Chapter 4

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Shall I Kill Them?
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At those words, Crabslie’s face lit up as he replied.

“I’ve heard that Gates are places teeming with all sorts of monsters.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“My Lord, you have made a truly wise and sagacious decision!”

“What is it now?”

When Kang-jun asked back in a thoroughly indifferent tone, Crabslie let out a series of unsettling chuckles, “Heh, heh heh…,” and answered.

“No matter how fine a sword may be, if it remains in its scabbard for too long, its blade will dull and rust.”

“Oh, really now?”

“I am already filled with anticipation at the thought of stretching my limbs after so long. How many ages has it been… since I last stood on a battlefield, where blood and screams run rampant, and life and death intertwine?”

Kang-jun stared intently at Crabslie and replied.

“I think that might be a little difficult.”

“Pardon?”

“We’re just ‘porters,’ you see.”

Uh…

Kang-jun walked a few steps ahead and continued his explanation.

“I looked into it, and to hunt monsters inside a Gate yourself, you have to go through a bunch of complicated procedures to get something called a ‘license.’”

First, you had to report to and register with the government-affiliated ‘Bureau of Awakener Management,’ then complete about sixty hours of related training.

Then you had to take notoriously difficult written and practical exams, and only after passing an interview could you finally get your hands on this ‘license.’

However…

There was a far more serious problem than the complicated procedures.

“Actually, the licensing fee is a bigger issue than the procedures. I think it costs a million won per person, and we don’t have that kind of money right now, do we?”

“It is with utmost reverence that I speak, but no matter how dire our circumstances, I believe this is not the way! For you, my Lord, who reigned above all the worlds, to be a mere porter!”

Finishing his words, Crabslie suddenly shouted, “My Lord!” and dropped to one knee on the asphalt ground.

“Pray, allow this humble servant to engage in economic activities alone until our household finances stabilize—!”

“Hey, that’s enough. Cut the theatrics and get up. Everyone walking by is staring at us.”

Conscious of the surrounding gazes, Kang-jun looked around.

The eyes of the passersby on the street near the station were all fixed on the two of them.

*Sigh, I’d be staring too.*

A white-haired old man, who looked to be at least in his seventies, was kneeling on the ground, bowing his head to a young man in his prime.

And to top it all off, he was dressed in a blue tracksuit, top and bottom, and even wearing a monocle that clashed completely with his attire…

Crabslie, on the other hand, seemed utterly oblivious to the countless stares directed at him.

“Even if a blade were at my throat, the sight of my Lord working as a mere porter is something I absolutely cannot…”

Just as Crabslie was about to continue,

“Hey, are you not getting up?”

“You really wanna die?”

At those words, Crabslie’s face turned pale for a moment…

“Ahem, hmm.”

Clearing his throat a few times as if embarrassed, he reluctantly began to rise from his spot.

Based on his experience over the past few hundred years, his Lord’s question, “You wanna die?” was tantamount to a final warning.

All those who failed to obey his Lord’s command after hearing those words met gruesome and tragic ends.

The first person who came to mind was a man called the Heavenly Demon, the absolute ruler of a dimension known as the Murim world.

*Looking back, he was a truly pitiful man. He probably never imagined that the price for ignoring my Lord’s warning would be spending the rest of his life in a bib, barely able to chew and swallow the food someone fed him…*

Moreover, his Lord hadn’t just said, “You wanna die?”

He had clearly emphasized it, saying, “You *really* wanna die?”

*If I hadn’t yielded just now, I too would have spent the rest of my days wearing a bib and drooling. Yes, indeed I would have…*

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Crabslie involuntarily shuddered.

“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on working as a porter for long.”

“Pardon?”

“At most, it’ll probably be for about a week, don’t you think?”

Having said that, Kang-jun added a gentle explanation.

“They said the daily wage for a porter is about three hundred thousand won, so if we work for just a day or two, we should be able to take care of all our overdue utility bills.”

“And after that…?”

“We’ll work as porters for another three or four days to save up the money for the ‘Awakener License’ fee. After that, we won’t have to work as porters ever again.”

Kang-jun then gently patted Crabslie’s shoulder a couple of times and added in a placating tone.

“You don’t think I’m unaware of your burning loyalty, do you? It pains you to even think about seeing me work as a porter, right?”

