Chapter 31
“Am I… going to die?”
That was his first instinctive thought.
Anyway, this life was over.
Well, rather than living like an insect, maybe it wasn’t so bad to go out in a blaze of glory like this.
Suddenly, a face came to mind—
the face of the woman who had always been by his side.
The beloved Ji-hyang, who had told him to live on and forget her even as she lay dying.
‘How could I ever forget you?’
The only reason he couldn’t leave the dungeon was because of Ji-hyang.
The memories they had made together lingered here, in this very dungeon zone.
Even after he became an unregistered awakened, he wandered through dungeons, recalling the traces of her.
That was how Kim Ji-hwan had lived.
“Eat before you go.”
Suddenly, Ji-hyang’s face overlapped with that of the middle-aged woman who ran the “Mom’s Hand Lunchbox” diner.
Even when he had no money, she’d insist he eat something, smiling just like Ji-hyang used to.
“Damn it!”
Kim Ji-hwan raised his nearly broken arm once more.
“I have to hold out until the Association gets here…
I can’t face Ji-hyang if I die like this!”
Crack!
His bones trembled and his insides felt crushed, but he didn’t lower his arms.
“Come on, hit me again, you bastard!”
He screamed through bloody laughter.
He didn’t know how long the pounding continued, but he endured—
and endured again.
“Come on… bring it.”
When he opened his mouth, only clotted chunks of blood came out.
Is this it?
Ji-hyang… at least the end wasn’t so bad, right?
He smiled faintly and began to lower his arms—
“Fist Demon’s Seventh Form: Ascending Dragon of the Wind!”
A thunderous shout rang out, and suddenly, his arms felt light.
What’s going on?
He tried to focus his eyes, but his vision was too blurry to see clearly.
“Hmm.”
The Heavenly Demon—Cheonma—looked down at the fallen Kim Ji-hwan after slicing off the Larva King’s leg that had been striking the field.
“So, he wasn’t just a worm.”
Just then, the Larva King, knocked backward by Ascending Dragon of the Wind, let out a strange, furious scream.
KIIIIIIII!
At that moment, the thousands of larvas floating in the air aligned in a single formation, aiming to shatter the cracked field barrier.
They merged into a long, black spear made of writhing corpses.
“Interesting.”
Cheonma laughed quietly and stepped outside the shield.
The Larva King widened its yellow eyes in surprise.
“Monster, you don’t need to break that barrier.
I’m not going to hide inside it.”
Khuhuhu.
The Larva King laughed darkly and commanded its swarm.
The larvas shot toward Cheonma in unison.
“Heavenly Demon Power!”
BOOM!
A violent surge of energy erupted from Cheonma’s body.
The immense power twisted his flesh and bones, but he remained calm, accepting the pain as he began his martial arts form.
“Fist Demon’s Seventh Form—Oblivion Break!” (Mang-ah Dong-swae)
His two fists began spinning furiously, like massive drills.
The technique carried incredible rotational force—and the more it destroyed, the stronger it became.
Papapapapapap!
KWAAAUUUM!
The spiraling winds unleashed from his fists pulverized the thousands of charging larvas into dust.
Fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh.
As the sky cleared of the dark swarm, Cheonma halted his fists.
“They looked menacing, but had no substance.”
Even after defeating thousands of larvas, his expression remained calm.
The Larva King roared in outrage.
ROAAAAAAR!
“Urgh!”
The sound shook the ground, and Kim Ji-hwan opened his eyes again.
“What the…?”
Someone was standing beneath the massive Larva King’s foot.
He couldn’t see clearly, but the back looked oddly familiar.
I’ve seen that silhouette somewhere…
His vision blurred again—it was definitely someone he’d seen before.
“Demonic Flame Inferno!”
As Cheonma shouted, a blazing red flame slashed across the Larva King’s leg.
The supposedly unbreakable bone split cleanly in two.
“Still, quite large.”
Even with its leg severed, the Larva King’s body towered nearly twenty meters tall.
Cheonma leaped up several stories high and landed atop the creature’s head.
“Judging by that rotten aura, you must be one of those so-called ‘immortal’ beings, huh?”
As he muttered, his fist ignited in crimson flames.
Sensing danger, the Larva King reached up to block him—
but Cheonma’s hands moved like lightning, and in an instant, both massive arms were severed, crashing to the ground.
“Using the demonic techniques of the Heavenly Evil Sect in a place like this…”
As he brought his fists together, the flames twisted into a black, eerie blade.
