Time flowed.
To optimize the Key of Demonic Energy Sea as much as possible, KangWoo registered more weapon-type skills made with the combination of three different Authorities.
Since his Demonic Energy stat was at 113 and he had reached Extreme Demonic Energy Body, combining three different Authorities was easy for KangWoo, and the number of skills increased constantly.
Besides registering new skills, KangWoo also tried to lift the level restriction.
He didn't have any idea what the condition for Demonic Soul was, and he couldn't increase his demonic energy stat anymore from devouring monsters, so, for the time, he decided that he would focus on lifting the level restriction.
"Oof. Why doesn't this go away?"
KangWoo let out a sigh and sat on the sofa that was in the living room.
He'd been trying for a week to lift the level restriction.
What Chae YeonJoo jokingly said about the system having cursed him didn't sound like a joke anymore.
The reality was that most people couldn't go beyond the sixth Awakening.
Most talented players were able to overcome the level restriction without much difficulty.
Just taking into consideration talent, the only one that could be compared to him was Kim ShiHoon, so it was weird that he wasn't able to overcome the restriction.
'I thought it would lift after I reached Extreme Demonic Energy Body.'
At that point, KangWoo thought that it would be better to give up leveling and try to find other ways.
After all, unlike other players, he had other ways to get stronger.
"Tsk..."
He frowned while clicking his tongue.
If leveling up only increased his stats, he would've given up a long time ago.
The problem was that leveling up gave him new attributes, like the Demonic Art of Creation. Not only that, but it weakened the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.
Weakening the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core was fundamental if he wanted to recover his old strength.
'There's no way to know.'
His level restriction not going away meant that there was probably another reason…
But he had no way of knowing what that was.
"Should I go and find the Demon Cult?"
He didn't know if it was fate or something, but he had obtained good results every time he’d defeated the Demon Cult.
But trying to find them by himself wasn't very effective.
He’d received a piece of information from Chae YeonJoo that said that they'd found trace of the Demon Cult in Russia.
'Even if they found a trace, the land is so big that it's impossible to find them.'
It would be different if they operated openly, like in Korea or Japan, but finding them while they were hiding was hard.
KangWoo lay down on the sofa.
At that moment, Echidna came out of the room and sat on top of his stomach.
"KangWoo, I want to see the TV."
"First, get down from there..."
"No, I like it here."
Echidna smiled mischievously and snorted.
She'd changed a lot compared to when she'd first arrived. Back then, she used to look like an abandoned cat.
KangWoo got up and put her on his things.
He gave her the TV remote control.
"Is there any show you wanna watch?"
"Loxx Live!"
It was the name of a popular Japanese anime.
"What's so fun about that...?"
"The characters are cute!"
KangWoo smirked and changed the channel. While doing that, he passed through the news channel. The words 'Breaking News' entered his field of vision. He stopped at that channel.
[Breaking News. The world ranker Alec Osborn is visiting Korea. Alec Osborne, who has the nickname 'Sword of Justice,' said he came here to meet the Korean player Kim ShiHoon, who became famous worldwide after solving the Isu Station incident. The community boards are excited about the meeting of these two heroes...]
"Sword of Justice...?"
What kind of ridiculous nickname was that?
KangWoo laughed and searched for his name in the browser.
Comment (Has BadLuckThrashGame): Woah!!
ㄴ Woah, it seems like Dragon Sword has become really famous. Even Alec came to see him.
Comment (Treasure): But Dragon Sword isn't world-class yet, right?
ㄴ Compared to Alec, he still lacks a bit.
ㄴ O O: Dragon Sword is world-class.
ㄴ Four Seasons: His probably thinking about his long-term growth possibility. It hasn't been long since Dragon Sword awakened as a player.
Comment (Jerry M): Let's go, Korea!!
ㄴ The cancer caused by Baek KangHyun was cured.
Comment (Let me escape bronze): Tsk tsk. To be honest, Dragon Sword isn't that great. What a bunch of ignorant fools.
ㄴ Go fuck yourself.
ㄴ Hoot: Yes, can the next bronze come in, please?
ㄴ BestTaeSoo: Hahaha! This fellow knows something! Mr. ShiHoon is impressive, but hyeongnim is even more!
ㄴ Butterfly Valley: There's someone stronger than him, but these people don't know it.
ㄴ Low Sound: Stop trying to get attention…
ㄴ Gavinji: What's wrong with these guys?
'There's a whole lot of discussion. Huh?'
As he searched his name, numerous threads from community boards appeared.
But what he wanted to know wasn't the reaction from the communities.
Alec Osborne (Sword of Justice) - Wiki
There was a site with lots of information about Alec.
KangWoo looked at it and read some basic information about him.
'He's good-looking…'
He was a blond guy who had a ponytail.
There was lots of information about him summarized under the photo.
[Alec Osborne: British, 29 years old, world ranker.]
[Why he's called 'Sword of Justice': Alec Osborne is famous for swinging his sword for not only the British people but also for the weak all around the world. Two months ago, after the Isu Station incident, he made it public that he'd been fighting against the Demon Cult for quite some time. A month ago, he attacked a base the Demon Cult had in Europe and stopped something bigger from happening.]
