Chapter 100: I've Gotten Greedy
After they left the Gate, Oh Kang-Woo walked toward the parking slot with Han Seol-Ah and Echidna following behind him.
"I will contact you myself tomorrow, Sword Dragon. Hehehe. You will be having a hard time starting tomorrow," Tian Wuchen said.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Kim Si-Hun replied.
"I can't believe I am teaching martial arts to someone with the Heavenly Martial Physique."
Wuchen looked expectantly at Si-Hun.
Having the Heavenly Martial Physique meant Si-Hun had the ideal aptitude for being a martial artist. This was an opportunity for Wuchen to train a genius of this caliber with his own hands!
'If I train him right, I may be able to get Suyan a good spouse,' Wuchen thought.
Tian Suyan had always said she wasn't interested in anyone weaker than her father. To prove that she had not been joking, she had never dated anyone. In fact, Wuchen had never even seen her having a conversation with a man before.
Suyan had also rejected every single man who had tried to woo her. Among them, there had been one man with a very bright future, but all his efforts had been for naught.
'I want to see her get married before I die.'
Wuchen had initially thought highly of her upon seeing her reject men who looked like bums. However, he was now feeling anxious as Suyan had recently turned 27 years old. It truly seemed like she wasn't interested in anyone weaker than her father.
'If there isn't anyone who can fit that criteria, I'll have to raise someone to fit it.'
Wuchen clenched his hands into fists, and his eyes lit up with determination. He was sure that the Sword Dragon, who had the Heavenly Martial Physique and even the soul of the Martial God, would be able to surpass him one day.
"Then, I'll be going on ahead. Oh, I'll be coming to watch you teach Si-Hun tomorrow, so let me know where you'll be doing that,” Kang-Woo told Wuchen.
"Sure," Wuchen replied and watched Kang-Woo leave.
'That aside, just what in the world is this guy?'
After hearing about how Kang-Woo had instantly neutralized Nangong Chen and his men, Wuchen investigated Kang-Woo before coming to Korea. The only information he had been able to find was that Kang-Woo was a rookie that the Red Rose Guild was sponsoring and that he had only been a Player for three months.
'There is no way that's true.'
There was no need for Wuchen to think too deeply about the information he'd found. It simply made no sense that a Player who had awakened three months ago could have been able to defeat Nangong Chen. It would have been impossible for them to instantly neutralize Nangong Chen unless they were at least a Ranker.
"Interesting," Wuchen remarked with a deep smile.
Kang-Woo was a Player with mysteries that not even the Heavenly Sword Clan's information network could uncover. Furthermore, he was so confident in his abilities that he wasn't even intimidated by Wuchen...
Wuchen's desire to have a battle with Kang-Woo surged. Of course, he didn't think that Kang-Woo truly was at his level. After all, he was Sword Emperor Tian Wuchen, one of the eight World Rankers. He was one of the strongest Players in the world; he wasn't so weak as to lose against a Player from some unknown place.
At that moment, Suyan walked up right next to Wuchen and said softly, "Father, what do you think about that guy, Oh Kang-Woo?"
She looked very excited.
"I'm not sure, although he seems like an interesting fellow," Wuchen commented.
"Fufu. Right? I've never seen someone act that way in front of you, Father."
Wuchen laughed, "Hahaha. It must be because he doesn't know much about me."
He believed that Kang-Woo didn't know who he was and what he was capable of. There was no way Kang-Woo would have behaved the way he had if he had known.
"Hmm. I don't know about that," Suyan replied while alluringly licking her red lips.
Wuchen's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"We had a short conversation, and... he said he was confident he could beat you."
"Oh?"
Wuchen's eyes lit up with interest.
"How about it? Wouldn't you like to know where all of his confidence is coming from?" Suyan asked him while cutely grabbing his arm.
"Hmm… It seems like you're interested in that young man."
Wuchen had never seen his daughter interested in a man before.
'This will mess with my plan...'
He felt that his plan of training the Sword Dragon to make him Suyan's spouse was slightly going awry.
After thinking for a while, Wuchen shook his head.
'I guess it doesn't matter.'
He knew Suyan's personality very well. She was interested in Kang-Woo now, but she would lose interest as soon as Kang-Woo lost against him.
‘I'm sorry, bold young man. But the Sword Dragon is a better partner for Suyan.
Wuchen had astronomically different opinions of Si-Hun and Kang-Woo. Si-Hun possessed the Heavenly Martial Physique, the ideal aptitude for being a martial artist, and even the soul of the Martial God. Kang-Woo might be stronger than Si-Hun at the moment, but the Sword Dragon would most definitely overtake him in the near future. Between the two, Si-Hun was a far better choice for the role of the Heavenly Sword Clan's future heir.
'He's also very handsome.'
The Sword Dragon's insanely good looks, which made him look like a Greek sculpture, also played a part in Wuchen's decision. It didn't matter how many times he thought about it. He was certain that the Sword Dragon was a better match for Suyan.
"Fufu. I can't deny that I'm a little interested. After all, there aren't many people who can behave that way to you," Suyan said.
"Well, that's true."
"What do you think, Father? Wouldn't you like to test him?"
"Hmm…" Wuchen groaned.
It seemed like he would have to loosen his self-restraint to make Suyan lose interest in Kang-Woo.
'I've taken quite a liking to him, though.'
