After Ten Millennia in Hell

Oh Kang-Woo received a call from Baek Hwa-Yeon in the morning and quickly went to Suwon.

"It was just finished," Hwa-Yeon said.

She placed a sword with an impressive blue edge down on the table.

"Are Legendary-grade equipment always crafted so fast?" Kang-Woo asked while touching the sword.

It had only been two weeks since they'd hunted the El Cuero down. The sword had been crafted so quickly that Kang-Woo was a bit worried about its quality.

"What's hard is getting the materials that only drop from S-rank boss monsters. Once you have the materials, crafting the equipment isn't that hard."

"Hmm... But I heard that it still costs a lot of money. Hwa-Yeon, you didn't push yourself, did you?" Cha Yeon-Joo asked.

"So what if I did? Both of you are doing more for our country's safety than the Hwarang Corps. It would be embarrassing if we skimped out on the compensation," Hwa-Yeon said with a firm voice.

The Demon Cult was, at that moment, more dangerous than monsters. For the moment, only Players were falling victim to their crimes, but it was impossible to know when civilians would start being affected as well.

"... I'm not really doing it for public safety, though," Yeon-Joo muttered, avoiding Hwa-Yeon's eyes.

"I'm hunting down the Demon Cult for world peace," Kang-Woo stated.

"... I never thought you'd say that for real. Don't lie. I knew from the moment we met that you're not that kind of person," Yeon-Joo replied.

"Wow, you don't believe me?"

Kang-Woo shrugged.

He'd said it half-jokingly, but he was telling the truth. For him, the Earth itself was something that had to be protected.

'Although I recently acquired other objectives too.'

The Demon Cult used demonic energy differently from the beings in Hell. Kang-Woo had profited more than he'd initially expected while hunting them down. Rather than selflessly protecting the world, he was doing it purely for his own benefit.

"Leaving your reasons aside, it's an undeniable fact that both of you are helping us catch the Demon Cult. The end doesn't always justify the means, but in this case, I think we can look at it positively," Hwa-Yeon said with a smile.

Kang-Woo was impressed by her smooth words that flowed like water.

'No wonder Goo Hyun-Mo fell for her.'

Leaving her position aside, Hwa-Yeon was quite a charming woman. She seemed a bit old-fashioned, but she was compromising and had a clear concept of reward and punishment. Hwa-Yeon was a superior Kang-Woo would like to have if he were to ever enlist in the army, although that's something that would never happen.

"... Don't fall for her," Yeon-Joo warned.

"What?" Kang-Woo uttered.

"Don't start harboring weird feelings for Hwa-Yeon! She would be wasted on an asshole like you!"

"A-Ahem. What are you talking about all of a sudden, Yeon-Joo?" Hwa-Yeon asked.

"I could see it in his eyes! Hwa-Yeon, be careful. Your life will be ruined if you get involved with an asshole like him!"

"Calm down, Yeon-Joo. You're too worked up."

"Because it's something to be worked up about!" Yeon-Joo shouted angrily.

Kang-Woo looked at her in disbelief.

"Neither of us even have a notion of doing anything like that, so why are you overreacting?" Kang-Woo said.

"J-Just in case!" Yeon-Joo shouted with a red face.

"It's like you're jealous," Hwa-Yeon said while smirking.

"Whaaat?"

"Hahaha. I was just joking."

"Hmph! Why would I be jealous over someone like him?!"

"Where did you learn such a generic quote..." Kang-Woo said while shaking his head.

He turned away from Yeon-Joo and extended his hand toward the sword.

[Equipment Information]

[Equipment Name: El Cuero Blade

Grade: Legendary (Unimprinted) *Imprinting Condition: Unique Stat (Qi) Holder.

Basic Effect: Lightning-Attribute Attack +700, Strength +2, Dexterity +2

Special Effect: Allows the wielder to walk freely on water.

Equipment Description: A sword made with a needle from El Cuero's tail. It is highly lethal and enables the wielder to use attacks imbued with the power of lightning.]

