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264 - 273

Chapter 264: Chapter 264

Ho Sung Lee couldn't turn down the offer.

"Sure."

When Ho Sung Lee accepted, the man with the silver hair took out a thin sword from his belt, not his item window.

In terms of appearance and style, he was the type to really bother him.

'What about his abilities?'

Ho Sung Lee gripped onto his sword and focused on his opponent with nervousness.

Was he going to make the first attack or let him strike first?

Ho Sung Lee picked the latter.

He decided that rather than attacking first and letting his guard down, it was best to understand his opponent's style and looking for a way in first.

When Ho Sung Lee made it clear that he wasn't going to make the first move, the man with the silver hair grinned and beautifully swung his long sword toward Ho Sung Lee.

In the blink of an eye, 5 strikes of the sword energy charged toward him.

Ho Sung Lee widened his eyes and used his shadow skill.

Ho Sung Lee, who was immediately absorbed into the ground, snuck behind the man with the silver hair.

He then popped out of his shadow and lowered his sword upon the back of the man with the silver hair.

The man with the silver hair quickly turned around and held up his sword.

The impact of Ho Sung Lee's sword and that of the man with the silver hair caused sparks to fly, and a close-range battle followed.

Ho Sung Lee and the man with the silver hair continued a close battle where neither one struck the other.

During the battle, Ho Sung Lee thought, 'This is not that hard.'

He did act arrogant in front of Min Sung Kang, but he actually wasn't so sure.

He was worried he would die after acting rashly, but that wasn't the case.

The man with the silver hair was nothing but the head of a troop of Krok.

As soon as he realized he could do it, his confidence translated into his swordsmanship.

That was when Ho Sung Lee's sword began to outperform that of the man with the silver hair.

The more they fought, the more he felt like the force of his Aura was stronger than that of the man with the silver hair.

As the battle went on, the man with the silver hair began to show a stiff look on his face.

Ho Sung Lee was certain that as long as he stayed focus, he could win.

He decided to win in a calm and objective manner.

Right as Ho Sung Lee thought this way.

The man with the silver hair quickly stepped back to create a distance between them.

When Ho Sung Lee saw this, he launched his sword energy.

Swoosh!

The powerful Aura ripped through the air and charged at full speed.

The man with the silver hair clenched down on his teeth and attempted to dodge it, but the sword energy slashed through his shoulder.

Crack!

His shoulder region cracked and blood sprayed out into the air.

But it was just a small wound, and it wasn't enough to slow down the man with the silver hair.

The man with the silver hair dodged Ho Sung Lee's sword energy and began his counter attack.

The man with the silver hair drew a straight line with his sword.

Ho Sung Lee ducked to dodge the sword energy and quickly charged forward to reduce the distance between them.

Ho Sung Lee swung his sword 7 times, which got very close to him.

And while the man with the silver hair dodged all 7, Ho Sung Lee used his sword to target his heart.

"Ugh!"

The man with the silver hair twisted his body, which caused for Ho Sung Lee's sword to miss the heart and stab into the shoulder that had the broken armor.

Slash!

The man with the silver hair showed a pale look on his face.

There was no way Ho Sung Lee was going to miss this opportunity.

Right as he pulled his sword back to attack him further.

Some of the soldiers, who were nearby, jumped in.

The soldiers swung their swords at Ho Sung Lee.

Ho Sung Lee flinched and stepped back due to the surprise attack, but since it was very unexpected, he couldn't make appropriate countermeasures.

In the end, Ho Sung Lee suffered wounds on his arms, legs, and, his side.

"Ugh…!"

Ho Sung Lee wobbled around as he stepped back, and thick drops of blood dripped on the ground.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The man with the silver hair shouted.

In response, the soldiers dropped their heads and stepped back.

The man with the silver hair fixed his grip on his sword. He looked at Ho Sung Lee and said, "They seemed to have lost their reason due to their impatient nature. Please forgive us."

Ho Sung Lee smirked at the man with the silver hair with a stiffened face.

"Since your underlings jumped in, I think you lost."

In response, the man with the silver hair scoffed.

"That's nonsense. The only way this will end is once one of us dies."

He never intended to have a fair battle to begin with.

"I thought you'd be tough seeing from your pretty face, but I was wrong."

The man with the silver hair didn't fall for Ho Sung Lee's provocation.

"Let's see how long you can last in that state."

The man with the silver hair laughed.

"You've lost your grace once the situation turned out to your favor. You were the one flaunting your power in front of me."

Ho Sung Lee scoffed, and this time, the man with the silver hair showed stiffness in his face as if this provocation worked.

And then there was silence.

The man with the silver hair charged forward without the need

for words.

Ho Sung Lee was nervous.

He thought they were just dregs of Krok, but his fighting power was better than expected.

As a result, Ho Sung Lee took quite the hit.

The amount of force was causing him to lose energy and for the distance to shorten.

Ho Sung Lee had to block out all the attacks made by the man with the silver hair with a heavy body.

The sword energy was shotting out of the thin and long sword, and the close attacks that followed as soon as he dodged the previous shot disgusted him.

But he withstood it all.

He had to endure it for as long as possible… because he had two lives.

Once he became the Berserker, his abilities would double.

But if he lost consciousness, his life would be at a higher risk.

But since he had Min Sung, he didn't care about that.

The problem was that he pretended to be all that, but he might not be able to prove himself to Min Sung.

For that reason, he had to make as much damage as possible before turning into his Berserker state.

But another problem was that his body wasn't cooperating.

The man with the silver hair, who pretended to be more than fair and just, laughed as he swung his sword around.

And the attacks that followed cornered Ho Sung Lee into a situation where it became harder to block them out.

He did wound him on his left shoulder, but since it wasn't deep enough, he continued to make his attacks.

As he lost stamina and gained wounds, his eyes became hazy.

He had a feeling he would become the Berserker soon.

At that moment, Ho Sung Lee thought of an idea.

His opponent didn't know he had two lives.

What if they had similar capacities…?

That meant he could use his double death skill.

This skill allowed him to take the life of his opponent in the case that they die together.

Since he had the ability to become the Berserker, that skill was the most useful hidden skill he had.

He felt itchy with the urge to see the look on his face as soon as he suffered the effects of his hidden card.

'I'll make you regret letting your guard down during our battle.'

'But then again, he was going to die in the hands of Min Sung anyway.'

In any case, he found it meaningful that he could make the man with the silver hair regret his actions himself.

He was determined.

Since Ho Sung Lee had died many times before, he felt no hesitation in dying again.

When the man with the silver hair swung his sword, rather than dodging it, Ho Sung Lee went head-on.

The man with the silver hair was unable to understand Ho Sung Lee's behavior, and his pupils shook as a result.

As a result, the sword of the man with silver hair stabbed into Ho Sung Lee's stomach.

At the same time, Ho Sung Lee clenched down on his bloody teeth and stabbed the man with the silver hair in the heart.

Slash!

Ho Sung Lee stabbed through the armor and got him right in the heart, and he could feel it in his fingertips.

"How do you feel now, you arrogant bastard?"

The man with the silver hair showed pain and rage in his eyes.

"You… crazy bastard!"

The biggest reason why his double death skill worked was because the man with the silver hair had let his guard down.

He thought that he had the win in the bag, and that confidence landed him in this pitiful state.

The handsome face of the man with the silver hair began to shrivel.

He felt refreshed seeing the dying look on his face.

The troops behind him charged forward to protect their head.

"Come at me."

Ho Sung Lee spoke with a pained look on his face.

The five soldiers swung their weapons toward Ho Sung Lee.

Ho Sung Lee had no intention to fight back.

All that mattered was that he stabbed the man with the silver hair in the heart.

COMMENT

The sword was covered in blood, and the man with the silver hair was on the ground with his eyes open.

As a result, the soldiers charged in to stab Ho Sung Lee.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

Ho Sung Lee dropped his head backward and plopped down on his knees.

At the same time, the soldiers pulled out their weapons, and as soon as Ho Sung Lee was on the ground, the soldiers immediately used their potions and treatment magic on the man with silver hair.

But the man's heart was too damaged to be recovered.

While the soldiers glared at Min Sung who was still alive…

Crack!

A strange noise could be heard.

The soldiers approached Ho Sung Lee, whom they assumed was head.

His hair turned red. His muscles got bigger, and his body wriggled as if he was a zombie, and this caused the soldiers to stare in shock.

As soon as Ho Sung Lee got up and opened his bloody eyes, the soldiers felt their bodies shiver out of fear.

An enormous energy was flowing out of Ho Sung Lee, who was now the Berserker.

Chapter 265: Chapter 265

The soldiers saw Ho Sung Lee transforming into a beast and gulped.

It was because of the fighting power that he gave off, but it was also because of his shocking outer appearance as well.

His long, red hair.

And his fangs that resembled that of a monster.

And his eyes filled with blood.

His muscles looked as though they were carved diamonds. Ho Sung Lee, who had transformed into the Berserker, was giving off a powerful vibe.

But that wasn't all.

Ho Sung Lee's eyes turned into the shape of a crescent moon, and his lips spread wide across his face

He almost looked like a smiling devil.

After seeing this, the soldiers shivered.

Ho Sung Lee had fully transformed into the Berserker.

His body sparked as if there was fire all over his body, and an air radiated from around him that was in the form of a devil.

The soldiers exchanged glances.

They had a feeling a battle was about to begin.

And their prediction was right.

Ho Sung Lee jumped in between the gathered soldiers at an explosive speed.

Slash!

In the blink of an eye, the armors of two soldiers ripped followed by screaming.

"Ughhhh…!"

Ho Sung Lee laughed quietly and swung his sword.

He didn't have any fancy skills, but every time Ho Sung Lee swung his sword, the soldiers were slashed at an incredible speed.

The ground began to be flooded with blood in no time.

Slash, slash, slash!

Ho Sung Lee stabbed two soldiers at once as if they were a skewer.

In order to catch Ho Sung Lee, the soldiers charged all at once…

But Ho Sung Lee continued to swing his sword at the speed of light.

The 5 soldiers that charged in were cut into 18 pieces and plopped on the ground.

The soldiers, who were still alive, stared at Ho Sung Lee with disgust and stepped back.

