Ascending to the Life-or-Death Realm
"Ahh, that hit the spot."
"Earth food never gets old, no matter how many times I eat it."
"I'd love to take the recipe for this home."
In the courtyard of Do-ha's house in Paju, Dimerof, Namgung Je-u, and Emilton sat with thoroughly satisfied expressions after finishing their meal.
They had crossed over to Earth both to discuss certain matters and to visit their friend, only to find themselves shamelessly accepting a meal prepared by Do-ha's grandfather.
"I'm glad it suited everyone's tastes."
"We've been treated once again, Elder."
As Baek Chul approached, Namgung Je-u rose from his seat with a gentle smile.
In truth, if one went by years alone, everyone present was roughly the same age as Baek Chul. Yet as their realms advanced, aging had naturally slowed, leaving them all looking younger than him. And setting that aside, as Do-ha's grandfather he simply felt like a true elder.
"Haha, treated? Nonsense... Were you all right as well?"
"Ah, yes! We ate wonderfully too."
At the neighboring table, Levi and Dan Woo-hyeon, who had been sipping tea, shot to their feet and nodded vigorously.
Whether it was Levi, the Emperor's Sword, or Dan Woo-hyeon, Lord of the Heavenly Sword Corps, both regarded Baek Chul as a great elder just like the others.
"Grandfather! Teach me the recipe!"
"Of course, of course. I'll teach you."
When Emilton came over, Baek Chul laughed heartily and patted her shoulder.
Among everyone gathered here, if one set Selenia aside, Emilton was the warmest and most affectionate of them all.
"I should clear the table first."
"We'll help you."
At Dimerof's words, everyone who had just sat back down rose once more.
"Oh, no need. You don't put guests to work like that. Sit, drink your tea, and rest."
Baek Chul flicked his hand, and the empty dishes rose into the air with a soft rustle of wind.
After contracting with the Spirit Kings, using power had become as natural to him as breathing.
"Haha, Elder, you grow stronger by the day."
"No kidding. Spirit arts come as naturally to him now as breathing."
Dimerof and Namgung Je-u nodded as they watched Baek Chul.
Compared to the two of them he still had a long way to go, yet his strength and skill had risen enough that they could freely acknowledge it.
Normally, the older one grew, the more rigid one's thinking became, making further advancement difficult. That was why people always said training was best begun young—setting aside stamina and the waste that accumulated in the body, without flexible thought there was simply no progress.
Yet Baek Chul possessed a flexible mind that belied his years. Thanks to that, growing stronger posed him no trouble at all.
"So how long does that Canteas bastard plan to hole up in the house?"
"Leave him be. He's got a lot on his mind."
At Dimerof's words, Emilton shook her head.
She knew that feeling all too well.
She had grown up being called a genius in her own right, only for Baek Do-ha and Dimerof to appear out of nowhere. The first time she saw them, she had felt a truly enormous wall. No matter what she did, she had believed she could never surpass those two.
That was why the hope of breaking through to a higher realm had hit her dozens of times harder than it did anyone else—because it meant she could finally stand equal with her friends.
But the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. When she failed to cross the realm she had aimed for, the rebound brought crushing despair.
"You went through the same thing, Dimerof."
"True enough. I was the same."
At her words, Dimerof crossed his arms and nodded.
He was a Grand Master now, but back when he was still a Sword Master he had constantly despaired and sunk into gloom over his inability to climb higher.
"Funny, though. Normally the two of you bicker and fight nonstop, yet the moment something like this happens you're the ones who worry and understand him the most."
Namgung Je-u smirked as he looked at Emilton.
All their friends liked Canteas, but among them Emilton fretted over him and looked after him the most. When he had been summoned by Do-ha on Earth and vanished from the castle, she had been the first to notice something was wrong.
"You're right. She's practically his big sister."
Dimerof agreed with Namgung Je-u.
He felt no jealousy. He had watched the two of them act like this for over forty years. Still, every time he saw it, Emilton felt like Canteas's older sister.
Of course, whenever anyone actually called her that, Canteas always threw a fit—insisting he was older, so why was the crazy woman the big sister instead of him being the big brother?
"I wonder when Do-ha will be back."
Selenia, who had been helping Baek Chul clear the dishes, brought out snacks and took a seat.
"Hard to say. Soon, I think."
He had never said exactly when he would return, but she had a feeling the time was drawing near.
Footsteps approached.
"Yo~ Canteas."
"You're here..."
From far off, Canteas emerged from the mansion, and Dimerof waved cheerfully.
Speak of the devil—right as they were talking about him, out he walked.
"You skipped the meal and you're only coming out now?"
"She said if I didn't come out she'd cut the internet line."
"Ah..."
Selenia sipped her tea with perfect calm as she spoke, and everyone else's expressions went blank.
They had forgotten. Among their friends, the scariest one of all was Selenia.
Do-ha was never particularly frightening so long as you weren't an enemy—he was a friend. But once Selenia got angry, she was truly terrifying enough to send chills down your spine.
"Have you eaten?"
"I'm fine. Not hungry."
"Then eat this at least. You've been starving yourself for a whole week."
"No, really, I don't feel like—"
"Eat while I'm still being nice."
"Yes."
The moment his eyes met Selenia's icy gaze, Canteas obediently nodded.
He began nibbling the bread she had set in front of him and glanced around.
"Where's Do-ha? He wasn't in the house."
He had checked the surroundings on his way out, but Do-ha was nowhere to be seen. Where had he gone?
"He said he was stepping out for a bit."
"Where?"
"Who knows? I don't know either."
Selenia shrugged.
Even she had no idea where he had headed.
"Wherever he goes, he'll handle himself just fine."
"Th-that man of mine...?"
