Time passed.
Winter came, snow began to pile up, and icy winds blew.
It had been three months since the Manchuria battle took place.
The Demon Cult members stopped making public appearances as if they’d come to some sort of agreement amongst themselves.
People began saying they became afraid after losing their fight against China and Korea, but the leaders of the countries and the top rankers knew that wasn't true.
Everyone felt that there was no way the Demon Cult was only that big.
Time flew by as everyone felt it was the calm wind before the storm…
* * *
"Oof."
The sun entered the room through the window.
KangWoo stretched out and got up from bed.
He'd slept for only an hour…
But that much sleep was enough to make him feel refreshed.
That was possible because a demon's body didn't need sleep in the first place.
"Hmm."
He leaned his back on the pillow and picked up his smartphone. He'd received a few messages from Chae YeonJoo and Cheon SooYeon.
KangWoo thought of what he'd done for the past three months.
After returning to Korea, KangWoo focused on two things…
The first was trying to see if the Demon Cult had made any movements, and the second was searching for Myth-rank equipment.
He had been searching for the Demon Cult in order to devour demons, obviously, and the myth-rank equipment was to replace the Black Pearl Coat.
'Although there haven't been advances in either of the two.'
Tsk. He clicked his tongue.
A demon had appeared once…
But it was just trash that was summoned by some guys that weren't part of the Demon Cult.
The demon that was summoned was one that lived in the lower levels of Hell.
They weren't even worth devouring.
'But at least I've been able to get some advances in that aspect.'
The situation regarding myth-rank equipment was desperate.
At first, he’d thought that entering an SS-rank gate and hunting the boss monster would be enough, but his opinion changed after entering the Sapporo and Vladivostok gates.
The problem wasn't how strong the monsters were…
Finding the boss monsters inside the gates was too hard, and even if he managed to find them, they didn't drop myth-rank ingredients.
Also, unlike video games, they weren't constantly respawned, so it was impossible to hunt them frequently.
"Hngh."
He'd spent the last three months without any significant advances.
Of course, he'd gotten better at using the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea and created new combinations of Authorities and made them skills.
…But it wasn't like he'd been able to increase his stats or levels.
'It was the others that profited the most.'
Chae YeonJoo, Kang TaeSoo, Han Seol-ah, and the others had gotten stronger after traveling the world with KangWoo.
Chae YeonJoo went beyond the ninth Awakening wall and reached the 10th one.
She was at a place where she could be called a world ranker.
Baek HwaYeon and Goo HyeonMo had also reached the ninth Awakening.
There was no need even to mention Kang TaeSoo or Han Seol-ah, who were both very talented from the beginning.
They both went beyond the 'Ultimate Effort' wall and surpassed the seventh Awakening. A few days prior, they’d reached the ninth Awakening.
EunBi, who was a magician-type player, was growing at a slower pace compared to others, but she'd also managed to surpass the 'Ultimate Effort' wall easily.
'It's true that they've all gotten stronger quite fast.'
It was as if an author who had failed to balance the characters had forcibly made them stronger.
They were getting stronger at a pace that couldn't be compared to normal players…
But KangWoo's bus made growth like that possible.
"Well, it was something that needed to happen sooner or later."
There was a limit on how many things he could do alone.
If they didn't become strong enough to defend themselves, things could become quite bothersome.
'I wonder how things are going with ShiHoon.'
It had been three months since Kim ShiHoon left for Shanghai with Cheon MooJin.
They were connected through the Authority of Subordination, so KangWoo knew he was alive, but he wasn't sure how strong he'd become.
'I'm expectant.'
It wasn't someone else but Kim ShiHoon.
It was understandable that he was interested in seeing how strong he'd become.
TokTok-
"Mr. KangWoo, did you wake up?"
He could hear someone knocking on the door.
KangWoo stopped thinking and got up.
"Yes, I'm coming."
KangWoo got up and opened the door. He found Han Seol-ah there, making a worried expression.
"What's wrong?"
"You see…"
Han Seol-ah slurred out the end of the sentence. She looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone around and carefully opened her mouth.
"I completed the eight Awakening a few days ago."
"You did."
"A-after that… something strange appeared."
"Something strange appeared?"
KangWoo looked at her while tilting his head.
"A weird pattern appeared… on my back."
She turned around and carefully lowered her skirt. He could see her white skin.
'Hallelujah.'
* * *
The pattern didn't enter his field of vision.
He looked at her back with intense eyes.
"Mr. KangWoo…?"
"Ah, I'm sorry. It's just that my eyes became blurry for a moment."
It was inevitable that his eyes would become blurry. After all, he'd slept for only an hour.
'Yes, there's nothing I can do about it.'
He was a person. How could a person be okay after sleeping only for an hour?
He gulped.
He pretended to be rubbing his eyes and opened them slowly. He once again took a look at her back.
There was a pattern that resembled an angel's wings on her back.
"This…"
"It began appearing a few days ago."
KangWoo narrowed his eyes.
"What was the eight Awakening attribute?"
"It's one called Wings of Light."
"Hmm."
He gulped. He wasn't sure if it had appeared because of the attribute's influence or if there was another reason.
"Did something change when the pattern appeared?"
"No, there isn’t anything yet."
KangWoo took a closer look at the pattern.
Was it because he'd heard from Echidna about the beings from the Heavens?
He was having a hard time brushing it off.
'But still, it isn't like there's something I can do about it.'
It was a frustrating situation.