There were still 15 of them, meaning he was still outnumbered, but they had already declared defeat inside their heads.

The 15 soldiers began to fear Ho Sung Lee, who was smiling with a sword in his hand.

Ho Sung Lee watched the soldiers with a low laugh and positioned himself.

Once he was positioned, Ho Sung Lee clenched his teeth. He took off on his right foot and swung his sword toward the soldiers.

A bright light flashed from Ho Sung Lee's sword.

Then the 15 soldiers got sliced into two and dropped on the ground.

Whoosh!

The wind blew.

Ho Sung Lee dropped his sword. He hung his head back, and…

"Hahahaha, Heheheheehe. Hahahahahahaha!"

He laughed loudly.

Min Sung saw this and knitted his brows.

Bowl ran over to the bodies in order to turn them into the Undead.

At that moment…

Ho Sung Lee looked back at Min Sung and smiled.

"Hahahaha! How was that? Are you satisfied?"

Normally, Ho Sung Lee wasn't conscious in the Berserker state.

In addition, the duration was also short, but once his ability leveled up, things were different.

He wasn't 100% conscious.

Probably just 50%.

"Sir, at this rate, I might be able to compete against you soon."

For that reason…

He wasn't in his right mind.

Min Sung smiled and uncrossed his arms.

"Come at me."

Min Sung flicked his finger.

Ho Sung Lee smiled even bigger.

The dark air around his head was making him look even more like the devil.

"Son of a b*tch, what are you doing? Get a hold of yourself," said Bowl while tapping on Ho Sung Lee's ankle.

But Ho Sung Lee continued to stare at Min Sung, and he didn't change his mind.

No, that was probably his instinct.

Ho Sung Lee was drunk off of the enhancement.

He had an impulse to use his remaining energy until he had nothing left, and that impulse caused for him to be rash with courage.

Just like he was now.

Thud!

Ho Sung Lee jumped off the ground, causing a large stirring noise.

As soon as he got close enough, he swung his sword.

Flash!

The sword was thin, but it contained so much power, and that sword energy charged toward Min Sung.

Min Sung dodged the attack with a light twist in his body.

Ho Sung Lee's eyes began to show rage.

That was because of the power that Min Sung gave off.

He was stimulated by the power, and it made him determined to give everything he had on Min Sung.

Ho Sung Lee got closer and swung

his sword once more.

Min Sung dodged it by ducking, and he then punched Ho Sung Lee in the chest.

Pow!

It sounded like a car crash, and Ho Sung Lee's body flew in the air and rolled on the ground.

Bowl shook his head at this sight.

But Ho Sung Lee had no intention to back down and ran toward Min Sung again.

Ho Sung Lee launched his sword energy with red eyes as if he was a crazy dog.

The 7 rays of sword energy flew toward Min Sung.

Min Sung watched it with emotionless eyes and effortlessly dodged it.

He dodged the sword energy without the use of his abilities and positioned himself to Ho Sung Lee's left.

Before Ho Sung Lee could use his sword, two punches flew at him.

Pow!

Min Sung's fist landed on Ho Sung Lee's face.

His nose was broken. His teeth fell out, and Ho Sung Lee's face showed a dent as his legs began to float in the air.

And in that same position, he spun two times and rolled onto the ground.

Min Sung shook the blood of his fist.

"Ugh…!"

Ho Sung Lee wobbled back up with his broken face

"If you're fearless before you even have the skills…"

Min Sung continued, "You won't survive."

His fist charged in.

Min Sung punched Ho Sung Lee in the face, chest, abdomen, and side, for a total of 7 punches.

Ho Sung Lee coughed up blood. He walked backward and landed on his butt.

"… Ugh!"

He dripped in blood, and he was unable to move his body due to the hits.

Min Sung slowly walked toward Ho Sung Lee.

Min Sung grabbed Ho Sung Lee by the throat, and Ho Sung Lee looked up at Min Sung.

Min Sung stared into Ho Sung Lee's red eyes and smiled.

Ho Sung Lee's pupils dilated, and Min Sung's fist punched into his face once more.

"Ugh."

Ho Sung Lee groaned without being able to open his eyes.

"You're lasting longer than I expected."

Min Sung punched him again.

Pow!

"Ugh. P-please stop."

Pow!

"Ugh!"

Min Sung's punches became more powerful.

And then…

Pow!

Ho Sung Lee woke up from his Berserker state and sprawled out on the ground.

Min Sung let go of Ho Sung Lee's throat.

Ho Sung Lee laid on the ground without moving as if he was dead.

Bowl ran over.

After checking his condition, he looked up at his master, Min Sung.

"He's alive!"

Bowl shouted.

"I know," answered Min Sung.

"What's gotten into this son of a b*tch?"

Min Sung looked down at Ho Sung Lee's unconscious body and sighed.

"I'd like to know that, too," answered Min Sung before calling over Ssol.

After drinking a 500ml bottle of water, he wiped the blood off his hands with a wet towel.

"Treat him," ordered Min Sung.

"Yes, Master!"

And Bowl answered.

Blink, blink.

As soon as Ho Sung Lee opened his eyes, his mouth groaned from the pain.

"… What happened?"

Ho Sung Lee traced his memory.

He remembered fighting against the man with the silver hair who led the troops of Krok.

And then…

'Oh yeah! Berserker. I became the Berserker.'

He finally remembered.

He also remembered challenging Min Sung.

Ho Sung Lee laughed.

It seemed as though he lost his reason when he became the Berserker.

Although it was his behavior, he couldn't understand himself in the Berserker state.

No matter how excited he was, he shouldn't have messed with Min Sung.

Ho Sung Lee sighed and flinched at the pain.

He took out a potion from his item window and emptied it in his mouth.

It took some time before he could move.

"Ugh…"

Despite having used many potions, his body was throbbing as if he was beaten up with a bat.

Ho Sung Lee wobbled up and glanced around him.

"… Where am I?"

It was dark, moist, and it reeked.

As soon as he opened the entrance, Ho Sung Lee realized he was resting in a stable.

When he exited the stable, he saw that the roads were empty.

"Where did everybody go?"

As soon as he mumbled that, Bowl walked out of the stable.

"Son of a b*tch, you're awake."

Bowl yawned and stood next to Ho Sung Lee.

"Oh, here you are. Where's Min Sung? Is he inside the stable, too?"

Ho Sung Lee looked into the stable with surprised eyes.

The stable was empty.

There was no Min Sung nor any horses.

"Why would our master stay at a place like this?"

"Then where did he go?"

"He's eating."

"Oh… I see. I should've cooked for him."

"Why did you do that to Master?"

Bowl asked.

Ho Sung Lee scratched his head and clicked his tongue.

"Good question. I've never seen myself as the Berserker, so I never knew. I'm quite the sight to see, huh? Haha."

Ho Sung Lee laughed, but the pain caused him to frown and grab his chin.

"Ouch…"

He had no one to blame but himself.

Bowl sighed at Ho Sung Lee and shook his head out of pity.

"But where is Min Sung having his meal?"

Ho Sung Lee glanced around and asked Bowl, "Oh yeah. And where's the girl that was being chased?"

Bowl pointed toward the north of the stable.

Ho Sung Lee headed in that direction.

There was a house there, and the condition was so poor that it almost looked like a deserted house.

Chapter 266: Chapter 266

"Is that where the girl lives?"

Ho Sung Lee pointed at the house and asked.

Bowl nodded.

"Let's go. I should apologize to Min Sung, and if he didn't have a good meal, I should make him a new one."

Ho Sung Lee began walking and took out another potion from his item window.

His injuries must have been severe because it hurt every time he moved.

He gulped down the potion and arrived in front of the ruins of the house.

After knocking, he opened the door.

Creak!

He opened the door with a loud noise and entered with Bowl.

Unlike the outside, the inside looked fairly decent.

The place looked like it would have spider webs in every room, but aside from that, it was nice and clean.

He saw Min Sung eating bread at the table, so he approached him and bowed.

"I apologize, Sir."

He apologized first.

Since he made the mistake, he was at a loss for words.

"The bread isn't enough. Prepare my meal."

"Yes, Sir!"

Min Sung didn't mention the fact that he messed with him earlier.

He just told him to start cooking.

That made Ho Sung Lee feel a little better.

He was nervous, so he was glad they could move on.

Once Ho Sung Lee began to cook, he noticed a little girl sitting in the corner while hugging her knees.

He was the girl that got kicked out of the village.

Her eyes were filled with fear, caution, and lack of affection, and this went onto show just how hard she had had it.

There was no better comfort than food.

"I'll make you something delicious."

After saying that to the little girl with a smile, he bowed to Min Sung and began cooking.

***

His body throbbed, but it didn't affect his cooking.

His choice of menu was simple.

Since he wanted to feed the little girl something delicious, he picked something that just about anyone would like.

Ho Sung Lee was certain that both the little girl and Min Sung would enjoy this meal.

Ho Sung Lee placed two plates on the table and approached the little girl.

She pulled her knees even closer and cowered in the corner.

Ho Sung Lee kept a distance. He kneeled in front of her and made eye contact.

"Aren't you hungry?"

Ho Sung Lee asked.

The little girl hurt her legs, but she looked like a cat that had its guard up, and her eyes seemed as though she didn't trust anyone.

"Let's eat. Come and eat."

Ho Sung Lee slowly got up and pulled out a seat.

He gestured for her to eat with a smile, and the little girl looked at the hot food on the table and gulped.

"It's okay. Come and eat. It's delicious."

The girl thought for a moment before slowly getting up.

Ho Sung Lee waited for the little girl to approach.

After much thought, the little girl slowly took a step at a time toward the table.

She then took turns looking at Min Sung and Ho Sung Lee with scared eyes before sitting down at the table.

After seeing what the food was, the little girl couldn't help but stare at the food with a blank look on her face.

Ho Sung Lee had cooked pork cutlets.

It was a food that kids were obsessed with.

The thick meat and the fried exterior, as well as the smell of the sauce, was enough to entrance the little girl.

"It's hot. Eat slowly."

Ho Sung Lee placed a fork in front of the little girl with a smile.

