowed up by his shadow, he heard another message issued by the System.

[The dungeon's interior will revert back to original appearance with the death of….]

The sensation of him falling didn't last long. Suddenly, the gravity's direction reversed, and he was now being lifted back up at the same speed as he was being sucked in.

His darkened vision reverted back to the original state in no time at all.

'Isn't this place….?'

Jin-Woo took a quick look around.

Tick, tick….

A street light that continued to flicker as if it was broken; a hand-pulled wooden cart leaning precariously against a wall; an electrical pole with a half-torn flier stiller stuck to it.

He found himself in a deserted alleyway he often had to walk past when heading back home.

'….Hey, this is the suburb I live in, isn't it?!'

Somewhat coincidentally, it was also the exact same spot where he issued the five shadows to start patrolling the district, as well.

'My location really changed.'

Jin-Woo did feel deeply stunned at the moment, but still, he somehow managed to remain calm as he checked the shadow beneath his feet. Just like when he summoned his Shadow Soldiers, he too rose up from the shadow. He cautiously poked his shadow with the tip of his foot.

'...'

Back when he activated the skill, the shadow caved in as if he was stepping on the surface of water, but it was just a regular shadow now. Feeling genuinely impressed, Jin-Woo re-checked the Skill Window.

Just as the Skill description had stated, the 'cool down' period of three hours was in effect.

[Skill: Shadow Exchange Lv. 1]

Class-specific Skill…

….Can be used again in [02:59:57].

'….I've struck gold.'

Having witnessed the awesomeness of this skill, Jin-Woo's heart pounded faster and faster.

'And it was so fast, too….'

He had been maintaining the peak state of concentration the moment he was sucked into the shadow. Considering the fact that the perceived time would greatly slow down when he was concentrating fully, the transfer to this location did really happen in the blink of an eye.

His saliva nosily slid down his throat.

This skill called Shadow Exchange – it possessed limitless application, depending on how he used it.

'Ah, right. This isn't the right time.'

Jin-Woo calmed his excitement down and withdrew his magic energy. He had finally managed to get his hands on a medicine that could potentially cure his mother, so he shouldn't be wasting time here like this.

Feeling a lot more urgent now, Jin-Woo switched his Hunter-issue mobile phone and confirmed the current time.

'It's already this late….?'

Jin-Woo's forehead creased up big time.

The touchscreen display showed ten in the evening. Although the visitation hours had long passed now, Jin-Woo didn't hesitate once as he summoned the shadow of the Sky Dragon.

'Kaisel.'

Kiiieeehhk-!

Answering the call of his owner, Kaisel yelled out in joy and pushed his head out of the ground. And soon, a huge lizard-like creature the size of a truck with no arms but huge wings revealed itself.

When Kaisel spread open its vast wings, the already-narrow alleyway seemed to get filled to the brim in an instant. It was a small mercy that there were no other people nearby, otherwise…..

Jin-Woo walked closer, and Kaisel lowered his body to allow ease of mounting. Jin-Woo duly did so.

Even though this was his first time, he already felt a sense of familiarity as if he had been riding on Kaisel for a long time. He figured that flying in the air wouldn't pose any problems since he felt this way.

'It doesn't matter if someone tries to stop me.'

He wasn't talking about the hospital staff – even if cops or the military tried to block him, he knew he had the power to break past them. And, at least for this moment, he didn't want anyone to obstruct his path.

'Let's go.'

Jin-Woo formed a serious expression and issued a command. Kaisel began beating his huge wings.

Kiieeehhhkk!!

Kaisel rose up in the air right away and quickly flew in the direction Jin-Woo pointed at.

A meeting was still taking place within the walls of the Hunters Association, even though the hours were getting late.

The Korea-Japan cooperative raid was already around the proverbial corner, and the Association was doing everything in their power to ensure the successful subjugation of Jeju Island's ant monsters.

"Here is the data sent by the Japanese."

The agent of the Association pressed a button on the remote. Soon, the giant screen was filled with the footage of the ant monsters, captured by the magic-power sensing camera attached to a Japanese satellite.

These were the records taken during the first, second and the third subjugation attempts. Goh Gun-Hui's eyes narrowed to a slit.

'Indeed, excluding the ant queen and its guards, every single ant did leave the ant tunnel.'

The ant monsters moved just as the Japanese said they would.

Although the existence of the guardian ants was a worrisome variable in the equation, it was also normal to find a few guardian-type monsters protecting their bosses within higher ranked dungeons, as well.

Still, it was hard to claim that there was no risk. The top man in the Korean side of the operation, Goh Gun-Hui, quickly thought of one of the worst case situations.