'There's a total boost of four points.'

The thing that Kang-Woo checked first was the stat bonus, the most important aspect of a piece of Legendary equipment. The blade raised two stat numbers by two, making it a total boost of four stat points. That was on the higher end of stat bonuses for Legendary-grade equipment.

"Do you like it?" Hwa-Yeon asked.

"It's so good that I would use it if I could," Kang-Woo answered.

"Hahaha. I agree. To be honest, I also wanted it, but... this is better than letting a good item that I can't even use rot away."

"You've made a good investment. Kim Si-Hun will become a very powerful Player. I guarantee that he will soon be helping us in our fight against the Demon Cult."

"Did you say he's your brother?"

"Yes, but we aren't blood-related."

"Hahaha. Since you speak of him so highly, I will be looking forward to his accomplishments."

"He won't disappoint you," Kang-Woo affirmed confidently.

Discovering Kim Si-Hun had been akin to Kang-Woo having won the lottery.

'He's the Martial God's successor after all.'

If it weren't for an unprecedented being like Kang-Woo, Si-Hun would have rewritten the history of Players. Kang-Woo was curious and expectant to see how Si-Hun would grow.

"Oh, there is one more thing I wanted to say," Hwa-Yeon said.

"Go ahead."

"Isn't it about time you speak to me casually?" Hwa-Yeon expressed while leaning on her chair. "I speak casually to people that aren't my superiors, but... are we not allies on equal footing? I believe it's unfair for only you to speak formally."

"In that case... sure. I'll speak casually."

"Mm."

Kang-Woo didn't think that speaking formally was unfair. Nevertheless, considering his relationship with Hwa-Yeon and Yeon-Joo, it would be more comfortable to speak casually.

"Have you guys found anything about demonic crystals yet?" Kang-Woo asked.

"The corps members are diligently searching for them, but nothing yet," Hwa-Yeon answered.

"It's the same with my guild members. These past two weeks, we've killed almost five times the usual amount of monsters, yet we haven't found a single demonic crystal," Yeon-Joo said.

"Was my deduction wrong?" Kang-Woo wondered.

He had also been searching multiple Gates for the past two weeks, but he hadn't been able to find anything as well. It was as if he'd been wrong in his deduction that it was likely that the Demon Cult had implanted demonic crystals in other monsters aside from El Cuero.

"We can't be sure yet, so please keep investigating," Kang-Woo pleaded.

"Got it."

"Then I'll be going," Kang-Woo said.

He stood up, and Yeon-Joo followed him out.

"... Do you have nothing to do? Why do you come along every time I come to Suwon?" Kang-Woo asked.

"You didn't defeat El Cuero by yourself. I yielded on the Legendary-grade weapon, but I'm gonna make sure I get my share of the reward. I want to see how valuable the weapon was so I can ask for a fair price," Yeon-Joo replied.

"Ngh."

There was nothing Kang-Woo could say to that. He took a deep breath and nodded.

Yeon-Joo followed behind him while humming in a good mood.

* * *

"Ah, hyung-nim!" Kim Si-Hun greeted.

"Ohhhhh! Kang-Woo hyung-nim, long time no see!" Kang Tae-Soo exclaimed.

Si-Hun's party, which had just come out of a gate, greeted Kang-Woo.

Aside from Han Seol-Ah, it had been a few days since Kang-Woo had seen the members of Si-Hun's party. After chatting for a bit, he brought them to his home. It was so that he could give the Legendary-grade weapon to Si-Hun as discreetly as possible.

Tae-Soo exclaimed in surprise, "Whoa! So, this is the new house you moved to, hyung-nim?"

Echidna, who was at home, pranced out to greet Kang-Woo, "Welcome back, Kang-Woo!"

Eun-Bi's eyes lit up.

"Wh-Who's this cute girl, oppa?" she asked.

"I'm Kang-Woo's summoned beast," Echidna answered.

"Summoned beast...?"

"Yup."

