#60 Thank You, Friend.
King glanced around. This was the training hall of the Big 3, Baekya Guild. And in the far corner, drenched in sweat, was none other than—
"Why does this feel so familiar?" King muttered, eyeing Lee Hyuk.
Lee Hyuk was decked out head to toe in vests, gloves, and all sorts of gear. The reason he was swinging his sword so fiercely, pouring real sweat, had to be the ridiculous weight of all that equipment.
"......"
King knew that training method all too well. It was something he'd done himself—the Choi Kang-ho style physical conditioning.
Lee Hyuk, who had been slashing downward with his sword, staggered over to King.
"......Spar, right?"
At King's question, Lee Hyuk nodded.
"In that getup?"
"This is plenty."
Lee Hyuk caught his breath and began stripping off the gear strapped all over his body.
Thud—
Thud—
Thud—
Each piece hit the floor with a heavy clang. His ragged breathing steadied, and his face grew calm.
"Everyone's been going at it lately."
King continued, watching him. "I heard even Mercenary's Forte started sparring with the top S-rankers. What's with the sudden wind blowing through everyone?"
"......"
Lee Hyuk stared straight at King. Then he spoke slowly.
"The man you call your big brother—he's the one who stirred up this quiet world."
"......"
King understood. He wasn't much different himself. That was why he'd declared his contract expiration early, even with time left on his Napa deal.
Raw power! The thrill it brought! That longing to reach such a world felt like the puppy love he'd harbored in his teens, locked away in his heart.
"And..." Lee Hyuk went on slowly. "Preparation for the new disaster that might hit us soon..."
King knew that too. The connection point to the Demon Realm! It was emerging as a major new threat. Not just the evil dragon Kasumus recently, but gates to the Demon Realm were problematic across the board.
Demon Realm dungeons kept popping up without end. King was surprised by something unexpected.
"I thought the big guilds only cared about money...?"
"Money?" Lee Hyuk smirked. "Money matters. With all the mouths to feed, how could I ignore it?"
Shing!
He drew the sword from his waist and added, "But a society that values money has to come first, right? If the world crumbles, money's worthless. Humans learn from failure. If we haven't learned from the mistakes 50 years ago, we're not even human."
"Hm."
"And..."
Lee Hyuk's sword gleamed. It was a training blade without a proper edge, but forged from solid metal. Staring at its shine, he murmured softly.
"Beyond all that, there's just the pure desire to get stronger."
"I see."
King liked what he heard. He cracked his neck side to side.
"Shall we go a round, then?"
Things were changing. King felt a shiver at the realization.
'Hyungnim's immense power.'That pure strength was changing people.
Yes. True power influences others on its own. King felt proud, almost boastful about it.
So.
Click!
"......?"
He snapped a photo capturing Lee Hyuk drenched in sweat and his own playful grin side by side.
......
[......]
Theo stared blankly at King, who had returned after getting thoroughly thrashed somewhere. Bruises bloomed purple across his body here and there, irking Theo.
Theo eyed him steadily, then picked up his spoon. He watched Seol-a struggling with a fork next to him, then turned back.
[Which bastard was it?]
"Eh?"
King's mouth was swollen, his speech slurred.
Seeing that, Theo slammed the table and stood.
[Which bastard hit my kid?]
"Y-Your kid..."
King clutched his chest, moved.
[What'd he say?]
Kang-ho, lounging diagonally on the bed scrolling his smartphone, answered with a pitiful look.
"He said 'our kid.'"
"Our kidyo, hyungnim."
"Our kid, hyungnim..."
Suddenly self-conscious, Kang-ho rubbed his nose.
"Don't worry, if I'm this beat up, the guy who did it is deader."
[......?]
Theo glanced at Kang-ho, who sighed and translated.
"Don't worry. If I'm this messed up, the guy who hit me is toast."
King gave a thumbs-up. Kang-ho let out another long sigh.
[Who'd you fight?]
"Baekya's Lee Hyuk."
[Lee Hyuk... Oh, that guy?]
Theo knew him. Pretty decent by human world standards.
Kang-ho chuckled. "Positive stuff."
In many ways, it was.
Suddenly, Theo noticed the bed was sunk in weirdly deep.
[That bed already broken?]
"Hm? Oh."
Kang-ho waved it off and got down.
Thud—
The floor shook with a heavy boom. Up close, he had gear strapped to his limbs.
King, shoving hot kimchi stew into his busted mouth and wincing, yelped in surprise.
Kang-ho had dozens of training weights on. Yet he walked casually to the table, unfazed.
Crack!
The chair naturally splintered under the weight.
[That was 3 million won.]
"Really? Shame."
Kang-ho dusted off and stood.
[......]
Theo looked at Seol-a. She was devouring food like a hungry ghost had possessed her—three bowls of kimchi stew, three heaps of rice, and now steak.
[What's with her...?]
Seol-a perked up. Up close, a slight bump swelled on her brow.
"Went to Warmonkey Village today."
