Chapter 102: To Japan (1)
"…"
There was a heavy silence.
Tian Wuchen, who was looking at Oh Kang-Woo with sharp eyes, sighed.
"Well, if you say so, I'll just accept it as it is."
He still couldn't believe it.
Wuchen wasn't acting like this because he was arrogant or uncompromising.
If a global boxing champion was forced to a standstill against a rookie boxer who had only picked up the sport three months ago, what would the boxing champion think? Of course, there would be many possible explanations, but the boxing champion most certainly wouldn't think it was simple talent.
This was not possible with just talent.
'And?it's?true,'?Kang-Woo thought.
He didn't become strong enough to fight toe-to-toe with one of the strongest people in the world through talent. After all, he had spent many years in Hell.
However, he couldn't say he was the demon king who'd come back to Earth after living in Hell for ten millennia.
No, even if he said the truth, they would probably think he was crazy.
'Rather than that, it's better to claim it's talent.'
If they weren't going to believe either explanation, there was no reason to go with the option that made him look like a lunatic.
"H-Hyung-nim…?"
Kim Si-Hun seemed lost for words. He couldn't believe that Kang-Woo had been a formidable match for Sword Emperor Tian Wuchen, one of the top ten strongest people in the world.
'I knew hyung-nim was strong, but…'
He had never imagined Kang-Woo was this strong.
Si-Hun looked at Kang-Woo with eyes full of respect. His heart beat faster. He felt better after realizing that Kang-Woo, whom he had chosen to trust and follow, was strong enough to fight against the Sword Emperor.
"Then I'll get going. Do your best to learn," Kang-Woo said.
"Yes, hyung-nim!" Si-Hun answered in a loud voice.
Kang-Woo smirked and turned around. He noticed that Tian Suyan was looking at him.
'What's up with her?'
It wasn't just an expression of shock. Her body was trembling, and she was smiling. She was even stamping her feet repeatedly and clenching her fists. It was as if she couldn't control her excitement.
She looked as if she'd won the lottery.
"F-Fufufu. Well, well. I truly… did not expect this at all."
Suyan licked her red lips while blushing. She looked like a predator who had found prey.
Wuchen grabbed his head and sighed.
Suyan pranced toward Kang-Woo and spoke in an excited voice.
"You've shocked me. I guess there really was a reason why you were so confident in front of my father."
"I'm not stupid enough not to be able to differentiate between courage and arrogance."
"Fufu. It's just as you say. Oh, do you happen to have some time after this? It's my first time in Korea, so I would love for you to take me around."
"I'm sorry, but I already have plans."
Today was one of the regular days that Kang-Woo met up with Cha Yeon-Joo to hear about the Demon Cult's movements.
Suyan seemed happier after her offer was rejected.
"Perhaps another time, then. Oh, this is my number. If there's anything you need, feel free to give me a call."
She took out a card from her wallet and put it in Kang-Woo's chest pocket.
'Why is she so proactive?'
Anyone would notice her intentions when she was showing this much interest in him. The problem was the reason for her interest when they had only become acquainted with each other not long ago.
'She has some weird tastes.'
He couldn't understand why she was giving affection to him instead of Si-Hun.
Kang-Woo took the card out of his chest pocket and put it inside his wallet. Whatever the case, she was the daughter of the Sword Emperor. It wasn't a bad idea to build good relations with her.
"Fufu, I'll be waiting for your call."
After giving him a seductive smile, Suyan turned around.
As she turned, Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.
'I'm sure her affections will die down soon enough.'
He couldn't understand why she was showering him with such affection out of the blue. Strongly blazing emotions, however, were just as quick to fizzle out, and Kang-Woo thought that her interest in him would also die down soon.
Kang-Woo left the training room after saying goodbye to the blankly standing Wuchen.
"… Father."
There was an awkward silence after Kang-Woo left the training room. Suyan's voice echoed through the silent room, and she turned toward Wuchen while smiling.
"I think I've found him."
"…"
Wuchen remained silent.
There was no need to even ask what she was talking about.
'I screwed up.'
Not only was his plan screwed, it was progressing in the opposite direction.
He wanted Si-Hun and Suyan to become a couple. The biggest reason was Si-Hun's talent, the Heavenly Martial Physique.
Talent in martial arts was transmitted through genes. This meant that if Suyan and Si-Hun had a baby, there was a chance that a child with an incredible unique talent would be born.
But in Kang-Woo's case, it was different.
From what Wuchen had seen, Kang-Woo had no talent in martial arts. His great power had likely been accumulated through endless effort and experience rather than talent.
If Suyan and Kang-Woo had a baby, there was a chance that their descendant wouldn't have talent in martial arts.
'I have no other choice.'
He turned to Si-Hun, grabbed the practice sword, and opened his mouth to say, "Let us begin right away. Raise your sword, Sword Dragon."
"Oh, yes. Understood."
Wuchen's eyes shone.
'I will make the Sword Dragon stronger.'
He'd do it even if he had to put everything on the line.
* * *
Kang-Woo received a call after leaving the building.
The call was from Cha Yeon-Joo.
[Come to the guild office right now. We have to go to Hwarang Corps headquarters.]
"The Hwarang Corps? Why?"
[Hwa-Yeon said that something urgent had happened.]
"What happened?"
[I haven't received the details either. Oh, but I had heard that Captain Jang Hyun-Jae had returned from Japan. It probably has something to do with that.]
"Hmm…"
Jang Hyun-Jae was the leader of Hwarang's 1st Squadron as well as the current commander of the Hwarang Corps.
As he had been a former member of the special forces, he had created a civil militia to stop crimes committed by Players. The civil militia was officially approved by the nation, giving birth to the Hwarang Corps.