“The dead should return to hell—
Heavenly Evil Ghost Gate Void Slash!”
When the dark blade pierced the Larva King’s head—
GUUUUUUUHHHHHH!
A scream of agony and regret echoed through the air.
Fsssshhhh—
The giant monster’s body disintegrated into black dust and scattered into the wind.
Impossible…
A monster with a danger level of 15,000—something capable of destroying an entire town alone—
defeated in a single blow?
“You won’t die from that. Not yet.”
As Kim Ji-hwan began to lose consciousness again, he heard the man’s commanding voice.
“If you call yourself a warrior, don’t wear that pathetic expression before death.”
Suddenly, a burning heat surged from behind him, spreading throughout his body.
The heat seemed to restore his shattered organs and clear his clogged veins.
A… healing ability?
Someone this powerful—stronger than a first-class awakened—could also heal?
Astonishment mixed with a strange peace as Kim Ji-hwan’s legs gave way, and he collapsed.
“Weakling.”
Don’t make me laugh. I did my best. You’re just a monster.
Unable to move a finger, Kim Ji-hwan could only shout in his heart.
If I had your power… I never would’ve lost Ji-hyang.
As tears of frustration streamed down his face, a faint shadow spoke.
“Well, I’ll at least acknowledge your courage for guarding this place alone.”
Then, a solemn voice resonated in his mind.
“You must have felt it too—the battle that brushes against death sharpens both body and spirit.”
A fight touching death strengthens body and spirit…
The awakened who entered dungeons every day, walking blood-soaked paths—
if that shadow was right, then the dungeon was a battlefield, and the awakened were warriors.
Each day they risked death, they grew stronger.
“So that’s how it is…”
Kim Ji-hwan’s voice trembled between realization and regret.
“I had it all wrong.”
His eyes closed again.
And that was the last thing Kim Ji-hwan remembered.
A few days later, inside the “Mom’s Hand Lunchbox” diner.
“The awakened who perished near the shield boundary have been identified as third-class agent Sung Kyung-ha of the Association’s Investigation Department…”
“The Association confirmed that a hidden monster caused partial damage to the boundary field…”
“The hidden hero who single-handedly held back the monster, Mr. Kim Ji-hwan, had his awakened registration revoked due to an incident four years ago, but after this event, the Association has decided to…”
The news played loudly through the diner, filled with people eating dinner.
Ding—
The bell rang as a large, dust-covered man entered. It was Cheonma.
“Owner, one grilled fish set, one pork set…”
“Yes, just a moment.”
Soon, steaming plates of food filled his table.
As Cheonma lifted a spoonful of rice—
Ding—
The bell rang again. A neatly dressed young man entered the diner. It was Kim Ji-hwan.
“Auntie.”
“Oh my, Ji-hwan!”
The woman smiled brightly and hurried over.
“What happened! You’re all over the news! They’re calling you the hidden hero who saved the city! The Association’s giving you a reward and re-registering you, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“But where are you off to, all dressed up like that? Heading to the Association?”
Kim Ji-hwan smiled faintly.
“I’m going back to my hometown today.”
“Hometown? All of a sudden? Why?”
“I’m taking a break from being an awakened for a while.”
“What? Why would you do that?”
Still smiling, he took out a thick envelope of cash.
“This is for all the meals I still owe you.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. Keep it. You don’t need to pay me.”
“No, please take it. That way I’ll have a reason to come back someday.”
He bowed deeply.
“I’ll be back. Until then, please stay healthy.”
The woman looked dazed.
Kim Ji-hwan, hailed as a hero, finally had the world opening up to him—and now he was leaving?
“You always said you wanted to work as an awakened again. Why now?”
“I’ll register again once I’ve really grown stronger. So I can survive—every single day.”
The words were cryptic, but she forced a smile.
“Then at least eat before you go. I’ll make you something quick.”
“No, my train’s about to leave.”
He bowed again, deeply.
“Thank you for everything, Auntie.”
“Ji-hwan…”
“Please, stay well.”
She didn’t answer—she simply embraced him warmly.
Thirty years ago, she had lost her son to a dungeon incident.
She had always thought of Kim Ji-hwan as the son she never got to see grow up.
“Stay healthy until you come back, okay?”
“Yes.”
Looking somehow more mature, Kim Ji-hwan walked out of the diner with steady steps.
“Come back stronger, huh…”
Cheonma muttered quietly as he chewed his rice, watching the TV.
“He’ll return… as a true warrior.”