The little girl stared at the shiny pork cutlets and picked up her fork.

The pork cutlets were already sliced so that it could be eaten easily.

***

The little girl stabbed her fork into a piece of pork cutlet and brought it to her mouth.

It was crispy and chewy.

After that, the meaty smell of the pork cutlets filled her nose, and the sweet flavor of the sauce spread throughout her mouth causing a surprising sensation.

She never imagined such delicious food existed, and it was meat.

The food that she didn't think she would ever eat in her life, but it was cooked into a delicious dish called pork cutlets.

Every time the little girl chewed on the pork cutlets, she felt a sense of happiness that she had never felt in her life.

She was so hungry that she wanted to chow down on the pork cutlets as quickly as possible, but she didn't want to do that… because she wanted to savor it.

She took very small bites of the pork cutlets as a result.

***

Min Sung watched the little girl for a moment before starting his own pork cutlets.

It was delicious.

The meat was fresh, and it was fried perfectly, and the sauce was what made or broke it, but Ho Sung Lee's dishes were always perfect.

The pork cutlets deserved a 10/10.

And the cabbage salad and dressing served with it was refreshing.

When eaten with the white rice, it satisfied his belly completely.

"This is really, really delicious…"

The girl dropped her head in the middle of the meal and started crying.

Min Sung looked at her and nodded.

"Eat lots."

The girl wiped her tears away and continued to eat.

Min Sung also continued to eat his pork cutlets in silence.

***

While Min Sung and the little girl enjoyed their meal, Ho Sung Lee leaned against

the wall and fell deeply into thought.

He wasn't hungry even without eating.

He remembered fighting the players from Krok.

And when he thought about his battle with Min sung, his heart pounded like crazy.

He couldn't believe how powerful he had become.

Of course, compared to the really powerful players like Min Sung Kang, he was still nothing, but having come this far was still worth celebrating.

He basked in the happiness of having gotten stronger, and he believed that as long as he was in Beatrice, he could get other chances to become even more powerful.

Ho Sung Lee clenched his fists with the hope that he would become even stronger one day.

"Ho Sung," called Min Sung.

"Yes, Sir!"

Ho Sung Lee swung his head and ran over to Min Sung.

"Ice cream."

"Yes, Sir."

Ho Sung Lee called Ssol. He put the ice cream in a bowl and handed it to Min Sung and the little girl.

The little girl, who couldn't take her eyes off of the pork cutlets, opened her eyes even wider for the ice cream.

She wondered, 'What is this?'

Ho Sung Lee smiled and thought she was cute.

***

Underneath the dark clouds and heavy rain.

Kaboom!

The loud noise rang from all four directions.

A man who was around 2 meters and 30 centimeters tall.

No, the player, and the owner of the territory, Krok, clenched down on his teeth and punched with his Aura-filled fist.

Ting!

Along with a thin sound, a powerful force spread from Krok's fist.

Roarrrrr!

Over 100 players disappeared as a result of the energy that was launched from Krok's fist… as if they never existed.

A white air radiated from Krok's body as he walked toward the castle.

Krok was currently in a war against the owner of a castle nearby named Eichmann, in efforts to kill him.

They had already wiped out half of Eichmann's forces in the forefront, yet Krok was still overflowing with stamina and magic power.

"What's the use in sending out these useless fries? Show yourself, Eichmann!"

Krok shouted with his mouth wide open.

And as soon as Krok pulled out his fist once more.

Thudddddd!

A hole formed in the fortress gate followed by a body rolling out.

Krok walked toward the hole in the gate.

And his subordinates followed from behind him.

Krok looked back at his subordinate players with angry eyes.

"You're nothing but baggage. If you step up and die pathetically, I'll swallow up your souls."

Krok spoke with raging eyes, and in response, the players that followed avoided his gaze and stepped back.

Krok continued to make his way.

He walked confidently.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

Arrows filled with magic power flew threw the sky like shooting stars.

Krok grimaced and stomped his foot against the ground.

The ground rumbled as if there was an earthquake, and at the same time, a large curtain formed around Krok.

Not only did the curtain blocked Krok from the arrows, but it also expanded his reach around him.

Crackkk!

Boommmmm!

The castle cracked, and 1/3 of it began to tumble down.

If Krok used his full force, the entire castle would have been destroyed.

But since he couldn't destroy the place that contained his spoils of war, he only used a portion of his power.

But as a result of his force, the archers that were nearby fell and got killed.

Krok was so powerful that with just one breath, he could kill an entire army of players.

"Eichmann, that son of a b*tch. Where is he hiding?"

Krok looked around and growled when one man walked toward him.

He also was of a large size that was no smaller than Krok.

He was wearing a cape and a silver armor that gave him a more holy image than the violent, Krok.

"I see you've managed to destroy our peace treaty, Krok!"

Eichmann, the owner of the territory being attacked, glared at Krok with rage.

In response, Krok looked at Eichmann and scoffed.

"Peace, my ass. When did I ever promise that?"

Krok widened his eyes and snickered at Eichmann.

Krok's eyes then turned into those that resembled a reptile.

That was proof that he was getting ready to battle.

Chapter 267: Chapter 267

Eichmann held his sword forward and showed a stiff look on his face.

"You disgust me. I know you surrendered to the command of the 12 signs. You should be ashamed of yourself, Krok!"

In response to Eichmann's shouting, Krok appeared annoyed.

"The 12 signs, the 12 signs. You won't stop talking about that. What's so great about them that you're trying to hold them above my head? I'm going to swallow up everything. I won't let anything stand above me!"

Krok screamed.

"You've completely lost your mind. I shall cut off that rotten head of yours."

A light flashed from Eichmann's sword.

As if it was an engine that was warming up, Eichmann's sword unleashed its power with a flash.

Krok clenched his fists and unleashed his magic energy.

Rumble!

The ground shook.

The air around them was distorted even before Krok and Eichmann began their battle.

A moment of silence.

And as soon as they attacked each other, a loud thundering noise rang.

Bright rays of light flashed from Eichmann's sword while the light of an Aura radiated from Krok's fist.

As soon as their forces collided…

A light flashed in all four directions followed by the wave of the force.

Krok's subordinates, who were already a distance back, had to use their shields to protect themselves from the wave.

That was how powerful it was.

After the impact of their magic energy, Eichmann's sword and Krok's fist collided.

The hissing sound was deafening.

The heat was fierce.

Meanwhile, Krok's eyes flashed green.

At the same time, a phenomenon resembling 9 snakes arose from behind Krok's back and immediately chewed on Eichmann's armor.

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

The silver armor ripped to shreds as if it was simply eating its meal.

Eichmann stared at Krok in surprise and tried to step back, but Krok's fist was much faster than his movements.

Pow!

Krok's fist punched Eichmann in the chest.

Eichmann spat out blood and his face turned red.

As a result, Eichmann's body twisted around, and once he lost balance, Krok's continued attacks became that much more effeetive.

Krok stared at Eichmann with wide eyes as if he was a hungry predator and attacked him non-stop.

As if he was a dinosaur preying on another dinosaur.

***

The little girl's name was Marie.

She was 12 years old.

At first, she had her guard up like a street cat, but after eating the pork cutlets and ice cream, she slowly began to open up.

As Ho Sung Lee chatted with the little girl, she turned from the timid street cat to just a regular 12-year-old girl.

"That was so delicious! I can't believe it. I had no idea such food existed. It was so good."

The girl was certainly full, but she still talked about the pork cutlets and ice cream as if she couldn't get over it.

And Ming Sung was able to understand her.

After all, he came to earth after starving in the Demonic Realm.

As long as he had Ho Sung Lee and food ingredients, Beatrice was no different from Heaven for Min Sung.

The only problem was that the ingredients and time were limited in Beatrice.

"In what world do they eat food like this?"

The girl asked, and Ho Sung Lee answered in a friendly manner.

The little girl was very interested in Ho Sung Lee's story about earth.

She looked as though she was listening to a fairy tale story.

During their long chat about earth, something cut them off.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Someone was knocking on the door.

The little girl's face quickly turned from bright to stiff in response.

She began to cower again.

"Don't worry. He's the most powerful man in this world. He'll protect you," said Ho Sung Lee while pointing at Min Sung.

The girl looked at Min Sung with scared eyes.

Min Sung stared at Ho Sung Lee, who just said he would protect her.

Ho Sung Lee coughed and got up.

"I'll go and see who it is."

Ho Sung Lee ran over to the door and opened it.

Outside were four adults.

One of them was a weak elder.

And two of them were middle-aged men.

And the last one was a middle-aged woman.

Their stiff faces looked so determined that it was clear that they were ready to fight just from their expressions.

But since words came first, Ho Sung Lee calmly started a conversation.

"What's the matter?"

Ho Sung Lee asked.

In response, one of the middle-aged men stepped up with an angry look on his face.

"We know the witch is in here."

Ho Sung Lee looked at Min Sung and shrugged, and Min Sung gestured for him to handle it on his own.

Ho Sung Lee clicked his tongue and scanned the four adults.

They didn't look like players from Krok.

Their clothes and their energy seemed all too ordinary.

But the fact that average Beatrice natives came here despite knowing what had happened was quite unusual.

"We came prepared to die. That's how important this is."

Ho Sung Lee grabbed his head and groaned.

"Hm. So you're saying you have to kill that little girl that you call a witch?"

"That's correct. That witch is in this

house. Please don't protect her out of chivalrous spirit."

The eyes of the middle-aged man looked very sincere.

But to Ho Sung Lee, something seemed off.

It didn't seem like they were trying to kill the little girl, Marie, just because a higher order commanded them to, but when he thought about it, it seemed like the Krok players were trying to take her away.

Things didn't fit into place.

It was strange, but Ho Sung Lee decided that finishing off their conversation came first.

"I just need to know. What makes you think that girl is a witch?"

Ho Sung Lee asked with a bitter smile.

And the answer that the villagers offered was shocking.

He thought it was just a superstition, but what they told him was much more serious.

"We saw that little girl kill someone with our own eyes," the elder explained.

And the middle-aged woman added.

"I saw it, too."

"Hmph! Killing is nothing. Do you know what I saw?"