He was even famous outside Korea, as he was one of the few Players in Korea who could face the former number one of the country, Baek Kang-Hyun.
"I'll be right there," Kang-Woo answered shortly and hung up the phone.
After he met up with Yeon-Joo, they immediately drove to Suwon.
When they arrived at the Hwarang Corps headquarters, they saw Baek Hwa-Yeon waiting for them outside. They followed her inside.
Goo Hyun-Mo, leader of the 2nd Squadron, and a man Kang-Woo had never seen before were in the captain's office.
The man approached him and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Hwa-Yeon."
"Hello. My name is Oh Kang-Woo."
"I am Jang Hyun-Jae, the captain of the 1st Squadron."
He was a man devoid of facial expressions. He seemed to be in his late thirties. Although he wasn't very tall, he had a muscular body. He looked like he wouldn't even bleed if you poked him with a needle, but unlike his stiff face, he had a very gentle voice.
"Long time no see, old man Hyun-Jae~" Yeon-Joo expressed.
"Long time no see. There seemed to be a huge incident in Korea… I'm sorry for not being here to help."
"Not at all. It was more or less resolved thanks to this guy here… although we weren't able to prevent civilian casualties."
Yeon-Joo seemed sad after thinking of the civilians who had lost their lives during the Isu Station incident.
Hyun-Jae sighed with a heavy expression.
"It isn't your fault. No one could have possibly expected the Demon Cult to become so active all of a sudden."
He sounded sad.
Yeon-Joo shook her head numerous times and asked, "So, what happened?"
"I have some news related to the Demon Cult," Hyun-Jae replied.
Yeon-Joo's eyes shone after hearing the words Demon Cult.
Hyun-Jae looked around and then said in a low voice, "Signs of Japan's Demon Cult forces preparing a demon summoning ritual have been discovered."
"A demon summoning? Like Oriax?"
"Yes, but on a much bigger scale."
"… Is Japan's Demon Cult really that big?"
Hyun-Jae nodded. "The Demon Cult's forces in Japan are bigger and stronger than the one previously in Korea."
"Wha…"
Yeon-Joo sighed.
There had been numerous casualties in Korea alone. She couldn't even imagine how many more casualties there would be if a force bigger than the one that had been in Korea took action.
"Was it Japan's government that requested assistance?" Hwa-Yeon asked.
"Yes. Although it hasn't been released by the press, they are in a serious predicament," Hyun-Jae replied.
"But Japan has Fujimoto Ryoma. Do they even need our help?"
Fujimoto Ryoma. Although he had been evaluated lower than Sword Emperor Tian Wuchen, he was still one of the eight World Rankers, and his Mythic-grade equipment, Eye of Susanoo, was famous worldwide.
"If we leave Fujimoto Ryoma aside, the overall level of Japanese Players isn't that high. This is a pretty serious case, so it needs as many Rankers to participate as possible."
"Hmm."
"The fact that the Demon Cult incident in Korea had been resolved also likely influenced the decision."
The terror incident Kang-Hyun had caused in Isu Station had become the starting signal for the other branches of the Demon Cult to take action.
Trust in Korea's capability had gone up because Korea had completely dealt with the situation.
"But to think that Japan would ask Korea for help… that's unexpected," Yeon-Joo mumbled.
Although the world had changed after the Day of Calamity, negative historical sentiments between the two countries hadn't disappeared.[1]
The relationship between Japanese and Korean Players wasn't the best.
"That just goes to show how serious the situation is," Hyun-Jae said.
"I guess that's true." Yeon-Joo nodded with a heavy expression. She let out a sigh. "Which demon are they trying to summon this time…?"
They had been able to defeat Oriax easily because he had suddenly acted strange, but it wouldn't have been an easy fight if they'd fought against him in normal conditions.
But a demon stronger than him…?
Yeon-Joo was already feeling anxious before the battle had even begun.
"Hmm."
Kang-Woo fell into thought.
'A demon, huh?'
Kang-Woo wondered if he should wait until the Demon Cult summoned the demon or not. From Kang-Woo's point of view, it would be better if they successfully managed to summon a demon.
Demons were an important source of demonic energy to him.
'My Demonic Energy stat hasn't been going up at all lately.'
He thought that if he devoured a demon, maybe his Demonic Energy stat would increase.
'Letting them summon a demon and then devouring it with Predation would be best.'
There was no better way for him to grow at the moment than to devour a demon.
While he was smacking his lips, Hyun-Jae and Yeon-Joo's conversation continued.
"I already know which demon they're trying to summon," Hyun-Jae said.
"Oh, which demon?"
"I heard they're trying to summon the succubus queen."
"A succubus?" Yeon-Joo tilted her head in wonder. "Don't tell me… the demon that sucks the life force out of men?"
"Yes. Her name is… Lilith. I heard they were trying to summon a demon named Lilith."
"Hah, as expected of the Japanese. Of all the demons, why would they summon such a perverted—"
Slam!
A chair was turned upside down—the one Kang-Woo had been sitting on.
"Wh-What? What's wrong?" Yeon-Joo asked.
"…"
Kang-Woo's face turned pale. He recalled the tentacles that were forever embedded in his memory.
"——op it," he said with a trembling voice.
"What?"
"We have to stop it."
Wait for the demon to be summoned and then devour it?
Aim to raise his stagnated Demonic Energy stat?
Screw it all.
None of that mattered.
"We have to stop the summoning!" Kang-Woo exclaimed desperately.
1. If you don't know what negative historical sentiments the two countries have, look up "Japanese occupation of Korea" to learn more. 👈
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