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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Who Made Her Cry?
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With a single word from Kang-jun, color washed over the entire world.
It was a scene nothing short of breathtaking…
And because of it, everyone was completely lost in a daze.
「■■■ thought.」
A story resonated in the ears of all who were present.
「The eternal winter that had descended upon Niflheim was certainly a good match for the word ‘death’…」
「The cold of that season, where all life plummeted toward its end, truly resembled ‘death’…」
The story, indistinguishable as voice or text, continued without end.
「But, he deemed it harsh.」
Kang-jun’s gaze swept across the entire world.
「For those who had arrived here having lost everything, the cold of this place was far too cruel.」
「Therefore, he thought of ‘spring’.」
「A season full of life, where the wind caressing the skin grew warm and brilliant flowers bloomed in abandoned fields.」
The scent of flowers blossomed in every direction.
「This place would become the warmest of all the netherworlds in the Abyss…」
「And this world, once abbreviated by the short term ‘netherworld,’ was granted a new name.」
The entire Abyss resonated.
「The new name of this world is…」
「The Spring of Eternal Rest.」
「This is a new myth of ■■■.」
Everyone’s gaze turned to Kang-jun.
「Once again, the chapter turns.」
「The ‘Void’ welcomes ■■■.」
Just then, Kang-jun spoke.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
He posed the question with a nonchalant tone to the Hunters, who were still frozen in place.
“Looks like we’re pretty much done here. We should head back.”
With that, Kang-jun was the first to start walking toward the rift that led to the outside world…
“We should also hurry…”
Kang Seong-hyeon, who was about to say more, paused and looked at Yun Hui-su, who wore a sad expression.
“What’s wrong?”
Yun Hui-su was constantly looking around, as if searching for someone.
“If this is where the dead come…”
“Yes?”
“Wouldn’t our Hye-su be somewhere here, too?”
As she mentioned the name of her daughter, who had died in a Gate accident, Kang Seong-hyeon’s lips moved, but no words came out.
“Don’t you think he would know?”
At Yun Hui-su’s question, spoken while looking at Kang-jun’s back, Kang Seong-hyeon quietly muttered, “Perhaps…”
“Just who is he…”
Although they knew nothing of the man’s identity, he was clearly capable of performing what could only be called ‘miracles.’
After all, hadn’t even the boss monster of the Cataclysm-rank Gate, which had boasted overwhelming power, chosen to take its own life, unable to defy his command?
With a single word from him, the very terrain had shifted to his liking, and the very *color* of the dreary world had been completely transformed.
‘I definitely felt a certain *caliber* that was utterly incomparable to us…’
He had clearly reached a distant realm that they could never hope to attain, no matter how much they dedicated their entire lives to it.
[This Gate will soon disappear.]
Just then, a system message with the same content appeared before everyone’s eyes. Kang Seong-hyeon patted her shoulder and spoke with a forced calm.
“Let’s go back for now.”
It was time to return.
* * *
The moment he stepped out of the Gate, a few system messages with incomprehensible meanings began to appear one after another before Kang-jun’s eyes.
[Due to your intervention, the ‘Scenario’ of the Asgard Constellation will undergo major revisions.]
[The ‘Fated Day of Destruction’ for the Asgard Constellation has been postponed to an indefinite future.]
[A portion of the deities from the Asgard Constellation express their gratitude to you for postponing their destruction.]
After muttering, “What is this nonsense…,” Kang-jun swiped his hand, dismissing the system messages before him.
He then took out the smartphone from his pocket, checked the time, and mumbled in a tone thick with panic.
“I’m going to be late at this rate…”
Kang-jun finally looked over at the Hunters of the reclamation team, who were gathered in a small group.
He was about to urge them on, saying they needed to return to Korea immediately…
“It’s disappearing…”
They were all preoccupied with watching the rift in the sky directly above the Aksardam Temple.
The great disaster known as the ‘Cataclysm-rank Gate,’ which had stolen a part of Southeast Asia from humanity, was slowly vanishing.
What they were witnessing was not just the disappearance of a Cataclysm-rank Gate, but a faint glimmer of hope for the future of all mankind.
“Suppressed…”
Muttering under his breath, Kang Seong-hyeon finally began to check on the condition of his comrades.
Although there were several injuries, they all seemed to be minor.
‘Everyone returned safely…’
Without suffering any significant loss of strength, they had succeeded in their original objective of rescuing ‘Time Ripper Jeong Yun-chan’ and bringing him back…
And on top of that, hadn’t they achieved a feat of global significance by suppressing a Cataclysm-rank Gate, which wasn’t even part of their mission?
‘Thanks to that man…’
Just then, Kang-jun approached Kang Seong-hyeon and asked in a flat tone.
“Did you call for a plane?”
