Seeds from the Otherworld
“Hyung Park!”
“Hey, yeah. What's up, Deok-su.”
As soon as I arrived at the Gu-guk Guild, Deok-su greeted me with a big smile.
“I heard the news. You're partnering up with us now, right?”
“Heh, yeah, that's how it turned out.”
Deok-su treated me warmly, like we were old buddies catching up. I appreciated it, but it still felt a bit awkward. I guess I'm just the type who warms up slowly to people.
“So, you want to try replicating an artifact?”
“Yeah.”
I pulled out the artifact I'd gotten from the last Masinjeon Dungeon raid and showed it to Deok-su.
“Whoa... So this is the Demon God's Blood!”
“Demon God's Blood?”
“Yeah, that's what I named it. It's your artifact, but we have to register it in the system, so it needed a name. Pretty good, right?”
It was a potion-shaped artifact from the Masinjeon Dungeon, so Demon God's Blood. Not bad naming sense, honestly.
“Sounds good.”
“Heh heh! I knew you'd like it. Come on, follow me.”
Deok-su led me to his workshop. I'd stopped by once before, but the sheer scale still hit me every time.
“Whoa.”
“To use my Replication unique ability, I need to prep a bunch of stuff.”
Deok-su said that and headed into one of the workshop's side rooms. It was a sealed chamber with layers of steel walls—more secure than a vault, honestly.
“Phew.”
He let out a small sigh and started layering on protective gear. By the end, he looked like some kind of tire mascot character. Only then did he finish prepping.
“Do you really need to go that far?”
“Of course! We don't even know what this artifact does exactly, and replication can turn out unpredictable. If something goes wrong, it's a headache.”
“Mm, fair point.”
Replication was a unique ability I'd seen back in Jellun. It could duplicate an artifact perfectly or create a degraded version—a total cheat ability. But it wasn't foolproof since you never knew which part might degrade. Take Gramnir, for example: if the hardness degraded while the explosive power stayed the same, it'd blow up right away.
There are ways around it, though.
I almost tipped Deok-su off but held back. For an artifact crafter, having an outsider butt in would bruise his pride.
I'll tell him later.
Anyway, I held my breath quietly and watched Deok-su activate his ability.
“Oh, right—Hyung Park, you really don't need protective gear?”
“Nah.”
“Makes sense. You cleared Masinjeon solo with the boss, after all. Your skin's tougher than this gear, huh? Ha ha!”
Probably.
With the ability I got from devouring Abaddon on top of everything, my body was likely tougher than this whole room. But I just grinned and let it slide.
“Alright, here goes...”
Deok-su gripped the artifact I'd brought—what he called the Demon God's Blood—in one hand and focused his mind.
Whoosh...
Light started from Deok-su's body, growing brighter as it flowed toward the hand holding the Demon God's Blood.
Vmmm...!
A faint vibration spread through the room. Then his other hand began to glow.
Flash...!
Light gathered in his clenched fist, and something started forming there.
Soon, a clear shape emerged in Deok-su's hand.
“...Hoo!”
Clink.
Deok-su quickly set down the replicated Demon God's Blood. This was the critical part. Worst case, the contents stay intact but the potion bottle degrades, spilling everything out...
“...”
Deok-su and I held our breath, staring at the replica.
We waited about a minute, but thankfully, nothing happened.
“Hm.”
The exterior looked perfectly replicated, at least. Now...
Pop.
I opened the potion lid and dipped a finger in slightly.
Sizzle!
“W-whoa...! Hyung Park! What the—?!”
He'd heard it was poison beforehand, so Deok-su's eyes went wide.
“Nah, it's fine. Weaker than the original, though.”
“...Really?”
Deok-su smacked his lips, disappointed. Still, this was a success. At minimum, it'd melt an A+ rank monster on contact.
“Man, that ability gets more amazing every time I see it.”
“Ha ha! You say that like you've seen it before somewhere.”
“Ahem.”
I had, actually. Dwarf Master Urgen had it too, among his abilities. He didn't use it often, though—artifacts made with abilities instead of hammering got called 'cheats' or whatever. Still, he'd whip some up in a pinch on the battlefield.
“Thanks. I'll buy you a meal sometime.”
“Meal? Nah! This is nothing between partner guilds!”
“Heh. If you say so.”
I'd still hook him up with something later. Even a social butterfly like Deok-su—let these small favors pile up, and things could sour.
“Ha ha! Even if you say it's fine! Truth is, the boss asked me to look out for you specially, so this is on the house. If you wanna treat me, take the boss instead.”
“...He did?”
I hadn't known that. Lee Shin-yul personally asking him to watch my back?
“Yeah. Honestly, I'm curious too, Hyung Park. How'd you win the boss over so hard he'd make a special request like that?”
“Mm, not sure it's that big a deal.”
Maybe clearing Masinjeon solo meant that much to him. Worked for me—no hidden motives seemed at play. A week ago, I'd have tilted my head at such favoritism. But as they say, sometimes it's warm sunlight, not cold wind, that loosens a traveler's clothes. With the favors stacking up, blind suspicion felt off.
Maybe he's just a really good guy.