The middle-aged man trembled and spoke with a grimace, "As soon as that little witch used her witchcraft, people in our village started to get sick. She spread a disease. That was her doing!"

The middle-aged man huffed and puffed.

There was both fear and rage in his eyes.

Ho Sung Lee sighed and looked at the girl.

Seeing how the villagers hated Marie this much, perhaps it wasn't just something to pass over as a superstition.

But since he didn't see it himself, he wasn't in a place to say anything either.

"So are you going to take that girl and kill her?" Read more chapter on NovelFull

As soon as Ho Sung Lee asked…

"We must burn her," the elder responded.

Ho Sung Lee stared at the four adults with a troubled look on his face.

In this case, Min Sung had to make the final call.

"What do we do?"

Ho Sung Lee asked Min Sung as if he had surrendered.

Min Sung slowly got up and walked to the door.

The four adults stood straight without movement and stared back at Min Sung.

Min Sung then smirked at them.

As soon as he did, the adult's stiff faces were shaken.

But they immediately got back to their senses.

"Didn't we just explain how dangerous that little witch is? Hand her over," the elder spoke while making eye contact with Min Sung.

"I don't know if you're stupid or brave."

Min Sung tilted his head and continued, "If that girl has that kind of power like you said, don't you think she would've killed you by now?"

The adults looked taken aback.

"Are you naïve or just stupid?"

The adults' faces turend stiff.

"If you're telling the truth and you try to kill her… Do you think it'll be her that's dead or you? Actually, maybe the whole village would go down."

Min Sung made sense.

Even if she was a little witch, her influence would be huge.

She might have been a Beatrice native, but she was not to be underestimated.

But that was in the case that what the adults were saying was true.

"You came here prepared to die?"

Min Sung smiled.

"You're gambling the lives of your entire village right now. Whether they consented to this or not."

Min Sung wiped off the smile from his face and scanned them with cold eyes.

"I'd better check for myself if you really came here prepared to die."

Min Sung took out his Gungnir S from his item window.

Kaboom!

A loud, thundering noise rang.

"Gasp!"

The four adults all fell over backward as if it was rehearsed.

They stared up at Min Sung with scared eyes.

In their eyes, Min Sung was much more powerful than the little witch.

"You won't die easily. A human life is more persistent than you'd think. I also control it so that it stays that way."

The three adults aside from the elder peed their pants.

As for the elder, he shook with fear but didn't back down to Min Sung.

Chapter 268: Chapter 268

"We're going to die either way. Kill us!"

The elder screamed while trembling.

"That's because you've already lived your life. The others don't seem to agree."

The elder looked at the other 3 adults with a grimace

"What are you so afraid of?"

The elder shouted.

The one middle-aged woman and the two middle-aged men trembled without being able to lift their heads.

Min Sung clicked his tongue.

He thought they would run away if he scared them, but the elder had quite the influence.

At this point, he had two choices—to kill them or let them live.

And he didn't have to think for long.

"Ho Sung, bring the little girl," Min Sung ordered.

Ho Sung Lee felt anxious, but he brought the little girl, Marie, out while holding her hand.

"These adults are saying you killed someone. Why did you do it?"

Min Sung asked Marie.

In response, she trembled, unable to open her mouth.

"Just tell me the truth."

Marie opened her eyes wide to Min Sung and then dropped her head before she uttered, "He tried to harass me."

"In more detail."

"He tried to touch my body. And…"

"That's enough."

"…"

"They claim that the villagers are dying from a disease. Did you do it?"

Marie nodded with a resigned look on her face.

She looked like she was ready to die.

"Why?"

"… Because I'm a witch."

Min Sung knitted his brows and glared at the adults.

"Then I have a question for you. Are there those who are dying of the illness right now?"

"Of course," answered the elder.

The other three were trembling with fear, ready to die.

No matter how prepared they were, their head and body reacted differently.

Min Sung looked away from the three adults back to the elder and laughed.

"Hey, kid," called Min Sung.

Marie looked up at Min Sung.

"Are you able to heal sick people, too?"

Min Sung asked.

Marie thought for a second and nodded.

The elder looked at Marie with surprise.

"You bitch! How could you sit back if you were able to treat them?"

The elder shouted.

Marie trembled and dropped her head.

Kaboom!

Min Sung's Gungnir S rang.

The elder flinched and stiffened back up.

The thundering noise from Min Sung's weapon had the ability to make his opponent freeze up.

No matter how prepared they were to die, they couldn't help their reflexes.

"If you call this little girl a witch, she'll become a witch. But if you call her a savior? If you ask for help? If you protect her and ask her to protect the village in return?"

The adults looked at Marie with changed faces.

"Then this little girl will be your savior, not a witch."

The four adults thought for a moment.

"If you try to kill this girl, you'll die instead. But if you ask for her help and ask for her forgiveness… If you hold her sacred…"

Min Sung scanned the village filled with dark energy.

"Then maybe your village could change."

"…"

"The choice is up to you. Now take her away."

Min Sung threw his Gungnir S into his item window and turned away.

Min Sung went back into the house, and after scratching his head, Ho Sung Lee followed him back in.

Ho Sung Lee looked back toward the little girl named Marie.

Marie stood there with her head down.

Ho Sung Lee stared at Marie. He sighed and looked away.

***

"… Do you think she'll be okay?"

Ho Sung Lee asked as he put down his tea glass.

After taking a sip of the tea that Ho Sung Lee made him…

"I don't know," he uttered without much interest.

Ho Sung Lee sighed and then smirked.

"Still…

I think you were wise to give them those two choices and make them decide their fate."

"Don't evaluate me."

"I apologize. I didn't mean it that way. I'm just in awe," Ho Sung Lee said while dripping in cold sweat.

"Find information about the secret document."

"Yes, Sir."

"And don't overdo it like last time."

Min Sung warmed up his tea with his magic energy. He blew it to be warm and then sipped it.

Ho Sung Lee watched Min Sung and smiled.

"Yes, Sir."

***

The little girl that they called a witch named Marie.

She was ready to die.

She had lived her life under persecution.

But she was now tired, and she even tried delicious foods like pork cutlets and ice cream.

Now that she had experienced delicious food, she was satisfied.

Marie followed the adults with drooping shoulders.

One of the men called his son over and asked for his opinion.

His son was set to take after the current village chief as he passed.

But since the former village chief had just died, the young man was no different from the current village chief.

And as soon as the young man heard his father's story, he asked for people to gather in the main square.

He even told the sick to gather as well.

At first, people stared at Marie and cussed her out, but as soon as they heard that she would be able to cure the disease, they all decided to gather in the square.

A moment later, the village square was full of Beatrice natives.

Those who were sick screamed at Marie to cure them.

Among the 3 adults that went to Marie's house, the young man who was set to become the village chief stood on the podium and waited for them to quiet down.

Not long afterward, the square grew quiet, and that was when the young man spoke.

The young man had gone to Marie's house to meet Min Sung, and he delivered what he had heard from Min Sung himself.

"This is what he said. Because we were afraid of this girl's power, we called her a witch, and she only became a witch so that she could protect herself."

The people at the square looked confused. However, they seemed to have changed their mind after hearing the young man speak.

"He asked what would happen if we hold her sacred. What if we never called her a witch? What if we sincerely asked her to protect our village? Then perhaps she would have become our protector and not a witch."

The young man continued, "It's possible that it was us, not her, who caused his disaster… That's what I thought."

Some people began to protest.

They screamed that Marie was the devil.

"If something happened in this village, who would protect us?"

The young man asked.

There was no answer.

Even the noisy ones shut their mouths.

"Do you think Krok will protect us?"

"…"

"Krok stole our base, women, belongings, and our territory."

"Are you saying that girl can fight Krok?"

One of the men asked.

"Of course not. But she at least has the power to resolve small issues."

"Then what about the fact that that little girl killed someone!?"

"Wouldn't you fight back if I tried to kill you right now?"

"…"

"Same goes for this girl. If we protect, respect, and cherish her, she will protect us rather than hurt us."

Most of the people agreed with the young man.

He was using the mob psychology.

But there were always those who resisted.

"What if that girl is evil? What if she wants revenge? What then?!"

The young man looked at him as if he didn't understand.

"You're not getting the point. Can we kill this girl?"

"Why can't we?!"

"If she dies, we won't be able to treat the illnesses that she caused. Do you think Krok will treat us? Only the women he'll take would get treated."

The man was no longer able to refute.

"It's foolish to go after this girl just because she's different. If we respect her and be considerate, Marie will be on our side. But on the other hand…"

The young man made it clear.

"If we call her a witch and try to kill her, this girl will have no choice but to fight back."

The young man raised his voice.

"And that will lead to our village's ruin. It will be us we're killing, not her!"

The young man normally didn't say much.

But his wisdom had always resonated without the need for words, which was why he was picked to become the next village chief.

A young man like that had finally raised his voice.

And since he was convincing, the young man's words were powerful, and the people began to change their minds about Marie.

"I'll give you 3 days. If you wrap a red cloth around your wrist, that means you want to hurt her or kick her out, and if you wrap a white cloth around your wrist, that means you respect her and wish to hold her sacred."

The young man stepped down from the podium.

He then stood in front of Marie.

Marie looked up at the young man with wide eyes.

The young man smiled down at the girl and wrapped a white cloth around his wrist.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you until now. I know I'm late, but let me make this clear. You did nothing wrong, and I'm on your side, Marie," said the young man.

Marie's eyes shed tears.

The young man reached out his hand.

Marie held her tears back and held the young man's hand.

Chapter 269: Chapter 269

Ho Sung Lee set out to find information about the secret document as Min Sung instructed.

The air was sticky, followed by rain.

The day was getting darker.

In order to find information, Ho Sung Lee used his skills to start a search, but despite having looked for a long time, he couldn't find a single clue.

"It seems as though we might have to meet with the ruler of this territory."

In response to Ho Sung Lee's report, Min Sung grabbed his head. He thought for a moment and then looked at Ho Sung Lee.

"I'm sure we'll meet him soon. Anyway, it's raining. What would be good?"

"Sorry? Oh, for food?"

"Yeah."

"One moment."