Han Seol-ah, who realized KangWoo was worrying, opened her mouth while smiling.
"A pattern appeared, but nothing much changed. You don't need to worry."
"I can't do that."
* * *
It wasn't another person, but Han Seol-ah.
She was someone special to him.
KangWoo extended his hand and touched the pattern.
"Hiic!"
Han Seol-ah's body trembled a bit. Her face became as red as a tomato.
KangWoo ignored her reaction and used an Authority.
'Authority of Protection.'
It was an Authority that checked her body’s transformations in real time and created a strong defense based on the situation.
It was an Authority that constantly used demonic energy, so he had tried to avoid using it, but he couldn't do that anymore.
KangWoo opened his mouth while looking at her back with a serious expression.
"If there's another change, please tell me. It doesn't matter how big or small it is. Okay?"
"O-Okay, Mr. KangWoo."
Han Seol-ah was surprised because KangWoo reacted more seriously than expected.
She bowed her head. There was a smile she couldn't hide on her face.
'I'm happy.'
She twisted her body due to the feelings rising within her.
After feeling KangWoo was worried about her, a hard-to-explain feeling covered her body.
"Mr. KangWoo…"
She opened her mouth with a wet voice. She was having a hard time controlling her feelings.
She was about to turn toward KangWoo and open her mouth when…
"KangWoo, Seol-ah, what are you doing here?"
Echidna's voice could be heard.
KangWoo looking at her back was a scene that could be perfectly misunderstood.
"N-nothing!" Han Seol-ah quickly shouted. Echidna tilted her head and then pulled Han Seol-ah's sleeves.
"Seol-ah, I'm hungry."
Growl. A cute sound was heard. Han Seol-ah smiled awkwardly and pulled up her clothes.
"Wait a bit. It's going to be done soon."
She quickly ran toward the kitchen.
A few moments later, a delicious smell spread through the house.
Thankfully, it was the smell of kimchi stew. Because KangWoo insisted on it, the breakfast menu was almost always kimchi stew.
[Oh, is it time to eat?]
Balzac opened the door.
While outside, he always hid in KangWoo's shadows, but otherwise, he just roamed around in his normal self.
"Good morning, Mr. Balzac."
Han Seol-ah, who was cooking, greeted him.
At first, she and Kim MiJeong were scared after seeing a skeleton walking around, but as time went on, they'd both gotten used to him.
She wasn't surprised anymore even if she saw him in the middle of the night.
Tap-
"Breakfast is ready."
People gathered quickly.
Breakfast began with a noisy atmosphere.
Balzac grabbed a piece of meat with the chopsticks, which he'd gotten used to.
Crunch.
[Haha. Once again, this is a very satisfying banquet,] Balzac exclaimed while taking a sip of kimchi stew.
Seeing a skeleton eating kimchi stew was weird, but no one seemed to care about that.
[Haha! This is literally a bone-clinging taste!]
"…"
KangWoo let out a laugh.
After seeing a skeleton say something like that, he couldn't help but laugh.
'What an impressive reaction.'
Even a character in charge of reactions in a certain famous cooking series wouldn't be able to say something like that so naturally.
[Fufu. Human girl, it was a very satisfying breakfast,] Balzac said arrogantly.
KangWoo's hands quickly moved.
Paf-!
[AAGGHH! M-My skull!]
A scream came out.
"I told you not to talk to Seol-ah like that."
[Ugh. I… I'm sorry, master.]
Balzac replied while grabbing the back of his skull.
"Then I'll leave the cleaning of the dishes to you."
KangWoo patted Balzac's shoulders and stood up.
Balzac's yellow eye sockets shook.
[Ugh. Wh-why do I, Balzac, have to…]
Cleaning up the dishes… It was something he wouldn't have been able to imagine while on the Ernor Continent.
But he couldn't go against his master's wishes.
Balzac quickly picked up the table and put on rubber gloves. He grabbed a sponge and put detergent on it.
Clack Clack-
He'd gotten used to it in the past three months.
Balzac perfectly cleaned up the dishes without leaving any dirt.
He had to finish cleaning up the dishes quickly.
'I also have to pick up the laundry.'
If he didn't do that, he wouldn't have enough time to clean up the house in the morning.
After being forced to do the housework for the past three months, he had a schedule of what to do in his head.
'Why me, a Demon King…?'
Demon King Balzac.
The ruler of death, who had made the Ernor Continent tremble in fear, had basically become a slave.
He began picking up the laundry after finishing the dishes.
While doing that, his body started to tremble.
'I cannot live like this.'
Balzac's eyes shone.
He put the laundry down and angrily stood up.
[Master!]
"Yes?"
[I've been trying to hold my anger, but I cannot do that anymore!]
It was a voice with deep anger.
[I'm definitely going to tell Master today!]
"What, you don't want to work?"
[No! That's not the problem!]
Boom. Balzac stomped on the ground.
[Master!]
Intense demonic energy came out of him while his eyes shone.
He extended his hand and showed him what was in his hands.
[How many times do I have to tell you not to turn your socks inside out while putting them in the washing machine!]
"Ah."
[Master probably doesn't know how important this is while picking up the laundry!]
"Ah, yes. I'm sorry."
[Hmph. I hope you are more careful next time.]
Balzac turned around and walked toward the laundry.
He picked up the laundry that had dried in the sunlight. The smell of the fabric softener tickled his nose.
[Good.]
Balzac let out a smile.
[It dried up well.]
