Chapter 8: Even the Absolute Being Is a First-Time Dad
Absolute One Is Also New to Fatherhood Episode 8
For a while, a heavy silence hung over the chapel.
After keeping his mouth shut for a long time, Kim Bong-gu finally spoke up.
"No, I'm sure if we look carefully, there's a way for all of us to get out alive."
However, no one seemed particularly interested in his words.
They were all too busy rolling their eyes left and right, gauging each other's reactions.
Then, Lee Byeong-cheol cautiously opened his mouth.
"If someone really has to die, then it should be the one who's 'lived long enough.'"
Immediately, he shifted his gaze—blatantly staring in the direction where the "porters" stood.
No.
To be more precise, he was staring at Crabsley.
As everyone's eyes focused on Crabsley for a moment...
"Gentlemen, why are you all looking at me?"
Crabsley, unable to hide his bewilderment, began sorting through the jumbled thoughts in his head.
Wait, this doesn't seem to be about me...?
The man had clearly said, "The one who's lived long enough should die."
But I'm not even human to begin with.
Then, Crabsley's gaze shifted toward his lord.
Huh, then...?
Though he couldn't be certain, his lord was at least over three hundred years old.
Considering the average lifespan of ordinary humans, his lord was, by all means, the one who had "lived long enough."
"You insolent wretches...!"
Crabsley, his voice trembling with rage, leaned close to his lord's ear and whispered urgently.
"My lord, I humbly submit that it seems these insolent fools are targeting you..."
"It's you."
"My lord, with all due respect, even with my limited wisdom, the phrase 'one who's lived long enough' seems to be directed at you..."
Kang-jun looked at Crabsley with contempt, as if he found him utterly pathetic, then shook his head a few times before muttering under his breath.
"There's a saying on Earth."
"Yes...?"
"If you stay quiet, you've already won half the battle."
"...Yes."
"Just stay quiet for once."
"Y-yes..."
At that moment, Lee Byeong-cheol snarled again.
"I didn't say anything wrong, so why is everyone silent? We can't just stay trapped here and die together like that useless bastard said!"
"Wait, just—just calm down first. If we think carefully, we can definitely find a way for all of us to get out alive..."
"You stupid son of a bitch! Still playing the saint? Can't you see we're all trapped here, starving to death—!"
Lee Byeong-cheol slammed his fist against the chapel wall—BANG! BANG!—before adding furiously:
"Damn it, this wasn't supposed to be some hidden dungeon! If you hadn't dragged us into this—"
"Just calm down first. Arguing about whose fault it is won't change anything now."
"Fine. If you want to keep pretending to be a saint, then you can die instead."
Kim Bong-gu blinked in disbelief.
"...Excuse me?"
Lee Byeong-cheol let out a dry laugh before snapping back.
"What? You don't like that idea?"
The F-rank Hunter, who had been silently watching the scene, suddenly burst into laughter—"Keheheheh—!"—as if he had lost his mind.
"What an entertaining sight. As always, when cornered, humans reveal their ugly nature."
"What the hell...?"
"Honestly, there's no need for you to keep bickering. You might as well stop now."
The F-rank Hunter's voice dropped low and smooth—like the whisper of a demon—yet chillingly cold as he added:
"Because I was planning to kill all of you from the start anyway."
Then, he began chanting an incantation.
—Ish met, nikra!
Black magic gathered in his hands, forming into spheres before seeping into the corpses scattered across the floor...
"Kieeeek—!"
"Kiiiik—!"
"Kieeeek—!"
The corpses, which had been lifeless just moments ago, slowly began rising—like puppets propping themselves up from the ground.
"N-no way... A necromancer?"
Kim Bong-gu instinctively stepped back as he muttered in horror.
Lee Byeong-cheol paled before glaring at the F-rank Hunter.
"Y-you bastard... You're really—?"
The F-rank Hunter smirked.
"Took you long enough. Yes, I'm a Hunter Killer affiliated with the Anti-Management Union."
"...What?"
"And to clarify, I'm not F-rank—I'm A-rank. A being fundamentally different from trash like you."
Lee Byeong-cheol's legs gave out, and he slumped to the floor.
The Anti-Management Union.
Unlike the Management Bureau, which insisted that Hunters with power should sacrifice themselves for world peace and public welfare...
This group believed that those with special abilities should become the ruling class, monopolizing all wealth and power.
And among them, "Murderers" were the worst—those who wouldn't hesitate to commit atrocities, including killing both civilians and fellow Hunters.
"Damn it..."
Lee Byeong-cheol, still on the floor, quickly estimated the number of undead monsters surrounding them.
Twenty? Thirty?
Even this many undead monsters were already beyond what mere C-rank Hunters like him and Kim Bong-gu could handle.
But...
Now they had to face an A-rank Hunter from the Anti-Management Union—one powerful enough to control this horde?
"No chance... It's over..."
Lee Byeong-cheol hung his head in defeat, but Kim Bong-gu shouted desperately.
"Sir, what are you doing?!"
"All that's left is to die..."
"We have to at least fight—!"
"We're already dead..."
