On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons

Chapter 123: Even Evil Gods Do Business At Times

Before the crocodile could swallow Kang Woo whole...

“Ugh! Summon, Aegis Shield!”

Flash!

A golden shield engraved with Medusa’s symbol encased Kang Woo.

Claaaang!

The crocodile’s teeth and his shield clashed, sending sparks flying wildly.

W-what is this monster?!

Kang Woo went white seeing the monster’s visage. The 3-meter tall, crocodile-looking monster could walk on two legs. But that wasn’t all—it was fully equipped!

Clad in golden armor, the crocodile had a sword strapped on its waist, emitting sacred light.

There was no way Kang Woo wouldn’t recognize its equipment. The armor was Achilles, while the sword was Perseus, named after famous heroes from Greek mythology.

How did it obtain the armor from the Hunter Shop?!

Yes, the legendary equipment the crocodile wore from top to bottom could only be purchased at the Hunter Shop. Meanwhile, only a small percentage of S-rank and above Creation-type Hunters could access it. The Hunter Shop itself was more than a skill; it was a channel indirectly connected to a supposed god, connecting the ancient heroes to the present era. Perhaps, it was the only salvation for the doomed humanity.

Furious, Kang Woo’s hair stood on end. Those items mustn't fall into a monster’s hand!

-What a nuisance.

Clicking its tongue, the crocodile monster unsheathed Perseus from its waist.

“You! Those equipment aren’t for a monster like you!”

-Kekeke!

The crocodile sneered, striking Kang Woo’s Aegis Shield with the sword.

Baaam!

“Ugh!” Kang Woo’s knees buckled under the impact.

-Krrr!

With a cold glint in its reptilian eyes, the crocodile relentlessly attacked the shield.

Bam! Baaam!

Slashed at by Perseus, a crack started to form on the Aegis Shield.

Crack! Craaaack!

Banging the sword against the shield like a hammer proved to be highly effective. As the shield shattered, the crocodile reached for Kang Woo’s neck, its razor-like nails jutting out.

-Krrr!

Kang Woo’s face turned blue. He might be an S-rank Hunter, but his combat level was at the level of a C-rank Reinforce-type Hunter’s at best.

The crocodile’s eyes widened in delight.

-I’ve got you, pre—!

Baaam! Flick!

At that moment, something burst through the toilet walls, striking the crocodile monster at incredible speed.

Slam!

-Kaaargh!

As if hit by a dump truck, the crocodile monster was sent flying, smashing into the wall.

Kang Woo gasped for air, looking at his savior. Rolling at his feet was a 2-meter-long black object.

“Huff! Puff! A-a shark?”

Lying near his feet was a shark tube.

“Your bodyguard is here!”

Breaking through the toilet wall was its owner, Yu Il-Shin, clad in a swimsuit.

“Mr. Kang Woo! Are you alright?!”

“J-just how? How can a tube have such power...”

“Heh. No matter what brush you use, you can always come up with a masterpiece. In the same way, a master doesn’t discriminate against their weapon.” Yu Il-Shin twirled his Chinese kitchen knife. “At least, that was what Demon Lord taught me.”

That’s...!

Once again, Kang Woo was in shock. He instinctively knew that it was no ordinary knife. It was an equivalent of Lin Xiao Ming’s Asura Spiritwalker Sword—no, perhaps even better!

-Krrr! You bastard!

The crocodile monster angrily pulled itself off the wall with an angry face. Thanks to its armor, it remained unscathed despite the surprise attack.

Meanwhile, Yu Il-Shin tilted his head as he looked at the intruder.

“Huh? You look extremely familiar. Are you Akdol’s sibling?”

-You deserve to die for killing our mother! I’ll eat you without leaving anything behind!

Exuding intense bloodlust, the crocodile monster brandished its sword at Yu Il-Shin.

Ssss—! @@novelbin@@

In the next second, a shadow stepped between them instantly, slowly taking a human form. With a mocking tone, it said, “Keke. How laughable.”

It was Sword Demon.

“A lowly monster dares to challenge my Sword God? The sheer audacity! Mr. Sword God, could you please let me handle this one?”

“Will you be fine?”

“Of course. I will make up for the humiliation I suffered at the academy the last time.” Sword Demon drew out his sword with his newly regenerated arm, laughing ominously.

“Don’t push yourself.”

“Don’t worry! I’ll be sure to offer that monster’s head to you!”

“Y-you don’t really have...”

“Hyaaa! Take this, you monster! This is the Demon Lord's Heavenly Sword, bestowed upon me by the almighty Sword God!”

Sword Demon roared, bringing his sword crashing down on the crocodile monster with equal fury.

-Puny human, how dare you!

“Shut up and give me your head, monster!”

Clang! Claaang!

Kang Woo could only stare in a daze at the battle unfolding before him. There was an overwhelming difference in physique and strength between them. Each of the crocodile’s limbs was bigger than an adult man. No doubt, a single hit from the crocodile monster would destroy Sword Demon like an egg.

-You little rat!

However, the monster couldn’t even land a hit on Sword Demon, perhaps due to being unfamiliar with human weapons. Even if it could, it still couldn’t keep up with Sword Demon’s swift movements as he transformed from shadow to physical form and back again.

Swoosh!

Sword Demon swung his sword, reaching for the exposed crocodile’s eyes with his other hand. Whenever the monster blocked or dodged, Sword Demon would seize the opportunity to strike.

