Fourth Reward: The Heavenly Demon's Fury

"Ughhh!"

My entire body ached. It was the first time I'd felt this sensation since becoming the Heavenly Demon.

Ah, the nostalgic muscle soreness. I stretched grandly and turned to gaze at my sleeping husband's face.

I turned my head, expecting to see my adorable husband's face right there... but...

"Huh? Wha...?"

He was gone. The person who should have been there wasn't. Park Kiyong, who was definitely supposed to be by my side, had vanished.

My panic was fleeting. Burning rage ignited within me.

"How dare you...!"

I didn't know who it was, but to dare kidnap the husband of the Heavenly Demon! Fury surged toward the unknown culprit and toward myself for letting my guard down.

Self-recrimination can wait.

First, I had to find my missing husband.

Boom!

I tried to stay calm, but every movement unleashed my rage-fueled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠energy. The aura that seemed ready to annihilate everything drew the cultists running.

"Heavenly Demon!"

They dropped to their knees at the sight of me. Trembling in fear of my wrath, they awaited my command.

"Find him."

"Pardon?"

"My husband is gone. Find him now!"

Their faces paled. They bolted from the Heavenly Demon Hall in unison.

"I won't forgive you... Even if you beg me to kill you, I won't!"

Boom!

My energy erupted once more.

I took a step. With every footfall, my aura exploded around me.

Was it because of that power? My vision went black for a moment.

"Huh?"

When my sight cleared, I saw the face I'd longed for. And my foot stepping forward.

Boom!

The Heavenly Demon's aura devastated the surroundings.

I summoned Baekhyang. Her expression looked grim.

Is it because I disappeared?

I tried to speak to her, but...

"Huh?"

Her aura was off. It felt like it could explode at any second.

I'm fucked.

Sure enough, the Heavenly Demon's energy burst forth, obliterating my one-room apartment. Luckily, my instincts protected me, and I emerged unscathed.

The problem was...

"Whoa... It's wide open now..."

One wall had completely vanished, giving a clear view outside. Numbers flashed through my mind.

Repair costs, cleanup fees, all sorts of expenses. No way my hard-earned savings could cover it.

Blissfully unaware of my woes, Baekhyang approached and inspected me closely.

"Thank goodness... Really, thank goodness..."

Seeing her on the verge of tears, I figured she thought I'd been kidnapped or something. I'm not enough of a loser to snap at a woman crying out of worry for me.

So I cried on the inside.

"Ahem, warn me ahead of time about stuff like that!"

"I did warn you."

Baekhyang averted her eyes.

"I'll send you back."

I sensed powerful auras approaching this place. With Baekhyang here, things would get messy, so I sent her back and faced them alone.

"We're from the Awakening Bureau."

An elite emergency unit from the Awakening Bureau. My powerful energy blast in the heart of Seoul must've prompted their dispatch.

"What happened here?"

The team leader-looking guy asked the question while his team scanned the surroundings warily.

"M-My ability went berserk."

Ability rampage. A phenomenon that occurs when someone can't properly control their superhuman power.

A rare event that only a handful of the strongest experience.

"An ability rampage?"

The team leader eyed me suspiciously at the mention of what could be called the privilege of the elite.

"Would you come with us for a debriefing?"

His words were polite, but the vibe was aggressive. If I refused, they'd drag me by force.

I doubt I'd lose, but...

No reason to refuse. Going along might even get me state support.

Someone strong enough to cause an ability rampage? The government would salivate to recruit me.

"Sure, got it."

I rode in what looked like a luxury car—though I wasn't sure. They stayed on high alert the whole ride, lips sealed tight.

In the tense silence, I opened my system window to claim my rewards.

Just in case, you know?

I was plenty strong already, but if they didn't buy the "ability rampage" story, better to have proof. So I claimed the mission completion rewards to seal the deal.

Ah, I wanna pick Heavenly Demon Art. I swallowed dryly, tempted by the greed gnawing at me.

The Awakening Bureau folks shot me puzzled looks. Leaving aside the SSS-rank ability Heavenly Demon Art to pick the SS-rank Thunder God Style? Heartbreaking.