Ho Sung Lee looked out at the rainy scenery out the window and thought about what to make.

Not long afterward, Ho Sung Lee nodded.

"How about pork bone soup?"

"Sounds good. Get started."

"Yes, Sir."

Ho Sung Lee smiled and began preparing the meal.

After rolling up his sleeves and washing his hands, he took out the ingredients to start cooking when he heard the sound of knocking.

Ho Sung Lee opened the door with a confused look on his face.

Outside was the little girl, Marie, who was smiling while wearing a raincoat.

"Huh? Hey, Marie."

Ho Sung Lee smiled and greeted her.

"May I come in?" Marie asked.

"We were actually preparing a meal. Would you like to join us?"

Marie looked at Ho Sung Lee with twinkling eyes and showed joy as if it was Christmas Day.

"Really? Can I?"

"Yeah, of course. This is your house, and you should eat as much as you can while we're here."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Stop thanking me and come in."

Ho Sung Lee gestured for her to come in.

Marie entered and took off her raincoat.

Ho Sung Lee began preparing the ingredients.

Meanwhile, Marie approached Min Sung.

Marie seemed nervous because of how intimidating Min Sung looked.

Min Sung, who was thinking while looking out the window, slowly looked over at Marie.

Min Sung flicked his index finger toward Marie.

Marie approached, still tense.

"How did it go?" Min Sung asked.

"The villagers are treating me well. Some of them still hate me, but there are a lot more people cheering for me now," explained Marie with a smile.

"That's good."

"It's all thanks to you. Thank you."

Min Sung nodded.

"No problem. I have a question for you."

"What is it?" Marie asked with a cute look on her face.

"Do you know anything about the Golden Code?"

The Golden Code was the confirmed information they had on the ancient document, and it was their biggest hint for finding the hidden secret document.

Of course, the little girl was just a child who was chased away by the villagers for supposedly being a witch, but he thought he should ask anyway.

"Yes, I do."

Marie gave a very unexpected answer.

Min Sung looked at the witch with surprised eyes, and even Ho Sung Lee, who was preparing the food, looked at Marie with a shocked look on his face

If this girl who was called a witch had been killed in the hands of Krok's soldiers or the villagers, it was possible they wouldn't have been able to find the Golden Code, which was a hint to finding the secret document.

His thoughts ended there, and an exhilarating sensation crossed his heart.

Min Sung got up from his seat and looked straight into Marie's eyes.

"Tell me what you know. What's the Golden Code?"

Min Sung was very focused after realizing that she could have the solution.

"12," Marie quietly answered.

"12 is the Golden Code?"

Marie nodded at Min Sung.

"Do you know why 12 is the number for the Golden Code?"

"Yes, I do."

Min Sung looked at Marie in shock.

He had no idea this little girl possessed such important information.

Min Sung hid his surprise and focused.

"Tell me. Why is the number 12 the Golden Code?"

"It's a list of 12 names and a sign."

"… 12 names. And a sign?" Min Sung mumbled to himself.

Thanks to Marie's valuable information, he now knew what the Golden Code was, and as a result, he got an idea of what the secret document was.

The quest that the ancient document gave him.

The hidden secret document must have been a type of list.

It would contain the information of the 12 peoples' signs, and that sign was probably the inner continent's high-ranking players.

"Do you know anything else?"

"That's it…"

Marie answered with a sad face

Min Sung smiled at Marie.

"Don't worry. You did plenty."

In response to Min Sung's smile, Marie seemed to be relieved.

"Since Marie gave us such important information, I'd better make the pork bone soup extra delicious for her."

Marie glanced over at Ho Sung Lee with her mouth open.

"Pork bone soup…?"

"Yeah, pork bone soup. You'll like it, Marie," said Ho Sung Lee with a wink.

Marie was full of anticipation.

The pork cutlets and ice cream she ate last time tasted like Heaven.

She wouldn't forget those Heavenly flavors for the rest of her life, so the thought of eating something like that again made her very excited.

On top of that, Ho Sung Lee said he would make it extra delicious, so it was no wonder she

was ecstatic.

Marie sat in a chair and watched Ho Sung Lee make the food.

She already smelled something delicious.

Marie continued to watch Ho Sung Lee make the pork bone soup with her jaw dropped.

***

The pork bone soup was complete.

The pork bone soup on top of the table boiled and gave off white steam.

Marie stared at the pork bone soup with her jaw still dropped.

"Your jaw might fall off."

Despite what Ho Sung Lee said, Marie didn't mind him and continued to stare at the pork bone soup with her mouth open.

It was understandable because the pork bone soup that Ho Sung Lee made was so perfect that it could have been from a restaurant.

The visuals were fantastic.

The black pot contained potatoes and pork bones, and the boiling broth gave off a powerful scent.

On top of that, the perilla leaves that could be seen on top of the potatoes and pork bones made the dish that much more impactful.

Ho Sung Lee placed the rice on the table, which meant that the meal was ready to be eaten.

Min Sung and Marie grabbed their spoons and began eating as if they were in a race.

He drank the soup first.

The boiled broth was deep and thick, and it stimulated his tastebuds.

After warming up his mouth with broth, Min Sung put down a large pork bone on his side plate.

Ho Sung Lee also made a dip to dip the meat.

When he dipped a piece of meat and ate it, he felt as though his body was being electrified.

It was sweet and sour and was truly the best sweet flavor he could imagine.

On top of that, the soft meat was so dangerously delicious that it made him want to stuff his face.

Min Sung focused on his pork bone soup and ate quicker and quicker with his eyes wide open.

Om nom!

The flavors were absolutely explosive, and what completed the whole meal was the rice and another spoonful of the broth.

But what about the potatoes within the broth?

The taste of the soft potato in his mouth was a killer.

But that wasn't the end of the pork bone soup.

There was one more thing.

And that was the hand-pulled dough that floated in the soup like small pearls.

The hand-pulled dough was small, but the flavor was not to be underestimated.

No, the hand-pulled dough was the true explosive in the dish.

The combination of the broth flavor in the hand-pulled dough, as well as its chewy texture, made the flavors very impactful.

When he ate a piece of the hand-pulled dough with some of the broth and rice, it was as though a tornado was let loose inside his mouth.

And what gave the meal the most powerful punch was a particular action.

Taking the bones apart and sucking the meat off the bones with his mouth was the best way to enjoy the flavors of the pork bone soup.

He finished the meat in no time, and the flavors of the potatoes, hand-pulled dough, and the dry radish greens made him want to faint.

After noticing that Min Sung and Marie had finished half of their meal, Ho Sung Lee jumped in.

"Can you eat more?"

In response, Min Sung looked at him in confusion.

"I'll make you some fried rice."

Ho Sung Lee hit him with a punch that almost gave him a heart attack.

Min Sung nodded. He sprung up. He washed his hands and came back.

Ho Sung Lee was already making the fried rice using Bowl's dark magic as fire.

They heard the sound of him making the fried rice.

Min Sung wasn't the type to overeat, but he couldn't refuse the fried rice that would be made with the pork bone soup broth.

So he waited for the fried rice with Marie.

He then glanced over at Marie.

The little girl looked as though she was going to pass out from the joy.

She was staring at Ho Sung Lee and the fried rice he was making without any thought.

It was understandable.

He thought it was delicious, so of course, Marie thought the same…

Min Sung realized that Ho Sung Lee's dishes were starting to reach a whole new level.

Chapter 270: Chapter 270

The flavors of the pork bone soup fried rice made with seaweed pieces, vegetables, and a special sauce was beyond anything he had ever tried.

It was much better than he expected.

The fried rice was cooked to be crispy, and every time he took a bite, he was overtaken by its sweet flavors.

He was surprised by the perfect harmony between the rice and the sweet flavor.

Min Sung devoured the crispy and sweet fried rice with Marie.

***

Krok, who had returned to his castle, took off his bloody armor and sat down in his fancy throne.

"I've prepared a bath," said his underling, but Krok grabbed his head and fell deeply into thought.

His underling quietly waited without a word.

Meanwhile, Krok looked at his underling as soon as he finished thinking.

His underling bowed down his head.

"Go ahead," Krok said with a low gaze.

"The outsiders haven't shown much movement, but we predict they'll come to the castle soon. And as for the little witch, Marie, the villagers decided to take her back instead of killing her."

"Marie…? Oh, you're talking about the little magician."

"Yes, Sir."

Krok slowly got up.

"I'm going to wash up. I'm going to go out after my shower, so prepare a horse."

"Yes, My Lord."

The underling bowed his head.

***

Upon returning from his bath, Krok changed into his clothes and smiled at the item that was placed on his bed.

Just the sight of it made him happy.

On top of the bed was his gold-plated gauntlet, which was his most prized weapon, and beside it was the spoils of war obtained from the war.

The gauntlet was a weapon that he often used, and the chain beside it was obtained after he killed Eichmann in the war.

This chain was no ordinary chain.

It was a treasure that Eichmann possessed, and it contained a crazy amount of magic energy.

"That fool."

Krok thought Eichmann was foolish.

Eichmann used this chain, not as his own weapon, but for his territory instead.

But in Krok's case, he wasn't going to use it that way.

On top of increasing his attack strength, this chain was capable of a lot more.

It was capable of even making the more infertile land prosper, so it was a valuable treasure.

On top of just power alone, it was able to bring life onto land.

"If he had used his chain earlier, he would have lasted longer. Eichmann had too much pride."

Krok clicked his tongue and laughed bitterly.

Lord Eichmann was a difficult opponent to go up against, and he was a player of a very high rank.

But Eichmann lived for the good of the people who lived in his territory, and on the other hand, Krok only cared about him getting stronger.

And that difference was what led to the result.

Eichmann, who didn't use the power of the chain named Kielle, was all too easy to kill.

And since Eichmann hadn't improved his power using the chain, even if he had used the chain last minute, he still wouldn't have been able to fight him off.

That was because this item was the most effective when used on the long term.

But if he used this item for himself, things would be different.

He had grown, and he dreamt of growing even more in the future.

Eichmann's chain named Kielle was going to be his first step in his future.

"I'll swallow the 12 signs whole."

Krok smirked and equipped his hand with the gauntlet on his bed.

