Chapter 165 Even the Almighty is New to Being a Dad Chapter 166
Absolute One Is Also New to Fatherhood Chapter 166
If someone were to ask what the Demon Realm was like, Baal could answer without the slightest hesitation:
The strong survive, the weak perish.
By nature, the Demon Realm was a place that strictly followed the laws of the weak being prey to the strong and survival of the fittest.
Demon King.
Baal, who had once been called by that infinitely sacred and noble name, was born with immense power.
With his overwhelming martial prowess, he easily amassed armies and secured a higher rank than his brethren.
CRASH!
Yet now, that same Baal was sent crashing unceremoniously against the wall of a sealed chamber.
"Damn it all!"
Slumped against the wall, he spat out bloody curses through gritted teeth.
"I've gotten so much stronger!"
Hadn't he gained power incomparable to his past self?
It had been a miracle.
Back when he was crouching in the outer dimensions of the Abyss, slowly recovering his shattered body and lost strength...
"You who bear hatred toward ■■■..."
An unprecedented existence had whispered to him.
"The Cthulhu Star Cluster and I, ■■■■, shall embrace you. Become an entity of the outside world now."
Half-asleep, Baal had reflexively muttered, "The hell is that supposed to mean?" But soon, he thought:
'If I can just get revenge on him...'
If he could gain the power to take revenge, he would do anything.
And more?
When unknown beings began worshiping him as a Demon God, offering sacrifices and prayers...
His power multiplied at an astonishing rate.
As a result,
Baal was reborn as a true Demon God.
"Damn it, I've gotten so much stronger!"
He howled with palpable frustration.
Thud. Thud.
Meanwhile, Kang-jun expressionlessly closed the distance between them.
『 So cruel—he tore out Susanoo's tongue, plucked out Loki's eyes... 』
『 Once, he captured the outer god Nyog'yeh alive and executed it before all deities... 』
『 Ultimately, he prevented the fall of the great star cluster Asgard and personally annihilated every instigator... 』
Living Text swirled from Kang-jun's body, slowly corroding not just the chamber but the surrounding area.
These were Kang-jun's accumulated achievements and narratives.
The past, recorded under the sacred name of myth, annihilated everything it touched as if flaunting its influence...
"Useless filth!"
Baal, realizing the gap between them, grabbed his trembling shoulders and screamed with veins bulging in his neck.
"You damn bastard, how the hell did you get this strong?!"
The power boiling inside him was immense too.
If he wanted, he could kill anyone.
But...
Before Immortal's power, he felt pathetically small.
Like a candle before the sun.
"I said, how the hell did you get this strong?!"
As he shouted that question...
Suddenly,
A memory surfaced.
"How did you get this strong?!"
It was from when Kang-jun had invaded the Demon Realm leading an army of the dead.
The demon soldiers who followed Baal had been nearly annihilated...
His brethren lay scattered like ground meat.
"You're just a human! What trick did you use to gain such power? Spit it out!"
After barely exchanging a few blows, Baal, barely able to stand, had screamed in rage.
"I just got stronger."
At those words, Baal had exploded.
"You sick bastard, tell me your secret right now!"
He couldn't accept that such overwhelming strength had no special trick behind it.
"Tell me how you got so strong!"
Immortal had countered:
"If you asked a scorpion why it was born with venom, what would it say?"
Baal, irritated by the nonsensical question, had yelled:
"It'd say it was born that way, you sick fuck!"
Kang-jun had then pierced Baal's chest and answered:
"I'll return that answer to you."
Then, whispering in his ear:
"I was born this way too, you sick fuck."
Come to think of it, wasn't he in a similar situation now?
Born strong, he had secured a high rank.
Hadn't he lived by ruling, taking, and indulging for so long?
"Lucky bastard, being born like that!"
Baal snapped out of his thoughts.
Tap.
Kang-jun had stopped right in front of him.
"Kill me!"
Baal screamed.
"Do it now!"
When Kang-jun just silently stared down at him, Baal thrashed and shouted again.
"Damn it, I'd rather die honorably than run away and taste that humiliation and disgrace again!"
At that, Marbas eagerly interjected, wagging his tail:
"Let's turn him into ground meat like he wants!"
But Kang-jun remained silent.
"You bastard, kill me now!"
A heavy silence lingered between them.
"Am I just no good?"
"Yeah, you're fucking worthless!"
"I don't feel like killing you even though you're begging for it."
Kang-jun slowly reached toward Baal's forehead...
Squeeze!
Baal tightly shut his eyes and turned his head away at the last moment.
Tap.
Kang-jun lightly placed his hand on Baal's forehead and added:
"I know I've caused you a lot of suffering too."
"Suffering...?"
"Thanks to your curse, I still can't sleep at night."
The nightmares Kang-jun had every time he slept were due to the curse Baal had poured his last strength into.
"Yeah, did you think you could sleep peacefully after humiliating me like that?"
Baal spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm on the floor and ranted again.
"But I feel bad. What should I do?"
"What?"
"Damn it, I can't lift it even if I wanted to!"
Then, cackling with the most vulgar laugh, Kang-jun immediately replied:
"I know."
He had once sought out priests from churches and sages across dimensions to break the curse.
"They said it was an absolute, unbreakable curse."
"Yeah, suffer sleepless nights for life!"
"I should return the favor."
He never intended to kill Baal from the start.
There were mountains of questions he wanted to ask...
