Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: The Our Clothes We Got Back (2)
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The Summer Goddess standing beside him let out an exclamation, and the Heavenly Demon blew on his fingers as if cooling his ears before speaking.
“I’m not sure if I resolved the crisis, but I merely prevented it from exploding.”
“I see. I heard that rumor too.”
The Summer Goddess nodded, glancing back and forth between Ban Yeonshin and Hogwang.
“Ah, so that’s why the Our Clothes got torn. That makes perfect sense.”
“Th-that makes sense? What do you mean by that?”
When Hogwang asked, the Summer Goddess smiled brightly and replied.
“This person is a human from another world, isn’t he?”
“Another world…?”
“That’s right. So naturally, he uses a power different from the forces that operate in our world.”
At that moment, Ban Yeonshin and Hogwang exchanged looks and nodded.
A human from another world. Didn’t that mean he possessed a power unlike any in this world?
“Ah, ahahaha!”
“Uhahaha!”
Ban Yeonshin and Hogwang burst into loud laughter at each other. They pointed at each other’s faces as if embarrassed, laughing nonstop. The Heavenly Demon scowled deeply at the sight.
“Anyway.”
As the Heavenly Demon spoke, the smiles on Ban Yeonshin and Hogwang’s faces vanished as if by magic, though they had been roaring with laughter moments before.
“As promised, I’ll take one other set of Our Clothes.”
Vroom.
The Heavenly Demon’s Lamas departed. True to the promise, carrying a new set of Our Clothes.
“Haha… ha.”
Hogwang, in the VIP gallery, stared blankly ahead as if he had just woken from a deep sleep.
“That outfit… It was made by gathering a hundred years of my divine power… haha.”
White saliva dripped from Hogwang’s mouth.
After the Heavenly Demon first stole his Our Clothes, he had poured his entire divine power into creating an immortal masterpiece that he could never replicate again.
It was an outfit he had made to wear if he ever ascended to become an Upper Realm God one day. He had hidden it in a secret compartment of the gallery, never telling a soul.
And now, the Heavenly Demon had snatched away that treasure of an outfit like it was nothing.
“Hahaha.”
Hogwang let out empty laughter with unfocused eyes as he recalled what had just happened.
“Th-this isn’t for sale!”
Like a drug-sniffing dog, the Heavenly Demon had somehow sniffed out the hidden secret compartment inside the gallery and pulled out the Our Clothes.
Hogwang had begged on his knees, clasping his hands together.
“My outfit! Just take the one I’m wearing now, like last time! Take this old man’s current clothes instead!”
Hogwang grabbed the Heavenly Demon’s arms, his voice choking with tears.
“Please, I beg you. I’m begging like this.”
Even if he lived another thousand years, Hogwang could never create such a masterpiece again.
Moreover, the faint spiritual energy and divine power infused in it weren’t even his own—it was all the divine power from this divine territory poured into it.
“How could I steal the clothes you’re wearing twice?”
“Huh?”
“You said it’s not for sale, so my mind’s at ease now.”
The Heavenly Demon smiled faintly and patted Hogwang’s shoulder.
“I’ll just wear this one myself.”
“W-wait a moment.”
“Oh, and of course, even if this outfit gets ruined, I won’t ask for repairs again.”
“I-I’ll tell you the truth!”
In his desperation, Hogwang revealed the secret of the Our Clothes, heedless of whether Ban Yeonshin heard.
“That outfit contains a hundred years of this land’s divine power. Even for you, it’s not something you can wear.”
“It contains divine power?”
“Yes. It’s a masterpiece I cherished, saving it for when this body becomes an Upper Realm God.”
At those words, the Heavenly Demon’s curiosity was greatly piqued.
“What happens if I wear it?”
“It’s filled with divine power, so your body won’t be able to withstand it. Your flesh might tear apart completely…”
As he spoke, Hogwang unwittingly shut his mouth. The Heavenly Demon had spread the Our Clothes over his Guangma Blood Robe and draped it on.
Pop pop pop!
The Our Clothes transformed like a wide sheet of leather, wrapping around the Heavenly Demon’s entire body and squeezing him as if to crush him.
Creeeak. Zzzzzip.
The force was so intense it squeezed the air from his lungs, prompting an exclamation from the Heavenly Demon.
“Hoo. It really squeezes like it’s trying to tear me apart.”
Hogwang brightened and shouted.
“See? If you force it on like that…”
“Hup.”
At that moment, the Heavenly Demon circulated his inner energy. He then spread Reverse Extreme True Energy through his limbs to counter the tightening Our Clothes.
