"Sniff!"
Tears dripped down Park GirlChan's eyes.
A pain that was hard to resist spread through his body.
He couldn't return to his senses.
Bubbles frothed out of his mouth, and he couldn't stop trembling.
KangWoo slapped his cheeks a couple of times.
But it didn't matter how much time passed. It didn't seem like he would return to his senses.
'How troublesome.'
KangWoo put his hands on top of GirlChan’s head. Black demonic energy fluttered in his hand.
Authority of Concentration…
It was an Authority that allowed you to reduce pain and increase concentration for a moment.
Unlike the Authority of Rage, it was a buff-type Authority that only had benefits, but in that situation, there was nothing else he could do about it.
After all, he couldn't do any type of interrogation in that state.
"Oof, oof!"
Park GirlChan came back to his senses thanks to the Authority of Concentration.
He looked at KangWoo with fearful eyes.
"Wh-who are you?! How did you defeat the cryshalis…?"
"Hmm."
KangWoo narrowed his eyes.
'It seems like he can't recognize me.'
The Demon Cult member wasn't able to recognize him despite him wearing a white mask.
Usually, even if he didn't know which of the Guardians he was, he should've known he was part of 'Guardians.'
After all, the mask he was wearing was proof he was part of 'Guardians.'
'The Demon Cult members know about Guardians.'
But the fact that he couldn't identify him as a member of Guardians probably meant something.
'He isn't someone with a high rank.'
That meant that the Demon Cult didn't consider him as someone important.
"Since when did the Demon Cult begin being active in Korea again?"
"Th-that..."
Park GirlChan mumbled while his eyes shook.
"Ah, wait. Don't say it."
Judging by his reaction, it seemed like he would be killed if he tried to say important information about the Demon Cult.
'Then…'
KangWoo placed his hand on top of Park GirlChan's forehead.
'Authority of Subordination.'
It had failed against strong opponents like Anton or Baek KangHyun, but there was a chance it would succeed with Park GirlChan.
Ting-
[You've succeeded in making player Park GirlChan your familiar spirit.]
KangWoo looked with tired eyes at the message that appeared in front of him.
'I shouldn't carelessly use it.'
Even if he was weak, he was a player who had passed the End of All Efforts.
Making him his familiar spirit wasn't easy.
KangWoo started to warm up after feeling a shoulder-pressuring tiredness.
It was something that happened because the Authority of Subordination had many restrictions.
'But still…'
He could feel his soul connected to him. He concentrated and analyzed his body.
Inside his body, to be more precise, in his soul, he could feel something foreign.
'Is this the restriction?'
He used his energy to wipe away the foreign energy mixed in Park GirlChan's soul.
"Cough! Oof! Oof!"
GirlChan’s two eyes became teary, his tendon became visible, and his body trembled.
After trembling for a moment, he became calmer, and his breath normalized.
'Does this have an effect similar to the Authority of Subordination?'
KangWoo narrowed his eyes.
After thinking about it for a while, he shook his head.
'It isn't as powerful as the Authority of Subordination.'
It seemed like it couldn't control everything about the target like the Authority of Subordination could.
But just seeing that the Demon Cult could influence the soul was proof of how advanced their knowledge was.
'They're impressive.'
He still couldn't understand how they had managed to get knowledge even he didn't know despite having ruled over the Hell of Nine Skies.
"Spill out everything you know."
"Ah..."
After twisting his body for a while, Park GirlChan started to spout all of the information inside his head.
"After Cardinal Baek KangHyun died, no one else became in charge of Korea. The Cult is looking at Korea with great interest, so they sent a new 'Apostle of Evil,' and they're currently creating a new branch."
"They're looking at Korea with great interest?"
That was something unexpected.
There wasn’t an SS-rank gate in Korea.
* * *
It also wasn't like the country became ruined during the Cataclysmic Day, so the S-rank gate was being properly controlled.
A country like Russia should be better and more comfortable for them to act in. After all, the country had been paralyzed, and there was an SS-rank gate in it.
'Or maybe the Middle East or Latin America.'
The Middle East and Latin American countries had also become ruined, and there were SS-rank gates on those continents.
There was no reason for them to act in Korea.
"I'm also not sure of the reason, but the Cult thinks of Korea as a very important country."
"I see. Then is that connected to sticking black stakes inside a gate?"
"Not really. Pouring the 'Fissure Seed' has nothing to do with the country."
"..."
KangWoo remained silent.
'Not related, huh?'
His head started to spin fast.
Although the Cult thought of Korea as an important place, that wasn't the reason why they were pouring 'Fissure’s Seed' inside the gates. And recently, the Gaia System had started to weaken.
