The Road Demon's Greed
Road Demon “……” “……”
An unfamiliar silence filled the hospital room.
The old woman, squinting one eye like an appraiser sizing up a piece of art, scanned Choi Siwoo from head to toe. He swallowed his discomfort inwardly at her thorough, searching gaze that missed nothing.
Before long, her eyes shifted from shock and admiration to disbelief. From disbelief to the raw greed of someone staring at an apocalyptic treasure right under their nose.
Instinctively, she sensed the magnitude of the power Choi Siwoo was hiding. And that was just a fraction of it. Amid her awe at this bottomless ocean of strength, Choi Siwoo pondered silently.
‘I heard she’s at least seventy… but even accounting for her age, she’s so well-preserved. If Ohana acquired the [Ultimate Youth (B)] trait and aged, would she end up like this?’
“…And you are?”
Choi Siwoo exchanged a glance with Ohana. She looked pleased but hesitant to speak right away, a subtle tension in her expression. Clearing her throat, she suppressed her surging emotions.
The old woman before them was a fool, but she was also a monster who had swallowed all manner of malice over her long years. Old age meant survival. She wielded the terrifying weapon of experience. Choi Siwoo braced himself to face this Road Demon.
“Prunel Academy, Class A. Cadet Choi Siwoo. I’m a classmate of Ohana, training together in the same class.”
“…Choi Siwoo…?”
Her expression grew peculiar. As if she’d heard the name somewhere before, her face lit up like a lie.
“No way—you’re that Cadet Choi Siwoo from the recent news?”
“…Yes, that’s me.”
“What a delightful surprise.”
The old woman’s demeanor shifted so drastically it was hard to believe it was the same person from moments ago. A persona, a mask—not genuine. It was her hard-earned art of survival over countless years.
“I heard you made a huge contribution in that incident. Impressive indeed…”
She let out a deep sigh of admiration. Even behind the mask, the hue of greed she couldn’t hide seeped through. It felt like invisible strings binding and toying with his entire body—goosebumps prickled his skin.
“Such unbelievable strength for your age. Like a dazzling diamond.”
“…A diamond, you say?”
“Yes, the most radiant raw gem. A treasure that captivates simply by existing. In all my long years, I’ve seen countless things… but you shine exceptionally among them.”
“…Thank you for the high praise.”
The old woman smiled faintly and placed a hand on Choi Siwoo’s shoulder. Despite her age, he felt a monstrous strength far beyond an ordinary person’s.
“Gems like you have a certain trait. Do you know what it is?”
“…I’m not sure.”
“Their value changes depending on who cuts them. Even a mediocre craftsman can make them beautiful, but one who’s reached the pinnacle? They emit light that shakes heaven and earth.”
“……”
“Don’t you want to shine even brighter?”
“…What do you mean?”
“I mean—our Oseong Group can make you shine even more.”
“…I’m not looking to join anywhere yet… sorry.”
The old woman didn’t care about the refusal at all. She just kept staring at Choi Siwoo with unwavering intensity, repeating her admirations.
Soon, her eyes welled up red. Like an artist overcome before a beautiful masterpiece. Choi Siwoo recognized it as madness and pretended not to notice the tears.
“Those idiots at the Association… to make an enemy of a gem like this. So beautiful, so radiant…”
She stroked Choi Siwoo’s face as if handling the ultimate treasure.
“Child. I’m different. No one appreciates your worth like I do. Not just ample support—I can show you how to obtain anything. What do you desire? Wealth? Honor? Women? Or the supreme artifact?”
“…I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Good. No need to rush. Soon, you’ll come to me on your own. Those born kings naturally reign.”
In the subtle silence, she let out a small “Ah…” as realization dawned.
“Look at me—blinded by beauty, I forgot to introduce myself.”
Choi Siwoo continued smoothly, as if it were fine.
“Head of the Oseong Group. Chairman O Je-yeon… right?”
“Honored that a young hero remembers me.”
The mood stayed pleasant. Ohana, watching quietly, swallowed dryly.
It looked like mere pleasantries on the surface, but she knew better. Her grandmother harbored an intense desire for Choi Siwoo. A ugly urge to make him part of the family somehow. Shame washed over Ohana.
“Any woman you fancy?”
“…Women?”
“Yes. A true king—a sovereign—needs an excellent vessel for his seed. Even if flawed, superior blood ensures blessed offspring.”
O Je-yeon glanced lingeringly at Ohana. Under that chilling gaze, Ohana froze like a frog before a snake. Fear seeped in, mingled with pathetic self-loathing for her silence.
“Our Ohana would make a fine vessel for—”
“—Sorry to cut you off, but I’m not thinking about that yet.”
“Hm, not much interest in beauty, then. Surprising. With looks like yours, women wouldn’t leave you alone. Just looking at your Peach Blossom and Red Charm afflictions, females must have been clamoring to entwine with you until the end…”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
The conversation wrapped up soon after. O Je-yeon’s final words were a hope that he’d grow close to her granddaughter, then she turned to leave the room.
“…Hoo…”
Choi Siwoo approached Ohana, who’d been holding her breath, and quietly sat on the bed beside her.
“…You okay?”
“Y-yeah.”
