After Ten Millennia in Hell

Mok-dong was the location of the C-rank Gate that Kang-Woo had hunted inside in the past.

'Although it hasn't been long enough to call it the past,' Kang-Woo thought.

It hadn't been a month since Kang-Woo had leveled up while hunting Trolls.

'Come to think of it, I've grown at an explosive rate after encountering the hellhound that day.'

The demonic beast he'd met at the C-rank Gate… After eliminating it, he had begun to receive the support of the Red Rose Guild. Thanks to that, he had grown at an explosive rate.

'But the fact that they came to a C-rank Gate means…'

With great interest, Kang-Woo looked at Si-Hun, who was leaving the Mok-dong station.

Coming to the C-rank Gate meant that Kang Tae-Soo, Han Seol-Ah, and everyone else in the party had reached Level 20 and gotten their Third Awakening.

'They're pretty fast.'

It couldn't be compared to Kang-Woo's speed, but Si-Hun's party was leveling up at an incredible pace.

Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction. After hiding his presence by using an Authority, he followed Si-Hun.

"Good morning."

"Hey, Si-Hun oppa~!"

"Good to see ya, Si-Hun!"

After leaving the station, Si-Hun was greeted by the other party members.

Unlike the awkward greeting they had exchanged when they had first met each other, they seemed to have become closer.

"… What's wrong with Seol-Ah?" Si-Hun asked Tae-Soo as he approached him. He gazed at Seol-Ah while tilting his head in confusion.

Seol-Ah had her head down with a gloomy air about her, and she was scraping the floor with the ends of her shoe.

Tae-Soo grabbed Si-Hun's shoulder and pulled him away from Seol-Ah, whispering, "I heard that Kang-Woo hyung-nim hadn't come back home for the past week because he was busy."

"Oh…"

A short exclamation came out of Si-Hun's mouth. He nodded as if he'd understood what was going on.

'Seol-Ah likes Kang-Woo, after all.'

It was obvious from her actions unless one was stupid beyond saving.

While taking a break from hunting, she often talked about Kang-Woo and blushed, seemingly having fun talking about him.

'So Kang-Woo hasn't been home for a week…'

He was a high-level Player, so there were many reasons for him to not be at home for a week.

"He hasn't been contacting her?"

"That's not it. They text every day and call from time to time, but he's apparently in a situation he can't get away from."

"Hmm… Then I guess he isn't in a Gate."

It was obvious, but cell signals did not travel through Gates. For making calls through Gates, you needed a special magic tool that used mana stones.

"Nghh… He doesn't tell her where he is even if she asks, apparently," Tae-Soo remarked.

"Haha… No wonder she's so depressed."

Si-Hun looked at Seol-Ah while making an awkward smile.

"Seol-Ah unnie~ don't be so sad. I'm sure Kang-Woo oppa has his reasons."

"Haa. I'm sure he does…"

Seol-Ah sighed with her head down. She mumbled while scraping the floor with the ends of her shoe.

"Has he gotten sick of my food…? Or maybe he's with another woman…"

She wanted to think positively, but as time went on, she became more anxious.

It hadn't been long since she met him, but in that short period of time, her daily life had changed so much that she could no longer think of the time when Kang-Woo was not in her life.

It wasn't just her who was depressed.

Echidna, who had been left alone at home, was in a worse state than her.

"You and Kang-Woo oppa live together, right?" asked Choi Eun-Bi.

"Y-Yeah."

"Hehe. Then maybe he's staying out because he can't hold it back anymore?"

"Hold what back?"

"Kang-Woo oppa is a healthy young man, you know? Living under the same roof with a woman as pretty as you… hehehe. Oppa's Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstr[1]—"

"Enough."

Si-Hun slightly hit Eun-Bi, who was having fun teasing Seol-Ah, on the head.

While smiling brightly, he turned to Seol-Ah.

"Don't take Eun-Bi's words to heart. Kang-Woo probably has his own reasons. Unlike us, he's a high-level Player."

"Ah, yes. I'm sure he does…"

"The only way we can be together with Kang-Woo is to keep hunting and leveling up."

"Ah…"

Seol-Ah's expression changed. One could see the determination in her eyes. She agreed with Si-Hun's words while nodding.

"Alright then, let's head inside," said Si-Hun. He then entered the C-rank Gate, and Tae-Soo, Seol-Ah, and Eun-Bi followed him.

"Nghh."

Kang-Woo seemed troubled.

'I'm feeling guilty.'

It was an inevitable situation, but seeing Seol-Ah like that made him feel guilty.

'Echidna is probably worse off.'

Seol-Ah aside, Echidna was far too dependent on him.

Because he knew that, he tried to contact her frequently, but the effects of it seemed to be getting weaker as time passed.

'I also want this to be over as soon as possible.'

Kang-Woo sighed while trudging toward the Gate.

It had been a week since he had been able to eat kimchi stew and sleep in a comfortable bed.