Woooong!
A subtle vibration hummed, and light began spreading in all directions. Soon, a round, transparent glow enveloped the Heavenly Demon’s body.
“Heh, this is…”
The Heavenly Demon closely examined the light surrounding his body.
This sticky yet powerful light resembled the legendary martial art he had once favored: Protective Gang Qi.
“Excellent. Perfect.”
The squeezing force had vanished, and the Our Clothes had transformed into a stylish scholar’s robe emitting a mysterious sheen.
“Just what I wanted.”
Nodding, the Heavenly Demon looked at Hogwang and clasped his hands together.
“I’ll gratefully wear it.”
Then, without looking back, he bundled the clothes into his pack and vanished.
“Haha. Hahaha.”
Hogwang’s eyes remained unfocused after the recollection.
Devastated by the shock, he couldn’t maintain his clear mind and ultimately closed his Our Clothes shop.
Afterward, rumors briefly spread in the divine realm that a human had stolen Our Clothes.
But since few gods believed such an absurd tale, it circulated as baseless gossip before quickly fading away.
* * *
As dusk fell.
A man in a trench coat walked along a quiet roadside.
He had a slightly lean build and an ordinary face. The distinctive thing was his aura and expression—extremely gentle and mild. Even if someone picked a fight with him, he seemed the type to smile softly and bow his head.
—Reported to be connected to the Bubiston explosion…
While walking, the man glanced at a screen beyond a shop window at the emerging news. Footage showed an explosion that darkened the bright sky in an instant.
Boom!
An enormous blast. If it had detonated in a building instead of mid-air over the city center, it would have been a catastrophe.
Rumble.
Watching the shockwave spread, the man recalled an image in his mind.
A muscular man in luxurious hanbok.
At first glance, he seemed like a strength-enhancement skill Awakener, but now it appeared he was a telekinesis skill Awakener capable of lifting 300 Bubistons into the sky just before the explosion.
But why had the building’s ceiling been blown away?
“Hmm.”
There was only one scenario that fit.
He had unleashed a powerful explosion skill to blast off the entire building ceiling, then used telekinesis to hurl the 300 Bubistons skyward in response.
“It doesn’t make sense.”
If he had telekinesis, he could have simply shattered a window and launched them. There was no need to expend such immense power to blow off the ceiling.
“Moreover, he found the hidden Bubistons right away.”
The shop had been engulfed in flames hot enough to melt the interior furnishings. The hidden Bubistons must have caught fire too.
The time before detonation was probably 30 seconds to a minute.
In that brief window, the burly man had located the deeply concealed Bubistons on the shop floor and disposed of them with his skill.
“Hmm.”
The man let out a low hum. At this point, there were two conclusions.
The burly man was there specifically to handle the hidden Bubistons from the start, or he was an Awakener with tremendous abilities yet to be revealed to the world.
“…A quick investigation will reveal it.”
The man turned away from the screen with a faint smile.
His name was Nam Hyunwook.
He belonged to an officially unrecognized organization, alive yet nonexistent.
Always clad in an active camouflage suit, he was the top elite agent of a secret group handling cruel, unethical missions.
Even after prolonged scrutiny, the investigation wasn’t easy. Scouring CCTV near the fire-ravaged explosion site yielded nothing.
Even searching the entire Awakener database of the Association turned up no matches.
“Hmm.”
It was a universal truth in such organizations: profiles of agents on secret missions were classified. Someone with this level of ability couldn’t be an unregistered Awakener, so he was surely from the Association.
With unique nanobots in tow, he might even be a high-ranking agent.
“At this level, I shouldn’t get involved.”
If he took out an Association Awakener now? What if this guy was directly under Strategic Planning Director Kim Suwoong?
The higher-ups would surely try desperately to stop him.
“No, whatever. It doesn’t matter.”
He had long since staked his life on this path. He wanted to use every ability he had. He yearned for a life-or-death battle with an Awakener of immense power.
Nam Hyunwook, long immersed in secret agent life, had harbored such desires deep within.
“I’ll start from the tail.”
Tracking nonexistent shadows was a secret agent’s specialty.
The country wasn’t vast. Unless he fled overseas, finding an exposed Awakener was just a matter of time.
Nam Hyunwook began gradually expanding his investigation.
Koreans were generally friendly and unquestioning. Flashing ID was enough for them to cooperate fully with inquiries, even volunteering extra info.
After a month of relentless pursuit, Nam Hyunwook located where the burly man worked.
‘Bokbok Interior.’