Ohana couldn’t meet his eyes properly. A tangle of reasons: her grandmother’s desire, her own pathetic helplessness, and the inferiority from sleeping soundly through the massive Illusion Dream incident without helping at all.
Unable to speak amid her bottled emotions, she watched as Choi Siwoo chuckled softly and twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.
Her face flushed in fluster as she stammered in a trembling voice.
“Wh-wh-what?! Ch-Choi Siwoo! What’re you doing…?”
“Hm, your hair’s so soft. Long hair would suit you better, though.”
“S-sudden much?”
“So… feeling less tense now?”
“…Yeah.”
“Good.”
Surprisingly, Choi Siwoo said little else. She’d expected talk of the Oseong Group, but he only shared Prunel updates, Song Junho’s messages urging quick recovery, and news of other classmates.
“Oh, so Cheolwangguk wasn’t inside?”
“He’d gone back to his family home for the first time in ages. Came back right as the black dome fell, so he punched it till his fist broke. Met him at the hospital thanks to the fracture.”
“That’s kinda dumb.”
Chatting amiably after so long, Ohana didn’t notice. The rage Choi Siwoo harbored deep inside. Or how he was coldly sharpening his reason to accelerate his plan to dismantle the Oseong Group.
“…Slurp slurp…”
“……”
“Haa, slurp… haaah…”
“…Hey.”
“Smooch. Lick…”
“Garam?”
“Slurrrp. Yeah?”
“……”
Choi Siwoo broke into a cold sweat watching the girl tilt her head innocently. Her flowing blue hair swayed, disorienting his vision. Sweat trickled down her jawline.
“…You don’t have to make those sounds, right? People might misunderstand.”
“Slurp… sorry. But… this is so good… super addictive. Wanna keep licking.”
“…Garam. You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?”
“Slurp, slurrrp.”
Seol Garam swallowed the last drop with a heated moan.
“…Can I have a bit more?”
“No. That’s enough.”
“But… I want more.”
“No, any more and I’ll die.”
Don’t misunderstand. It’s not like that. The mood and sound effects are weird, sure. But absolutely not.
▶But Master. If an outsider saw this, they’d definitely mistake it for oral…
‘Kay. One more word and it’s mincho ice cream topped with perilla leaf—chomp chomp.’
▶…My apologies.
About two weeks had passed since the hospital visit. After taking a thorough beating in public opinion, Prunel Academy was starting to resume normal operations. Still in temporary suspension, of course.
In the meantime, Choi Siwoo and Seol Garam had booked a private training room and faced each other.
The reason for their private time? Nothing special.
Successor of White Earth (Lv.30) is active.
Extreme Yang energy is infused into Seol Garam.
The power of ??? Meridian Blockage is greatly weakened.
Temporarily applied to Seol Garam.
To pass on the blood flowing through his body.
He’d originally planned to bottle it, but on Jeon Eunbyeol’s advice that fresh extraction on-site was best(?), he had no choice but to feed it directly.
“Hoo…”
Brushing the shallow wound on his wrist, it healed in seconds.
A short time. The battle with the Empress of Illusion Dreams. An unexpected mentor, life-or-death enlightenment. Choi Siwoo had grown remarkably stronger.
‘Even so…’
In the mental image realm fight with No Face, his neck had nearly been severed—still a long way to go.
“Garam. Remember the message I sent?”
“Slurp… yeah, you said there’s something I can help with…”
Choi Siwoo pulled out a small container toward Seol Garam, who was licking her arm like a cat. Inside was a fruit radiating bone-chilling cold just by looking.
“…What’s this?”
“Hanbingsul Flower. A spirit herb from legends. Holds extreme Yin energy, pure frost—blooms once every millennium.”
“…Incredibly rare.”
Seol Garam poked the fruit curiously, then quickly grasped why he’d shown it.
“You want me to… make it bloom?”
“Yeah. Of course, the reward will be—”
“—I’ll do it. Right now?”
“…Uh, not my place to say, but shouldn’t you think it over more?”
Shaking her head, Seol Garam quietly gripped it. A warm smile softened her icy demeanor.
“If it’s your request, Siwoo, it’s fine. I’ll do even harder things anytime. So come to me whenever.”
Her line could spark misunderstandings among three listeners—Choi Siwoo broke into cold sweat.
“…Y-yeah. Thanks.”
“Yeah.”
Absurd cold radiated from Seol Garam’s grasp. Not magic like Wien’s—this was innate authority-level frost power. Hanbingsul Flower, hard to bloom even with firebloom, flowered beautifully in her hands after just two hours.
“…Pretty.”
“Thanks. Must’ve been tough…”
“Fine.”
Seol Garam showed no fatigue. Knowing her power helped him was happiness enough.
Ten days later.
A room bathed in hazy colors. Procured from Jeon Eunbyeol: a mage’s forge inscribed with Super Recovery (A), Advanced Reinforcement (A), Realm of Slowness (A).
At the center, Choi Siwoo sat cross-legged, gazing at two spirit herbs.
A black flower spewing intense heat. A silver flower exuding piercing cold.
Choi Siwoo was certain. This moment marked the start of his long-planned endeavor.
Right on cue, Kay’s voice: ‘It’s time.’
Turning on the corner TV, a breaking news banner appeared.
Choi Siwoo quietly opened the [Dimensional Shop].