After Ten Millennia in Hell

Alec had last been seen hurriedly running away from the hotel.

There were many hypotheses regarding his disappearance, but the most convincing theory was that the person behind his disappearance was an assassin sent by the Demon Cult.

After what happened a month prior, it had been made quite public that assassins from the Demon Cult were after Alec.

People were horrified.

Shortly after World Ranker Fujimoto Ryoma was revealed to be an evil demon worshiper, Alec Osborne had died. That meant the Demon Cult was strong enough to kill or corrupt World Rankers.

There was also panic in Korea, which had been at peace after having managed to wipe out the Demon Cult from within its borders.

People began buying emergency food as if war were happening.

It wasn't that the chaos had paralyzed the economy but that the number of people walking on the streets had decreased significantly.

The fear of the Demon Cult had returned to Korea.

Commenter (Carrot Carrot): What should I do? I'm too scared to go to work.

ㄴ Commenter (Shake): 3 ppl in my company called in sick;; we're fked

ㄴ Commenter (Lemme Out): I've read Russian Demon Cultists have been killing people. Is that gonna happen in our country too?

ㄴ Commenter (I Wanna Go Home): What about Sword Dragon? What is he doing?

ㄴ Commenter (ㅠㅠ): Dunno, he hasn't been seen either. Also, what good is Sword Dragon when even Alec was killed?

People's attention naturally focused on Korea's supernova, Sword Dragon, but most people thought that there was nothing he could do when even a World Ranker had been no match for the enemy.

The fear of the Demon Cult was gradually growing in Korea.

* * *

Whish! Whish!

A sword covered in blue light was swung, making a chilling sound.

With a hardened expression, Tian Wuchen blocked Kim Si-Hun's ferocious sword swings.

Boom!

A loud sound exploded out, and the extremely expensive training room shook.

The spar continued.

"Huff, huff!"

Si-Hun breathed heavily.

Wuchen lowered his sword.

"Let's stop here for today."

"I can… keep going."

"… In that state?"

Wuchen laughed in disbelief.

Si-Hun's body was covered in sweat, and he was trembling as if he was about to collapse.

'But…' Wuchen thought.

Si-Hun's eyes were full of motivation, and the blood of a martial artist was boiling inside him.

'What happened?'

Si-Hun's attitude had changed after Alec Osborne's disappearance. He had become desperate and begun to train three times more than before.

'And his martial arts are improving at frightening speed because of it.'

With effort on top of his Heavenly Martial Physique, Si-Hun was growing at shocking speed.

'I'm worried.'

What had made Si-Hun so desperate?

Wuchen had asked him many times, but Si-Hun never answered.

Wuchen gulped and raised a hand.

"Then let's start again after a ten-minute break."

"Haaa, haaa. Understood."

Si-Hun lay down on the ground as if collapsing.

Wuchen walked out of the room after looking down at him. He saw a familiar young man—Oh Kang-Woo.

"How is Si-Hun doing?" Kang-Woo asked.

"He's spending the whole day training. Although… I don't know if I should call this passion or madness."

"It isn't madness. Si-Hun isn't that weak."

"Hmm. Well, I have to agree with that, but I can't help but worry. Do you know why Sword Dragon suddenly started acting this way?"

"No, he's not telling me either."

"Hmm. I feel like it's related to Alec Osborne, but since he's not talking, there's no way to be sure," Wuchen said, worried.

Kang-Woo made a light smile. "Well, coveting power is human nature."

"Oh. Speaking of that, I have a proposition to make."

"A proposition?" Kang-Woo tilted his head.

With a heavy expression on his face, Wuchen said, "I'm thinking about going monster hunting with Sword Dragon."

"Oh?"

"Simple training is now pointless for Sword Dragon. It'll be better for him to accumulate levels and battle experience while fighting monsters."

It was a valid opinion.

"Then, are you planning to go to Suwon's S-rank Gate?"

Wuchen shook his head.

"I'm thinking of Shanghai."

"By Shanghai, do you mean…"

There was an SS-rank Gate there just like in Hokkaido.

"Isn't it too early?"

"Don't worry. I'll be right by his side," Wuchen said in a confident voice.

Kang-Woo fell into thought.

'Sending Si-Hun to China, huh…?'

It was something that went against the conditions they'd first agreed upon with Wuchen, but Kang-Woo had come to know him quite a bit and accumulated a certain level of trust, so he thought that there shouldn't be any problems.

"I understand. If that's what's best for Si-Hun, let's do it."

"Hehe. Sword Dragon will become immensely powerful."

"I know."

Kang-Woo smirked. If that weren't the case, there was no point in all the effort he'd made.

Wuchen said, "Oh, and I won't be taking a communication device."

"Are you planning on training in seclusion?"

Wuchen nodded. "Well, something like that."

Kang-Woo fell into thought.