"What are the odds of the ants turning around quicker than anticipated after realising their queen is in danger?"

The Japanese had already thought about that too, however.

"They have said they would use 'interference radio wave' signal."

"Radio wave signal?"

"According to their research, they discovered that the ant monsters use specific radio waves to communicate among themselves."

Indeed, if one wanted to order an army of several thousands as one unit, then a method to send out commands should exist. Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head.

"And they can interrupt the communication of ants with radio waves?"

"That's what they said, sir."

"So, they want us to fully concentrate on killing the ant queen, is it…."

The subjugation plan itself was quite simple.

Even though it was simple, there was a higher chance of succeeding when compared to other plans, as well.

Yet, why did Goh Gun-Hui feel so anxious like this?

He rested his chin on his hands.

'Could it be that I'm worried about…'

It was then.

Goh Gun-Hui spun his head towards the outside of the window, his brows shooting up high. Everyone inside the meeting room flinched at the sudden movement of the Association President.

Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol, here to guard his boss from the side, rapidly walked in closer.

"Did something happen, sir?"

"Just now….."

Goh Gun-Hui shifted his gaze over to Woo Jin-Cheol. The latter's expression remained the same as usual.

"Haven't you felt that?"

"Sir? I don't understand what you mean…."

"…."

Just now, an astonishing wave of magic power flooded in from a faraway place beyond the windows.

Although it only lasted for a brief moment and quickly disappeared from Goh Gun-Hui's perception, he still had felt the full brunt of that.

'.....'

As their Association President continued to stare into the distance outside the window, the agents had to stop the meeting and cautiously ask their boss.

"Sir….?"

Only then did Goh Gun-Hui shift his gaze away, his head still tilting side to side.

He wondered about the possible origin of that powerful burst of magic energy, but for the time being, he had to concentrate on the current meeting. Goh Gun-Hui fell into deep thought, before throwing a question at one of the agents in charge.

"Have you succeeded in getting in contact with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?"

Baek Yun-Ho asked, his head still looking over his shoulder.

"Did you sense that?"

Min Byung-Gu replied testily.

"I may be retired now, but my rank hasn't dropped, you know."

These two men had been sharing a bottle of cheap liquor for the first time in a long while inside a certain 'pojangmacha' until then, but now, only the heavy silence flowed between them. (TL note at the end)

Baek Yun-Ho eventually shifted his gaze back to his front.

"What was that just now?"

"Maybe Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In started fighting over the shares of the Hunters Guild. Who knows."

Min Byung-Gu had been frozen on the spot with a shot glass in his hand, but suddenly broke out in a fit of giggles before emptying the soju down his throat. Baek Yun-Ho formed a dumbfounded expression.

"Don't tell me you were trying to make me laugh with that."

"But, wasn't it funny, hyung?"

"….Never mind. Forget it."

But, then again – including his sense of humour, Min Byung-Gu could be considered a bit strange in the head. No doubt about that.

'I mean, he's supposed to be the first rank S Hunter in the world to retire when he's still all healthy and the like, isn't he?'

Not only the first in the world, but he was also the only one so far, too.

Just how many people out there would willingly give up on the ridiculous amount of wealth a rank S Hunter could earn, simply because he wasn't interested anymore?

Min Byung-Gu wasn't even from a wealthy stock, to begin with.

Sensing Baek Yun-Ho's questioning gaze, Min Byung-Gu asked back.

"Hyung. Are you really going to participate?"

"….Yeah."

"But, you saw how Eun-Seok hyung died."

"That's why I must go back."

Min Byung-Gu looked at his drinking partner with a bit of confusion on his face. Baek Yun-Ho emptied his shot glass and continued on.

"If we leave the ants alone, the entirety of South Korea would end up like that place."

"Since when did you become this patriotic….?"

"Well, we're supposed to do it sooner rather than later, so might as well come up with a nice-sounding excuse while I'm at it. Don't you agree?"

The Guilds could not decline the Association's summons. The Association would accommodate the needs of the various Guilds, and the Guilds themselves simply had to answer the Association's call in return.

If one didn't want to, then there was the option of emigrating to somewhere else. How unfortunate, then, that there was no sane-minded nation willing to accept a Hunter running away from a high-difficulty raid.

Even if a country did accept such a person, could anyone actually be sure of that said Hunter not pulling the exact same stunt again in the future?

'I don't want to run away, anyways.'

Baek Yun-Ho smirked to himself. Meanwhile, Min Byung-Gu bluntly replied.

"I won't be participating. I will never go back there. If you asked to see me, hoping to change my mind, you might as well give….."

