#50 How Absurd.
Gu-woong— Gu-woong— The two Eternal Crystals that had come from the Demon Realm thrummed strangely as they fused into one. Theo stared down at it intently before swallowing hard.
[Th-this... this is incredible.]
"Yeah."
Kang-ho nodded. He suddenly fixed Theo with a piercing gaze. Theo's face was a mix of half fear, half curiosity.
"Don't you feel drawn to it?"
[Huh?]
Theo blinked before shrugging.
[Drawn to it? Of course I am. It's overflowing with demonic power.]
"Feeling greedy?"
[......]
Theo glanced at Kang-ho before countering.
[You're just asking that so you can hit me, right?]
"Nope."
[Then what's that hand holding it for?]
Kang-ho slipped his right hand into his pocket, pulled out a strip of jerky, and handed it to Seol-a in his arms.
[......]
Theo hesitated before answering.
[I'm drawn to it, but I don't feel any greed at all.]
"Hm."
[Come to think of it, my father said something similar before he passed.]
"Your father?"
[Yeah. Our family had a secret treasure, but he said it was something that shouldn't exist and refused to pass it to me.]
Theo sank into thought. His battle with Baal still haunted his dreams occasionally. Baal had retrieved something from the ruins of the castle. Its shape... it had seemed eerily similar to an Eternal Crystal.
When he shared this with Kang-ho, Kang-ho nodded.
"Makes sense."
And besides. It might be because of this guy's mana cultivation method.
Theo's mana was extraordinarily pure. Even back when it was demonic energy, it had been the same. As Kang-ho pondered various possibilities, he gripped the fused Eternal Crystal.
Gu-woong!
A heavy pressure bore down. Something immense crushed against his entire body.
"......"
It was a colossal power. Kang-ho infused his mana into it.
Soon, text floated before his eyes.
Eternal Crystal Fragment [II]
Ancient power containing the essence of the 3rd Dimension, the Demon Realm.
Two fragments have combined into one.
Its power felt twice as potent as before. It shimmered mysteriously, sometimes emitting a hypnotic glow that seemed to entice him. But Kang-ho felt no pull, no allure, no temptation. It was as if he had an innate resistance to it!
Hmm.
Perhaps... perhaps it was due to whatever unknown thing lurked in the core of his heart. Kang-ho had pondered it many times but could never figure it out. And lately, as he'd begun acquiring these Eternal Crystals, he'd realized something.
I now possess the same kind of power that Kang Jun-seok had...
And... you had this power too, didn't you?
Kang Tae-yong's words echoed in his ears. Yeah, perhaps.
Perhaps I carry something utterly ridiculous inside this heart of mine.
And.
Past Jun-seok might have carried something like this in his heart too.
As he tucked the Eternal Crystal away again, a knock sounded.
Knock knock—
-Absolute One~
A low voice followed the knock.
[What's that?]
Theo strode over and opened the door. Johanna stood there. She'd grown tremendously after devouring the rice cakes Kang-ho had given her.
Theo tilted his head at the sight of her.
[Absolute One! Something shocking has happened!]
* * *
"Oh ho."
Kang-ho headed to a corner of the orchard where an Ability Fruit tree stood. Sure enough, as soon as he entered the orchard, a vibrant, vibrating fragrance filled the air from all directions. It was a scent Kang-ho had never smelled before.
Indeed. A single bizarre fruit hung from one Ability Fruit tree. These fruits varied in effect by color. Yellow was ten times better than normal. Gold was twenty times. Translucent silver was fifty times.
Kang-ho had seen gold fruits a few times before. He'd even harvested one recently and stored it away. But he'd swear he'd never seen a translucent silver fruit.
[I've never seen a fruit like this, Absolute One!]
Kang-ho nodded too.
"First time for me as well."
The entire orchard buzzed with activity. The fairies, now twice their usual size after sharing the rice cakes Kang-ho had given them, were clearly visible to the naked eye. Bees darted busily, transferring pollen.
Kang-ho slowly reached for the translucent silver fruit. Gulp— Seol-a, nestled in his arms, swallowed audibly. Kang-ho smiled faintly and plucked it.
The thick fragrance enveloping the area was sucked entirely into the fruit and vanished. Now, the fruit sparkled with brilliant silver light, looking more like a gem than something edible.
The effect...
He let out a hollow chuckle as he glanced at Johanna.
It's better than I thought.
He'd been planning to feed Seol-a Ability Fruits soon anyway. Her physical growth had reached a solid stage by now. Perfect timing for the highest-grade fruit imaginable.
These fruits didn't need cooking. Eating them raw allowed the fastest absorption.
Kang-ho handed it to Seol-a.
"......"
Seol-a grasped it with her tiny hands and stared up at Kang-ho.