There was only one conclusion he could reach from those two things…
'I see.'
It meant that the plan wasn’t specific to Korea.
If that was the case, he could understand why someone weak like him had gone alone.
'There's a chance this is a worldwide plan.'
They were spreading the 'Fissure's Seed' throughout all of the gates.
It didn't matter if they failed—they would just have to spread even more.
If they used members that were among the weakest, gave them demonic monsters as protection, and made them spread the Fissure's Seed, they wouldn't lose many of their forces.
'This is the worst.'
That was what KangWoo was worrying about.
It wasn't something that Oh KangWoo alone could solve. Even if you could block the rain with your umbrella, you wouldn't be able to stop the ground from getting wet.
"Things are getting complicated."
Tsk. He clicked his tongue.
'I need the power of players.'
He needed the entire world to move.
He could tell the difference between what he could and couldn't do alone…
And he didn't have enough power to move the entire world.
"That's me."
KangWoo smiled.
He grabbed his communication crystal.
'What about the Guardians?'
Although it was a secretive organization that didn't like to make itself public, its power and influence were no joke.
Even if he left everything aside, Grace McCarbin was among the members of Guardians.
The First Lady—the first and strongest player.
Someone who could make the USA, the strongest country, move.
If the USA moved, other countries were probably going to follow.
Even after the Cataclysmic Day, that hadn’t changed.
The USA was the world's hub of finance and commerce.
'Also, the Guardians aren’t my only resource.'
Cheon MooJin, Jang HyunJae, Kurosaki Yurie…
He knew many people who could move entire countries.
"Where are Fissure's Seeds being spread?"
"I… I don't know that."
"Who is the one behind the plans?"
"That..."
He shook his head. KangWoo nodded. There was no way someone at the bottom would know a piece of information like that.
"Do you know who made the Fissure's Seed?"
"I… I'm sorry."
"Tsk."
KangWoo clicked his tongue and picked up the stake.
Since he couldn't get information from him, he had no choice but to investigate himself.
'Authority of Insight.'
He closed his eyes and concentrated. He'd failed to try to figure out the summoning magic circle, but there was no guarantee it would fail again.
Ting-
[Part of the Authority of Insight has succeeded. You've learned how to manage the Fissure's Seed.]
"This..."
KangWoo's eyes widened.
Information about the 'Fissure's Seed' entered his mind.
"..."
He wasn't sure what the theory behind it was or how they'd made it…
But he learned how to use the Fissure's Seed.
'This seems useless.'
KangWoo clicked his tongue. He had to get rid of them, so learning how to use them was useless in his position.
"Huh, wait…"
At that moment, he thought of a new idea.
KangWoo used the Fissure's Seed effect that weakened the System in part of his body.
The stake that looked like an inverse cross became black fog and disappeared.
Although it was only for a little bit, the Ten Thousand Demon Core's seal weakened, and he felt demonic energy flowing out.
"Yes!!"
KangWoo clenched his fist. Although its effect was a bit weak, just like when he activated the effect of the Reaper of Souls, the seal was definitely getting weaker.
'Mr. Demon Cult...'
Their knowledge of controlling the fissures…
He didn't expect that their vast knowledge would become so useful to him.
'Thanks for the food.'
He couldn't even count how many things he'd gotten while chasing after the Demon Cult.
At that point, he couldn't help but think that they were trying to make him stronger on purpose.
'Long live the Demon Cult!'
He couldn't help but feel in awe of them.
KangWoo patted Park GirlChan's shoulder.
"Okay. Thanks for the information."
"Th-then are you going to let me… live?"
"Of course."
He wasn't someone evil who didn't know how to be thankful to someone who'd help him.
He couldn't kill someone who'd been so helpful to him.
"Then, I'll be going."
"Ha, haha. Oka... AAAGGGHHH!!!"
As KangWoo dismissed the Authority of Concentration, a horrifying scream came out of Park GirlChan's mouth again.
He once again grabbed the area between his legs, and bubbles frothed out of his mouth.
"Oh, damn..."
KangWoo gave him a worried look.
The scream sounded desperate.
KangWoo's expression became sad while looking at him twisting his body and screaming in pain.
"There's nothing I can do about this."
He couldn't let his benefactor who'd given him important information suffer from such pain.
KangWoo bit his lip and created Gae Bolg.
"Ouch. Coff!"
He slowly stabbed Gae Bolg forward. Park GirlChan immediately died after his heart was pierced.
"May you rest in peace..." KangWoo mumbled in a voice immersed in pain.
"Park GirlChan, I won't forget your name."
His eyes were tearing up.
