Player who Returned 10,000 years Later
chapter-19

Rustle-

"Huh?"

The man wielding the axe turned his head around to where the sound of something moving could be heard.

"Who are you?"

"Is he someone just passing by?"

The two men glared at KangWoo. The one who was wielding the sword clicked his tongue.

"What an unlucky guy. Well, since he's seen us, we aren't going to let him return safely."

"How bothersome."

They pointed their weapons toward KangWoo while making fishy smiles.

The man wielding the axe opened his mouth and spoke in a low voice.

"We don't need to take this guy alive... Right?"

"Well, yes. We already have enough with these two."

"Hahaha. I see."

The one who was wielding the axe approached KangWoo while making a chilling smile.

The demonic energy on the axe's blade got a bit darker.

The man checked out KangWoo while licking his lips.

"His face isn't bad... And his body is also good. Hahaha. It will be fun to chop him into pieces."

He stared at KangWoo with an intense look in his eyes.

You could feel a sticky desire in his breath that had gotten rougher.

"Oof, oof! Your back, let me see your back!"

"..."

KangWoo frowned after listening to his shout mixed with a rough breath.

'This fucker.'

He wasn't sure what “let me see your back” meant, but it felt unpleasant.

"Hahaha! Scream loudly! If you do so, maybe I'll forgive you!"

Stomp-!

While laughing unpleasantly, he stomped on the ground.

—And then rushed toward KangWoo while targeting his neck.

KangWoo took a step forward and raised his hand.

He didn't need to use any Authority or a complex fight strategy against someone like that.

Slap-!

"Ugh!"

After being punched in his cheek, the man rolled to the ground and staggered to his feet with a confused expression on his face.

"Wh-what?"

"What are you doing?"

"There's something strange…"

Slap-!

"Ugh!"

KangWoo punched him violently on his cheek after approaching him.

After reaching the third awakening, his available demonic energy had increased significantly. Which, at the same time, improved his physical abilities.

Whack-! Slam-! Wham-!

"Coff! Agh! W-wait!"

KangWoo overcame with his ten thousand years of fighting experience an opponent who had finished the third awakening.

KangWoo's demonic energy stat had surpassed the stats of a fourth-awakening player, so there was no way he'd be able to face KangWoo.

"You son of a…!"

After seeing his partner being one-sidedly hit, the one wielding the sword charged toward KangWoo.

There was demonic energy on his hand, too.

KangWoo raised his hand toward the air.

Authority of Destructive Void.

A bullet made of compressed air flew toward the man wielding the sword.

After being hit with an air pellet that could even break through stones, the man rolled on the floor while blood poured out of his mouth.

"Cough… Wh-what?"

"There's something I wanted to ask you."

KangWoo slowly walked toward the man whose face had been covered with blood.

He crouched down in front of the fallen man and asked in a low voice.

"Where did you get demonic energy?"

He didn't think both had attributes that allowed them to convert mana into demonic energy.

And there was no way they had the power of Predation, which allowed you to absorb the demonic energy that was inside the souls of monsters.

"You..."

The man’s expression became stiff after hearing KangWoo's question.

"How do you know about demonic energy..." He asked in a dreary voice.

Slam-!

KangWoo punched him in the cheek.

"I'm the one asking the questions—you just need to answer them."

"Ugh! Coff! Coff!"

"I'll ask it again. From where did you get demonic energy?"

"Ugh."

* * *

He trembled after feeling the killing intent coming out from KangWoo.

While looking at him, KangWoo used the Authority of Fear.

He couldn't make him his puppet yet because he wasn't scared enough.

But the Authority of Fear had other uses, too. For example, deepening the fear that the target has of you.

"Ah..."

The man’s legs became wet.

From his point of view, KangWoo looked like a horrible monster rather than a human being.

The man slowly opened his mouth.

"G-guild master..."

"Seo TaeHo! What are you saying?! Are you crazy?!"

After hearing his companion answering in a stuttering voice, the man with the sword tried to get up.

KangWoo turned his head around.

"Don't move."

"Eek!"

The man was overwhelmed by the immense energy coming out from KangWoo's body.

After falling to the ground, he looked up at KangWoo as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Y-you. How can you...?!"

"I told you not to move."

Paf-!

Another air bullet hit the man.