But I couldn't ignore what that "father" figure Shimbu Rumkun mentioned.

He didn't outright say pick lightning, but the nuance was clear. I'm not strong enough to defy a god's hint.

Think about it. That mighty sun god's flames? It summons just a portion of the sun god's fire, not the whole thing.

If a fraction packs that punch, how insane would the full power be? And they'd have other abilities too.

No way I could take them on now. But hopping dimensions, I'd eventually grow strong enough to ignore them.

This feels familiar...

Back then, I cowered from human powerhouses. Now it's gods.

Still, I've gotten stronger.

Humans don't scare me anymore. My eyes are on a whole other level now—gods.

Proof I was growing.

Just pick it already.

No point dragging it out; only one real choice. I squeezed my eyes shut and selected Thunder God Style.

Crackle!

Lightning sparked to life inside me.

So this is Thunder God Energy.

Powerful enough to satisfy. Energy worthy of the "god" in its name.

"Hoo..."

I took a deep breath to settle it. When I opened my eyes, the bureau folks had their hands out, gathering mana.

Oh, right—the Thunder God Energy...

They stared warily.

"Sorry about that."

I apologized and checked the team leader's face. Unlike his furrowed-brow, tense team, he looked relieved.

Guess my unintentional aura flex proved it. Despite the suspicion, we arrived at the Awakening Bureau without issue, and I was whisked to an interrogation room.

The questioning was basic: name, age, personal info.

"Your ability is Heavenly Phallus? Ahem, nothing else?"

Time to show my hand. I listed my abilities.

Of course, holding back one ace.

"One fire-based ability that grows stronger in battle, and a lightning-attribute martial art ability."

The investigator blanked out at the list. I'd mulled over whether to mention Fate Summon.

"W-Wait... Can you prove all of them?"

"Of course."

I answered calmly.

"Then, right now!"

Knock knock!

The knock cut him off.

"Who is it? We're in the middle of an investigation!"

The pissed-off investigator yelled, but he shut up when he saw who entered.

"It's me. Still fucking around with your shitty investigation?"

It was Joo Hwayeon. Had she planted someone on me?

Or infiltrated the bureau.

The latter would cost too much time and money, so probably the former. Help in a pinch.

Most effective way to buy loyalty.

That's why she tailed me.

While I pondered, the one-sided "conversation" between the investigator and Joo Hwayeon continued.

"Alright, problem solved. Let's go."

She put a hand on my shoulder to lead me out.

"No. I want the test."

Sorry to her, but I needed the official Awakening Bureau evaluation.

Simplest way to skyrocket to S-rank fast.

Reactions split: the teary-eyed investigator scrambled to make calls.

"If that's what you want, little bro, can't argue."

Joo Hwayeon took it surprisingly cool.

Wait, yeah, makes sense.

What could she do if I insisted? Old weakling habits had me gauging reactions.

"All set!"

The beaming investigator led me to the testing chamber. With the rampage incident, no further checks—high pass.

Looking up in the chamber, I spotted Joo Hwayeon watching, flanked by an old man and a middle-aged guy.

Old guy's the director...

The middle-aged one was Korea's first S-rank, Kang Hamchan. Looked middle-aged but same age as the director, from what I knew.

Situation's clear.

Rumor had it the director and Kang Hamchan were tight. Probably sipping tea when the report came in and came together.

"Ahh, Mr. Park Kiyong!"

A man's voice boomed from the speakers. He rambled, but the gist was simple: the chamber's tough, go wild with your abilities.

As he finished, a dummy rose from the floor.

"Please demonstrate your abilities freely."

First up: Thunder God Style. Why? Cuz I'm curious!

Not from the Thunder God Ring—lightning erupted from my whole body.

Crackle!

Even my breaths crackled with it. Light steps.

Boom!

The result? Far from light. A deep crater in the floor.

And one punch halved the dummy. Attack over, but lightning still hammered the area.

They said it was tough.

Thought it'd take a few hits. Disappointed, I looked up.

"Interesting young man."

A deep voice from the speakers. Kang Hamchan met my eyes.

"I'll come down."

Korea's first S-rank descended toward me.