After Ten Millennia in Hell

His ability to control the demonic energy inside him was already at a level that no one could ever hope to catch up to. The shocking result was a result of Kang-Woo spending every second of the day cultivating. The demonic crystal grew in size every day, and he got used to using the energy inside it.

'But when will I achieve the Ultimate Demonic Body?'

The demonic crystal had become the size of his fist, but he still hadn't fulfilled the final condition.

'Well, I guess I'll fulfill it eventually.'

Even if he became anxious, nothing would change. The only thing he could do was place all his focus on it.

Kang-Woo checked his status window while using the Heavenly Dragon Cultivation Technique. His Demonic Energy stat was still at 103. He did not gain any demonic energy from cultivating.

'I guess it's obvious since there isn't any demonic energy.'

Unlike mana, it was impossible to obtain demonic energy through natural sources. Maybe it would be different if he were in Hell, where demonic energy filled the air, but it was impossible on Earth.

The demonic crystal was growing in size because Kang-Woo was pulling the demonic energy that was spread throughout his body into his dantian.

'There's probably a limit to this too.'

Once all the demonic energy that he possessed was added to the demonic crystal, he wouldn't be able to make the crystal any bigger. The seal on the Ten Thousand Demon Core was still active, so he couldn’t extract demonic energy from it for the demonic crystal.

Furthermore, ever since his Demonic Energy stat surpassed 100, it had stopped increasing no matter how many monsters he devoured.

'I guess the only way to get more is to break through the level cap.'

The higher his level became, the weaker the seal got, which in turn increased the amount of demonic energy he could use. He also was looking forward to the rising of his other stats through leveling up, although it would be at random.

'But I have no idea how to break it.'

Kang-Woo had at least obtained a hint about how he could achieve the Ultimate Demonic Body, but he had absolutely nothing on how to break the cap on his level. He had tried all the different ways that had worked for other Players, but they hadn't worked for him.

Cha Yeon-Joo had laughed at Kang-Woo, wondering if he had been cursed by the system.

“A curse, huh...?” Kang-Woo muttered.

Yeon-Joo had said it as a joke, but it was a real possibility. Si-Hun had said that the system window had spoken to him during the Isu Station incident as if it had its own will.

'If Players and the Gaia System are somehow connected...'

Kang-Woo could understand why his level cap wasn’t breaking if that were the case. It was because he was the culprit who had damaged the Gaia System.

'I guess I have no choice but to focus on increasing the size of the demonic crystal.'

In any case, not all of the demonic energy inside his body had been concentrated into the demonic crystal yet. He just had to focus on what he could do since he didn't have a way to resolve those worries at the moment.

"Hyung-nim, break time is over," Si-Hun called out to Kang-Woo, who was immersed in his thoughts.

Upon hearing Si-Hun's call, Kang-Woo nodded and stood up.

They were currently in the S-rank Gate in Suwon. Just like Kang-Woo had promised before, he had gone there to carry Si-Hun's party.

"Are you all ready?" Kang-Woo asked.

"Hehe! Of course!"

"Yes, we’ve rested enough."

"Urgh~ I wanted to rest a bit more..."

Kang Tae-Soo, Han Seol-Ah, and Choi Eun-Bi replied to him while getting up.

Echidna, who had been sitting right next to Kang-Woo, tugged on his clothes and asked, "Kang-Woo, is something on your mind?"

"No, it's nothing," Kang-Woo answered.

He did have things on his mind, but they couldn't be resolved by talking about them to someone else. So, there was no need for him to talk about such worries.

"Let me know anytime if it’s something I can help with."

Kang-Woo smirked and nodded.

Then he said, "More importantly, let’s get back to it."

He warmed up and then looked around. They had to find a monster that had gotten distanced from the rest of its group.

'Over there.'

Kang-Woo saw a lone Giant Ogre, the most common monster in the Suwon S-rank Gate. He approached it and used the Authority of Silence to cover a wide area around the lone Giant Ogre. Things could get bothersome if they caught the attention of other Giant Ogres.

"Echidna," Kang-Woo said.

"Got it."

Echidna took a step forward and extended her hand toward the lone Giant Ogre. Black demonic energy rose from her hand, forming into eight scythes.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

"Grrr!"

The scythes moved erratically as they attacked the Giant Ogre. It dodged the scythe attacks with agile movements that didn’t fit its size.

However, that only lasted for a moment. The scythes curved unpredictably in the air and gradually inflicted the Giant Ogre with more and more injuries. As blood poured out from its wounds, the Giant Ogre's movements slowed.

"Get ready, guys," Kang-Woo said.

"Yes, hyung-nim."

Si-Hun unsheathed the El Cuero Blade nervously. Even Tae-Soo, who was excessively spirited, and Eun-Bi, who was complaining, turned serious at Kang-Woo's words.

"GRRAAAAHHH!" the Giant Ogre roared.

'A little bit more,' Kang-Woo thought.

He wanted to wait until the ogre lost a bit more of its health before letting the others attack. It was important to weaken the Giant Ogre enough so that Si-Hun's party could win against it in a battle.

'It would be pointless for them to just gain experience by doing nothing.'

The reason why he'd brought Si-Hun's party to the S-rank Gate wasn't only to help them grow quickly through the huge gains in experience points. It was also to polish their battle sense while fighting an S-rank monster, an opponent they wouldn't normally be able to face.

'Now this is how you truly carry someone.'

