Hyeonu left the officetel for his first appointment in nearly a week.
âWhen did he come to South Korea?â
The person Hyeonu had made an appointment with was Kim Seokjung. After going to China, he called and said he had returned to South Korea and made an appointment to meet.
âHyung-nim, where should I go?â Hyeonu called Kim Seokjung first before taking a taxi.
-Come to my house. Iâve got everything ready.
Kim Seokjung hung up after leaving only saying for Hyeonu to come to his home in Hannam-dong. He didnât give time for Hyeonu to respond. It was a very unique way of communicating. Nevertheless, Hyeonu wasnât flustered by that. He started an app straight away and hailed a taxi. The destination was Kim Seokjungâs house.
Hyeonu managed to get a taxi quickly. While getting into the taxi that picked him up, Hyeonu couldnât take his eyes off the smartphone in his hand.
âIs anything going on today?â Hyeonu was looking for news that would entertain him. It could be gossip from the entertainment industry or news related to Arena.
âNews... There is nothing much to talk about.â
Hyeonu quickly turned off the Internet news. There wasnât a single story that caught his attention. Hyeonu immediately turned on the Arena community application.
âDid something happen?â
Hyeonu was looking at the Arena community when he found a post with a lot of comments. There were more than 10,000 comments alone. There were hundreds of millions of people enjoying Arena, but the Arena community also had a huge number. This led to the creation of a site that only collected and showed popular posts from the Arena community. As such, it wasnât easy for a post with more than 10,000 comments to appear on one site unless it was a big matter.
[Whatâs wrong with the north?]
Hyeonu saw the number of comments and read the title of the post. The post was about the north.
âIs there something strange going on in the north?ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Hyeonuâs brow furrowed.
The northâthere was nothing that came to mind regarding it. He couldnât remember any large guilds or rankers active there.
âCancun and Lepilâthese are the only things.â
Hyeonuâs memory of the north was finding Cancun. Then he moved to Lepil, the capital of the ancient Luos Empire, in search of the giantsâ relic to give to Tang-E. These were the only two things.
âWhat is going on?â
Hyeonu clicked on the article with a sense of curiosity.
-Iâve been hunting in the north for around two months. What is happening these days? Suddenly, the undead came out and went crazy. Originally, there were just monsters that everyone knew. Now it is really crazy. The undead are too strong. The hunting difficulty seems to have good up two or three levels because of how good the artificial intelligence is. Iâm leaving the north now. I canât hunt here any longer.
The content of the article was by no means ordinary. It was one that deserved thousands of comments.
âThere really is a change in the north.â
The hunting grounds had changed, which meant that something would soon happen in the north. It was a precursor to the fact that a huge quest would soon appear or had appeared in the north.
âIt isnât my business.â
Hyeonu tucked his smartphone into a padded pocket and leaned back comfortably against the seat. Whether there was a change in the north or not had nothing to do with Hyeonu. He had to focus on his work in the divine world. It was hard for him to even pay attention to the north.
âThe end still isnât in sight.â
Hyeonu frowned. The divine world wasnât over yet. At some point, the attacks of the god tribe subsided. As a result, Hyeonuâs quest progress encountered problems, and his growth stopped. To be precise, it was hard to fill up the experience points. The skill proficiency could be raised little by little due to the incredible magic power recovery speed.
âCustomer-nim, where should I drop you off?â the taxi driver called out to Hyeonu upon arriving near the destination.
âAh, yes. Please stop over there in front of that house.â Hyeonu was awakened from his thoughts and pointed to Kim Seokjungâs house. At the same time, he used his other hand to pull a card out of his pocket and prepared to give it to the taxi driver.
Finally, the taxi stopped in front of Kim Seokjungâs house, and Hyeonu got off after paying for the taxi with his card. He was standing in front of Kim Seokjungâs house when the door opened like it recognized him. Hyeonu was flustered by the open door, but he entered the house as if nothing had happened.
âHyeonu, you came?â
In the garden, Kim Seokjung was wearing a thick padded jacket and drinking coffee while sitting on a chair. He was also drinking an iced Americano full of ice.
âWhy are you drinking something like that when it is cold, Hyung-nim?â Hyeonu approached Kim Seokjung questioningly like what the latter was doing was ridiculous.
Kim Seokjung clicked his tongue. âWhat is it? Fight fire with fire, use cold to prevent cold. Donât you know this, Hyeonu?â
He said so, but there was no such thing as hot coffee in Kim Seokjungâs dictionary. The only coffee he knew was iced coffee that was thoroughly filled with ice.
âI actually only drink cold ones as well.â Hyeonu smiled and sat on the other side of Kim Seokjung.
âYes, thatâs right. Are you staying for dinner?â Kim Seokjung asked.
âDidnât you call me to have dinner? Thatâs what I thought?â
âIt is right to eat and drink. Is there a need to stay separately?
âThatâs right. It is nice to eat together. You can eat separately later.â
It happened as Hyeonu and Kim Seokjung were having a casual conversation. Gang Junggu appeared from inside the house. He was holding a steaming cup.