"Hmm..."
He could only find positive things about the guy on the internet.
He was a good person, hard-working, and was kind to everyone…
'He seems similar to ShiHoon.'
Leaving his appearance aside, both of their personalities seemed similar.
'He said he came to meet with Kim ShiHoon.'
* * *
KangWoo put Echidna down and stood up. He couldn't stay still in that situation.
He had to know why Alec had come to meet Kim ShiHoon.
'Our ShiHoon is quite popular, huh?'
First, it was Cheon MooJin, and then, Alec Osborne.
As expected from the protagonist, he was receiving the attention of important people worldwide.
"KangWoo, where are you going?"
"To meet up with ShiHoon."
He wasn't training with Cheon MooJin, who was hunting with Han Seol-ah and TaeSoo.
"I want to go too."
"Weren't you going to watch TV?"
"I prefer being with KangWoo."
Echidna grabbed his sleeves. KangWoo smirked and nodded.
"Let's go."
'They were going to the A-rank gate that's in Incheon, right?'
He’d asked Han Seol-ah where they were going to hunt that day.
KangWoo began driving toward Incheon.
* * *
"KangWoo hyeongnim!! Over here!!"
Inside a cafe near the A-rank gate…
He saw a group of four people that were waiting for him.
KangWoo pulled a chair and sat down.
"It was okay even if you kept hunting."
"Hahaha! We can't do that if you say you're coming. Leaving that aside, we were planning to stop hunting for the day."
"Because of Alec Osborne?"
"Ah, Hyeongnim also heard the news."
"I came because of that. But more than that, how did you guys hear the news? You were inside the gate, after all."
"The players who entered the gate later recognized ShiHoon hyeong and told us."
KangWoo nodded and turned his head toward Kim ShiHoon.
'What's wrong with this guy?'
Kim ShiHoon's body was shaking as if he were holding in his pee.
He was also smiling awkwardly.
"Is there any problem?"
"N-no!!"
He shook his head.
"It… It's just that... I can't believe it. To think that the Sword of Justice would come to see me in Korea..."
"Are you that happy...?"
"O-of course! It's the Sword of Justice, the person who stands for the weak! How cool is that?!"
'I'm not sure what's cool about it.'
He would be embarrassed if he had a nickname like that.
'Well, it's Kim ShiHoon.'
He couldn't deny that he seemed the type of person Kim ShiHoon would like.
"Hmm..."
He remained silent. There was something about him bothering him…
But KangWoo couldn't specifically say what bothered him.
"How is the leveling up going?"
"Ah, yes! I've passed level 60 recently!"
"What...?"
KangWoo couldn't hide his surprise after hearing that ShiHoon had passed him up in terms of level.
'What about the restriction?"
"Ah... You see."
Kim ShiHoon scratched his head while smiling awkwardly.
Han Seol-ah answered instead of him.
"Mr. ShiHoon said he didn't have a restriction."
"..."
Considering that he was having such a hard time with the restriction, KangWoo found the situation unfair.
'What a scammer.'
Even if he had the protagonist buff, it didn't make sense that he didn't have the level restriction.
"What about the other people...?"
"Mr. TaeSoo and I have just reached the level restriction; EunBi is still around the mid-fifties."
"Ugh... This is all because ShiHoon oppa swept them all away before I could cast magic! Not only that, but he alone doesn't have a leveling-up restriction! This is a scam!"
EunBi shouted as if she found the situation unfair.
'I also think it's unfair.'
KangWoo grabbed his head.
'You damn talented fucker.'
Maybe it wasn't something he should say, but wasn't it too much not having a leveling-up restriction?
He sighed.
"B-but what should I do? Should I go to the airport—"
"No. You probably won't need to do that."
He picked up the cup of coffee and took a sip.
Kim ShiHoon looked at KangWoo with a confused expression.
"He's probably going to come himself."
He was a world ranker…
There was no way he didn't have an information network.
Click-
"Huh?"
As soon as he finished, the door of the cafe opened.
A young man that had a ponytail hairstyle entered the coffee shop.
"Ah, Alec Osborne."
Kim ShiHoon's voice trembled.
Alec smiled after seeing Kim ShiHoon.
He took out a round device and put it on his neck.
"Nice to meet you. You're Dragon Sword Kim ShiHoon, right?" He asked in Korean.
Kim ShiHoon nodded with a dumbfounded expression.
"Yes! I'm Kim ShiHoon."
"Haha, it's good to see you. My name is Alec Osborne."
"Ah... Yes."
"It's an honor to meet with Korea's hero."
Alec extended his hand. Kim ShiHoon grabbed his hand and answered in a surprised voice.
"A-an honor?! No, it's my pleasure!"
His eyes were full of excitement, and he was blushing.
He looked like a little girl who had met his idol.
"..."
KangWoo remained silent. He couldn't understand why, but he felt a bit annoyed.
'He never made that expression to me.'
He didn't like it.