"That's not it."

Baek Yun-Ho put the cash down for the alcohol and stood up. The bottle was empty by then.

"I came to say goodbye, just in case. I don't know if we'll get to sit down for a drink again, after all."

"Hyung….."

Min Byung-Gu gave up on changing Baek Yun-Ho's mind, as he watched the latter wave his hand while walking away.

Baek Yun-Ho already knew full well the dangers of the subjugation plan, perhaps better than anyone else.

'Even then, he's still going…..'

Baek Yun-Ho's expression wasn't of someone being dragged away despite feeling deeply scared. No, rather, he carried the face of someone getting ready to step on and kill as many ants as he could with this opportunity, instead. Indeed, he seemed to be eagerly waiting for the day of the subjugation.

Min Byung-Gu could only chew on the snacks with a helpless expression on his face, only for his chopsticks to stop moving shortly thereafter.

'Wait a minute….. I can't think of that many Hunters who don't like fighting against monsters, now can I?'

There were a few like that among the Healers, but on the flip side, those folks simply loved to heal others, instead.

Min Byung-Gu dazedly stared at the bowl of oden soup, before roughly scratching the side of his head.

'Could it be that only those who like fighting become Awakened?'

Eii, there was no way that could be true.

Min Byung-Gu found something to be rather funny, and laughed all by himself while finishing the oden.

Jin-Woo quickly arrived in the hospital.

'Let's see…. It was room number 305, right?'

He wasn't planning to enter the hospital through the front door, to begin with. While still riding on Kaisel, he searched for the windows of his mother's hospital room.

'Ruler's Reach.'

The curtains covering the windows silently parted sideways. He saw the quietly-sleeping sight of his mother on the bed. She looked exactly the same as the last time he came to visit.

Jin-Woo used 'Ruler's Reach' one more time to open the window and silently stepped into the hospital room. Kaisel had disappeared into his shadow by then.

He soon stood by the side of the bed. His heart was pounding madly now that the time he had been waiting for so long was here.

'If something goes wrong, I won't be able to do anything.'

His mother had been unconscious for a very long time. There was a chance that she might not even be able to swallow the Divine Water of Life, and even if she did, there was no guarantee that she'd be okay afterwards.

'However…'

Jin-Woo got to witness plenty of miracles the System caused so far.

If it happened to someone else, he'd never have believed a word of it. One didn't even have to look far for tangible evidence, either. Wasn't he the walking proof of those miracles?

'I was a rank E, yet now look at me standing here.'

All of his achievements, they were due to the System's powers. Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at his two hands, before raising his head.

His mother lay right in front of his eyes, looking as if she'd wake up at any moment if he called out to her. He summoned the 'Divine Water of Life' from the Inventory.

Shururu….

On top of his hand, a wooden bottle materialised out of the blue. He read the item information over and over again, just in case he might have missed something important.

And so, by the time he had thoroughly memorised every word in the item information by repeatedly reading it over and over again, he managed to build up enough courage to pull the cork off of the wooden bottle.

Pop.

His hands that stayed steady during the life-or-death battle against the Demon King were trembling greatly now. Jin-Woo took a deep, deep breath to calm his mind.

'If I make a mistake here, my mother will bear the cost, instead.'

The moment he told himself there could not be any mistake whatsoever, he was able to regain the usual calmness right away. Even his hands stopped shaking.

���….I'm fine now.'

Jin-Woo cautiously supported the back of his mother's, Park Gyung-Hye's, neck with his left hand. He then brought the mouth of the wooden bottle closer to her lips.

Soon, the 'Divine Water of Life' slowly trickled into her slightly parted lips. Jin-Woo didn't rush it and made sure to let only a tiny strand enter her mouth.

'This wound….'

He then noticed the burn marks on the side of his mom's neck. The burns continued down the back of her neck, too.

Although he couldn't see it from this angle, Jin-Woo knew only too well that the burn mark extended from the entirety of the back of her neck and her shoulders to some part of her head.

'She got that because of me, after all.'

Back then, he only wanted to wash his mother's hair, inside the public bathhouse. He wanted to emulate what his mother did, when she washed the hair of very young Jin-Ah.

However, the young Jin-Woo, who never had much of an opportunity to visit public bathhouses before, lacked the ability to tell apart the temperature of the water.

Splash, splash….

The very hot water, hot enough to bubble up, filled up the plastic wash basin. The young Jin-Woo did his very best not to spill any of the hot water and cautiously walked to the back of his mom.

And then….

Splash!

He poured the water out of the plastic basin.