-Argh! You bastard!

He’s much stranger than before...

Kang Woo broke into cold sweat watching Sword Demon.

Sword Demon might not feel it, but Kang Woo knew. Before this, Sword Demon’s capability was between an A-rank and S-rank Hunter. But now, he was fighting with what seemed to be an S-rank monster on equal footing. Keep in mind that the monster was armed with legendary equipment from the Hunter Shop!

“Oh, you’re using hidden weapons along with that sword. Was this your original style, Sword Demon? You’re doing well.”

-Hmph! Hidden weapons are for weaklings! How can my disciple resort to using them?! So pathetic!

“Haa... Stop painting everyone with the same brush.”

Since Kang Woo couldn’t hear Demon Lord’s voice, seeing Yu Il-Shin talking to himself like a lunatic made him uneasy.

“S-shouldn’t we help him out?”

“Just leave him be. It seems weaker than Gustav anyway. Even if it takes a while, I’m sure Sword Demon will win. It’s a great opportunity to test out his new arm anyway.” Yu Il-Shin yawned, kicking back to watch the battle carefreely.

Suddenly, it occurred to Kang Woo that this scrawny young man might be mightier than he thought! How could Yu Il-Shin remain calm in front of such a monster?! At the same time, he also wondered: How did he maintain a low profile all this time?

Kang Woo couldn’t just naively believe in Yu Il-Shin. After all, not even the greatest of Hunters could alter the course of destruction, but...

-...You’re asking me to run?

Amidst the battle, the crocodile monster suddenly growled toward the sky.

-But Alpha, that’s unacceptable! I’d rather die than flee from my mother's enemy!

The crocodile monster’s eyes glowed.

-Kekeke. Yes, let’s all die together!

Reaching into its own mouth, the monster pulled out a metal sphere covered in sticky green liquid.

T-that’s!

Kang Woo’s face turned pale. It was one of the top items in the Hunter Shop—an artifact made by condensing the venom of Fáfnir, the evil dragon from Norse mythology!

Fáfnir’s Breathe!

It could devastate a 200-meter radius area, making it a forbidden artifact! Kang Woo knew how terrifying it could be more than anyone else, especially since he’d used it to kill Johan, the apostle of the God of Destroyer!

“W-we have to stop it!”

-Krrr!

Just as that monster was about to break the metal sphere in hand...

“Equip malevolent god title: Brutal Killer.”

Yu Il-Shin threw himself into the fray.

Flash! Ruuumble!

There was a blinding flash of light, followed by the rumbling of thunder. In the next moment, the headless monster fell to the ground, spewing black blood like a fountain.

Thud!

Yu Il-Shin stood there, holding the crocodile’s head in one hand and Fáfnir’s Breathe in the other.

-...

The crocodile’s mouth moved, wanting to say something, but without vocal chords, it could only make a hissing noise.

Sword Demon fell to his knees, gazing reverently at Yu Il-Shin.

“Sword God! You’ve outdone yourself once again! You killed that monster in one go! Congratulations!”

“It’s just a lizard. What’s the big deal?” Yu Il-Shin snorted, tossing the crocodile’s head back like trash. The head was caught in black flames instantly, disintegrating moments later. At the same time, the corpse’s black aura seeped into Yu Il-Shin.

Yu Il-Shin laughed cruelly, obviously feeling proud and satisfied with his kill.

“Well, it’s not a bad sacrifice. Also, there’s a hundred of them out there? I’m looking forward to it.”

Yu Il-Shin snickered, recalling the number of Gustav’s discovered eggs announced earlier at the Hunter Association.

Chills!

Kang Woo trembled at the sight of Yu Il-Shin. Horns sprouted from his head, while black flames ablaze in his eyes. Yu Il-Shin resembled a demon, both in appearance and aura. Was this the same silly lad who played around with a shark tube earlier?

“Y-you, who the hell are...?”

Instead of replying, Yu Il-Shin approached Kang Woo while carelessly tossing Fáfnir’s Breathe like a ball.

“That’s my line. Who the hell are you? Why does your body not reflect your actual age?”

Trudge trudge—

“You don’t have to give me an answer.” Yu Il-Shin’s blood-red eyes stared straight into Kang Woo’s eyes.

“...!”

Kang Woo’s heart pounded heavily, sinking. The younger, shorter lad was looking down on him.

“Haa... Haa...!”

Before he realized it, he was staring up at the sky, his neck straining to the brink. Yu Il-Shin had transformed into a colossal giant. Yu Il-Shin gave Kang Woo a child-like smile, gazing at him as if he were an ant.

“...You regressed? You’re much more interesting than I thought.”

Thump! Thump!

Kang Woo’s heart skipped a beat. Just like that, he’d given away his biggest secret.

Sss—

Yu Il-Shin reached out to Kang Woo.

“Aargh...”

Kang Woo was overwhelmed with terror, helpless against the looming shadow. He felt like an ant about to be crushed by a human.

Succumbing to fear, he squeezed his eyes shut. But no matter how long he waited, there was no pain.

Instead, he felt a gentle touch and cautiously opened his eyes.

Hicc.

He saw Yu Il-Shin’s fingers playfully tugging at his beard.

“Regressor Kang Woo.”

A sweet yet cruel voice, akin to a devil’s temptation.

Yu Il-Shin whispered to the trembling Kang Woo, “Serve me.”