'There shouldn't be a problem.'

There wasn't anything that Kang-Woo needed Si-Hun for at the moment, and that would be the case even if a demon were to suddenly appear.

What mattered the most was for Si-Hun to get stronger, and Wuchen's proposal was the most effective method.

'It isn't like that way of training is famous for nothing.'

Gate hunting and secluded training were different, but at the core, they were similar.

Growing was like a flow.

Just like how even the sound of breathing bothered one while studying in a public library, even a slight disturbance could make one's concentration difficult and break the flow of growth.

'I can always call him with the Authority of Subordination if I really need him.'

There probably wouldn't be many problems.

"I understand," Kang-Woo remarked.

"Haha. We'll be heading out as soon as tomorrow, just to let you know. Once the secluded training is over, maybe Sword Dragon will follow me more than you."

"Hahaha." Kang-Woo laughed and walked past Wuchen toward Si-Hun. "That will never happen."

Even if Wuchen had pretty much become Si-Hun's master, there was no way Si-Hun would follow Wuchen more than him.

'Because I made sure that would never happen.'

Kang-Woo smirked and sat next to the lying Si-Hun.

Si-Hun sprang up.

"Ah, Kang-Woo hyung-nim!"

"You can stay lying down."

"It's fine, break time is almost over anyway."

Si-Hun stood up but then staggered.

"Urgh…"

"Si-Hun."

"Ah, I'm okay, hyung-nim."

Si-Hun quickly waved his hand. Kang-Woo also stood up and opened his mouth.

"I don't know what happened to you that day."

"…"

Si-Hun remained silent.

"Nor do I know why you suddenly started to train so desperately."

"That's…"

Si-Hun bit his lip and placed his hand on top of the handle of his sword. His expression darkened.

Kang-Woo shook his head and continued, "I'm worried, but I won't stop you. I won't ask you about it again either, but in exchange…"

He placed his hand on Si-Hun's shoulder. Si-Hun's eyes widened as Si-Hun and Kang-Woo exchanged warmth through the touch.

"Get stronger, Si-Hun."

"Hyung-nim…"

There were some tears in his eyes.

It seemed like Kang-Woo's words moved Si-Hun. Si-Hun trembled a bit, and the veins in his hands could be seen as he gripped his sword's handle.

"I understand, hyung-nim."

He looked at Kang-Woo with eyes full of motivation.

Kang-Woo turned around. The tips of his mouth went up.

'Just as planned.'

He tried his best to hold his laughter.

* * *

Si-Hun and Wuchen left for Shanghai.

After solving the issue with Si-Hun, Kang-Woo began focusing on the movements of the Demon Cult. He'd heard that they had become more active in Russia recently.

"I should try going there myself."

There were many incidents in Russia recently, so he had to take a closer look.

Kang-Woo gathered information about the regions where incidents related to the Demon Cult had occurred in Russia.

"Haaa…"

He couldn't help but sigh.

Kang-Woo was looking at a map of Russia given to him by Cha Yeon-Joo.

"How stupidly big."

Russia was incomparably larger than Korea. Although he was looking at a map of Russia, he felt he was looking at a world map.

The thought of finding the Demon Cult in such a big country was honestly disheartening.

'Will I even be able to find them?'

He wasn't confident, and he honestly wanted to just let them blatantly run wild.

'But I still have to go.'

He sighed again.

Ring.

Someone called him.

It was Yeon-Joo.

"What's up?"

- Where are you right now, Kang-Woo?

"Home."

- Turn on the TV.

Yeon-Joo said in a serious voice. Her tone of voice somewhat resembled the time when the Isu Station incident had happened. Kang-Woo turned on the TV as Yeon-Joo had told him.

"This is…"

It showed a destroyed city, similar to what one would expect from a post-apocalyptic story.

There was a huge black Rift amidst the ruined buildings.

[Breaking News! An enormous number of monsters have appeared in Vladivostok!]

Vladivostok…

It was one of the SS-rank Gate sites, and just like Sapporo and Shanghai, it was an area that had become a ruin after the Day of Calamity.

[Th-Their numbers are so enormous that we still cannot provide an estimate. The monsters that have come out of the Gate are annihilating the SS-rank monsters that used to inhabit the ruined city, and they are now marching toward Manchuria! Fortunately, there have been barely any civilian casualties, but swift measures must be taken due to the short distance from Korea—]

He could hear the panicked voice of the anchor. The camera recorded a group of monsters walking out of the city ruins. They looked so ugly that just seeing their appearance made one want to vomit.

"Ha, haha."

He began laughing.

The anchor had said that a huge group of monsters had appeared, but Kang-Woo could tell what they really were.

'It's the Demon Cult.'

The monsters walking out of the city were demonic beasts. He could also see a few demons among them.

The tips of his mouth went up, and he clenched his fists.

'Yolo!'