Eun-Bi trembled in disbelief and questioned, "Kang-Woo oppa... don't tell me you've been enjoying doing this kind of roleplay with a girl this young?"

"What are you talking about?" Kang-Woo replied.

"Aren't you afraid of the police?! This is a crime!"

"... Even though she looks like that, she's probably ten times older than you."

"Sh-She's not even legal...!"

Eun-Bi gazed at Echidna, who possessed too many virtuous factors, with a scared expression.

Kang-Woo hit Eun-Bi's head softly and then walked toward the living room.

"I called you here because there's something I wanted to give you," he said to Si-Hun.

"To me?" Si-Hun responded.

"Yeah."

Kang-Woo handed him the El Cuero Blade that he'd received from Hwa-Yeon.

"... What is this?"

"Check, and you'll find out."

Si-Hun checked the weapon's information, and his eyes widened in shock.

"A L-Legendary weapon! I-Isn't this a Legendary-grade weapon, hyung-nim?!"

"Yup."

"Y-You're giving this to me?"

Kang-Woo nodded.

Si-Hun looked down at the El Cuero Blade with a dumbfounded expression.

He stammered, "H-How could I accept something this valuable...?"

"Because you're worthy of it."

"Hyung-nim," Si-Hun said as his eyes reddened. He touched the El Cuero Blade with trembling hands. "I'm... not worthy of this weapon."

"That's something for me to decide."

"..."

"What level are you right now?"

"Level 38."

Si-Hun was close to his Fifth Awakening. He was leveling up at a slower pace than Kang-Woo, but his speed was probably still head and shoulders above everyone else.

"You know you're getting stronger at a far faster pace compared to other Players, right?"

"But that isn't because I'm exceptional—"

"No, you are exceptional. Of course, Tae-Soo, Seol-Ah, and Eun-Bi were probably of great help, but the definitive reason is that you're exceptional."

"..."

"You're going to get stronger. It won't be too late to prove your worth later down the road."

"Hyung-nim..."

"You trust me, right?"

"Yes! I trust you! I will do my best to prove my worth!" Si-Hun said with eyes full of determination.

Kang-Woo nodded while making a satisfied expression.

The only thing left was for the weapon to be imprinted on Si-Hun.

Si-Hun then extended his hand as if he were responding to Kang-Woo's thoughts.

"Hmm?"

…However, he didn't his hand didn't reach for the El Cuero Blade. His hand moved past the El Cuero Blade and grasped Kang-Woo's hand.

'What's up with him all of a sudden?' Kang-Woo thought.

"To be honest, the first time I met you... I felt a weird sensation of discomfort. It was as if my entire body was rejecting you," Si-Hun expressed.

'That's because you're a protector of this world, and I'm the reason why the Gaia System is broken.'

Si-Hun continued, "But when I met you again, that feeling disappeared."

'That's because I turned you into my Familiar.'

"Now... Haha, this could sound a bit weird, but... it's as if my soul is connected to yours."

'It actually is.'

"Hyung-nim..."

'Don't look at me like that, man.'

Kang-Woo brushed away Si-Hun's hands while smiling awkwardly at him. Si-Hun looked a bit disappointed.

Kang-Woo felt chills and wondered, 'Did I overdo it?'

He was gifting the sword to Si-Hun to build more trust between them and light a fire of motivation in him, but things had taken a bit of a weird turn. Kang-Woo felt that he had to draw a line before things got too out of hand.

"Si-Hun, why don't you—"

"Oh, hyung-nim. Come to think of it, there's something I have to tell you."

Si-Hun took something out of his pocket, and Kang-Woo's eyes widened upon seeing what it was.

"Recently, while hunting, I noticed some monsters were acting weird. So, I examined their corpses, and I found these," Si-Hun said.

Si-Hun had taken out two small black gems. Kang-Woo quickly raised them closer to his eyes.

The gems were the demonic crystals he'd been searching for the last two weeks. To make things even better, there were two of them!

Kang-Woo raised the corners of his mouth into a massive grin.

'Let's be together forever, Si-Hun!'