Who the Hell Are You?
“Yo, it's lava!”
“Everyone, evacuate!”
The peaceful dwarf city turned into a sea of flames in an instant. Dwarves who had been smithing just moments ago, and those resting at home—all of them rushed outside indiscriminately, running for their lives as the molten lava threatened to swallow them whole.
Watching the dwarves, Gurst furrowed his brow.
[The vermin are swarming everywhere. Disgusting.]
He wasn't enjoying their screams. He just wanted them to end as quickly as possible. To him, all lifeforms except his master were no different from bugs—and unfortunately, he didn't like bugs.
As Gurst scowled at the dwarves, he spotted the underground world's sun and reached out his hand.
[Depending on something like this to cling to life so desperately? It's over now.]
Red energy poured from his hand and seeped into the underground sun. Being an inanimate object incapable of emotion, it ignited itself into a bomb.
And moments later.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion shook the earth, and the underground sun vanished from the world. Only its fragments remained, raining down on the dwarves who had nowhere to flee.
They scattered to every corner of the underground world that he had enveloped in darkness.
[At least their repulsive faces are hidden now.]
Now seeming pleased, Gurst broke into a grin. But there were fewer screams than expected.
[What's this?]
The lava should have been devouring the dwarves, yet it hovered in the air without descending on them. Not only that—the sun's fragments were also flowing into the lava, sparing any further victims.
“He's holding it back!”
[So it's that one.]
Far away on a mountain ridge, a man extended his hand, blocking both the lava and the fragments. Following Kim Sung-tae's orders, Iron was saving the dwarves. He halted the lava and sun shards with his power, wrapped the dwarves in earth, and relocated them to safety.
Revulsion surged in Gurst again at the sight, but when he confirmed the person he'd been seeking stood behind the demon king, he flashed a cold smile.
[A body truly fitting for my master. Though it looks a bit dim-witted.]
He disliked how Kim Sung-tae remained motionless even in this dire moment. What was he doing? Possessing a sturdy body worthy of his master, yet not fighting—just standing there?
“Hmm.”
As Gurst thought, Kim Sung-tae couldn't move. He was lost in deep contemplation. The idea of testing his power when Gurst first appeared had long been forgotten amid the sun fragments hurtling toward his feet.
“You again.”
A sun fragment clutched in Kim Sung-tae's hand. Was this coincidence? Out of that massive sun, why had this fragment flown straight to him?
Kim Sung-tae read the inscription on the fragment once more.
'Made by Lucifer.'
“Seriously... you're making me really curious about who you are.”
[First, I need to erase the soul. It's a body for my master to use. Can't offer it tainted by a filthy human soul.]
Red energy erupted from Gurst's body like a waterfall. He could sense the Life Force Magic within Kim Sung-tae's body. It was overwhelming, but his disgust undervalued the opponent's power.
But just as his energy surged toward Kim Sung-tae, the man had already closed in, raising his fist.
“Hey. Shut up for a sec. I'm thinking here, and you're interrupting.”
[!?]
Kim Sung-tae appeared out of nowhere. And that raised fist. Though fitting for his master's body, Gurst felt no tension against a mere human—until the fist slammed into his abdomen.
That single blow severed Gurst's upper and lower body, sending them flying apart in two directions.
[Grahhh!]
“Cliché line.”
Controlling his strength had been easier than expected. Was it because he had no armor? Before, he'd had to account for the armor's durability, but now there was no need. Plus, he could levitate in midair.
“Not bad. First time using Life Force Magic for Fly spell, so I was worried.”
With the armor, he wouldn't have dared. What if the spell's unexpected power shattered it? Fortunately, testing it now showed Fly worked fine with Life Force Magic—no major risks. It even allowed freer movement, which was convenient.
He should have been thrilled, but thoughts of Lucifer still tormented him.
'Sigh. Who'd have thought you'd made this sun too. The White Tower, and now this place. So you're definitely not dead, huh?'
He hadn't delved deeply into the White Tower's history, so he didn't know when it was built, but it was undoubtedly ancient. The dwarves' underground sun predated even a 1,300-year-old dwarf's knowledge, so Lucifer might be ageless.
'If so, he could still be alive.'
[How dare you... a lowly mortal!!!]
Gurst's bisected body, flung somewhere into the underground world, dissolved into smoke and reformed before Kim Sung-tae. His previous form wasn't perfect for facing a human. Acknowledging that despite his disgust, Gurst began crafting a more ideal body.
'If he's alive, is he a good guy? He helped this underground world and built the White Tower. Maybe he loves adventure like me?'
[Mortal, you'll regret touching me with your filthy hands.]
Gurst reemerged. His red hair and eyes were unchanged, but his muscular frame had swollen beyond human limits, towering over Kim Sung-tae by more than tenfold. It wasn't just size; as a shard of his master, it was a vessel to properly wield the power of the Seven Deadly Sins.
'Then he's probably from Earth too. Wanna meet him. 'Made by Lucifer' sounds modern. Did he arrive a bit before me?'
[I'll incinerate your soul!]
Red steam billowed from his bulging muscles. Not raw wrath energy, but transformed red mana. The red mana instantly enveloped Kim Sung-tae. Merely touching it imposed wrath's yoke on the soul—an unbearable rage that would self-immolate the spirit, leaving the body an empty shell devoid of ego.
Far stronger than the fire sickness he'd inflicted on surface dwarves, yet Kim Sung-tae remained immersed in his thoughts.
