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For the next 48 hours, all locked chapters will be available for just 25 cents each. This will be a last ditch effort before the the translators and editor work part-time on another series as they would much prefer working on only one at a time.
Forever Young Kim Bongpal
The face of the man at the forefront of the warriors, the Captain of the Blood Sword Squad, grew stiff Stop showing off and get out of my way? It was an unacceptable thing even for a guest of the Cult, so he took a step forward to say something.
But it was at that moment.
“…”
He discovered he couldn’t say a word. More precisely, he couldn’t open his mouth due to the energy weighing down on him.
“…!”
Cold sweat dripped down the Captain’s forehead. Belonging to the Blood Sword Squad, he was bound to meet several top-notch Masters, but none could match the sense of intimidation he felt now. And it wasn’t just the Captain who felt this pressure; the other members of the Blood Sword Squad and even the Captain of the Shadowless Squad were wilting under it. Except for Kim Bongpal’s party, not one of them could even twitch a finger.
There was only one case where such pressure could be exhibited, and it was from someone who reached beyond the limit of Transcendence. The Blood Sword Squad’s members grew pale in unison at the realization.
“Aren’t you coming over?”
“I-I’m on my way!”
Feeling a little strange about the reaction around him, the Blood Sword Squad’s new member from Earth stepped forward.
“Did you call me Butcher? How do you know me?”
Of course, he didn’t come forward because of the strangeness the others exhibited. This man had a lot of mana thanks to the injection of Mana Stones, but his senses were sloppy compared to the normal Moorim citizen. There was no way he could have felt Kim Bongpal’s energy.
“A-about that…I-I have heard about the Butcher from my father!”
Still, there didn’t need to be another reason for him to go forward other than because he was scared. It wasn’t because he knew Kim Bongpal was a Transcendent like the others; it was because this was Kim Bongpal. The hysterical hunter was annoyed by the increasing tax rates levied on hunters and didn’t like his job. Of course, thanks to his father’s complaining, he still remembered the story of the Butcher decades later.
“My father worked at Aegis for about two years before y-you retired!”
“Is that so? Well, that’s fine. Ah, Warp, Tearing Mind. Don’t let them go anywhere. If I don’t like his response, you may beat them up as you please.”
At those words, Warg and Tearing Wind Sword moved to stand on either side of the Blood Sword Squad. They didn’t hide their energy as they took stances, showing neither of them was below their Captain.
Then.
“How about me?”
“…?”
“What shall I do?”
Maya asked while looking up at Kim Bongpal with wide eyes.
“…Uhm. Well. You watch them, too…will you?”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
Then, Maya looked at the Blood Sword Squad with a frown that didn’t match her usual self.
“…”
Kim Bongpal shook his head, approached the Earthling, and tapped him on the shoulder.
“Do you know Hayeon?”
“Yes!”
“When was the last time you saw her?”
“…The last time I saw her was in prison a few weeks ago.”
“Do you know anything else?”
“…No. I’m sorry.”
Kim Bongpal clicked his tongue quietly at the man’s – Choi Sung-woong’s – answer. He wondered if he knew anything else about Seo Hayeon other than that she was in the Celestial Demon’s abode. But apparently, this guy knew less about Seo Hayeon than Kim Bongpal did now.
‘Well, I’ll find out soon.’
There was no reason to be impatient. Kim Bongpal had already entered the Celestial Demon Cult’s territory. At the earliest, he could go see Seo Hayeon today.
“But why are you working with them?”
“Well, the condition for being released was to become a Cult member.”
“Are the other Earthlings in a similar situation?”
“Yes.”
“…Fuck. I don’t think this is my cup of tea. But still, he’s someone that kid knows.”
Tsk-
Kim Bongpal clicked his tongue and asked:
“Hey, should I save you?”
Of course, among the kidnapped Hunters, Kim Bongpal only cared about Seo Hayeon, and he never worried about the others. Still, if the other hunters wanted to, he figured he could take them back when he rescued Seo Hayeon. It would undoubtedly be better for them than sticking with the Celestial Demon.
However, an unexpected answer returned.
“…Yes? You’re going to save me? From whom?”
“…?”
A moment of silence passed between them. Kim Bongpal didn’t understand his answer, and he didn’t understand the question. However, after that awkward silence, the quick-witted Earthling soon understood and waved his hands.
“Oh, no! We, or I, are happy with the current situation, and their hospitality is good.”
“…?”
Kim Bongpal, on the other hand, still didn’t understand his answer.
‘…What? Is this the Scottish syndrome?’
He meant Stockholm, but anyway. The Celestial Demon Cult treated the Earthlings very well. At first, they were forced to become Cult members after being kidnapped, but nothing changed after they agreed. Although the Celestial Demon Cult was a religion, it didn’t host any religious events, and its members were free to do as they wished.
In fact, the Cult even said there was to be no further coercion and that it was okay to return to the place they came from if they wanted to. Nevertheless, the hunters who became members remained of their own will.