"Go ahead and eat. It's yours."
Her face lit up in a brilliant smile! Her mood soared instantly, her cheeks beaming as she took a big bite.
Crunch!
The fruit melted away in her mouth like snow. Seol-a's eyes flew wide. It was a reaction far beyond her surprise at the spicy kimchi stew earlier. Tears welled up unbidden in her big eyes.
It was, without a doubt, the most delicious thing she'd ever tasted since hatching.
Crunch crunch! The fruit vanished in the blink of an eye. Soon, Seol-a hopped down from Kang-ho's arms. His T-shirt draped to her ankles like a dress.
Pop! She flipped in midair and transformed back into a fox. Even as a fox, the "dress" stayed on. She stood still, radiating a brilliant glow from her entire body.
Whoosh!
The whole world flashed silver. The busy fairies and bees froze, mesmerized, staring at Seol-a.
Soon, her body began to change. Crack crack— Her fur grew longer and thicker. Her fangs protruded sharply, claws lengthened razor-like. Limbs stretched a bit longer. Her tail extended, ears perked up.
Kiiing!
The light around Seol-a's body faded. She hopped around, testing her altered form.
Originally, her attack power had been D.
"......?"
Kang-ho narrowed his eyes, wondering if he'd misread, but it was real. She'd skipped straight from D past DD, C, and CC to B. Unthinkable before.
"Incredible..."
Seol-a twisted around, inspecting herself, then zipped circles around Kang-ho. Her three tails wagged furiously, demanding praise. When he reached out, she leaped into a flip and landed in his arms.
Pop! Back in human form, Seol-a was...
"......"
A tiny bit taller.
Pfft. The T-shirt that had reached her ankles now hung about half a handspan shorter. Seol-a beamed at Kang-ho. He smiled back at her.
Early morning. Theo woke and stretched languidly. The cabin felt cramped these days, with three extra guests in the already small space. They'd ended up laying out a thick blanket beside Kang-ho's bed for sleeping.
I've gotta renovate this place right away.
Theo was pretty neat. Coming from the Demon Realm where he'd always lived cleanly, this shabby hut had nothing he liked.
He glanced sideways. King was drooling and mumbling in his sleep—hard to wake. The dopey smile suggested a happy dream. Theo stared at him before grabbing his smartphone.
Click!
Saving this as blackmail for a key negotiation moment. Theo glanced at Kang-ho. He lay like a corpse, utterly motionless in the exact position he'd fallen asleep.
Is that really human?
Turning, he spotted Seol-a in the kitchen, munching something. Her appetite had surged post-growth. Blinking her diamond-like eyes, she stood basking in the sunlight—a striking scene. Theo unconsciously raised his phone.
Click!
One of Seol-a too. She spotted him and smiled brightly. Her three tails thrashed side to side.
Seol-a liked Theo. He'd fed her tasty demonic energy before, and now—
[......Damn, here we go again today.]
Theo groaned inwardly. When she got like this, he had no choice but to play. With his stamina, it was exhausting.
Then, Seol-a tilted her head curiously. Pat pat pat! She dashed over, her long hair dragging on the floor.
[Aigoo, this kid...]
Theo grumbled as he scooped her up and neatly coiled her trailing locks.
[Even longer now. Driving me nuts.]
With her hair wrapped around her neck like a stylish silver scarf, she looked adorable. Theo resolved to cut it soon. Sweeping the floor like a broom was no good.
Seol-a stared intently at his mouth. Her big, sparkling eyes fixed on his lips.
[Wh-what?]
"Mouth."
[......?]
Seol-a opened her mouth, mimicking him.
"Ma."
[Whoa, now she's talking. Absurd.]
Seol-a narrowed her eyes, studying his mouth. She tilted her head and tried again.
"Hang."
[......]
"Dang."
Seemed tough.
[Hoo.]
Intrigued, Theo hoisted her up. Yesterday's growth had matured her a bit more. A brilliant idea struck him. Tucking her under his arm, he headed out of the cabin.
Kang-ho woke around noon.
Whew.
He'd been having nightmares lately. Today's felt meaningful, like a precognitive dream or viewing through someone else's eyes—
As he mulled it over, click— the door opened. Seol-a toddled in and hopped onto his bed. She stared at him.
"Did our Seol-a wake up?"
She nodded once. Thinking hard, she spoke.
"Sal."
"......?"
"Iva."
Pronouncing each syllable carefully, Seol-a tilted her head. Unable to recall, she pouted and looked around.
Suddenly, Kang-ho spotted Theo outside the window, mouthing something. Seol-a's face lit up with a nod.
"Tion."
Kang-ho chuckled.
"Saliva."
Theo pumped his fist triumphantly outside. Seol-a, thrilled at her success, waved happily.