The Autumn sky was high and vast.
This morning, the internet was full of trivial news. Articles about the upcoming Hunter promotion exams next week, a celebrity making a comeback, or forecasts of clear skies throughout the coming week dominated the headlines. The peaceful days continued.
Even the fashion of office workers was gradually changing. Short-sleeved dress shirts were being replaced with long sleeves, fans and air conditioners were being turned off, and windows were being opened to enjoy the cool autumn breeze.
“It’s been real peaceful recently, huh?” Cheol-Soo drawled, interrupting the sound of typing keyboards and clicking mice.
Though peace was undoubtedly a good thing, his tone carried a hint of unease. The others in the office seemed to agree to some extent.
Of course, he was speaking in relative terms.
Temporary Fissures would occasionally open in the sky, releasing one or two monsters that caused chaos in the vicinity, or monsters would emerge from C-rank or lower regular Fissures when a break wasn’t prevented. Such incidents happened across the country several times a week.
However, major events—such as the opening of a new S-rank Gate or the appearance of a dragon species that devastated surrounding areas—had not occurred even once in the past six months.
“When something stops happening all of a sudden, it makes you uneasy. What do you think?” Cheol-Soo asked Do-Jun.
Do-Jun remained silent for a moment before shrugging and replying, “I’m not sure.”
“Anyway, I’ve been working in Fissure management for over eight years. My gut is telling me that something’s wrong—like we’re in the eye of the storm or something. Don’t you think so, Hyuk-Soo?”
Hyuk-Soo was walking back to his desk after making himself some coffee when he caught Cheol-Soo’s gaze. Tapping a stack of documents on his desk, Hyuk-Soo watched as Do-Jun stood up and walked away.
He swallowed nervously and murmured under his breath, “We are in the eye of the storm. You just don’t know it yet, Chief.”
Later that evening, after dinner, Do-Jun sat under the pavilion in front of Changshin Supermarket.
Karsiel was happily shopping inside with Byeol. Watching them, Do-Jun smiled faintly. Karsiel was the most mature member of the household, aside from Yoon-Hee. For some reason, though, when she was alone with Do-Jun, she tended to act a bit spoiled. Yet, when caring for Yong-Yong or Byeol, her competence and maturity shone through.
At that moment, Kiriel appeared in front of Do-Jun, dressed in jeans and a short-sleeved T-shirt, carrying a bow as tall as he was on his back. He held out a crumpled piece of paper with both hands that read “Vacation Permit.”
“I’ve received a vacation permit from the lizard,” he said to Do-Jun.
“I plan to visit the Deep Realm.”
Kiriel, who worked at Hakase’s food stall, occasionally took time off to visit the Deep Realm. Tonight marked the beginning of a four-day trip.
The Deep Realm, located at the edge of the Core, was known as an uninhabitable place, teeming with incomprehensibly powerful beings far beyond ordinary mortals. Although Do-Jun sometimes wondered about it, he wasn’t particularly curious most of the time.
“I’ll make sure to pass on your regards to Wei Zhongqi,” Kiriel said.
“I’d appreciate that.”
Kiriel gave a small bow. Then, absentmindedly, he tore the paper in his hand. His eyes widened as he realized he had torn his vacation permit instead of the page from the Book of Transfer.
“Dammit!” he muttered and rushed back to the food stall. “Lizard! I accidentally tore the vacation permit! Write me another one!”
“Can’t you see I’m busy? Why do you even need one in the first place? Just go!” Hakase said irritably.
“No way! I have to show it to Wei Zhongqi. He’s been asking me why I’ve been visiting so often!”
Hearing their exchange, Do-Jun sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
The rankings of the Deep Realm had been recently updated.
In the harsh environment of the Deep Realm, powerhouses clashed daily. As a result, many died, and especially those at the top levels were mysteriously killed in various places, mainly on Earth.
[Deep Realm Rankings]
1st (tie): Baal & Imfelheim (-)
Kiriel spent the whole day chuckling to himself, occasionally glancing at the ranking board. Formerly ranked thirty-second in the Deep Realm, he had unexpectedly climbed five places, though it wasn’t entirely his doing.
Wei Zhongqi, who was cooking porridge for lunch, shook his head as he watched Kiriel.
“I’ll have you know that I am now ranked twenty-seventh,” Kiriel declared proudly.
“Congratulations, Kiriel. But...” Wei Zhongqi trailed off.
“You’ve been taking vacations a little too often lately.”
As if he had anticipated this, Kiriel flashed a triumphant smile and pulled the vacation permit out of his pocket. Wei Zhongqi stared at the permit before sighing and handing it back.
“The King of Earth asked me to send his regards,” Kiriel said.
“The Heavenly Demon?”
“Hm.” Wei Zhongqi smiled, thinking that Kiriel visiting this often wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He fondly recalled sharing jukyeopcheong on a rainy day under the pavilion in front of Do-Jun’s home during his last trip to Earth.
Wei Zhongqi suddenly stopped stirring the pot with his stick, as if reminded of something.
“Ah, that’s right,” he said.
“There were... well, let’s say, people who came seeking counsel from you.”
“From me?” Kiriel asked, surprised.