“Yes, I suppose so…”

“Still, I hope you can understand, just until then. We need to make money right now, and there’s no other easy way, is there?”

At those words, Crabslie muttered, “My Lord…” and unconsciously came to a halt.

He stared intently at the back of his master, who was walking further away, and thought to himself.

*He is truly a wise and benevolent king…*

The Emperor who had reigned at the pinnacle of all worlds had, overnight, been reduced to a mere ‘porter.’

If he himself felt this devastated, he couldn’t even begin to fathom how the Emperor must feel.

*I was so stubborn, completely failing to grasp the resolve or determination my Lord must have had to summon to make this decision…*

And yet, his Lord had not only understood his feelings but had also cajoled and soothed him, asking for his understanding.

Crabslie repeatedly struck his chest—*Thump! Thump!*—and muttered to himself in a self-deprecating tone.

“This is all the result of my own inadequacy. I am so ashamed, I can hardly bear to face my Lord…”

He believed there was only one way to atone for all of this.

*Eternal loyalty.*

He vowed and vowed again that he would serve his Lord with sincere loyalty for all his remaining days.

Meanwhile, at that very moment…

Kang-jun glanced back at Crabslie and thought.

*So simple-minded.*

Not long after, the two arrived at their destination.

“Looks like that’s the place.”

It was the ‘Digital Complex Office Street,’ located not far from the station. As the name suggested, it was an area densely packed with all sorts of corporate and office buildings.

A Gate, which could be considered a ticking time bomb, had appeared in the middle of the main road.

But for some reason…

The people around seemed nothing but calm.

Of course, a barricade had been set up around the Gate.

And about half a dozen soldiers, armed with rifles, stood guard in front of it…

But that was it.

People freely walked past the barricade, navigating the street.

Laughing and talking.

On the phone.

Holding cups of coffee.

The nearby shops were still bustling with business.

Kang-jun found the scene unfolding before his eyes quite displeasing.

*These people seem to have a serious lack of concern for safety.*

Gates like this could also be easily found on the Anux Continent.

The official term for a Gate was a ‘Dimensional Rift,’ a passage that allowed free travel to entirely different dimensions.

In the past, Kang-jun had led his undead army through these rifts to invade various dimensions.

The Spirit Realm, the Demon Realm, the Murim world, and so on and so forth…

And although they had all ended in failure, there had also been powerful beings from other dimensions who had, in turn, invaded the Anux Continent.

Which meant…

It wouldn’t be strange at all if some unknown existence were to invade Earth at any moment.

*Well, whatever.*

No matter who tried to invade, he was confident he could protect his family, one way or another.

He had accumulated power worthy of being called divine, and he still possessed that overflowing strength.

As Kang-jun was gazing at the Gate,

“Excuse me, are you the ones who applied to be porters for the D-Rank Gate today?”

The question came unexpectedly from a kind-faced young man.

*Nod.*

Instead of a verbal reply, Kang-jun nodded. The young man mumbled, “Hmm,” and asked again.

“You said there were two of you, where is the other….”

Just then, Crabslie, who was standing right beside Kang-jun, extended a hand to the young man for a handshake and replied.

“A pleasure to meet you. My name is Choi Dol-soe.”

“Sir, are you also a porter…?”

“Yes, it just so happened to turn out that way.”

At his words, the young man couldn’t hide his troubled expression as he scratched the back of his head and muttered under his breath.

“Hmm, what should I do about this…”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s just that…”

Just then, a tough-looking bald man standing behind the young man cut in, muttering irritably, “Ah, hell…”

“Are you guys really the porters who signed up for the D-Rank Gate raid today? Seriously, what’s with this old geezer and scrawny kid trying to be porters?”

“Ho ho. As you say, I may be old, but I can certainly handle the work of a porter. In any case, a pleasure to meet you. I am Choi Dol-soe…”

“Hey, old man. Porter work is something even able-bodied men struggle with. It’s definitely not a job for a decrepit old fossil like you, or the scrawny kid you brought along.”

At those words, Crabslie let out a low “Hmm…” and whispered into Kang-jun’s ear in a hushed voice.

“My Lord, it is with utmost reverence that I ask…”

“What now?”

“Shall I kill them?”

His expression was more serious than anyone’s in the world.