The Anti-Management Union Hunter nodded approvingly.
"An excellent attitude. All of you should accept your fate and become sacrifices for our grand cause."
Then, Kang-jun—who had been silently observing with his arms crossed—finally spoke up.
"Hey, hold on."
All eyes turned to him.
"Killing them right now is a bit inconvenient."
"...Huh?"
"You see, I still need to collect my payment from them."
Kang-jun casually dropped his backpack to the floor before adding in a low voice:
"And didn't I warn you earlier?"
"Warn?"
"That today, you should've just stayed quiet until the end."
The Anti-Management Union Hunter frowned.
"Are you from the Management Bureau?"
"Nope."
"Then where are you from?"
"Home."
Kang-jun paused briefly before kindly elaborating.
"Sillim-dong."
The Hunter's brow furrowed further.
"I see you have no intention of revealing your affiliation."
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
"Fine, let me ask again. How did you get here?"
"How?"
The Hunter was asking how Kang-jun had discovered his identity as a Murderer.
But Kang-jun seemed to interpret the question differently.
"By public transport. There's a direct bus from Sillim Station—think it was the 6012..."
"Tch, you're impossible to talk to."
"What's so hard to understand? I answered all your questions sincerely."
Kang-jun tilted his head slightly, irritation creeping into his voice.
"By the way, what exactly are you planning to do by summoning a demon?"
The Hunter glanced at the massive demon statue.
"The demon I intend to summon isn't just any demon—it's Great Demon Marbas, one of the 72 Demons who rule the underworld."
"Marbas?"
"After pledging loyalty to Lord Marbas and forming a contract, I'll borrow his immense power to help the Anti-Management Union reshape the world's order—"
Just as the Hunter was passionately continuing—
"Ah, that explains it."
Kang-jun abruptly cut him off, shifting his gaze to the demon statue.
From the moment he first stepped into the chapel and saw the statue, a question had been nagging at him.
Why does this feel so familiar?
It seemed to resemble one of the 72 Demons from the demon realm he had once invaded with his army.
'If it's one of the 72 Demons of the underworld... I'm pretty sure I killed most of them.'
Come to think of it, a few had managed to escape.
'Is this one of the survivors?'
Meanwhile, the Hunter was still rambling.
"Regardless, you'll have to die now for our cause."
With a wave of his hand—
The undead monsters surrounding them began closing in.
"Kieeeek—!"
"Kieek!"
"Kieeeeek—!"
Lee Byeong-cheol, still slumped on the floor, whimpered.
"Damn it... To think I'd die so meaninglessly..."
Hunter deaths inside Gates were common—happening daily.
There was no chance of an investigation, and recovering the bodies was impossible.
As Lee Byeong-cheol sobbed helplessly, Kim Bong-gu sighed deeply.
"I'm really sorry, everyone."
He hung his head.
"This is all because of my greed..."
Kang-jun let out a quiet chuckle.
"You'll die eventually."
"Huh?"
"Just not today."
He took a step forward.
"If you want to die, do it after paying me."
The moment his icy words landed—
WHOOSH—!
A violent gale erupted from Kang-jun.
"Guhhh—!"
As if on cue, everyone groaned in pain.
The sheer density of black magic radiating from Kang-jun was enough to drive an ordinary person insane.
The very axis of the earth trembled. Dust and debris rained from the ceiling, scattering chaotically.
Right now—
Lee Byeong-cheol had already collapsed, foaming at the mouth from the pressure.
Kim Bong-gu could barely stay conscious, let alone move or speak.
The Anti-Management Union Hunter was no different.
The relentless gale forced him to shield his face with one arm, barely holding on.
"H-how are you using black magic—?!"
Though there was an immense gap in power...
Because he wielded the same energy, he recognized it instantly.
'This is on a completely different level...!'
At that moment, his eyes met Kang-jun's—
"A-ahh...!"
Pure terror washed over his face.
A darkness deeper than the abyss—perhaps even blacker—bloomed before him.
It was the Abyss.
The monstrous figure grinned at him before suddenly "SNAP—!"—parting its massive jaws.
"N-no, p-please...!"
Terrified, he scrambled backward—only to trip and fall flat on his back.
Only then did the horrifying illusion fade.
And in the distance stood the Absolute One.
'I—I have to run.'
Instinct screamed at him.
But his body refused to obey.
Then, Kang-jun turned to Crabsley and spoke softly.
"Command them to bow."
Crabsley bowed deeply.
"As you command, my lord."
Then, in a booming voice, he declared:
"O Calamity Beyond Measure—!"
The pressure of black magic intensified.
It felt as if an enormous boulder had been placed on everyone's backs.
"King of the Dead, who rules over the living—!"
The earth shook even more violently. The gale grew fiercer.
"The Great Immortal—!"
The Anti-Management Union Hunter, completely consumed by fear, finally fainted.
"Bow before His Imperial Majesty—!"
The moment Crabsley's commanding voice faded—
BOOM—!
THUD—!
CRASH—!
The dozens of monsters surrounding them—
Slammed their foreheads against the ground in prostration.