And he wanted to repay the favor too.
"What kind of bullshit is that?!"
Kang-jun flashed a bloody smile.
"I know exactly how to torment creatures like you."
"What...?"
"You'd do anything for power, right?"
Baal raised his head proudly and answered:
"Of course!"
"Then, therefore..."
Kang-jun recited the incantation:
"Let the oath begin."
Simultaneously, a skeleton appeared behind Kang-jun.
It looked like a reaper...
But its bony hands clutched a notebook and pen.
"Party B (乙) swears absolute obedience to Party A (甲). Should this be violated, all power shall be lost."
At the mention of losing all power, Baal's eyes widened in horror.
"You madman, what are you doing?!"
Ignoring him, Kang-jun continued listing the oath's conditions:
"Party B (乙) shall feel indescribable agony whenever harboring evil thoughts and shall face death upon resolving to harm another."
"If I can't even kill whoever I want, what's the point of living?!"
"Party B (乙) may only use force when permitted by Party A (甲) and shall never act independently otherwise..."
The skeleton began scribbling furiously in its thick book...
"Bastard, just kill me!"
Kang-jun added another condition:
"Party B (乙) cannot die without Party A (甲)'s permission and shall lose all power if failing to perform one good deed daily."
Baal screamed again:
"I'd rather die than live virtuously—!"
Kang-jun ignored him and finished:
"This oath remains in absolute effect until Party A (甲) nullifies it."
Then added:
"Party A is myself."
Kang-jun clasped Baal's forehead again...
"Ow, it's hot!"
Baal, held by his forehead, writhed in pain.
"It's burning—!"
Finally, Kang-jun concluded:
"The one branded is Party B (乙)."
Kang-jun withdrew his hand...
A mark remained on Baal's head.
"I sentence you to reform through labor."
"Reform through labor?"
"Though the sentence is life imprisonment..."
Kang-jun smirked.
"If you're recognized as a model prisoner, I might nullify the oath someday. So work hard."
Baal screamed again:
"I'll kill you!"
Then...
"AAARGH! IT HURTS, IT HURTS!"
He thrashed wildly, rolling on the floor.
"Good, it's working perfectly."
Marbas marveled.
"A life where you can't even think evil, act maliciously, or use force... What a terrifying punishment..."
Then muttered:
"Even forcing one good deed daily... This is beyond cruel—it's downright diabolical."
As Kang-jun sheathed his divine power, Marbas asked:
"By the way, reform through labor?"
"What about it?"
"You're making him work?"
Kang-jun nodded.
"Yeah, I just thought of something."
He recalled a poster he'd seen recently at North Sea Udon Shop, run by his friend.
Kang-jun stretched and added:
"Let's head back now."
With things settled, they needed to transport the unconscious Go Du-yeol...
And hand the cultists over to the Hunter Management Bureau.
Unable to overcome her drowsiness, Merrem fell asleep and began wandering through dreams.
Again, she saw the Demon God.
Focusing, she observed his movements.
Plop. Plop...
He was scooping something from boiling water and shaking it off.
'Is he boiling someone to death?'
Soon, what the Demon God retrieved became clear...
'Huh? That's not it.'
It was cooked noodles.
'He's... cooking?'
Trying to gather more information, she scanned the surroundings...
And noticed a piece of paper on the wall.
Written in an unfamiliar language and numbers.
'What does it mean?'
She couldn't decipher the language.
But...
She memorized the numbers.
'Three thousand five hundred...'
Soon, Merrem woke from the dream and returned to reality...
"Merrem, are you alright?"
She spoke gravely:
"Yes. I've obtained a new clue about the Demon God..."
"A clue?"
"The Demon God I saw was still... cooking."
Then added:
"On the wall where he cooked, the number 3500 was written."
The scholars in the room darkened at her words.
"Three thousand five hundred..."
What kind of omen was this?
Evening at North Sea Udon Shop was as bustling as usual.
But...
Thanks to the new hire, the dinner rush had become much smoother.
"Baal, Table 2."
At Jeong Pil-sang's call, Baal shook excess water from the freshly boiled noodles.
"Insolent human..."
Contrary to his words, he obediently carried the udon topped generously with garnishes to Table 2.
"Here, eat up, you brat!"
A high school girl waiting hungrily gulped and whispered:
"U-um, sir?"
"What?"
"Y-your finger..."
Baal's thumb had dipped into the broth.
"Hmph, insolent human wench!"
Baal sucked his thumb clean and added:
"Hah, not even hot!"
Jeong Pil-sang sighed and smoothed things over:
"We'll bring you a fresh bowl right away."
As Baal shuffled toward the exit...
"Baal, where are you going?"
"It's break time!"
"We've finished all the orders..."
"I'm stepping out!"
Then added:
"Time to pick up cigarette butts!"
Jeong Pil-sang nodded blankly and muttered:
"Grumbles all day but works hard... What a kind soul."
He smiled brightly.
"Damn it, fuck, shit!"
Baal grumbled endlessly as he picked up cigarette butts from the street.
"Huh? It's crooked."
Noticing the menu board was askew, Jeong Pil-sang straightened it with both hands.
Finally, he smiled.
"There, much better."
Thanks to the new hire introduced by his old friend Kang-jun, the exhausting workload had become several times easier.
"Who throws trash on the street?!"
And so, another peaceful day at North Sea Udon Shop came to a close.