#51 What the Hell Is This?
Theo clutched the Eternal Crystal heart tightly.
[Oh, fuck...]
Theo's eyes brimmed with emotion. As if he never dreamed such a touching moment would come, he pulled Seol-a into a tight embrace.
[Fuck, I never thought a day like this would come. It's all thanks to you, little beast. Who knew a mere animal could have such talent—]
Seol-a, nestled in his arms, looked up at Theo and mimicked him. She was always careful, studying his mouth shape intently, so she picked up certain words with ease.
"Shi."
[......Huh?]
"Bal."
She nailed it. Seol-a beamed with pride at her success, grinning ear to ear at Kang-ho, her face begging for praise.
Cold sweat suddenly trickled down Theo's forehead.
Around that time, Kang-ho in the back was lost in deep, profound thought. Seeing him so absorbed, Theo nodded in relief.
This was a furniture store. Luxurious pieces filled the space everywhere.
Theo, humming a tune, asked King, who was snapping photos.
[By the way.]
"Yep?"
[How much for something like this?]
Theo pointed to a high-end solid wood sofa. King checked the price tag and nodded.
"Around two million, roughly."
Theo still didn't quite grasp this world's currency.
[Is that expensive?]
"Well... it's on the pricier side for this line."
[You think Kang-ho'll buy it?]
"Hmm."
King crossed his arms, pondering. He'd only recently learned the truth about the gloves Kang-ho had lent him. They were one of just two pairs of peerless treasures in the world. In terms of price? No amount of money could buy them. No one sane would sell them anyway.
'But why live in such a rundown shack?'
[Maybe he's short on cash?]
"......"
That can't be right.
[Even in the Demon Realm, there were guys like that sometimes. Obsessed with collecting gear but no greed for money. Flashy equipment, empty pockets.]
"R-Really?"
[Yeah. They just don't care about money from the start.]
King made up his mind. If Kang-ho was that kind of hardcore collector, he'd buy it himself, no question.
"Alright, bro. Pick the most expensive one. I'll cover it. Hmm, but......"
King finally noticed something off. This was Seoul's premier luxury furniture store, always bustling. But today? Dead empty.
And behind them, all the staff were trailing along.
He'd shopped here before, but never with this much attention...
As he paused, a staff member approached politely.
"What beverage would you prefer?"
"......Pardon?"
* * *
[Hey, Kang-ho, buying this?]
Kang-ho, deep in thought, nodded vaguely.
He'd been mulling over the strange dream plaguing him lately.
In the dream, he stood on a pitch-black, barren wasteland. All around was darkness, the sky choked with dry storm clouds.
Thud. Thud.
The viewpoint's owner trudged across the land. Power boiled within his body. He pressed on toward somewhere.
The world grew darker, black energy surging.
Demon Realm! This was the Demon Realm.
He marched endlessly into the abyss, no light piercing the void.
[Hey, Kang-ho, this one too?]
Kang-ho nodded absently.
'What the hell is this dream?'
Someone's perspective from the Demon Realm. It started right after securing two Eternal Crystals there.
[This one too!]
Maybe it was Baal's view, gathering Eternal Crystals in the Demon Realm.
As that thought hit, he snapped back—standing at the checkout counter.
Kang-ho eyed the bill.
"Forty-six million?"
Post-war currency reform made modern values roughly equal to fifty years ago. The number seemed off, so he glanced back. Theo flinched.
[Y-You said it was okay to buy!]
"......What did you buy?"
He peeked at the list. A massive bed jumped out first.
"Bed..."
Twenty million won bed.
[I-It was a reasonable price, all things considered. It's huge, uses new materials—super comfy, perfect back support...]
"Sofa..."
Solid wood sofa, luxury table too.
"Hmm."
Kang-ho thought for a sec, then shrugged.
"Not bad once in a while."
He'd been considering new furniture anyway, now that his household had grown.
Kang-ho rummaged in his pocket.
"Oh, bro. Let me cover this—"
"Ring it up."
He pulled out a single card. King gasped in horror.
"Eek!"
The card was solid gold, engraved with elegant silver script.
Dabio Maxus.
"Th-That's... Z-Z-Zero Platinum?!"
The card from 'World Perfect,' the top international credit company. Among them, the Zero Platinum—issued to just five people worldwide.