And then…

As soon as he stretched out his hand.

Swish!

The chain moved like a snake and wrapped around the gauntlet on Krok's right hand.

Zappp!

The gauntlet, which had the chain wrapped around it, gave off a powerful wave of magic energy.

When Krok clenched his fist…

Flash!

A powerful blue light flashed from Krok's gauntlet.

***

As soon as the meal was finished, Ho Sung Lee served fruit.

It was a white peach.

Min Sung stabbed his fork into a piece of peach and put it into his mouth.

Om nom!

It was delicious.

The fresh scent of the white peach teased his nose.

The peach was so soft in between his teeth, and it was juicy.

Marie was also eating the peach, and it was so delicious that she ate it while swinging her legs off of her high chair.

But they had eaten so much of the pork bone soup and the fried rice that Min Sung put down his fork after two pieces.

But Marie looked at him, not being able to understand how he could stop, but didn't ask him why.

It was possible that was because she thought she could eat more peach for herself.

As Marie grabbed another piece of peach, Min Sung ordered Ho Sung Lee to make him a cup of coffee.

Ho Sung Lee made him a luxurious coffee that wasn't fitting of the shabby house.

"The scent is incredible."

Min Sung took a sip and said in surprise.

"Does it suit your taste?"

"Of course."

In response, Ho Sung Lee smiled.

"It's Lua coffee. It's very high quality."

Min Sung nodded.

Since it was high quality, the scent smelled luxurious.

Despite being a heavy scent, it didn't smell displeasing or heavy in any way.

He was shocked by how sweet the coffee scent was.

After enjoying another sip of his Lua coffee, Min Sung put down his cup and looked at Marie.

Marie,

who was looking over at Min Sung's coffee, immediately turned back to her peach.

Marie was still minding Min Sung to some extent.

"I have a question," said Min Sung.

In response, Marie opened her eyes wide with nervousness and looked at Min Sung.

"How did you know about the Golden Code?" Min Sung asked Marie.

Marie looked at Min Sung in the eyes and replied, "I heard about it," said Marie.

"How?'

"The territory looked for me once saying they had things to check. So when I went to the castle, I overheard it. But I don't know the details. I'm sorry," said Marie with a dejected look on her face.

"If you're finished, get going," said Min Sung while sipping his coffee.

Marie minded Min Sung and met eyes with Ho Sung Lee.

Ho Sung Lee smiled in a friendly manner, and that gave Marie courage.

"Um… Can I come back tomorrow for a meal?" Marie asked Min Sung with anticipating eyes.

"We won't have time to eat by tomorrow," Min Sung said while looking into the distance.

"Maybe it'll be tonight."

Marie looked confused, unable to understand Min Sung's words.

At that moment…

Someone pounded on the door.

Everyone glanced over at the entrance where the noise was coming from.

Ho Sung Lee opened the door to 2 people from the village.

Their faces looked bright, unlike last time.

"Is Marie here?" One man asked.

"What is this about?" Ho Sung Lee asked back.

"All the people who were sick are better now. They all want to throw a party for Marie to thank her. We caught a pig recently, so we're going to make a feast. Would you like to join us?" The man asked with a bright face.

He was the village chief.

Ho Sung Lee looked at Min Sung.

"I'm going to rest here. You can go."

Ho Sung Lee approached Min Sung.

"If we want to find the secret document, we have to go to the castle and meet with Krok. Is it okay if I…"

"We killed one of Krok's players. It's possible Krok would come here while we go to the castle. We'll wait until we secure Krok's location."

Ho Sung Lee nodded in understanding.

"Yes, Sir. Then I'll be back soon."

Ho Sung Lee took Marie and left the house.

***

The villagers had a completely different attitude toward Marie, who they once called a witch.

At first, many people were against accepting Marie into the village.

But once Marie treated the sick and allowed rain to fall on their land, the villagers began to change their minds.

When Marie proved that she could make the village's atmosphere better, the ones who hated Marie turned around.

And the villagers began to see her in a different light.

The villagers of Krok's territory decided to eat roasted pig, drink refreshing beer, and have a party to celebrate.

COMMENT

The name of the festival was "Marie Day", which would also be her new birthday.

"This is all thanks to you," the young village chief said.

Ho Sung Lee smiled and drank his beer.

"It's not thanks to me. It's thanks to the master I serve."

"Without your help, the village would have tried to kill that little girl."

The village chief smiled at the sight of Marie dancing in the middle of countless villagers.

"But now, only good things will happen."

Ho Sung Lee drank his beer without a word.

Things couldn't have been any better.

But Krok's existence wasn't light by any means.

"Krok's players tried to take Marie away. Why is that? Is it because the villagers thought she was dangerous so they tried to resolve it?"

The village chief smiled and shook his head.

"No. At first, Krok thought highly of Marie's magic ability, and he planned to make her grow. But after inviting her and looking her over, he must have been dissatisfied with her ability because he kicked her out of the castle."

"Then when did that little girl start being hated?"

The village chief showed a sad look on his face.

"Her family life isn't great. Her father habitually abused her mother."

"Oh, so that's when it started."

The village chief nodded.

"Marie ended up killing her own father without meaning to. She couldn't control her own strength. Since then, the villagers feared her."

Chapter 271: Chapter 271

The village chief's eyes grew heavy as he looked at Marie's face in the distance.

"She was too young to know that with power came great responsibility. She killed her father, and then her mother died not long afterward. It's cruel that she had to handle that as well as deal with the hatred from the villagers."

"Still, seeing how she's smiling so brightly now, she's no ordinary little girl."

Ho Sung Lee smiled as he pointed at Marie.

The village chief also smiled and nodded.

"I hope she smiles lots from now on."

"She will."

"Oh yeah. Marie's been praising you every chance she got."

"Sorry? Me?" Ho Sung Lee asked the village chief with wide eyes.

"Yes, she said you are an incredible cook."

"I have no choice but to be a good cook."

Ho Sung Lee continued as he put down his beer and put a cigarette in his mouth, "I also hold a sword since I'm a player, but I'm more often holding a cooking knife instead."

Ho Sung Lee smoked with a sad look on his face.

"I'm a chef, not a warrior."

"…"

The atmosphere became awkward and heavy.

The village chief coughed.

While the awkward vibe continued, the festival became more lively.

***

In order to get rid of the outsiders who trespassed onto his territory and made a mess, Krok set out from his castle.

Not many soldiers accompanied him.

That was because he wanted to make sure he didn't draw much attention.

Krok rode on his horse as he thought of Eichmann, who he had killed.

The truth was, he had no interest in the outsiders that trespassed onto his land.

All that bothered him was the 12 signs.

The high ranking players that were close to the level of the gods.

The beings that were human, yet not human at all.

Krok thought of the players of the 12 signs and kriked his teeth.

He had poured all of his energy so that he could stand side by side with them, and it was time to make that happen.

He couldn't surrender any longer.

He was going to make it.

Krok walked as he dreamt of the utopia with twinkling eyes, and then he stood on top of a hill and looked down at the village that was having a festival.

The villagers were eating pig and enjoying their festival.

Some were dancing, others were singing, and Marie was even shooting fireworks with her magic.

The people had fun over some drinks as if they didn't have a care in the world.

Krok grimaced at the sight of the villagers.

"What the hell are they doing?" Krok asked.

His underling stood behind Krok.

"Do you remember the girl, Marie, who has magic powers?" The underling asked.

"Yeah. What about her?"

The underling explained that Marie had been called a witch by the villagers and that she was the target of their hatred and fear.

But when the outsiders arrived, they changed the minds of the villagers, so they decided to accept her into the village and threw a party.

Krok scoffed.

"Those fools… They dared to listen to the words of an outsider who killed my men?"

The underling bowed his head.

Krok glared at the villagers, who were enjoying their festival with killer eyes, and clenched his fists.

The chain wrapped around his gauntlet made a large zapping noise.

"It's time to clean up the trash."

Krok widened his eyes at the villagers enjoying their festival and lifted his fists.

A blinding light flashed from Krok's gauntlet.

***

Ho Sung Lee, who was drinking his beer, felt a shiver up his spine.

The sky flashed as if someone turned on the headlights of their car, and that created a shadow.

The villagers, as well as Ho Sung Lee, looked in the direction where the light was coming from.

The light was blinding.

The villagers looked blank, and Ho Sung Lee realized that the light was that of an Aura.

His heart sank.

He immediately used his magic energy to form a barrier.

"Damn it…"

But before he could even finish…

Kaboommmmmm!

The powerful Aura flipped the land upside down and swallowed the villagers like a wave.

The strong force broke through the barrier, and Ho Sung Lee rolled on the ground while covered in blood.

"Cough…!"

Ho Sung Lee choked on the smoke and wriggled on the ground.

The strike was so strong that he couldn't feel his body.

Once he managed to drink a potion and got himself back up, Ho Sung lee looked around him.

The place where the festival took place was now in ruins.

The people, who were dancing, playing instruments, laughing, and chatting just a few minutes ago, were all dead bodies on the ground.

The same went for Marie.

While Ho Sung lee blankly stared at the dead people.

He heard a large thud on the ground.

Ho Sung Lee looked in the direction of the noise, and there was a large man there.

It was the owner of the territory, Krok.

He was shaking the gauntlet covered in chains as he laughed.

"Haha, you're still alive. Are you one of the outsiders?"

Krok laughed at Ho Sung Lee.

Ho Sung Lee glared at Krok with a low gaze.

"Are you Krok?"

Krok walked toward Ho Sung Lee and looked down at him, who was still on his knees, and smiled.

"You have no fear, do you? I see you're an arrogant one."

Krok looked around him and then back at Ho Sung Lee.

"Are you alone?" Krok asked.

Ho Sung Lee looked up with kriked teeth.

"You didn't have to kill the villagers like that," Ho Sung Lee said with a glare.

Krok continued to look down at Ho Sung Lee and smiled with his teeth showing.

He then kicked Ho Sung Lee in the gut.

Pow!

Ho Sung Lee flew in the air and plopped down

on the ground.

"Ugh…!"

Ho Sung Lee grabbed his stomach with a flushed face and coughed out blood.

