Chapter 134Whoosh!

    The cold wind howled on the Cliff of the Dead where two figures sat at the edge. Below the cliff lay a mountain of corpses, piled high.

    “I’ve made my decision,” Kiriel said, standing abruptly.

    He carried a massive bow on his back, nearly as tall as he was. The sixth-ranked Transcendent, known as the Divine Archer, had a resolute expression, as though he had resolved to do something.

    “What decision...?” Wei Zhongqi asked.

    “I will be the head of a snake, not the tail of a dragon.”

    What was he talking about?

    At that moment, Kiriel pulled the Book of Transfer from his bag. As one of the relics of the Deep Realm and a Hidden Piece of the Core, the Book of Transfer allowed its user to teleport to any desired location. What did he intend to do with it?

    “I will become the king of Earth.”

    At those words, Wei Zhongqi closed his eyes.

    The king of Earth? So that’s what he meant by being the head of a snake.

    Wei Zhongqi sighed and held out a page of his own Book of Transfer. “Take another one with you, just in case.”

    “No, I don’t need it. I’ll be reigning on Earth for a while. Once the Encroachment is complete, all the humans of Earth will be transferred to the Core’s Tutorial Zone anyway. I’ll just return to the Deep Realm then.”

    “You know, about that Encroachment... You do know the hourglass is frozen, right?” Wei Zhongqi asked him.

    The Usurper’s Hourglass—one of the many relics at the farthest edge of the Deep Realm—measured the progress of the Encroachment on planets connected to the Core.

    Recently, however, it had stopped.

    “I heard. Apparently, Earth’s humans, the ones they call Hunters, have the power to kill monsters. I’ll start by wiping out those Hunters. That should restart the Encroachment. Until then, I’ll just stay and play king.”

    Wei Zhongqi scratched his head. The Heavenly Demon Lee Do-Jun was on Earth. When he briefly encountered him a few days ago at the Treasure Goblin Company, he was shocked, to say the least.

    Recalling that moment, Wei Zhongqi gulped dryly and advised, “Take another page. I’m serious—you’ll need it.”

    The Book of Transfer was a one-time-use item. To return to the Deep Realm from Earth, Kiriel would undoubtedly need it. Seeing Wei Zhongqi’s grave expression and insistence, Kiriel finally decided to take it.

    Crackle!

    The Book of Transfer activated, opening a dimensional portal to Earth.

    Kiriel stepped into the shimmering portal.

    “I wonder if he’ll be back by tonight,” Wei Zhongqi murmured.

    ***

    It was finally Saturday.

    For most people, Saturday was a truly wonderful day. It was the weekend, a chance to recover from the weekday grind.

    Everyone had their own ways of shaking off the week’s fatigue.

    Byeol was watching “Food Expedition,” a show featuring specialty restaurants that processed and served monster-based dishes.

    ?Cockatrice wings are a delicacy. You can fry them, grill them, or make them into stew. Dipping them in the special sauce sold on the market turns them into an unbeatable dish.?

    ?I’ve had them a few times, and they’re indeed amazing! The price is steep, so I can’t eat them often, but I’m so glad to taste them again on this show. What other menu items do you recommend, sir??

    Do-Jun sipped his tea and read the morning newspaper, thinking it was unusual for Byeol to wake up this early.

    “Hunter’s Bureau Task Force Successfully Clears S-rank Fissure in Goyang...”

    “Thankfully, the boss monster was subdued before a Breakout occurred...”

    “President Kim Dong-Sik to Present Task Force with Honorary Plaque and Medal for Their Efforts.”

    An S-rank Fissure had appeared two days ago. Once the boss monster was detected, the surrounding area was locked down, and the Hunter’s Bureau had the Task Force move swiftly to subdue it.

    The team, led by Kang-Hyun, succeeded after thirty-seven hours of fierce combat.

    The S-rank Hunters, including Kang-Hyun, had ensured that Do-Jun didn’t need to intervene unnecessarily. They had assured him that they would handle everything they could.

    However, they had agreed on one exception: if dragons like those in the Masalis Incident appeared or monsters with overwhelmingly high readings emerged, they would call for his help. Do-Jun had agreed to this arrangement.

    As he was engrossed in the newspaper, Byeol skipped over. Do-Jun put down the newspaper, picked her up, and placed her on his lap.

    “You want Cockatrice, don’t you?” he asked.

    “Daddy, are you a god? How did you know?” Byeol looked up at him with wide eyes as if she had just witnessed magic.

    Do-Jun smiled at her startled expression, unable to hold back a chuckle.

    “It’s a big chicken,” Byeol said, describing what she saw on TV. “You can fwy their wings first and then eat that. And...”

    “And?” Do-Jun prompted her.

    “And then you gwill it.”

    “I see.”

    “And then finally, you make stew!”

    Byeol recalled what the TV show host had said, and gasped as if she had remembered a critical detail.

    “And then weally finally, you eat it with sauce!” she said with a bright smile.

    However, her excitement faded, and her expression turned glum.

    “But big chicken is so expensive...” she muttered, discouraged.

    “How expensive?” Do-Jun asked, trying to hold in his laugh.

    “More than one thousand won...” Byeol muttered, hanging her head.

    “Oh, wow. It really is expensive, huh?”

    Byeol nodded without a word. With that, Do-Jun stood, readying himself to head out.