'At most a century apart. Does time flow differently here and on Earth? Like one minute there is a year here... Yeah, that'd make it possible.'
[Perish!]
“Huh? You still alive? What's this, mist?”
Kim Sung-tae waved it off like foul smoke, and the wrath mist dispersed instantly. He then unleashed a flurry of jabs at the stunned Gurst.
“You seem a bit tougher, so I'll hit you harder.”
[Tha... guh... graaah...]
Gurst shattered into pieces, fittingly called dismemberment. His body scattered into the air, reduced to chunks of meat.
After dealing with him, Kim Sung-tae sank back into thought.
'If I keep wandering, maybe I'll run into him? Seems like a good guy... Wonder how another Earthling would react?'
[How dare...]
With no body left, Gurst's voice vibrated the air.
[This body destined to merge with my master someday... I abandon it here.]
His fragments turned to red energy and scattered into the air. The red energy reformed, glowing far more intensely than before. It coalesced into a single human—the same ordinary form as his initial appearance. But if that was doll-like, this was a perfect entity that could never revert to energy.
[I've poured all my power into this body. I can no longer merge with my master—I've become a new being, myself.]
As a shard of Wrath, Gurst had instinctively sought reunion with Wrath. Defying that instinct now allowed him to wield 100% of his power. Needing a body for the true might of the Seven Deadly Sins, this was his final bastion. But as a complete entity no longer a shard, he could never reunite—and thus, boiling rage demanded not just Kim Sung-tae's soul, but his very existence be erased.
[I'll kill you, mortal.]
'Hold on. Not even sure if he's from Earth. Maybe he just knows about it. Argh, annoying. Wish someone would just tell me straight.'
Frustrated by the unresolved question, Kim Sung-tae clenched his fist, trembling. Gurst sneered at the sight.
[Kuhuhu. Pathetic. Trembling in fear? Too late. I'll erase your body and soul from this world!]
“This is pissing me off so much...”
Gurst lunged, his wrath-flame body aiming to incinerate Kim Sung-tae. But he froze at the fury in the man's eyes—a soul-chilling dread that rivaled his master's wrath.
'What!? That rage!? It's on par with my master's!)
“Stop yapping!”
Kim Sung-tae's wrath-infused fist pierced Gurst's soul. Life Force Magic coated it—the first thing he'd wanted to test without armor. Would a Life Force Magic-clad fist work on a spiritual being? Though distracted, he'd vaguely realized Gurst's nature.
Psssh──
Blinding light flooded the underground sky. A pillar of light shot through the pierced ceiling, forcing dwarves, Iron, and Garba to avert their eyes.
“Feels refreshing now.”
When the light faded, only one remained in the air—Kim Sung-tae, naturally.
“Ah! I forgot!”
Realizing something major, he panicked. Gurst's actions resembled what he'd imagined for the Seven Deadly Sins.
“No way he's Wrath, right? Should've fed him to Mukkebi! Hey! You dead? Where are you?!”
He called out frantically, but the obliterated being wouldn't respond.
“Damn it! Probably not Wrath, huh? He kept saying something about his master. Should've at least asked his name!”
“Sung-tae, calm down! That guy wasn't Wrath.”
His panic continued until Mukkebi emerged to reassure him.
“Not Wrath, huh. Good.”
Kim Sung-tae sighed in relief, glancing at Mukkebi. She'd grown from a tiny girl into a proper young woman overnight, poised to become an adult after absorbing the remaining sins.
Sensing his thoughts, Mukkebi grinned broadly, easing his mind.
“Yeah. Not Wrath himself, just a shard.”
“Like with the Dragon King. Souls that easy to split?”
“Wrath could manage it. I remember him being insanely strong. For us, strength isn't just power—it's soul size too.”
“Soul size, huh.”
Then Kim Sung-tae spotted wriggling red light in the darkness. Even after blasting it with Life Force Magic, Gurst's remnants lingered, deeply conveying Wrath's nature.
“He's definitely strong. Maybe even Wrath himself wouldn't die to one punch?”
“Sung-tae, you're forgetting something—you're under curses, debuffs, everything. A full-power hit would one-shot Wrath too.”
“Full power isn't an option for me. I have to stay like this. If I ever have to dispel all curses and debuffs, that's basically defeat.”
Mid-conversation, Kim Sung-tae paused, eyeing Gurst's remnants. They twitched ominously. Leaving them could spell more trouble—the guy had already destroyed the underground sun. The ceiling hole meant no light issues, but his crimes demanded no mercy, even for remnants.
“Hm?”
Gurst's remnants suddenly shot upward. Like pollen on the wind, the red energy vanished through the ceiling hole. Kim Sung-tae considered pursuit but stayed put—revived or not, the guy's personality would bring him back for more beatings.
More pressing: the underground world now lacked a sun.
“Dwarves can manipulate earth, so they'll patch the ceiling? Though living like this might be comfier.”
He said that, but he wanted to test his power. Lucifer, possibly a kindred spirit, had made the sun. No crafting skill himself, but Life Force Magic spells might replicate something similar. Rivalrous curiosity burned.
“Was gonna seal magic, but looks like I need it.”
Kim Sung-tae drew on his Life Force Magic, intending to test spells sealed since Yuglatsil.
'I've practiced mana control steadily, so it should be better, right?'
His Life Force Magic was so vast differences were imperceptible, but he felt improved. Less need to micromanage strength now.
“Alright then...”
He gazed at the ceiling.
“What spell would make headlines as 'well-cast'?”