Losing something that one used to have was more painful than not having it at all in the first place.

Suppressing his desire to return to the daily life that he had only just barely been able to experience after ten millennia of life in Hell was not easy.

'But I can't just leave the fishing rod unattended after laying the bait.'

Carelessness was a poison with no antidote.

Losing Si-Hun because he had gone to relax would be the stupidest thing he could ever do.

"… Let's go."

Kang-Woo entered the Gate after passing the inspection.

* * *

Stomp!

"GRRRR!!"

"Kurgh! They're stupidly strong!" Tae-Soo exclaimed after blocking a Troll's club swing.

"Haap!"

Smash!

As Tae-Soo smashed down his shield, which was the size of his torso, the ground around the Troll's feet caved in.

The Troll that had been fiercely attacking Tae-Soo lost its balance and staggered.

"Seol-Ah!"

"Yes!"

After making sure that the Troll had lost its balance, Si-Hun leaped forward.

At his signal, Seol-Ah used the magic she'd prepared.

"Boost!"

A white light came out of Seol-Ah and entered Si-Hun.

His movements became significantly faster.

Si-Hun crouched down and aggressively stepped forward. His footprint was engraved on the ground with a heavy sound.

Schwing!

'Sleeping Dragon Sword Technique, Second Movement, Flying Dragon Flash.'

The force generated from his step spread from his feet to the rest of his body. Si-Hun used that force to twist his waist and pulled out the Qi from within his body.

Flying Dragon Flash.

Like a dragon crouching inside a lake suddenly soaring to the sky, he cut the Troll with an upward slash.

The sword technique that Si-Hun had received from the soul of the Martial God Tian Taihuang had manifested in the current era.

Slash!

"Gaaaaahhh!!"

From the calf to the armpit… The Troll, whose body had been cut almost in half, fell to the ground while making a grotesque scream. Because of its monstrous life force, even though it had been cut in half, it was floundering so violently that they couldn't get close.

"Lightning Spear!"

No matter how much the Troll floundered, it couldn't do anything against ranged attacks.

Eun-Bi's spear of lightning penetrated the Troll's chest.

"Guuurrrggghhh."

The Troll finally lost consciousness, and black smoke came out of its mouth.

"Fuuu. As expected, C-rank monsters are strong."

"We could comfortably hunt up to five Lizardmen, but I think that more than three Trolls will be dangerous," Tae-Soo said.

His hand seemed to have become numb after blocking the Troll's attacks—he repeatedly opened and closed his fists.

"But it's still amazing that we've leveled up enough to hunt a Troll in less than a month," Si-Hun expressed.

"Hahaha! This is all thanks to you, Si-Hun. Wow… I had a good feeling from the moment we created the party, but I had never thought we'd reach a C-rank Gate in less than a month," Tae-Soo shouted excitedly as if he couldn't believe they had just defeated a Troll.

"If it weren't for everyone, I also wouldn't have been able to reach a C-rank Gate so quickly," Si-Hun said with a smile as he nodded.

"Let's collect the mana stone and keep moving."

"Ah, I heard that the stagnant blood near a Troll's heart can be sold for a high price since it's often used for potions, so let's collect that as well."

After taking the stagnant blood and the mana stone from the Troll's corpse, they moved on in search of the next target.

"Wow."

Kang-Woo's eyes shone after looking at them.

'They've definitely grown.'

The party's movements had significantly improved, and each member clearly knew and fulfilled their role correctly.

'It would've been a bit unbalanced if Seol-Ah only knew how to heal, but that's not the case.'

If a party was too strong, the healer's place would be a bit ambiguous since the members wouldn't receive many injuries due to their strength.

However, Seol-Ah was an all-around support who could both heal and buff. Her place in the party wasn't ambiguous, even if she was in a party strong enough not to be injured.

'I don't think there's even a need for me to carry them.'

Kang-Woo followed the party with a smile on his face.

'That aside….'

Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

"It should be about time for the Demon Cult to take the bait…"

It had already been a week, and there wasn't much time left until they performed the summoning they had planned. More than enough time had passed for them to no longer hold themselves back and pounce on their prey.

Kang-Woo used the Authority of the Beholder and searched the surroundings of Si-Hun's party.

'Hm?'

Kang-Woo felt the presence of two people approaching Si-Hun's party.

The Mok-dong C-rank Gate was a popular hunting place, so it wouldn't be weird for them to meet another party.

But…

'The two people are approaching them after killing a Troll with just one blow.'

The two people had each killed a Troll in one blow while approaching Si-Hun's party without even collecting the mana stones.

"Well…"

Kang-Woo's eyes shone.

The reward he'd been waiting for over a week was finally getting closer.

"They took the bait."

While licking his lips, Kang-Woo ran to Si-Hun's party, which had just confronted the two people who had been approaching them.

1. Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon is a weapon that appears in Gintama. It has a striking resemblance to a certain male part. ☜