Krok walked over to Ho Sung Lee. He grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up.

Ho Sung Lee stared at Krok with half-opened eyes and grimaced.

"Where's your master? Where's the bastard who tried to trespass onto my land?" Krok asked Ho Sung Lee with a smile.

"Ugh!"

"Tell me. Where is he?"

Krok asked Ho Sung Lee with squinted eyes.

Ho Sung Lee snickered at Krok.

"Don't worry. You'll meet him soon."

Krok frowned and nodded.

"I see."

Krok pulled his fist back.

The sound of his chains clanging could he heard following by a punch.

Pow!

A hole formed in Ho Sung Lee's chest and he flew away.

Krok didn't even look at Ho Sung Lee on the ground and glanced around him.

The land was flipped upside down, and his surroundings were covered in blood, but he looked at his gauntlet.

He would only be able to test his strength on a powerful opponent, but he was too weak for him to test anything.

After realizing that, Krok turned toward the direction where he heard a noise.

"… Hm?"

Ho Sung Lee, who had a hole in his chest, was transforming into the Berserker.

The hole was healing, and he was undergoing a regeneration process.

And after seeing his appearance change, Krok laughed out of amusement.

"What an interesting guy."

Ho Sung Lee turned into the Berserker. He held his sword and glared at Krok.

"Let's see just how long you can last."

Krok scoffed and charged toward Ho Sung Lee.

Krok accepted Ho Sung Lee's attacks with a relaxed look on his face.

Ho Sung Lee launched his sword energy and swung his sword at a high speed, but Krok blocked out every single attack.

Krok was incredibly agile for his large size.

Krok blocked out Ho Sung Lee's every attack with his gauntlet and didn't lose his smile.

Every time Ho Sung Lee swung his sword, Hell Fire exploded from it, but it didn't harm Krok in the slightest bit.

Without having suffered a single wound, Krok accepted all of Ho Sung Lee's attacks and then used his fist.

Pow!

Krok's gauntlet targeted Ho Sung Lee's side.

Ho Sung Lee's eyes shook. His ribs broke and his legs floated in the air.

Krok pulled his fist back and launched his Aura toward Ho Sung Lee's head.

Powww!

Ho Sung Lee spun like a top and rolled on the ground.

"Get up," Krok said with a grin.

He had only used a small amount of his power.

He wanted to fool around with him.

Despite having suffered an incredible amount of force, Ho Sung Lee stabbed his sword into the ground and got back up.

His body wavered back and forth, but Ho Sung Lee's eyes contained the instinct to attack and kill.

"Seeing from your ability, I don't expect too much from your master either," Krok said in a disappointed voice.

"Graaaaaaaaaa!"

Ho Sung Lee screamed and charged forward.

"… Hmph!"

Krok decided to end things once and for all.

A white light began to gather in Krok's gauntlet.

Krok punched his fist toward Ho Sung Lee, who was swinging his sword.

Flash!

Light exploded from Krok's gauntlet.

Before Ho Sung Lee could even swing his sword, Krok's power swallowed Ho Sung Lee whole.

Ho Sung Lee lost his right arm and left leg, and he flew in the air and rolled on the ground.

Ho Sung Lee sprawled out on the ground, and without being able to regenerate, the life in his eyes began to fade.

Krok walked toward Ho Sung Lee to check if he was dead.

He showed no life.

He was dead.

Krok looked down at Ho Sung Lee's body and smirked when he heard the sound of footsteps.

Min Sung was walking over with his hands inside his pockets.

Krok realized he was the outsider that was the master of the person he just killed.

Krok smiled at Min Sung.

"… Uh oh. You're too late."

Krok kicked Ho Sung Lee's body and smiled with his white teeth showing.

"You should've come earlier."

Min Sung looked down at Ho Sung Lee's body and pulled out his Gungnir S from his item window.

Kaboom!

The sound of thunder.

That was when Krok's face changed.

Chapter 272: Chapter 272

***

Ho Sung Lee looked around with a dazed look on his face.

Everything looked white around him.

The sky, the ground, and his surroundings were all white.

He walked around for quite some time wondering where he was, but no exit could be found.

And the form of the space didn't change either.

He only later realized.

That he had died.

And at that moment, he remembered.

That he was killed by Krok.

Only after his realization that he had died, did he see signs that prove it.

There was no air.

It was strange that he was fine without being able to breathe.

And when he scratched his arm, he didn't feel a thing.

He had really died.

He was a type of soul.

He didn't want to believe it, but he had no choice.

That he had died.

Ho Sung Lee laughed.

But no voice came out.

Ho Sung Lee looked to the ground with a dejected look on his face.

'… I didn't know I'd die like this.'

He remembered being killed by Krok.

Since he had some consciousness in his Berserker state, Ho Sung Lee clearly remembered how he was killed.

'… Damn it.'

Ho Sung Lee dropped his head with a pale face

'Is this really the end?'

He wanted to go back to Earth…

But nothing mattered if he was really dead.

Ho Sung Lee looked into the white space and knitted his brows.

'But where is this place?'

He had all sorts of thoughts cross his mind.

He wondered if he was actually on a train to Hell or if he had to stay in this place for all eternity.

He was afraid he would have to go to the Demonic Realm just like Min Sung Kang.

'Who's going to cook for Min Sung now?'

Ho Sung Lee stared into the white space with a sad face.

***

Krok wiped the smile off his face as soon as Min Sung took out his weapon.

He got a feeling that he didn't stand a chance.

"I heard a new player was going up the ranks. That must be you."

Krok laughed and continued, "But there have been countless players like that. That means this is where it ends for you."

The sound of a chain wrapping around Krok's gauntlet could be heard, and at the same time, the gauntlet radiated with light.

Min Sung stared at Krok's gauntlet without any nervousness.

"You're an arrogant one!"

Krok roared and stabbed his fist.

Rumble!

The sound of a landslide rang while Krok's Aura cut through the land and charged toward Min Sung.

Min Sung didn't dodge it and simply swung his Gungnir S charged with magic energy.

Krok's Aura and the Gungnir S collided.

The powerful impact caused a wave of over 1 kilometer in each direction.

It was a wave more powerful than that of mother nature.

Regardless, Min Sung and Krok had no wounds on them.

"Not bad."

Krok smiled with his teeth showing.

"You're good enough to test my strength."

Krok gathered great power within his gauntlet.

But before that, Min Sung moved first.

Before the gauntlet finished charging with magic energy, the Gungnir S charged in.

Krok stiffened his face and dodged the attack.

The Gungnir S barely missed his neck.

There was a drop of blood, but a big strike wasn't made.

Krok pulled his fist toward Min Sung's body.

His gauntlet was pouring with magic energy, but Min Sung used his left elbow to block the gauntlet.

Thud!

Along with a powerful noise, the gauntlet dropped to the ground.

Krok's eyes were filled with slight shock and surprise.

Min Sung swung his Gungnir S diagonally, and Krok blocked it with his large gauntlet.

Boommmmm!

The impact of Min Sung's sword and Krok's gauntlet made a sound as if the sky was about to come tumbling down.

It seemed to be a tight battle, but that wasn't the case.

While Krok's face became stiffer, Min Sung's face still looked leisurely just like in the beginning.

The collisions continued, and Min Sung was superior every single time.

As a result, every time the sword and gauntlet collided, it was Krok who lost his stamina, and before he could charge his gauntlet and use his skill, Min Sung interrupted.

That led to Min Sung attacking and Krok defending.

This caused for Krok to lose his energy.

The fact that Krok became more

and more annoyed by the fight meant that he was at a disadvantage.

If this situation continued, it was just a matter of time before he was completely depleted of magic energy and stamina.

Krok had no choice but to use his divination skill.

Krok dodged and blocked Min Sung's sword while securing the space where he would launch his magic energy and immediately used his skill.

Enough power that could wipe out 1 kilometer in each direction poured out of Krok's gauntlet.

Since he was too close, it was impossible to dodge it, and since he was in the middle of attacking, his reaction was bound to be delayed.

For that reason, Krok was certain he was going to win.

But Krok wasn't the only one with skills.

Min Sung was fully capable of reacting.

The ability to turn the attack back to his opponent.

Counter barrier.

Krok, who didn't see it coming, was struck with his own attack.

Flash!

Krok's body flashed with white light as he took damage.

Since he was unable to dodge it or block it, the damage was done.

Min Sung didn't use an ounce of his energy as he hit Krok with powerful damage.

Krok, who got pushed back due to the attack, breathed out black smoke.

80% of Krok's armor was broken, and it was in tatters.

His hair was a mess. His wounds were bleeding, and this lit Krok's rage.

Krok glared at Min Sung with killer eyes.

Min Sung laughed at Krok.

"What are you going to do about it?" Min Sung asked with a smile.

Krok clenched down on his teeth and trembled his body.

He was in the middle of gathering his magic energy, and Min Sung knew.

Tap!

Min Sung moved first.

Since Krok was gathering his magic energy, he was able to trace Min Sung's movements with his eyes, but he was unable to react.

"You take too long to use your power," said Min Sung as he swung his Gungnir S.

Kaboom!

Along with the sound of thunder, lightning flashed and Krok's right arm got sliced off and flew into the air.

Krok shed blood and continued to use his power to attack Min Sung without stop.

Min Sung dodged it and at the same time, he stabbed his Gungnir S into his body.

Kaboom!

The sound of thunder rang along with a flash.

"… Ugh."

Krok dripped in blood and plopped down on his knees.

As the power that gathered in his gauntlet faded away, Krok coughed up blood.

Swoosh!

As soon as Min Sung took out his Gungnir S, blood poured out from Krok's side.

Krok looked down at his own blood and looked up at Min Sung.

He felt empty inside.

He was defeated so devastatingly that he didn't know what he had been fighting for.

This outsider, who trespassed onto his territory, was much too strong.

It was possible that even if Min Sung went up against the 12 signs, he would stand a chance.

"I'm looking for the list containing the 12 signs. Do you have it?" Min Sung asked.

Min Sung then knitted his brows at Krok, who stared at him blankly without a word.

"I didn't expect anything from you anyway."

As soon as Min Sung clenched his fists, Krok opened his item window.