    ***

    The D-rank Fissure known as the Cockatrice’s Nest was located on Bukhansan Mountain in Eunpyeong-gu. It was a place Do-Jun had visited once before with Karsiel.

    Standing before the elongated Fissure in the air, Yong-Yong swallowed hard and muttered, “Everyone’s getting a chicken to themselves tonight.”

    He recalled the one time he had tasted Cockatrice fried chicken. Golden, crispy batter gave way to juicy, flavorful meat with every bite. It was far better than any chicken sold commercially.

    From inside the Fissure, Do-Jun sensed a presence that couldn’t possibly belong to a D-rank monster. It was unique, unlike anything typical, and his sense was soon confirmed.

    A Hunter’s Bureau staff member blocked the Fissure entrance, stopping the crowd of Hunters and tourists who had gathered.

    “Everyone, please take a step back!”

    “What’s going on?”

    “Apparently, there is a PK inside.”

    “D-does that mean someone died?”

    “No deaths, but according to what some Hunters are saying...”

    Yellow tape with “Keep Out” written on it was strung around the area.

    While Yong-Yong didn’t fully understand the meaning, one thing was clear: no one was supposed to enter the Fissure, presumably because of a massive presence that he could also feel.

    Sighing, Yong-Yong rubbed his face with his paw. He muttered, “Another pest climbing up here again?”

    ***

    Gungnir, the bow Kiriel held, radiated magical energy that swirled around it. It was a relic-grade artifact from the Deep Realm and the very weapon that helped Kiriel earn the title “Divine Archer.” It was a so-called Hidden Piece, a weapon said to be left behind by a god.

    Thwip!

    An arrow flew toward a flock of dozens of Cockatrices fleeing from him. As if equipped with a homing function, the arrow chased and pierced through the Cockatrices one by one with an unrestricted trajectory. Each Cockatrice hit by the arrow vanished without a trace.

    A kilometer away stood the entrance to the Fissure that led to Earth, the same one Kiriel had entered through using the Book of Transfer.

    The monsters inside this Fissure were far weaker than the lowest-tier monsters dwelling on the first floor of the Core, and Kiriel found it hard to believe that the so-called powerful “Hunters” on Earth struggled with such monsters.

    A cold sneer spread across his lips.

    Rumble!

    Suddenly, the entrance to the Fissure wavered, and a human, accompanied by a small dog, stepped inside.

    “Hm?”

    However, this creature didn’t seem like an ordinary dog with two horns protruding from its head and small wings extending from its shoulder blades. More notably, it seemed rather angry.

    “What am I... looking at?” Kiriel uttered in disbelief.

    The dog lifted its forepaw. “I’ll give you five seconds.”

    Even from a kilometer away, its voice rang out clearly.

    “Come.”

    ***

    Kiriel was in a plank position, trembling vigorously. Yong-Yong was perched on his back, exerting an oppressive weight augmented by magical power. Gritting his teeth in pain, Kiriel groaned and tried to endure it.

    “Buddy, are you out of your mind?” Yong-Yong said to Kiriel.

    “I-I’m not sure w-what you’re talking about.” Kiriel gasped.

    To Kiriel’s astonishment, the “dog” turned out to be none other than an Overlord, once the ruler of the Deep Realm, a dragon lord who had vanished without a trace after the Great War. Why such an Overlord was on Earth was beyond comprehension, but that wasn’t important.

    “What the hell made you think it was a good idea to come to Earth?” Yong-Yong asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

    “W-well, that’s...”

    Yong-Yong smacked Kiriel on the head and shouted, “Answer my question, you punk! Do you think Earth is some kind of toy you can play with? Huh? Do you think Earth is a joke?!”

    Do-Jun sighed as he surveyed the surroundings. Whatever had happened, all the Cockatrices had been wiped out, and the Cockatrice’s Nest was in shambles.

    “Master, let’s make this guy bite the curb,” Yong-Yong suggested.

    Bite the curb? Where did Yong-Yong even learn expressions like that?

    Do-Jun looked at Kiriel. He hadn’t killed or harmed anyone.

    As Do-Jun contemplated what to do, his eyes landed on the bow Kiriel was holding.

    ***

    A portal opened on the Cliff of the Dead in the Deep Realm, and through it, Kiriel stumbled out, collapsing onto the ground as he gasped for air.

    Watching him was Wei Zhongqi. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    “Kiriel,” he called out.

    All Kiriel could do was breathe laboriously.

    “Quick trip, huh?”

    Kiriel’s head shot up, glaring at Wei Zhongqi, who smirked with amusement.

    What was that smirk? Why did it feel like Wei Zhongqi was already expecting him?

    “It’s a good thing I gave you an extra page from the Book of Transfer, isn’t it?” Wei Zhongqi said with a wide grin on his face. “But...”

    Something was missing. Gungnir, his most prized possession, was nowhere to be seen.

    “Where’s your bow?” Wei Zhongqi asked.

    “He took it.” Grinding his teeth, Kiriel clenched his fists and slammed them into the ground.

    The earth trembled with a deafening crash.

    “Wei Zhongqi, just who is that bastard?!” he asked, still visibly in shock.

    Izaas was a Dragon Lord and the Core’s Overlord. Still, such a creature referred to a mysterious human as “Master.” Without even getting a chance to use Gungnir, his flow of energy was completely cut off by just a simple gesture from the man called Do-Jun.

    “Is he... the king of Earth?!”

    The difference in power was simply insurmountable.