Nam Hae-won waved his card with a satisfied grin.

    “What’s the point of having money if you don’t use it? With this, I don’t need to lug around a heavy bag and hurt my arms.”

    “Well, aren’t you something...” Su-ho muttered, shaking his head.

    “Wow, Hae-won hyung’s way of thinking is next level. I should learn from him,” Seo Gi-won added enthusiastically.

    “Learn what? Does that look like healthy spending habits to you?”

    “Still, he earned that money fair and square, and it’s not like he spent it on anything bad. I’d say it’s reasonable.”

    “...Fair point.”

    Now that he thought about it, that made sense.

    Buoyed by Seo Gi-won’s support, Nam Hae-won wore a smug expression as he plopped down at the dining table.

    “It’s my money, so it’s my choice how I spend it, right? Besides, I’ve always wanted to travel like this at least once. You have no idea how hard it was living in that dingy little place in Yeongdeungpo all those years.”

    “Fair enough. Do whatever you want. But first, eat.”

    “Wow, let’s dig in!”

    Nam Hae-won started eating with obvious joy, his face lighting up at each bite.

    Watching him, Su-ho couldn’t help but notice how much he’d changed in the time they hadn’t seen each other.

    “You know,” Su-ho said, “your face looks a lot better now. I’m not joking—it’s like your skin has cleared up.”

    “Probably because I’m not stressed anymore. They say the biggest enemies of healthy skin are stress and UV rays.”

    “Hmm, that makes sense. So, does this mean your break is over?”

    “Yep, completely over. I’ve been everywhere I wanted to go across the country, so I think I’ve gotten it all out of my system.”

    “Where left the biggest impression?”

    “Busan.”

    “Donkin Donuts?”

    “Are you seriously making jokes that old? That store closed down after a Gate incident.”

    “Is that so? Then... gukbap?”

    “Gukbap’s great, but surprisingly, Busan is all about street food.”

    “Street food? There’s no shortage of that in Seoul.”

    “Busan’s different. There are these amazing tteokbokki and gimbap places. Maybe it’s the local pride mixed in, but it tasted incredible.”

    “Listen to this guy talking about ‘pride’ when he just finished rehab. What kind of pride are we talking about?”

    “Ugh, come on! It’s not that kind of pride. I mean vibes, okay? Vibes!”

    “Alright, sorry. So, what now? Got any plans?”

    “Not really. I figured I’d think about it after I got back. Besides, I don’t need to make any more of the Hammer Series, right?”@@@@

    The Hammer Series, the anti-narcotics Su-ho and Hae-won had developed to combat the Changshik gang’s drug victims, was no longer necessary now that all the victims had been treated.

    At that, Seo Gi-won, who had been quietly listening, smirked and asked slyly, “Then can we send Hae-won hyung to that place now?”

    That place clearly referred to the Digitization Dungeon.

    Now that Hae-won’s rehab was complete and the Changshik gang’s victims had been helped, it was indeed time for him to start leveling up, just as Seo Gi-won had hinted.

    But Su-ho shook his head.

    “No, Hae-won still has one more thing to do with me.”

    “Something to do?”

    Both men looked at Su-ho curiously.

    Su-ho bit into a slice of pizza before answering, “Making clothes.”

    “Clothes?”

    “Yeah, but not the kind you’re thinking of. These are clothes only you can make.”

    “Clothes like that exist?”

    “They do. But let’s eat first.”

    “Yes, sir.”

    Hae-won stacked two slices of pizza together, dipped them generously into garlic sauce, and took a big bite, his appetite matching his newfound enthusiasm for life.

    ***

    After the meal, Su-ho began hauling the delivery boxes that had started arriving upstairs to Nam Hae-won’s lab on the second floor.

    This was one of the locations connected to incidents involving so-called "Cursed Items," which had caused harm to civilians.

    Activating a skill, Su-ho began his search.

    [ Mana Detection activated. ]

    With Mana Detection, Su-ho’s senses flared to life, identifying traces of mana in the surrounding area.

    He scanned the items carefully, his eyes eventually settling on a suspicious object emitting a faint red aura.

    It was a waist-high statue in a seated pose, resembling a traditional Korean Bangasayusang (Maitreya in contemplation). While its form mimicked that of a Gilt-Bronze Maitreya Bodhisattva statue, Su-ho recognized it for what it truly was—a vessel of ominous energy.

    Su-ho picked up the statue without hesitation and moved it to a more isolated location.

    “...”

    The statue remained eerily silent, as if trying to hide its presence.

    Once he was sure no one would disturb him, Su-ho set the statue on the ground and summoned his Blood Sword.

    [ Blood Weapon activated. ]

    The blade materialized in his hand, its crimson edge glinting in the moonlight.

    Without hesitation, Su-ho swung his sword.

    Schwing!

    The statue split cleanly in half, its upper portion sliding apart.

    As soon as the cut was made, a red mist began to pour out of the statue.

    A screeching metallic sound erupted—a noise straight out of a horror movie.

    The mist thickened, coalescing into the broken halves of the statue. A grotesque, blood-like substance began to bind the pieces together, merging them back into a single form.

    Crack! Clatter!

    The statue reassembled itself, now infused with a sinister, glowing red light in its eyes. It moved, as though suddenly imbued with a will of its own.

    “Looks like I found it.”

    The entity animating the statue was a Parasite Spirit. More specifically, it was a malevolent soul bound to an artifact known as the Soulstone.

    “People started dying mysteriously not too long ago. The culprit turned out to be cursed items like this one.”

    The Soulstone was an artifact designed to trap spirits—specifically, evil ones. Over time, however, the spirit trapped within began to treat the artifact as its home. While it remained dormant most of the time, any attack on the Soulstone would trigger a violent response, earning it the label of a cursed item.

    “It’s like a hermit crab in a shell.”

    Cases of harm caused by Parasite Spirits had gone unnoticed for years. This was because the spirits used the energy of their victims to repair their Soulstones, then concealed their presence once more.

    Now, the Parasite Spirit inhabiting the statue began to transform it into a soldier-like figure, adopting a combat stance as it prepared to attack Su-ho.

    [ Iron Slash activated. ]

    Before the statue could move, Su-ho struck again with his sword.

    Schwing!

    The blow split the statue vertically this time, reducing it to quivering halves on the ground.

    The statue’s remnants trembled violently, releasing another burst of red mist. This time, however, the mist surged toward Su-ho.

    The Soulstone had been destroyed, forcing the spirit to seek a new host.

    [ The Parasite Spirit invades your mind. ]

    [ The Parasite Spirit begins to possess your body and shatter your psyche. ]

    The mist seeped into Su-ho’s body, attempting to take control.

    It might have succeeded—if not for Su-ho’s unique trait.

    [ Dragon’s Blood activated. ]

    [ Dragon Armor’s Draconic Endurance nullifies all mental corruption. ]

    The Parasite Spirit’s invasion faltered as the Dragon Armor’s inherent ability blocked its effects.

    “...!”

    The spirit, realizing it had encountered an unimaginable force, began to panic.

    But Su-ho’s Dragon Armor wasn’t finished.

    [ Dragon Armor’s Draconic Endurance begins purifying the Parasite Spirit. ]

    [ Dragon Armor’s Draconic Endurance begins absorbing the Parasite Spirit. ]

    The armor’s purification effect cleansed the spirit, breaking its hold on the material world.

    [ The Parasite Spirit has been fully purified. ]

    [ No knowledge could be gained from the absorbed Parasite Spirit. ]

    [ The Soulstone has been liberated. Item information updated. ]

    Holding the liberated Soulstone in his hand, Su-ho smiled.