After being hit by it, he rolled to the ground and lost consciousness.

KangWoo looked at Seo TaeHo.

"Guild master?"

"Y-yes!"

"What's the name of the guild?"

"A-Andras! We're from the Andras guild!"

"..."

The Andras guild…

It was a guild created by taking the name of one of the 72 demons of Solomon.

The guild Han TaeHyun was a part of was a mid-sized one that had lots of shady rumors around them.

"Our guild master has given us this strength through a ceremony!"

"Ceremony?"

KangWoo frowned after hearing that word.

"What's the ceremony?"

"That…"

Seo TaeHo's eyes began shaking.

He couldn't hide his fear.

KangWoo increased the effect of the Authority of Fear. Bubbles came out of Seo TaeHo's mouth while his body trembled.

"Say it."

"The c-ceremony. Ceremony… cerem—AARRGG!!"

Blood veins appeared all over Seo TaeHo's body.

He trembled as if a root of something had been planted inside his body and died after vomiting black blood.

Seo TaeHo had died before KangWoo could do anything.

KangWoo frowned after looking at the corpse.

'Did they put some device on them so they wouldn't be able to talk about the ceremony?'

That was the only explanation he could think of.

KangWoo turned his sight from Seo TaeHo's body and stood up.

He walked toward TaeSoo.

"A-are you Mr. K-KangWoo?"

"Yes."

"H-how did you deal with those two alone…"

Just a few days before, he'd seen KangWoo in an E-rank gate. Yet right then, he'd defeated two players who seemed to have completed the fourth awakening.

KangWoo shrugged his shoulders and calmly replied.

"I had some things to do, so I went to the E-rank gate."

"Woah! I see! So you weren't a novice in the first place?"

"Right."

Although he had just become a player, KangWoo lied very naturally.

"Ha. I see why you said that you had a plan. Anyway, thank you very much. If it weren't for KangWoo hyeong, I would've definitely at the hands of those two."

"Th-thank you for saving us."

The other young man who was losing blood bowed to KangWoo.

"My name is Kim TaeHyun."

"I'm Oh KangWoo."

"Haha! I guess this is why they say that you should try to know as many people as possible! I would've never imagined that KangWoo hyeong was a high-level player!"

TaeSoo burst into laughter while making a big fuss.

KangWoo smiled while looking at TaeSoo, who was thanking him while making a big fuss about it.

"I'll definitely pay you back for today, brother!"

"Okay."

"I knew that the reputation of the Andras guild was bad, but to think that they would do something like this…"

TaeSoo frowned while looking at the two that had attacked him.

He knew that the reputation of the Andras guild was bad, but he would've never imagined that they had chaos players among their members.

"I'll report today's incident to the Hwagang Squad!"

"Hwang Squad?"

"It's a player squadron that works for the government. If I announce that the Andras guild uses chaos players, they will probably investigate them."

"Hmm…"

KangWoo remained silent for a little while. After thinking about it, he opened his mouth.

"Don't report today's incident."

"Hmm? What do you mean, KangWoo hyeong?"

"I'm going to deal with the Andras Guild personally."

He had to investigate what that ceremony that put demonic energy into people was.

If the government got involved, he probably wouldn't be able to conduct proper research.

"Hmm… Understood."

TaeSoo nodded with a heavy expression on his face.

KangWoo was surprised by TaeSoo's reaction.

'It seems like he's smarter than I thought.'

He had such rough manners that one could be suspicious about whether he were a monster or a person, but it seemed like he'd quickly understood his intentions.

'The conversation is going to be short.'

KangWoo thought that he'd be able to investigate them comfortably.

"Okay. Then forget about what happened t—"

Stomp-!

"I, Kang TaeSoo, will follow hyeongnim and personally teach those guys a lesson!"

"What?"

"Aren't you trying to do justice by your own hands? Just like in martial arts novels?!"

'Not really.'

"I like martial arts novels!"

'So what?'

"I, Kang TaeSoo, was moved by hyeongnim’s burning desire for justice! Since I owe you my life, I want to use it by helping your cause!"

TaeSoo knelt on one knee and looked up to KangWoo with sparkling eyes.

KangWoo saw someone else's figure overlapped with TaeSoo.

KangWoo put his hand on his forehead as if he had a headache.

'What's up with…'

This Balrog-like guy?