"That man of mine????"
"What, did you two get married?!"
Dimerof, Namgung Je-u, and Emilton's faces twisted.
The two of them had always been lovey-dovey, so that part wasn't surprising. But since when had she started calling him "that man of mine"?
Surely they hadn't gotten married without inviting the rest of them?!
"No. It's just easier to say, so I use it by myself."
"Really? You didn't get married, right?"
Emilton stared at Selenia with a look of pure betrayal.
"Don't worry. There's no way we'd leave you all out."
"Whew, you scared me."
"I hear Earth has something called a reception."
"And wedding songs, apparently."
"I'll sing the wedding song!"
Canteas, who had been quietly eating his bread, shot his hand into the air.
From what he had seen online, people singing wedding songs looked incredibly cool.
"No."
"Nonsense."
"Want a Meteor to the face?"
"Why would you try to ruin a once-in-a-lifetime wedding?"
All four of them glared at Canteas at once.
If he could actually sing well, they would have asked him in a heartbeat. But Canteas was truly terrible at singing—tone-deaf and rhythm-deaf. Listening to him sing while dead drunk was enough to sober a person up on the spot.
"You guys are so mean."
Canteas's shoulders slumped.
YouTube had plenty of videos teaching vocal technique. If he learned a bit of that, he figured he could do pretty well.
"Keep talking nonsense and I'll put an arrow through your forehead."
"Yes, ma'am."
At Selenia's words, Canteas finally abandoned the idea.
That one really would do it if she said she would.
Just then, space tore open in midair with a low rumble.
Everyone seated grabbed their weapons at the same instant.
The people gathered here were all tremendous powerhouses, so their movements were identical, as if rehearsed.
The aura I sense is enormous...
Could it be a Demon King?
But there's no demonic energy...
Something about it feels familiar...
Is it an enemy we've met before?
The friends rapidly exchanged messages through voice transmission and telepathy.
It was an aura they were feeling for the first time, so caution was the right call.
"Huh? What are you all doing here?"
Yet contrary to their tension, the one who stepped through the spatial rift was Do-ha.
He had rested at Dool's place for about two days before crossing over—only to find everyone already at his house.
"Baek Do-ha?!"
"Do... Do-ha??"
"You—what the hell happened to you all of a sudden?"
Seeing Do-ha's face, his friends lowered their weapons and approached.
The aura was nothing like what they usually felt, so they had wondered who it could be—yet it was Do-ha.
"See? I told you it felt familiar."
Canteas nudged Dimerof.
Do-ha's aura had changed so completely that even he hadn't recognized it at first, but he had still sensed something familiar.
"You... don't tell me?"
Dimerof stared at Do-ha with trembling eyes.
This feeling.
The aura was different, yet he had lived with this exact sensation before.
"You madman... have you reached the Life-or-Death Realm?!"
Do-ha grinned like a mischievous child at Dimerof's shaking words.
Of course.
As a Grand Master, Dimerof would be the first to notice.
"Ha..."
"Wow, climbing to the Life-or-Death Realm this fast?"
Namgung Je-u and Emilton let out hollow laughs.
They had always known Do-ha was different, but this defied any explanation.
How long had it been since he lost his power, and he was already at the Life-or-Death Realm?
"That's amazing, Do-ha."
Even though Do-ha had ascended to the Life-or-Death Realm, Selenia showed no particular surprise. She simply smiled and gave a soft round of applause.
In truth, she had always believed he would reach the Life-or-Death Realm eventually. She had seen his omnipotent self during their days in the world of Belhart.
She simply had not expected him to climb so quickly.
"Ah... congratulations."
Canteas offered his congratulations while hanging his head low.
Damn it...
He was overjoyed that Do-ha had reached the Life-or-Death Realm. And yet the fact that he had felt even a moment of jealousy toward that Do-ha made him feel so ugly he was filled with self-loathing.
He was angry at himself for failing to break through his own realm, and once again a corner of his chest felt tightly blocked and stifling.
"Hey, Canteas."
"Yeah?"
Do-ha called him quietly.
"How long are you going to keep moping around like that? It doesn't even suit you."
Do-ha pulled the Book of the Dead from his subspace and tossed it to Canteas.
"Here. Take it."
"Why this...?"
"You're going to get busy from now on. So hurry up and climb to the 9th Circle already. Weren't you stuck at the 8th Circle for ages? How many hundreds of years have you been sitting there?"
Do-ha stepped close and poured energy into Canteas's forehead.
He was passing on the spell he had obtained from Yama. More precisely, he was teaching him the language of the gods of the Underworld so that Canteas could recite the spells written in the Book of the Dead.
Beautiful light began to swirl in Canteas's empty skeletal eye sockets—like countless stars hanging in the sky.
"Th-this is..."
Having received all the information, Canteas gazed steadily at Do-ha.
Once he obtained the language of the Underworld gods, he could roughly guess what had happened.
Do-ha had suddenly ascended to the Life-or-Death Realm and brought back the language of the Underworld gods. That meant he had gone on some kind of adventure for Canteas's sake.
"I just got sick of watching you wallow, so learn the magic already."
Do-ha waved it off as if it were nothing.
"Man, I'm starving! Seon-gye food is weirdly bland—I suffered for two whole days."
"Shall I make you a meal? I'll prepare something."
"Nah. I have to stop by the Association anyway, so I'll grab something outside."
He gave Canteas a light tap.
"Congrats in advance."
"When you hit the 9th Circle, come show me. No idea when that'll be, though."
"Hmph. I'll reach the 8th Circle soon myself. Still—congratulations."
While Do-ha and Selenia conversed, their friends—having roughly grasped the situation—patted Canteas on the shoulder.