Wuchen believed that Kang-Woo wouldn't be able to keep up his current attitude once he found out how powerful Wuchen truly was. It was truly a shame, but for the sake of the Heavenly Sword Clan's future, it couldn't be helped.
"Okay, let's do that," Wuchen said.
"Fufu. I love you, Father."
Suyan hugged Wuchen's muscular arm. Her eyes shone with anticipation.
'Father is sure to win, but...'
She was hoping for Kang-Woo to be strong enough to be able to satisfy her expectations even a little bit. Then she thought about the little girl who had pulled on her clothes. It was clear to whom the girl's feelings were directed.
The smile on Suyan's face widened.
'This is gonna be fun.'
She licked and smacked her lips.
There was nothing more tempting than something that belonged to someone else.
* * *
After returning home, Kang-Woo had dinner and then went to his room.
"Sword Emperor, huh...?"
The face of the scrawny man crossed his mind.
Wuchen had an appearance that didn't suit the title of Sword Emperor. Nevertheless, the enormous amount of energy that he had emitted proved that he was one of the eight World Rankers.
'I wonder if I'd be a match for him?'
Kang-Woo couldn't tell for sure from just a glance. He was confident that he wouldn't lose, but his victory wasn't guaranteed.
'I'm curious.'
Kang-Woo raised his hand, and the demonic energy concentrated within the demonic crystal enveloped it.
He had yet to find a chance to properly test his new power, the demonic crystal. Even before he formed the demonic crystal, no one in Korea had been a match for him. He had tested its power by himself, but it still couldn't compare to testing it in a fight.
'I wish I could put it to the test at least once.'
It was as if he had painstakingly created new gear in a game but had done absolutely nothing to test it out. Kang-Woo hadn't had anything like the demonic crystal when he had ruled over the Nine Hells. Just like the Traits that he'd unlocked by leveling up, the demonic crystal was a completely new power for him, so it was natural that he was curious about the demonic crystal's power.
Kang-Woo focused on the energy of the demonic crystal enveloping his hand. He did this for a while, and at some point, he felt something flow out.
"Hmm?"
A black gem the size of a nail appeared on the palm of his hand.
'I guess I can extract something like this too.'
Kang-Woo devoured the gem with the Authority of Predation. He was severely lacking in information regarding demonic crystals.
"...I'll think about it tomorrow."
It was already late at night. Kang-Woo lay down on his bed.
Creak.
At that moment, Echidna opened the door and entered Kang-Woo's room. She was hugging a pillow.
"What's wrong?"
"I want to sleep with Kang-Woo tonight."
"Mmm..."
It was a troublesome proposal.
Nevertheless, before he could say anything, Echidna entered his bed in a flash. Kang-Woo was confused by the sight of her suddenly behaving like a spoiled child.
"Did something happen?" Kang-Woo asked.
"...Nothing."
Echidna used Kang-Woo's arm like a pillow and curled herself like a shrimp. Just like always, she held onto Kang-Woo's clothes, but something seemed off this time.
"It's okay. You can tell me."
"You won't get angry?"
"Of course not."
"At first, I was more than happy just being by Kang-Woo's side," Echidna said carefully.
"…"
"I was no longer alone in a big nest. I was happy enough not being lonely anymore," Echidna continued, tightening her grip on his clothes. "A weird woman took interest in you today."
"...Are you talking about Tian Suyan?"
"Yeah. That person smacked her lips while staring at you."
"…"
.
Kang-Woo hadn't been paying attention to Suyan, so he had not noticed how she behaved.
"When I saw that, I felt something pressing on my chest. I've been happy with just staying by your side, but... it's not enough anymore," Echidna stated, getting closer to Kang-Woo. "I've gotten greedy."
Her small hands pulled on Kang-Woo's clothes some more. Echidna's breathing got heavier. She leaned her head forward while licking her lips, inching them closer to Kang-Woo's.
Knock knock.
"Kang-Woo, have you seen Echidna?"
After knocking, Seol-Ah opened the door and saw Kang-Woo and Echidna in a suggestive position.
"Huh?!" Seol-Ah uttered.
She was stunned speechless.
Echidna, who had been stuck to Kang-Woo, got up. She looked at Seol-Ah and got immersed in her thoughts.
For a moment, there was a heavy silence. Only the sound of breathing could be heard.
Then Echidna raised her head. She walked toward Seol-Ah and grabbed her clothes.
"I'm okay with Seol-Ah," Echidna said.
"Pardon? Wh-What is okay?" Seol-Ah asked.
"You can join us, Seol-Ah."
"J-J-J-J-Join you in what, exactly?"
Seol-Ah couldn't properly talk; it was as if she were a broken machine.
Echidna tilted her head and answered, "Well, mati—"
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Seol-Ah's scream rang throughout the house as she quickly covered Echidna's mouth. She glared at Kang-Woo while blushing and breathing heavily.
"E-Echidna! Come here for a moment!"
"Mmmpp."
Seol-Ah dragged Echidna out of the room and closed the door behind them.
"…"
Kang-Woo felt as if a storm had swept through the room.
He remembered the first time he'd met Echidna. The dragon hatchling had been trembling pitifully like an abandoned kitten. She had been a young girl seeking to fill her emotional void, which had been caused by her father, with warmth and affection.
Since then, Kang-Woo had been a fatherly figure to Echidna. However, that had changed. To be more precise, Echidna had changed.
'Our baby girl has changed.'
Kang-Woo, who had been left alone in the room, was so shocked that he couldn't even close his mouth.
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