It was a fairly famous and longstanding interior design shop in the area.
Surprisingly, the owner of this hanbok-style elegant storefront was a woman in her twenties.
“He put real effort into the cover.”
Secret agents usually joined pre-established cover companies. But this one had boldly taken a job at a well-known local shop.
This proved he had gone to great lengths to avoid detection.
“Then, shall we begin…”
Nam Hyunwook licked his lips.
The hunt was just starting. He had to investigate every detail from one to ten, blocking all escape routes.
Cornered prey would howl. And resist fiercely.
“Ahh.”
Imagining the man’s desperate struggle sent a strange thrill through him.
Nam Hyunwook shuddered slightly.
That burly man exuded a more dangerous aura than anyone he’d seen. He was surely a carnivore with razor-sharp fangs and claws.
“It’ll be the ultimate hunt.”
Catching that perilous beast would bring an ecstasy beyond any pleasure.
“Ahh…”
Nam Hyunwook stuck out his tongue, stroking his cheek as his body trembled.
He had always volunteered for the most dangerous, brutal missions others avoided—because of the peak thrill the hunt provided.
* * *
Having finished all his tasks, the Heavenly Demon rode Nameless back to the rooftop room.
Vroom.
Each gear shift and throttle press rumbled with a low exhaust note. As he drove, enjoying the pleasant breeze through the slightly open window.
“What’s this.”
A yellow light gradually lit up on the dashboard. It was the fuel warning indicating low gas.
[Fuel is low. Please refuel at a gas station.]
Frowning at Nameless’s alert, the Heavenly Demon grumbled.
“How long ago did I fill it up, and it’s already like this?”
The Lamas, tuned with high-end racing parts, was set for premium gasoline.
Premium gas stations were limited, so he always had to go to one on the city outskirts to fuel the Lamas.
[Your vehicle, Heavenly Demon, is modified for high-speed performance. In other words, fuel efficiency wasn’t considered. Or as they say, you gain one thing and lose another…]
“Quiet.”
It was nagging he’d heard countless times. The Heavenly Demon turned the wheel with a dissatisfied expression.
Leaving the city behind, he cruised a quiet highway when a large self-service gas station came into view.
He came to this station, far from downtown, because it offered the cheapest premium gas in the area.
Click.
Parking at the pump, the Heavenly Demon deftly inserted the nozzle into the Lamas. Nameless handled the payment, and with a whir, premium gasoline began pouring out.
As the Heavenly Demon stared blankly at the pump.
Vrooom.
Far off, a massive truck charged fiercely toward the gas station. It was a wing-body cargo vehicle with a container box in tow.
The truck hurtling toward the station showed no sign of slowing, as if in a desperate rush. Watching it, the Heavenly Demon muttered lowly.
“Must be in a real hurry.”
[That’s strange.]
Nameless observed the truck as well.
[The cab is painted black with only sensors flashing, so it’s clearly an unmanned cargo truck with autopilot. But how is it ignoring speed regulations…?]
Roooar.
The truck charged on without decelerating. Seeing its speed unchanged, Nameless’s sensor eyes widened dramatically.
[Heavenly Demon! Evade!]
“What is it?”
[It seems like a malfunctioning vehicle.]
At Nameless’s urgent cry, the Heavenly Demon leisurely surveyed his surroundings.
“Hmm.”
Dodging was easy, but leaping away would smash the stationary Lamas. Glancing at the still-pumping fuel, the Heavenly Demon shook his head.
“No choice.”
Instead, he stepped forward from the pump, positioning himself squarely before the oncoming truck.
Whirr.
Nameless instantly zoomed its sensors on the approaching truck.
It was an 11-ton wing-body from Company A, speed around 90 km/h.
If it hit the Heavenly Demon, the kinetic energy would be about 3.4 million joules. In impact terms, like colliding with nearly 270 tons of metal.
[Heavenly Demon Great Ability could easily block it…]
Zzzzt.
But a yellow light—not red—flowed from the Heavenly Demon’s body. Not Heavenly Demon Great Ability, but the slightly inferior Reverse Extreme True Energy.
[Heavenly Demon! That’s reckless!]
With his current first-class inner energy, he couldn’t possibly stop the truck. As Nameless cried out urgently.
“Hah!”
The Heavenly Demon, bracing with both arms, swiftly twisted his body.
Vroom!
The truck veered sharply—not toward the gas station, but toward the open barren hills.
Boom!
An enormous explosion roared as flames erupted from the truck that crashed into the hills, shooting skyward.