The reason? The Celestial Demon Cult offered training without restriction to its members. The Earth hunters had since learned of their martial arts, which couldn’t be compared to the average hunters’ abilities. Because of that, it was an easy decision to devote themselves to training. Moreover, even those who didn’t want to learn martial arts were engaged in working for the Celestial Demon Cult somehow because…
“…Fuck. You get a salary?”
“Yeah. For a squad member like me, I earn about 100,000 M a month.”
“And 1,000 M by Earth’s standards…?”
“It’s about 10 million Korean Won. There aren’t that many Mana Stones on Earth yet, hehe.”
Kim Bongpal silently thought about how much he had spent since he came to the Shire. Perhaps the most extravagant time of his life was to be here in the Shire, not in El Plades.
But soon, he reached a conclusion. On the way back, he was going to take a lot of Mana Stones from Johan and Wargen.
* * *
“Hehe. Didn’t I tell you? Our Cult will treat your party favorably, Sword Phantom.”
“Shut up, will you?”
Kim Bongpal shut up the Captain of the Shadowless Squad with an annoyed look. Though his thoughts on the Cult had changed slightly, he still didn’t care for them. Anyway, these guys were all motherfuckers who made him come all the way here. Perhaps the other Earthlings liked them, just like that man, but they were still the bastards who kidnapped Seo Hayeon.
“…”
Smash!
“Argh!”
Kim Bongpal, reaching a wall with his thinking, punched the Captain of Shadowless Squad’s face in a surge of irritation.
Come to think of it, it was this bastard who took Seo Hayeon. Even if there was a person who ordered them, this man still deserved to be beaten. Although Kim Bongpal didn’t use any energy, he hit him with plenty of emotion.
‘What is their intention?’
They kidnapped Earthlings and then treated them well. Then the Divine Lady who ordered it told them to bring him here. Why?
Several questions went around in his mind, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t have to think about the reason; he could figure it out through other methods. And if he didn’t like their intentions, he would pay them back several times. That was Kim Bongpal’s way of doing things.
So he looked around the Celestial Demon Cult and reached the city within their territory. It was more peaceful than expected, even when compared to Dreimoor.  That much was made obvious when he noticed young children running around and playing in the streets and several people from whom he could feel no mana. Unless they were masters who could hide their energy from Kim Bongpal, they must be ordinary people.
It was an awkward sight. Kim Bongpal knew what a terrible world the Shire was given his encounters with monsters during the first few weeks, and this was a city built in the home of those monsters. But ordinary people could live here?
Kim Bongpal wore an implacable frown as he observed them.
“Well, Sword Phantom. Let’s visit the Divine Lady first.”
The Captain of the Shadowless Squad, who was guiding Kim Bongpal, cautiously spoke.
“No. I’m going to Seo Hayeon.”
“…But she lives in the Absolute’s abode.”
“That’s why-“
Kim Bongpal interrupted the Captain of Shadowless Squad.
“-I’m going there. To the place of the Celestial Demon or whoever it is.”
He followed the Captain of Shadowless Squad because they were headed to the same place, but not anymore. He didn’t want to bother this unknown bitch called the Divine Lady.
Kim Bongpal, glaring at the bewildered Shadowless Squad Captain, headed to the largest building he could see in the distance. That must be the Celestial Demon’s place by his reason, which was accurate.
But then.
“Why don’t you visit the Divine Lady first? I think that would be better for you, Mr. Kim Bongpal.”
A voice stopped him.
“Who are you?”
It came from a woman facing Kim Bongpal with her eyes closed. The Captain of the Shadowless Squad bowed.
“Greetings, Young Divine Lady!”
“Ha? So you’re the Divine Lady?”
“No. I am just her disciple.”
Kim Bongpal looked down at the young woman. Inner Qigong…? He didn’t feel anything like that. What he felt instead was something that was neither Supernatural Force nor the energy of the Black Wizards. It was unlike any he’d felt since he came to the Shire, but it was oddly familiar.
-Hey, Bongpal.
At that moment, Maya sends over a single message. No matter how often he heard it, he couldn’t get used to it. He could probably count on his hands how many times he was called just Bongpal in his lifetime, and the last time was a few decades ago, not including Maya.
But she insisted on that name even though he said not to call him that. Originally she said Kim Bongpal should call her Big Sister, and she would look after him. She was a few hundred years older, after all, though she didn’t act that way.
Anyway.
-What?
Kim Bongpal answered in the same tone. It was a skill he learned after the battle with the Monstrous Immortal because it seemed useful.
-Uhm…is she…?
Maya sighed, hesitating. Just as he was about to urge her to speak quickly-
-Is she your daughter?
“What the fuck?”
It was so absurd he couldn’t stop himself from speaking aloud.
-No? My bad. Ummm, but why does she feel like you?
Kim Bongpal then realized the strange yet familiar feeling he noticed in the Young Divine Lady. The energy of the Young Divine Lady…
“Hey, I’ll ask again. Who are you?”
…was similar to Kim Bongpal’s mana.