Some people get happy just spreading kindness around—like influencers of goodness, in modern terms.
“Yeah, suspecting someone like that nonstop would be rude...”
“Were you talking about me?”
“Gah!”
While chatting idly with Deok-su, Lee Shin-yul appeared behind us out of nowhere.
“Hello, Park Soo-hyeok.”
Section Chief Kim Ji-seon was with him.
“Oh, hello.”
“I heard you stopped by suddenly and missed greeting you.”
Lee Shin-yul feigned a hurt expression.
“No, no— it was just a quick visit.”
Such favors. Grateful, sure, but a bit burdensome too.
“Well, business is done, so I'll just...”
“Don't rush off. How about some tea?”
“Mm. Tea's fine...”
Hard to refuse someone like Lee Shin-yul over a cup of tea. I quietly followed them to his private office.
“Have a seat.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sinking into the plush leather sofa eased my tension a bit. Soon, Kim Ji-seon brought sweet coffee for him and an iced Americano for me—remembering my preference from last time.
“What did you think of Deok-su's Replication ability?”
“Seeing it up close was wild. Creating something from nothing like that.”
“Heh heh, right?”
We exchanged some light, nutrient-free chit-chat amid the awkwardness. Then a question popped into my head. A rare chance to talk to a 1st gen awakener—no better time.
“Um... Sorry to ask, but I've got a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“It's about 1st gen awakeners. I've been curious.”
“...”
Lee Shin-yul's warm expression cooled slightly.
“Why do you ask...?”
“Nothing big. Just rumors about some psycho hunting 1st gens. Makes me wonder why everyone hates them so much.”
I phrased it carefully, assuming Lee Shin-yul was one of them. But it backfired.
“Hm.”
He frowned, crossing his arms.
“You're a 2nd gen awakener, right, Park Soo-hyeok?”
“Uh... yeah.”
I'd covered with the 'kidnapped and awakened late' story before, so I stuck to it.
“Then you've heard the infamous stories about 1st gens. And that those stories aren't exaggerated.”
“Ah.”
Looked like Lee Shin-yul was one of those who hated 1st gens too.
Even though he is one.
“Th-that's not what I meant. I was curious about the link between dungeon types and 1st gens. Figured hearing it from one directly would be accurate.”
“Oh, that.”
Thankfully, pivoting worked—his face brightened.
“Mm.”
Lee Shin-yul paused, considering where to start.
“It's all hypotheses so far, but want to hear?”
“Yes.”
He nodded at my firm reply and continued.
“The most plausible one, in my view, is that dungeons are 'seeds sown from another world.' 1st gen awakeners act like guardians protecting those grown seeds.”
“Seeds?”
I knew seeds well—one of plants' reproduction methods...
“Yes. That's why dungeons grow—to sprout another world right here in ours.”
“...”
If true, that was horrifying. My old world, Jellun, trying to take root on Earth.
“So if those seeds hatch...”
“This world turns into the dungeon's—like one big field. Monsters popping out everywhere, not just gates, with dungeon masters swarming.”
“Mm.”
As grim as expected. But the story wasn't over.
“Then what about 1st gens? If they're guardians for the seeds...”
“They become beings of their original world. Like salmon swimming upstream to their old home.”
Killing intent shone clearly in Lee Shin-yul's eyes as he spoke of them.
“...”
Not a ridiculous theory. Awakeners' mana cores already resembled demon horns in many ways. Meaning, when Jellun rained down on this world, 1st gens would become new demons?
“That's absurd...”
For a split second, Lee Shin-yul's face twisted.
“...Well, it's just a hypothesis. No seed has hatched yet. That's why Gu-guk Guild is working nonstop to stop it.”
“I see.”
He called it a hypothesis, but it felt more like stated fact—some odd dissonance lingered.
“...”
My needless question had stirred a weird tension between us.
“...Park Soo-hyeok.”
“Yes.”
“You asked a question, so may I ask one?”
“Sure, fire away.”
But his expression was the most serious I'd seen.
Click.
“Section Chief, come in here.”
Lee Shin-yul suddenly called Kim Ji-seon on the phone. She'd stepped out after the coffee, and now returned looking puzzled.
“Ji-seon, use your ability. Right now.”
“Y-yes? What's this all of a sudden...?”
“Now.”
“...Yes, sir.”
His rare grave tone made her glance at me warily. Even a fool could tell this wasn't normal.
“What's this about?”
“Park Soo-hyeok, I want to keep a good relationship with you.”
“...”
“So answer my question truthfully.”
His high-handed attitude made me frown involuntarily. Poor Kim Ji-seon just watched nervously.
“Are you a 1st gen awakener? That question you just asked—whatever your intent, answer honestly.”
I gave it straight, as he'd demanded.
“Probably.”
“...”
Lee Shin-yul scowled and shot a glance at Kim Ji-seon.
She hesitated, then murmured softly.
“It's true.”
Crack!
The moment she finished, Lee Shin-yul grabbed my collar. He pulled something from his pocket and activated it.
“B-boss...!”
Kim Ji-seon's frantic attempt to stop him never reached us.
Flash!
At the same instant, Lee Shin-yul's and my bodies glowed brightly—and vanished somewhere.