Forget the insane perks; the holders were legends.
For reference, World Rank 3 Carron also had one.
In other words, reserved for the top five elites on Earth.
And sure enough...
"......Come to think of it."
It was Wednesday.
'Wait, isn't this store closed every Wednesday?'
Kang-ho turned back to the shopping list, pausing thoughtfully. The branch manager manned the register personally.
"Chairs would be good too, right? Pick some decent ones."
He walked to Theo, taking Seol-a as he added,
"And a kid-sized desk and chair for her."
[......]
"......"
King and Theo exchanged glances.
They'd misjudged badly. Kang-ho wasn't a hardcore collector.
He was just an absurdly rich guy who never spent.
"Oh."
Kang-ho continued.
"Get even pricier stuff for the rest. Might as well go top-tier."
King reaffirmed his vow.
'F-F-F-Fucking cool.'
That's exactly what I wanna be.
* * *
Theo unrolled the blueprints. With a serious face, he measured carefully, deep in deliberation.
Furniture was ordered—top-of-the-line, loads of it! Delivery would take time, so he'd renovate this damn cramped, rickety shack in the meantime.
Across the room, Seol-a and Kang-ho tussled.
"C'mere. Time to change."
After furniture shopping, they'd hit the department store for high-quality kids' clothes. But Seol-a dodged Kang-ho frantically.
She loved his T-shirt. Thinking he'd steal it, she backed into the corner, huddling and clutching it tight. Tail straight up, she growled.
"Arrrf!"
Territory warning.
"......"
Kang-ho stared, then smiled softly.
"Fine, keep it then."
King, fiddling with his smartphone beside Kang-ho, yelped again.
A web portal's real-time trends.
1. Choi Kang-ho Shopping
2. Seol-a
3. Seol-a IRL
4. Beastkin
5. King IRL
"......"
King blinked.
He'd dropped to fifth. Strangely proud, he rubbed his nose and showed Kang-ho.
"......"
Kang-ho looked annoyed as hell.
"Ugh..."
Kang-ho sighed, scooping up the now-approaching Seol-a.
The trends dominated for hours. Kang-ho barely noticed, but King's fame ran deeper than expected.
Today's chef, King, whipped up a solid dinner. Meal time passed, idle evening settled in.
Krreung—
Fed Furball, watched him gesture wildly about the day's events. Day done.
Cheorwon routine, unchanging.
"Hm?"
King glanced at his smartphone, puzzled.
"What the...?"
Trends shifted wildly.
1. Yeongjongdo Earthquake
2. Earthquake
3. Yeongjong City Center Gate
4. Yeongjong Evacuations
"......?"
At the same time—
Bzzzzt—
King's phone rang. Napa's vice-guild master, Ko Je-hoon.
. . . . . . .
Phantom raced through the city streets. Her injuries fully healed.
Vroom! Vroom!
Dark fog blanketed the urban sky. Far from pleasant.
Storm clouds parted; a sliver of crescent moon peeked out.
Skid— Thud— Tat-tat!
Leaving Seoul behind, she hit Yeongjongdo.
Vroooom—!
A new gate opened. With a massive quake.
'Yeongjongdo...'
The area had been peaceful for years. Minor gates at worst, handled by local mid-tier guilds.
En route, she spotted swarms of motorcycles and cars fleeing.
'Word spreads fast.'
In this internet age, no hiding a gate with a mega-disaster.
Entering Yeongjong city center, she saw cracked earth everywhere. Her goggles scanned nearby Awakeners' power levels.
Then, intense mana surged from ahead.
'This is...'
She swallowed hard.
'Raid-grade at least.'
Raid gates had precursors. Intense mana waves, always.
Like the old Antares raid—wiped plants to ash with its aura.
Or last year's Napa raid—sparked wild overgrowth.
And...
'Caused a huge quake.'
No ordinary tremor. Ground split deep, buildings at risk.
—Evacuate!
—Citizens, follow Luna Guild directions!
Yeongjong center declared hazard zone—evacuations underway. Guilds herded civilians. Pure chaos.
'Scale like this...'
Gulp.
'First in a decade.'
Ahead: Civilians fleeing, Awakeners converging on a colossal gate.
Rooooar—
A massive gate pulsing eerie crimson.
"What in the world... What the hell is this?"
She muttered to herself, stunned.