There was a limit on how strong a Player could get just by leveling up. Just like how there was a difference between two martial artists who wielded the same sword, there was also a difference between Players with similar stats.

Real battles weren’t decided purely by numbers. This was something that was well known among Players. Simply having a higher level and stats did not guarantee a Player's victory in a battle. Stats were just like building muscles through physical training. Just like how a bodybuilder could not beat an MMA fighter, it was pointless to just focus on getting bigger.

Kang-Woo focused only on increasing his stats because he already had so much practical experience that it was pointless to gain more. However, it was different for Si-Hun's party. They needed to increase their levels and gain battle experience at the same time.

"Grrr," the Giant Ogre groaned as it staggered.

Kang-Woo said, "Begin."

"Okay!"

Si-Hun and Tae-Soo leaped forward. Seol-Ah buffed them while Eun-Bi cast magic.

"Graaahhhh!"

Boom!

"Kurgh!"

Despite the Giant Ogre being on the verge of death, it was still a fierce battle. In the first place, the Giant Ogre wasn't an enemy that Si-Hun's party, whose levels averaged in the forties, could fight against. The fact that they could put up a fight against a Giant Ogre at all showed that everyone in the party was very talented.

Boom!

"Huff! Huff!"

"Giant Ogres sure are strong."

The battle was over.

Tae-Soo was panting heavily, but Si-Hun didn’t seem to be that tired.

'Si-Hun also has power incomparable to his level,' Kang-Woo remarked inwardly.

If Si-Hun were to fight with everything he had, he would probably be able to win against a tired Giant Ogre by himself. However, because this was supposed to be training for real battles, Si-Hun had held back so that his other party members could participate.

'I'll have to create a special course for Si-Hun later on.'

It was evident that there was a clear difference between Si-Hun and the other party members. At this point in his development, Si-Hun needed something else to truly grow.

"Regroup and prepare for the next hunt," Kang-Woo told the party.

"Fuu! Understood!" Tae-Soo replied.

"Please come this way, Tae-Soo," Seol-Ah said.

She then cast healing magic on Tae-Soo.

"Grrr!"

At that moment, Kang-Woo saw a group of Giant Ogres approaching them.

'They must’ve smelled the blood.'

He'd blocked sound from getting out, but it seemed like it hadn’t been enough.

Kang-Woo drew out some of the energy from his demonic crystal when he saw that three Giant Ogres were approaching them. Si-Hun’s party would not be able to handle them.

"Wait here," Kang-Woo said to the others.

Then he turned back toward the incoming Giant Ogres, who were roaring ferociously. Kang-Woo activated the Authority of Dark Spears and created a black spear. The energy from the demonic crystal flowed into the spear and enveloped it as if he were using sword energy.

Clang!

"Grrrr?"

"Huh?"

There was a distinct clanging of metal accompanied by a flash of light. The Giant Ogres, who were approaching Kang-Woo, stopped in their tracks. A thin line appeared across their bodies, and blood spewed out like a fountain as the line widened. The three Giant Ogres lost their lives in a single attack.

Kang-Woo turned to the side. He saw a scrawny man with two people following behind him. One was a glamorous woman, and the other person was a terrified young man.

Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes while thinking, 'Eliminating three Giant Ogres in a single strike...'

Not even Yeon-Joo would be able to do such a thing. This meant the person who killed the Giant Ogres possessed power greater than that of a Ranker. There was only one person that powerful who would come meet Kang-Woo's group in person—Sword Emperor Tian Wuchen, China's strongest Player and one of the eight World Rankers.

"You actually came. I thought you would send a group of assassins to kill me for my arrogance," Kang-Woo said.

"So, you're the Sword Dragon’s sworn brother. I sincerely apologize for what happened before. Oh... I guess you wouldn’t understand Mandarin," Tian Wuchen replied.

Wuchen glanced at the young man beside him.

The young man nervously translated, "M-Master Tian Wuchen apologizes for what happened bef—"

"Mandarin is fine," Kang-Woo interrupted.

"Hmm? You can speak Mandarin?" Wuchen asked after Kang-Woo spoke using the Authority of Language.

Kang-Woo nodded.

Wuchen seemed relieved and continued, "That makes things much simpler. I apologize for what happened before. I heard that my subordinate was disrespectful to you."

"Apologies are meaningless if it’s just lip service."

"Hahaha! You have a point."

Wuchen bowed to Kang-Woo, shocking the people around them.

"…"

Even Kang-Woo hadn't been expecting Wuchen to ask for forgiveness in such a polite manner.

Sword Emperor Tian Wuchen… the most powerful person in China had just bowed to a person. Bowing to someone was not a simple matter for him. Considering his status as a person of great power and influence, it wasn’t something that he should even be doing.

"I banished the member who had been disrespectful toward you from the clan. It was my mistake for mishandling my subordinate," Wuchen apologized.

"Well... if you’re going this far, then I accept your apology."

After all, Kang-Woo hadn't been harmed by Nangong Chen. Since the instigator had been properly punished, there was no need to make the conflict any bigger.

"So, what brings you here?" Kang-Woo asked.

"I am here to meet the Sword Dragon."

"I know that, but why do you want to see Si-Hun so badly?"

"Because I saw the video."

"…?"

"I saw the video of the Sword Dragon fighting in... I believe the place was called Isu Station."

"So?"

"I want to confirm something," Wuchen said while smiling. "About how the Sword Dragon managed to learn the martial art techniques of the Martial God."