At his words, Kang Seong-hyeon licked his dry lower lip and carefully began to speak.
“I’ve just finished reporting to the Bureau, so I expect one to arrive within the next five or six hours…”
Kang-jun’s brow furrowed deeply as he replied.
“Hey, it’d be faster to run.”
He then fell into deep thought for a moment.
“Status Window…”
As Kang-jun muttered into the air, a series of system messages began to appear.
[Divine Name: The God Who Slays Gods]
[True Name: Lee Kang-jun (■■■)]
[Constellation: Unaffiliated]
[Class: Necromancer]
[Level: 59]
[The Level stat has been changed to a ‘Locked’ state.]
[Specific conditions must be met to unlock it.]
[Condition: Complete the altered scenario of the Asgard Constellation.]
[Titles: Fate Defier (EX), God Slayer (EX), Ultimate Necromancer (SS), Demon Slayer (SS), Dragon Slayer (S), Plunderer of the World Tree (S) ….]
[Strength: ???]
[Agility: ???]
[Stamina: ???]
[Magic Power: ???]
[Divine Power: ???]
[Retainers: 2]
[1. Shartia von de Crabslie]
[2. Sud Rud Mardian Iriel]
[When this player reaches ‘Level 60,’ a new summonable retainer will be unlocked.]
[Authorities]
[Myth Transcription (EX): All your thoughts and actions are recorded as ‘myth,’ becoming widely known throughout the Abyss and passed down through generations.]
[Master of the World’s Strongest Serpent (EX): The world’s strongest serpent, ‘Ouroboros,’ awaits your call somewhere in the Abyss.]
[Voyage of Ruin (EX): You can freely command the great warship ‘Naglfar,’ which can travel between the mortal world and the netherworlds.]
[Absorbing more Divine Power will unlock additional ‘Authorities.’]
The first thing that caught Kang-jun’s eye was the entry for his ‘Level.’
‘Locked?’
He had noticed that system messages related to his ‘Level’ hadn’t been appearing for a while now; it seemed some sort of condition had been imposed.
‘A scenario, huh…’
To bring his other retainers—his old comrades and loyal subjects—to Earth, he needed to steadily raise his ‘Level’…
‘But that’s not what’s important right now.’
The reason Kang-jun was checking his status window, which he usually ignored, was to look at his ‘Authorities.’
Until recently, his only Authority was ‘Myth Transcription,’ which activated on its own without any regard for his will.
Checking again, it seemed two new Authorities had been added, which he could now activate at will and use as needed.
‘Master of the World’s Strongest Serpent… is this an Authority to summon Ouroboros?’
It seemed to be an Authority he had acquired after defeating Jörmungandr in the Cataclysm-rank Gate in Insadong.
Kang-jun’s gaze then settled on the description of the new Authority listed just below it, ‘Voyage of Ruin (EX).’
‘This must be the one I just got…’
Having roughly sorted out his thoughts, Kang-jun spoke to the air, his voice imbued with Divine Power.
“Naglfar.”
As soon as Kang-jun uttered the command word, a tremendous “Craaack!” echoed once more as the air was torn asunder…
The bow of the massive warship they had witnessed inside the Cataclysm-rank Gate revealed itself again.
A long ladder unfurled from the warship floating in the air, swaying gently in the wind…
Kang-jun immediately began to climb the ladder. When he reached the midpoint, he looked down at the reclamation team Hunters and spoke softly.
“I have something important to do, so I have to go first.”
Then, as if something was bothering him, he hesitated for a moment before casually asking.
“Want a ride?”
Meanwhile.
Having completed its long remodeling and expansion, ‘Snow White Kindergarten’ had reopened for the new semester and was bustling with people.
—We thank all our future students and their parents for coming today. We will now begin the entrance ceremony for Snow White Kindergarten…
The announcer’s voice echoed through the auditorium…
“Kang-jun, why isn’t he answering his phone…”
As Lee Su-bin spoke, biting her nails, Seol-i asked with a pout.
“Auntie, where’s Dady?”
Lee Su-bin forced a smile and gently stroked Seol-i’s hair.
Seol-i was neatly dressed from head to toe in a cute yellow uniform reminiscent of a ‘chick.’
She had been excited all morning to show her dad her new uniform, but she couldn’t get in touch with Kang-jun.
“I don’t know. I think your dad will be here soon, though…”
“Weally?”
“If he’s late and can’t make it, we can just take a picture and show him.”
At those words, Seol-i burst into tears and said.
“Dady pwomised we’d go togeder… He’s a wiar…”
It was then.
“Oh my?”
Hearing a sudden voice from behind, Lee Su-bin whipped her head around.
“We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
The owner of the voice was Lee Mi-yeon, the president of the Yeoksam-dong Early Childhood Parents’ Association, with whom she had argued at the café a while ago.