âYou arrived too late. Iâm going to die of hunger.â Gang Junggu sat down next to Hyeonu. Then he immediately placed an arm around Hyeonuâs neck. âHow have you been lately? Itâs been too long.â
âIsnât life always the same? It is always the same for me.â Hyeonu shrugged at Gang Junggu.
Arena, streaming, and exerciseâHyeonuâs life pattern hadnât changed recently. It was really regular.
Gang Junggu cocked his head. âReally? Arenât there many people contacting you? Isnât this the best age?â
Hyeonu also cocked his head as he received Gang Jungguâs words. âThe best age? The mid-20s is a good time, Hyung-nim.â
âNo, thatâs not it...â Gang Junggu continued speaking, but he couldnât finish his sentence. It was because Kim Seokjung grabbed his arm.
âLetâs go eat.â Kim Seokjung got up from his seat and walked toward the gate.
âI understand. Letâs go, Hyung-nim.â Gang Junggu followed closely behind Kim Seokjung.
âWhat is this?â Hyeonu shook his head and quickly followed the two of them.
***
Dinner ended with a light meal of meat. Once the meal was over, the three of them naturally moved to the izakaya they frequented.
âI should drink in moderation...â
The drinks continued, so Hyeonu started to get drunk little by little.
âHyung-nim, Iâm going to get some air for a moment. It is coming all of a sudden.â Hyeonu stopped drinking for a while in order to get home safely.
âYes, go ahead.â Kim Seokjung nodded.
Gang Junggu saw that Kim Seokjung had gone outside and carefully spoke to Kim Seokjung.
âIsnât he too dull-witted? Should a person be like this?!â Gang Junggu exclaimed with an excited face. It was an action that was possible because they were in an enclosed space that was clearly isolated from the outside.
âThat is possible. Well... isnât it possible that he is deliberately pretending not to know?â Kim Seokjung poured a glass full of alcohol into his mouth.
âPretending not to know? How is that possible? He is in his 20s, yes? When I was that age, did I have such a pretty woman interested in me? Gang Junggu made a face like it was ridiculous. At the same time, he didnât forget to fill Kim Seokjungâs empty glass.
âThe US and South Korea are far away from each other. That doesnât mean Hyeonu canât move to New York right?â Kim Seokjung spoke bluntly.
âHe isnât that type of man, but... Still, at this age... Maybe Iâm expecting too much from a guy who doesnât travel and falls asleep at home because he is lazy.â Gang Junggu nodded in agreement with Kim Seokjungâs words.
It was possible if it was Hyeonu. That kind of lifestyle was enough for him.
âOr maybe he really doesnât know. Isnât Yeongchan the same? He is a dull guy.â
âIt is possible. By the way, can I really not say anything? One side is so pitiful. Wouldnât it be better to just let the relationship be established? It is only when the tree is photographed that you get the taste of it. Well, I think it is more like when a concrete building is photographed.â
âLeave the matter between the two of them. We shouldnât interfere. If this is the case, we can just give them more chances to meet.â
âI understand, Hyung-nim. Iâll think about it again.â A strange smile appeared on Gang Jungguâs face.
Just then, Hyeonu entered the room again. âIt is quite cold outside, Hyung-nim. Be careful not to catch a cold.â
It was amazing timing.
***
Hyeonu frowned as he looked at the descendants of the Luos Empire gathered in one place. All the faces of the descendants were bright. Not a single person had a weary face.
âIt is strange...â
More than a week had passed since the last large-scale battle took place.
âOf course, it is nice if there are no battles, but... Iâm anxious.â
He didnât necessarily want a battle to occur. It was fine without it as it was best if the descendants of the Luos Empire returned to the middle world without dying. However, he had a strong feeling this wouldnât be the case.
âThe final trial will surely come...â
Novels, comics, movies, and even realityâit applied everywhere. Lights were usually followed by shadows. Good things were bound to get stuck somehow.
âNow is the time.â
Hyeonu saw the dust cloud rising in the distance and hurriedly got up from his seat. Tang-E and Gom-E, who were banging on each otherâs heads next to Hyeonu, climbed Hyeonuâs body one by one with a look of surprise.
âWhatâs going on, Master dude?â
âWhatâs going on, Master dude?â
Tang-E and Gom-E, who took over both of Hyeonuâs shoulders, asked while looking at Hyeonuâs face. Hyeonu turned his head and alternated looking between Tang-E and Gom-E. âIt is a battle, everyone. Be prepared. I will do a proper sword dance for the first time in a while.â
âHuh? Is it finally time for me to be active? Iâll show it properly. Master dude.â Tang-E gently tapped on Hyeonuâs head. Then he climbed onto Hyeonuâs head and looked down at Gom-E. âGom-E, you should look as well. See just how strong has your brother become. You will definitely respect me.â
âI look forward to it, Brother.â Gom-E nodded.
âThere are really all types of things, you guys.â Hyeonu laughed before kicking off from the ground and soaring high into the air.
Hyeonu, who had been rising endlessly, stopped at some point. Then he caught sight of a group of the god tribe members running from afar. Hyeonu pushed as much magic power as he could into the Mysterious Sky Sword. Dozens of crescent moons that measured tens of even over 100 meters long flew through the space toward the god tribe.