[......]
Warmonkeys loved fighting. Human child-sized, about 9-10 years old, with long limbs and aggressive battle lust. They'd spar all day, so Seol-a looked thrilled.
"Seol-a, fun today?"
Seol-a looked up brightly and nodded wildly, beaming.
"Fun!"
Her speech had improved; she could handle two-syllable words now.
"Tomorrow too?"
"Go."
Kang-ho grinned.
[You training too?]
"Yep."
Kang-ho nodded.
* * *
Kang-ho ran. Furball kept pace beside him.
It had been ages since Furball ran neck-and-neck with Kang-ho, so he was in high spirits.
Huff huff huff huff—
Running full tilt, Furball suddenly noticed Kang-ho sweating—a rare sight.
Huff, huff—
The man sweating was something he hadn't seen in forever. Worried, Furball rolled his eyes, but Kang-ho smiled.
"Keep running."
Krreung!
Furball nodded and picked up speed.
Thud—
Thud—
Thud—
His heart pounded busily, working overtime after so long. Feeling sweat trickle down his back, Kang-ho pushed harder.
He had no clue how to beat the Eternal Crystal. No idea what to do.
If lost, go back to basics.
The strong. Those stronger than him. Transcenders.
Beings who accepted the Eternal Crystal in their core, controlled and assimilated it fully.
Kang-ho... still feared it.
He'd faced plenty of fears in life, but nothing like this.
Yet Kang-ho always confronted fear head-on. He knew best that dodging it solved nothing.
No one would handle his battles for him. Not 50 years ago, not now.
Back to basics after ages, Kang-ho kept running with insane weight strapped on.
Krreung—
Furball eyed the massive bundle on Kang-ho's back. Enormous weight.
Run and run. After a long sprint, they reached Yeongdeungpo 21st Street.
"Ah, you've come, Mr. Choi Kang-ho."
Smith greeted him warmly, handing over a single small glove.
"Made one glove first with the materials you gave. For your right hand. Uh..."
Soon, Smith sensed something off. His eyes went to what Kang-ho carried.
"That's...?"
"Oh, this."
Thud—
Kang-ho set the bundle down. Inside: Kasumus's scales, packed full.
"......"
Kang-ho tried on the glove. Thin, skin-tight material. Weightless, like nothing there.
"Thin, right?"
"Very."
He infused mana.
Shhrrk!
The glove sprouted scale-like armor.
"Great defense. And I made sure it doesn't interfere with Oerblade's range."
True enough, gaps accounted for his bracelet Oerblade.
Vrrr—!
Mana surged; Oerblade's blade extended smoothly.
'Good mana resistance.'It suppressed mana overflow near his fist like a second skin.
'Usable.'Kang-ho asked again. "This the final product?"
"No, just a prototype. The real thing will be three times better."
Smith winked. Kang-ho nodded, pulling out magic stones.
"Uh... Eek!"
Smith flinched, glancing around, then whispered.
"S-Suddenly?"
"Use 'em for crafting. Sooner the better."
Two SS-grade magic stones sat there.
"Two... SS-grades..."
Smith's vision blurred. Last time he'd handled SS-grades: forging Kang-ho's Oerblade.
Suddenly.
Kang-ho eyed him. "Your home's Mu Continent, right?"
"Pardon? Oh, yes."
"Miss it?"
"Home..."
Smith paused, then nodded with longing.
"Everyone does. But this place is home now too. If I get the chance, I'd love to see it once before I die."
"......"
Kang-ho nodded silently. After some thought, he spoke.
"And this."
He handed over the green gem from Nergan.
"Huh? Wh-where'd you get this?"
......
"Hm?"
Phantom thought Niva was smiling. Elder Niva rarely smiled. In her memory, Niva was always prudent and steadfast.
Hehe.
But for days, she'd been chuckling nonstop. Laughing joyfully, wiping tears, gazing off thoughtfully.
"Um... Elder."
"Hm?"
Niva looked at her.
"Something happen lately...?"
She'd heard Choi Kang-ho briefly opened a gate to Mu Continent with a White Fang subspecies.
Was that it? "Ah, come here."
Niva beckoned with a kind smile. Phantom trotted over; Niva showed her smartphone.
"Huh? You got a smartphone? But you said electronics don't suit your constitution..."
"He gave it to me."
Then Phantom realized—it was Kang-ho's.
Blinking, she watched Niva play a video.
"Who's this...?"
"You might meet him someday. This is the Great High Priest of Mu Continent's Central Forest... Nergan."
"......!"
Earth-born, she knew nothing of her homeland Mu Continent! The Great High Priest she'd only heard tales of!
A smile touched Niva's lips.
"Ah..."
Niva closed her eyes softly.
Hundreds of photos followed: the whole forest, every corner, Nergan and his kin.
Beloved homeland vistas, all captured in the smartphone from a dear friend.
Stoic but deeply affectionate and thoughtful.
'Thank you, friend.'Niva clutched the phone to her chest.