Mom flinched a little, but didn't move from the spot even when her flesh was visibly cooked red. All because, she feared that the hot water might end up on Jin-Ah's face. She simply held her daughter tight in her embrace.

She didn't make any noise.

The belated screams came from not his mother, but from the mouths of the aunties nearby.

"Oh, my god!! Someone, help!"

"Jin-Woo's mom!"

Only then did Jin-Woo realise he did something bad. But, all he wanted to do was to help his mother.

Jin-Woo dropped the plastic basin and began crying, but his mom tightly grasped his shoulders. And then, asked him.

"Jin-Woo? Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

The young Jin-Woo thought that he'd be scolded for sure. He could never forget the events of that day and those words his mother said to him. Not even now.

'And here I am, thinking that I don't owe anyone anything….'

After their father went missing, it was mom alone who raised the siblings Jin-Woo and Jin-Ah.

He hated owing someone, or someone owing him, so he made sure that such a thing never happened, but still….

He owed his mother a debt that he could never possibly repay.

It was then.

The very last drop entered his mother's mouth.

Jin-Woo put the bottle down and carefully laid her on the bed again. He stood quietly to the side as if he was praying to someone while waiting for the result.

Thump, thump, thump!!

His heart pounded so much that his chest actually ached. Nervous saliva travelled down his throat, too.

'....'

However, there was no visible change.

Just as a drop of blood from Jin-Woo's tightly clenched fist was about to fall….

"Heo-heok!!"

Her eyes still closed, mom sucked in a deep breath like a person getting rescued from drowning.

'…..!!!'

Jin-Woo's eyes widened.

A little bit of colour was returning to mom's once-slightly pale face. Like colour spreading on the black and white TV screen, a healthy complexion was spreading over his mother's skin.

Every passing second felt like an hour to him.

How much time did pass like that?

Jin-Woo's mother slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze wandered around for a moment or two, before stopping at Jin-Woo.

"Who…. No, wait, could you be… Jin-Woo?"

Jin-Woo's heart nearly fell just then, but he managed to nod his head a little.

It was obvious that she didn't recognise him right away. Four years had passed by already, and he had grown by a lot since then, too.

Jin-Woo didn't rush things and quietly waited.

Like water slowly filling up an empty bowl, blurry memories of the past filled up the empty hole of the last four years in Jin-Woo's mother, Park Gyung-Hye's mind bit by bit.

It didn't take her a long time to realise why she was lying on the hospital bed like this.

"How long have I been lying here, son?"

"It's been four years, mom."

He could've also added that it was four years and a few days, but he didn't. His mother currently needed as much calmness, a sense of stability, so he did his best to sound and look normal.

But, mom was still taken back by the revelation of four years, and she hurriedly asked him.

"What about Jin-Ah?? Is your sister alright??"

It was then, Jin-Woo felt something powerful welling up from deep within his heart.

She had been teetering on the edge of life and death for the last four years, yet the first thing she asked after waking up was the well-being of her daughter…..

If he hadn't bitten down on his lower lip, he might have broken down right there and then.

'It's no time to worry about that girl, you know.'

He wanted to say that out loud. But, he suppressed his emotions and formed a thin smile, instead.

"Yes, mom. She's doing okay."

His mother sighed, her expression one of genuine relief.

Jin-Woo was inwardly concerned, hoping that his mother would start worrying about herself soon, but at the same time, he began to relax somewhat as his mother seemingly hadn't changed at all.

'Things will go back to how it's been, soon.'

Finally recognising that mom's illness had been cured, his heart palpitated again. But then, he was jolted out of his thoughts. Mom was holding his left hand even before he had noticed it.

"Mom?"

"Thank you, son. You kept your promise."

Promise?

'…Ah, I forgot.'

Then again, he had always thought it was the most obvious thing in the world, so it was possible that he didn't consciously see it as a promise.

The so-called 'Eternal Sleep' disorder, where you'd fall deeper and deeper into slumber, until you'd never wake up again….

It became harder for mom to carry on with her daily life as drowsiness frequently assaulted her without warning with every passing day. Out of the blue, though, she asked Jin-Woo for a favour.

"If mom can't wake up one day, will you promise me to take good care of your little sister?"

She carried a smile of a mother asking her child for a simple errand back then.

That was why he had been enduring until now. He didn't resent her at all. Because all he did was to take over the burden his mother had been carrying until then.

However, mom tightly squeezed his hand as if she knew everything.

"My son…. It must've been hard for you."

Jin-Woo tried to smile like he had done before to assuage his mother's worries. As if nothing of note had happened until then.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do that.

All the tears he held back until then travelled down his face, and his lips parted all on their own.

"Yeah."