He hadn’t realized it, but he had become quite famous in the Deep Realm. While he was already well-known as a Transcendent, word of his activities had spread among the Deep Realm Rankers.
Wei Zhongqi explained, “Are you aware that there has been considerable discussion recently about the dangers of Earth, stemming from the fact that Rankers[1] who go there often don’t return?”
“Well, most of the Rankers who went to Earth ended up dead. Rumors are now circulating that Earth might actually be more dangerous than the Deep Realm. It’s not entirely wrong, either.”
Earth harbored an unparalleled being: Do-Jun, known as the Heavenly Demon both in the past and present. Among the inhabitants of the Deep Realm, only Wei Zhongqi and Kiriel knew the truth about him. He was surrounded by the Dragon Lord Izaas, other dragons, and the Spirit Queen, all of whom were his allies.
“In that context, your frequent trips to Earth have left Rankers in awe of you. With the Encroachment of Earth halted and many awaiting the Great War, some Rankers are now determined to visit Earth themselves,” Wei Zhongqi explained.
Kiriel crossed his arms and shut his eyes. It didn’t take long for the news that Kiriel had returned from his trip to Earth to spread through the Deep Realm.
The first visitor to Mount Yeongryunsan was one of the Usurpers, Naias. Usurpers oversaw the Encroachment process of planets connected to the Core. Naias, ranked sixty-eighth and holding the title Ice Emperor, was the frost-bound soul of the Frost King, also on par with the strongest of the Usurpers, Hyperion the Flame King.
Everything in his wake instantly froze up.
Naias stood before Kiriel, and when he slammed his sword into the ground, Mount Yeongryunsan seemed to plunge into an ice age, freezing everything in sight. Wei Zhongqi frowned, sighed, and retreated into his cottage, leaving Kiriel to handle the situation.
“It is our duty as Usurpers to oversee the hourglasses that monitor planetary Encroachment. As you know, the hourglass has been still for quite some time. The Flame King himself went to Earth out of concern but vanished without a trace. I’ve heard that he was killed!” Naias paused, then said, “Do you believe someone on Earth could have killed the Flame King?”
“You’re planning to go to Earth,” Kiriel stated.
“That’s right,” Naias agreed.
“Going to Earth?” Naias asked, a bit unsure.
“Nope, coming to me. Consider yourself lucky to have come to me first before heading to Earth.” Kiriel looked Naias up and down, then remarked, “You’ll last exactly one second.”
Kiriel’s “advisory” sessions continued for days.
By now, Wei Zhongqi had grown accustomed to the constant influx of powerful beings from the Deep Realm seeking Kiriel’s help. He went about his tasks without hesitation—cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, or crafting new weapons from materials he’d brought back from who-knows-where.
The current client was a demon ranked 183rd.
The demon said, “These other Rankers are afraid of some insignificant Earthlings? I should strip them of their ranks. Don’t you agree, Kiriel?”
In truth, Kiriel had never been on good terms with demons—if anything, they were enemies. But as a counselor, he didn’t let such matters bother him. Besides, with such a significant difference in power, the demon wouldn’t dare pick a fight with him anyway.
“You’re ranked 183rd. Get out of here,” Kiriel muttered as he glanced at the ranking board.
The demon scowled and stormed off.
Kiriel calmly turned to the next client. “O-oh, you are...”
The one who entered was none other than Murmu, the adventurer ranked fifth overall, said to be second only to Imfelheim among the Transcendents.
“How many seconds... would I last?” Murmu swallowed hard as he asked.
After an exhausting four-day vacation, Kiriel returned to Earth completely drained. He was at the food stall, slumped over the table despite the restaurant being busy.
While cooking a pot of stew, Hakase shot him a disapproving look. “Seriously? You just came back from vacation, and you’re acting like you’re more tired than I am?”
“Excuse me! Is our stew ready yet?” a customer asked.
“Hold on. It’s coming.”
Though he snapped at Kiriel just a second ago, Hakase quickly set aside his irritation when responding to the customer. He carried the stew to table number three with a smile. The customer rummaged through his pocket, pulled out a crisp 50,000 won bill, and handed it over.
“Thank you! I really love the food here. Consider this my tip.”
“Oh, uh... thanks. Come back anytime.”
Hakase scratched his head awkwardly as the customer left, then returned to sit across from Kiriel, who was still slumped over the table.
“So, what did you do on your vacation?” he asked Kiriel.
“I spent it advising without a moment’s rest.”
“Yeah. For idiots who were planning to come to Earth to get themselves killed,” Kiriel grumbled.
“By the end of my vacation, they were trying to see who could last the longest on Earth. Seriously, they have no idea...”
Still lying on the table, Kiriel gazed beyond the open flap of the food stall. Through the opening, he saw Do-Jun coming out of the villa with Karsiel and Byeol. Byeol tugged at Do-Jun’s pant leg, whispering something. Do-Jun smiled warmly and lifted her onto his shoulders for a piggyback ride.
Watching this scene, Kiriel shook his head.
“Not one of them would last more than a second....”
1. Just a quick reminder, this “Rankers” refers to the Deep Realm ranks and not the same as S-rank and above Hunters from Earth. ☜