Min Sung was suspicious that he might try something on him, but he didn't look that dangerous.

A moment later, Krok took something out of his item window and dropped it in front of Min Sung's feet.

Min Sung used his magic to bring the item up and grabbed onto it.

It was a scroll of paper.

"This is what you're looking for. You'll be able to find the 12 signs with that."

Min Sung took turns looking at the scroll of paper and Krok.

He was surprised he handed it over so easily, And Krok knew this and laughed bitterly.

"You're going to get it when I die anyway, and the 12 signs were always the ones I was after. Even if they're the 12 signs…"

Krok glared at Min Sung with a pale face.

"Maybe you can finally defeat them."

Min Sung put the scroll of paper in his item window and then looked at Krok to finish him off once and for all.

"Any last words?" Min Sung asked.

"Tell the 12 signs I'll be waiting in the other world," said Krok with an absurd laugh.

"I thought I was almost there, but I ran into a beast."

Krok laughed.

"What a shitty life."

He stared into space as if he had given up.

He was already a dead man.

What he feared more than death was a loss.

Since he had lost, life no longer had meaning.

"… I have one last question. How did you become so powerful?" Krok asked.

That was the one thing he had to know.

"How can one become that powerful? Were you always that powerful? When did you come to Beatrice? How long did it take you to become that strong?"

Min Sung knitted his brows.

"I don't know. I'm just alive, and I'll continue to live."

"That's not fair."

Krok looked jealous.

"Now go."

Min Sung slashed Krok's neck with his Gungnir S.

Kaboommmmmm!

Along with the sound of thunder, the Gungnir S stabbed through Krok's neck and took his life.

Chapter 273: Chapter 273

***

Ho Sung Lee was so bored he felt like he was going to die.

It was as if a bug was crawling through his head and his entire body.

On top of that, since he was in the middle of a white space, he was afraid his mind would blank out, and he was annoyed and in pain.

How long would he have to be here?

At this point, he was okay with going to Hell or the Demonic Realm as long as he could get out of here.

Meanwhile, a dark dot began to form in the white space and began to widen.

Then the white room slowly turned black as the light completely disappeared.

'Is it time for me to go to Hell or the Demonic Realm?'

Such thoughts scared him.

Just a minute ago, Ho Sung Lee wanted to go anywhere, but as soon as darkness fell, he suddenly missed the white space.

While his heart began to grow weak, a small light began to form from the middle.

The light grew larger, and then a bright light poured on Ho Sung Lee.

And at that moment…

Flash!

His consciousness drowned in the white light, and he felt himself getting sucked into somewhere.

At the same time…

Ho Sung Lee jolted his eyes wide open.

"Huff…! Huff! Huff!"

Ho Sung Lee huffed and puffed like crazy.

He looked around him with big eyes.

The ground around him was in ruins and in the middle of it all was Min Sung standing with his arms crossed.

"Huff! Huff! Sir! Huff! How did this happen…? Cough, cough!"

Ho Sung Lee coughed and stood up with his mind still confused.

Ho Sung Lee blinked his eyes dozens of times.

"Why am I alive? Is this a dream?"

"No, this is real life," replied Min Sung.

Bowl crawled out of Min Sung's pocket. He landed on the ground. He looked up at Ho Sung Lee and snickered.

"How does it feel to come back to life after dying?" Bowl playfully asked.

But Ho Sung Lee still couldn't believe it was real.

He had been killed by Krok.

So how was he alive now?

"Bowl, did you bring me back to life with your Undead skill?" Ho Sung Lee asked with a shocked face.

That was the only explanation Ho Sung Lee could come up with.

Ho Sung Lee scanned his entire body.

But his body was free of wounds, and that was what was even weirder.

"Yeah, I did. So from now on, you're my undead," replied Bowl.

"No way!"

Ho Sung Lee screamed. He grabbed his head with both hands and plopped down on his knees.

The slight of Ho Sung Lee's despair made Bowl shake his head and snicker.

"You damned Bowl! If I died, you should've just left me alone! How could you bring me back as an undead?! You damned Bowl!"

Ho Sung Lee grabbed Bowl by the neck and shook him.

"I saved you," Min Sung said as he stared at Ho Sung Lee pathetically.

"… Sorry?"

Ho Sung Lee, who was shaking Bowl with tears in his eyes, stared at Min Sung with a confused look on his face.

"How?"

"I have the revival power."

"Revival power? Seriously?"

Ho Sung Lee could see that Min Sung wasn't lying from the look in his eyes.

"Wow, that's crazy… That means you're a god. Sir, you're a god now."

"Shut up and get up."

"Anyway, thank you."

Ho Sung Lee got up with Bowl's neck still in his hands and bowed.

"You startled me, you skeleton!"

Ho Sung Lee shook Bowl again, but Bowl snickered as if he was having fun on a roller coaster.

After putting Bowl down on the ground, Ho Sung Lee looked up at the starry sky and sighed.

"I really came back to life."

Ho Sung Lee continued to stare at the stars in the sky and let out a long sigh.

Ssol, who was playing nearby, ran over and rubbed his face on Ho Sung Lee to greet him.

***

They returned to Marie's house.

Krok had killed every single person in the village.

The same went for Marie.

Ho Sung Lee was happy he had come back to life, but his face fell heavy after finding out that everybody else had died.

"… We can't bring her back to life, right?"

In response to his hopeful question, Min Sung explained the conditions of his power.

"That makes sense… Even if you bring her back to life…"

Ho Sung Lee shook

his head and trailed off.

That little girl wouldn't have been able to handle the fact that all of the villagers had died.

It was possible that living would have been Hell.

***

While Ho Sung Lee looked out the window while cooling off his coffee, Min Sung took out the scroll of paper that Krok gave him and looked over it.

Bowl sat on Min Sung's shoulder and looked with him.

As soon as he opened the scroll, he saw the names that were inside.

Since it was the 12 signs, a total of 12 names were written on it.

Every single name was so long that it was difficult to memorize them all.

And under some of the names were explanations, and through that, he was able to find out a few things.

First of all, the 12 signs were just a nickname for the players.

Second, it was a story about their activities.

There was a large territory fairly far away from where they were, and the 12 signs were the ones who ruled over that land.

That land was ruled over by a total of 12 players.

It seemed like each person ruled over one of the 12 cities, and seeing from the system map, they were all very large.

"… How troublesome," mumbled Min Sung while looking at the scroll.

The fact that the land was vast meant that it would take a longer period of time.

Min Sung rolled up the scroll and put it back in his item window.

"Ho Sung."

Ho Sung Lee, who was sitting blankly, immediately woke up to Min Sung's calling.

"Yes, Sir."

Ho Sung Lee stood up with his hands put together.

"Let's eat."

"How about Korean food?"

"Sure."

Ho Sung Lee flashed a smile.

"I'll start preparing right away."

***

While he was trapped in the white space, Ho Sung Lee thought about what to make Min Sung if he happened to get the chance.

Since he had nothing to do, that was what came to mind.

There was one dish in particular that stood out, so Ho Sung Lee began to prepare it right away.

As Ho Sung Lee took out the ingredients and began cooking, the thought of Marie enjoying his food, smiling, and crying, pained him.

He tried to erase the memory from his head, but since she was a little girl, it was difficult.

He tried to slice the Kimchi, but his hands kept stopping as his mind drifted off.

Ho Sung Lee swallowed back his sadness. He got back to his senses and focused on his cooking.

***

"It's finished," Ho Sung Lee said as he put the main dish in front of Min Sung.

This time, Ho Sung Lee made braised pork with aged Kimchi.

Large pieces of meat and aged Kimchi were boiling inside the pot.

White rice and braised pork with aged Kimchi.

There were only two dishes on the table, but in Min Sung's eyes, the meal was plentiful.

The meal looked so delicious that he drooled before taking a bite.

Min Sung picked up his chopsticks and picked up a piece of Kimchi.

The aged Kimchi had been set up perfectly.

Min Sung wrapped the aged Kimchi around some rice and put it into his mouth.

The sensation of the aged Kimchi being chewed in between his teeth was pleasurable and soft.

There were scents of the aged Kimchi and the meat inside, and the sweet and sour flavors of the aged Kimchi together with the white rice attacked his tastebuds.

Since the rice disappeared instantly, he began to eat faster and faster.

The way the aged Kimchi made the soft meat and white rice disappear in an instant made it taste addicting.

The aged Kimchi was almost like a sword.

It was so fast that it was hard to follow with eyes, and it emptied his mouth in a flash.

That was the magic of the aged Kimchi.

The meat was delicious as well, but Min Sung focused more on the aged Kimchi.

The meat was a little heavy on the stomach, but the aged Kimchi wasn't like that at all.

By putting a piece of Kimchi on top of the rice and sprinkling some of the juices on top, the hot pepper flakes spread throughout and the broth made it nice and moist, making it the most perfect food to eat.

Min Sung scooped it all into his mouth, naturally and softly as if it was a flowing river.

The bite of the braised pork with aged Kimchi was fantastic, and it allowed him to empty his bowl of rice in the blink of an eye.

"One more bowl."

In response to Min Sung's request, Ho Sung Lee immediately passed him some more rice as if he had been waiting.

***

After the delicious meal, Min Sung drank a cold Americano to settle his stomach and took some time to get some rest.

Once Ho Sung Lee finished the dishes, he came to Min Sung.

"Um, Sir."

"Why aren't you eating?"

"I don't have an appetite. Anyway, is it okay if I step out for a while?"

"Why do you need my permission for that? Where are you going?"

"I need to collect the bodies of the villagers that Krok killed. Marie is there, too."

Ho Sung Lee spoke carefully so that he didn't tick off Min Sung.

"Do what you want."

"Thank you. Can I bring Bowl with me?"

Min Sung nodded.

After paying his respects to Min Sung, Ho Sung Lee put the sleeping Bowl under his armpit and left the house.

It was night time.

Ho Sung Lee walked as he processed his emotions.

With the sleepy Bowl under his arm, he arrived at the scene of the festival in order to announce a new beginning to the villagers.

Ho Sung Lee looked at the bodies and the sight that resembled a tornado site. He then lit a cigarette in his mouth.

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