“Well, well.”
Her gaze swept over Seol-i.
‘That’s a kids’ backpack from Hermès made with the finest fabric, and those are the new limited-edition, ultra-expensive kids’ shoes from Chanel, aren’t they?’
She then glanced at Lee Su-bin’s attire for a moment, let out a smirk, and continued in a mocking tone.
“Hmm, looks like you went all out for the entrance ceremony. I’m not sure how you managed to get your hands on items even I couldn’t find, but…”
Her voice trailed off vaguely before she widened her eyes in feigned shock, covering her mouth with her hand as she asked in an exaggerated tone.
“Oops, don’t tell me they’re *imitations*?”
When Lee Su-bin retorted sharply, “Hey!” Lee Mi-yeon waved her hand dismissively and continued to sneer.
“Oh my, it was just a joke. Why are you raising your voice and making things weird?”
“But…”
“What’s wrong with you? You’re acting as if you really did put your daughter in knockoffs.”
She then looked around at the other parents gathered nearby and asked, “Isn’t that right?” before bursting into giggles.
“Don’t fight…”
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Seol-i tightly gripped Lee Su-bin’s sleeve.
“Oh my, by the way, I don’t see your husband. Don’t tell me you came to your child’s entrance ceremony alone?”
At that, Lee Su-bin didn’t even spare her a glance and shot back indifferently.
“Whether I came alone or not, what business is it of yours? You’re being awfully nosy…”
Lee Mi-yeon interjected with a sly grin.
“Well, I didn’t see him last time either, so I was just wondering if you were a single mother raising a child on your own…”
As Seol-i mumbled, “A single momma?” Lee Su-bin’s eyes flared again.
“Why have you been doing this to us since last time? Why do you keep saying such things in front of a child…”
Lee Mi-yeon cut her off abruptly.
“You must have misunderstood. It’s just that you remind me of my younger sister.”
She then looked at Seol-i and continued.
“Sweetie, you have to listen to your mommy from now on, okay?”
“Huh?”
“It must be so hard for her, raising you all by herself.”
At that, Seol-i answered timidly.
“She’s not my mommy…”
Lee Mi-yeon’s brow furrowed as she let her imagination run wild.
“Oops, if she’s not even your mommy, then is it a childcare facility…”
Just then, Lee Su-bin’s eyes widened as she shouted.
“Hey, what on earth are you talking about right now?”
In response, Lee Mi-yeon looked around and shouted in a booming voice for everyone to hear.
“I mean, does it make any sense that our children have to be educated in the same space as a child from a facility?”
Murmurs spread through the crowd at her words…
Just as Seol-i was about to burst into tears.
“Waaaaah!”
Lee Mi-yeon, growing even more triumphant, spewed out her words.
“And you, trying to pretend you’re something you’re not, dressing your kid in ‘imitations’…”
“They were a gift!”
“Are you seriously using that as an excuse? Who on earth would gift items that cost tens of thousands of dollars a piece…”
It was then.
“I did.”
A burly man stepped between Lee Su-bin and Lee Mi-yeon, his voice dangerously low.
“No, Uncle Tiger…”
It was none other than Go Du-yeol.
“Uncle Tiger gave them to her.”
Just as Seol-i spotted Go Du-yeol and was about to cry out sorrowfully, “Big Uncle!”
The people gathered in the auditorium moved aside, clearing a path…
Thud, thud…
A line of Korea’s top-class Hunters, looking utterly exhausted, began to file into the auditorium.
It was a lineup so spectacular it had no trouble capturing the attention of everyone present.
“That’s… Black Wolf Kang Seong-hyeon, right?”
“Swift Sword Yun Hui-su is here too…”
“Hey, isn’t that the Ice Witch, Seol Eun-bin?”
“The Filial Son, Kim Bong-gu, is also here…”
“Did a Ranker’s child enroll here too?”
“At least security will be tight…”
Just then, Swift Sword Yun Hui-su crouched down in front of Seol-i, gently stroking her hair as she asked.
“Sweetie, do you remember me?”
Seol-i nodded and replied.
“Uh-huh, I wemember…”
“You really remember me?”
“Yep, you gave me candy…”
“You’re so smart.”
Bong-gu, who had arrived late, also rushed over to Seol-i.
“Se-Seol-i! Why are you cwying?”
“Unca…”
“Wh-wh-who did this!”
It was then.
“What’s going on…”
At the words of Kang-jun, who was the last to enter the auditorium, the Ranker-class Hunters immediately stepped aside…
“Daddyyyyy…”
The moment she saw Kang-jun, Seol-i began to cry even more sorrowfully, as if all her sadness had come rushing back.
“Who was it…”
Kang-jun’s icy gaze swept over everyone.
“Who made her cry…”
At his words, the entire hall froze solid.
