The fog-covered forest was silent, save for the crackling of a small, gray fire Kang-woo had conjured. He sat with his back against a massive, ancient oak, his fingers tracing the black crown tattoo on his chest.
[Current Level: 21][Status: Sovereign of the Abyss (Lesser)][Lifespan: 9 Years, 364 Days]
The numbers felt real. For the first time, he wasn't sprinting against a ticking clock that measured hours. But 10 years was a blink of an eye for the entities he had just provoked.
"Master."
The Abyssal Knight-Commander emerged from the darkness, dragging the carcass of a Rank-C Twin-Headed Ogre. The beast's eyes were white, its soul already harvested by the Knight's spear.
"Good," Kang-woo said.
He didn't eat the meat. He reached out his hand, and the black ink from his palm flowed onto the carcass.
[Skill: 'Abyssal Forge' activated.]
The Ogre's body didn't rot; it dissolved into a metallic, dark-purple liquid. The liquid began to coat the Knight-Commander's tattered armor, filling the cracks and sharpening the edges of its spear.
"I can't just summon an army anymore," Kang-woo muttered to himself. "I have to build one."
As the Knight-Commander absorbed the Ogre's essence, Kang-woo felt a ripple in the air. Someone was approaching. Not with the heavy boots of a Hunter, but with a light, rhythmic tapping.
A small paper butterfly, glowing with a faint crimson light, landed on the Knight-Commander's helmet.
"You're persistent, Yeon-hee," Kang-woo said, not even looking up.
"And you're surprisingly comfortable in the mud for a King," Yeon-hee's voice drifted from the fog.
She stepped into the firelight. She looked terrible. Her porcelain skin was held together by visible stitches of red ink, and her left arm was missing, replaced by a sleeve of fluttering paper.
"The Association is tearing itself apart looking for you," she said, sitting across from him without an invitation. "Director Kim has declared you a 'Global Threat Level: Orange'. Every S-rank in the country is being mobilized."
"Except Baek In-ho," Kang-woo noted.
"In-ho is being 'interrogated' by the Serpent Guild. He won't be coming to your rescue again."
Yeon-hee leaned forward, her amber eyes reflecting the gray flames. "The King you defeated... he was a shadow. A projection. The real King of the Sunken Throne is still in the Abyss, and he's not the only one. There are nine others. Nine Kings, nine Citadels, nine Gates."
"I know," Kang-woo said. "I felt them when I sat on the throne."
"Then you know they're coming to collect the debt. The world thinks you saved them, but you just signaled the start of the Harvest."
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a rolled-up scroll made of human skin. She tossed it to him.
"What's this?"
"An invitation," she said. "There's a gathering of 'Unregistered Entities' in the Busan Underground. Criminals, traitors, and monsters wearing human skin. They saw what you did to the Citadel. Half of them want to kill you to take your 'Crown'—the other half want to worship you."
[Hidden Quest: 'The Underworld's Audience'.][Objective: Establish a base of operations.][Reward: Access to the Black Market and Forbidden Mana.]
Kang-woo looked at the scroll. He needed resources. He needed information on the other Gates. And most of all, he needed to get Seol-ah out of the Association's crosshairs.
"Why help me?" Kang-woo asked. "You tried to turn me into a battery a few hours ago."
"I'm a survivor, Kang-woo," Yeon-hee said, her voice dropping to a serious whisper. "When the real Kings arrive, this world will be nothing but ash. I'd rather be a servant in your kingdom than a soul in theirs."
Kang-woo stood up, the Knight-Commander standing tall behind him, now reinforced with the Ogre's hide.
"I'm not looking for servants," Kang-woo said, his silver eyes flashing. "I'm looking for soldiers."
"Then Busan is the place to find them," she replied.
Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the forest. A bolt of blue lightning struck the tree next to them, turning the wood into splinters.
"Target identified!" a voice roared from the sky.
A squadron of Association 'Falcons'—hunters equipped with flight-suits—descended from the clouds. They were led by a man in gold-trimmed armor, wielding a hammer that pulsed with thunder.
[Entity Identified: Nam Goong-jin, 'The Thunder-God' (Rank: S)]
"Kang-woo! By order of the National Security Council, you are under arrest!" the S-rank roared, raising his hammer. "Surrender the 'Crown' and you might live to see a prison cell!"
Kang-woo looked at Yeon-hee. "You brought them here?"
"I was followed!" she hissed, her paper arm bristling.
Kang-woo looked up at the S-rank. A few days ago, he would have run. But now, he felt a strange, cold calmness. He reached into his shadow and pulled out a jagged blade of solidified ink.
"Ten years is a long time," Kang-woo said, his voice echoing with the Sovereign's weight. "Let's see if I can spend a few days on you."