After Ten Millennia in Hell

Samuel Hayden's expression paled.

He could tell from the fierce smile of the man, who was pushing down on his finger to make him press the button, that it was for real. The man would not care one bit if thousands of people were to actually die.

'This is the man that Sword Dragon treats as his older brother?'

Samuel couldn't understand it.

He had taken part in the South America restoration operation, so he knew very well that Kim Si-Hun was undoubtedly kind and just. He would never turn away from those in danger and would do everything he could to save them. He was the typical hero protagonist in literature and animation.

'So why does he hang around with this lunatic?'

"Why aren't you pressing it?" Oh Kang-Woo said in a low voice.

"Ugh…"

Samuel trembled. Kang-Woo's eyes, as deep as the abyss, were staring right at him. Inexplicable fear encroached upon him.

'If I press this…'

He would die in the most wretched and horrifying way possible, but that would also be the case if he didn't. Even if he surrendered, he wouldn't be able to avoid paying for the crimes he had already committed.

'It's over.'

He'd been pushed right up to the edge of a cliff.

The plan had failed, and it was far too late to go back.

He bit his lip.

'If I'm going to die either way…'

Spite filled his eyes as he shut them tight.

"N-No!!"

Si-Hun quickly rushed forward and reached for Samuel's remote control.

'Yeah.'

Samuel smiled wickedly. He was at least happy that someone was moving according to his wishes. Nothing was more miserable than no one caring about what he had sacrificed his life to do.

'Fuck everyone.'

Samuel pressed the button without hesitation. As he thought about the imminent explosions and the disaster…

"… Hm?"

Samuel's eyes widened.

"Wh-What the hell?"

Nothing had happened.

There were numerous Gates near Valencia that Players used to level up and collect mana stones. Although they weren't high-ranking Gates, there should have at least been some flashy explosions. However, absolutely nothing had happened.

Crackle!!!

"Gaaaaahh!"

No, something did happen, but it wasn't at all what Samuel had expected.

An intense electric current spread through his body as soon as he pressed the red button, and smoke rose from him. His limbs shook like crazy, and he collapsed on the spot.

"… Huh?"

Si-Hun suddenly froze as he ran toward Samuel. He still had his arm outstretched, unable to understand what had just happened.

"Wh-What just…"

Si-Hun walked toward Samuel with a dumbfounded expression on his face and pressed his index and middle finger against Samuel's neck.

'There's… no pulse.'

The powerful electric current from Samuel's remote control had killed him immediately.

Regardless of what kind of person he was, Samuel Hayden was strong enough to become the mayor of a city like Valencia. If the current was capable of killing him, it meant that…

'The detonator had been made under the assumption that Samuel would press it.'

Si-Hun's head was in a jumble.

'What…?'

He couldn't understand what was going on.

Si-Hun turned to Kang-Woo, who was smiling bitterly as he looked down at Samuel's corpse.

"… So this is how they're gonna play it."

Dead men told no tales, so it was the ideal measure to take.

"Tsk."

Kang-Woo turned around and headed to the couch in Samuel's office. Balrog was sitting on it while concentrating with his eyes closed, his lips moving slightly.

"Haaah."

Kang-Woo sat on the couch.

Si-Hun walked toward him, completely dumbfounded.

"H-Hyung-nim, what just…"

"Do you know who made the Gate control apparatus being used for all South American Gates?"

"N-No." Si-Hun shook his head.

"A mage named Khadgar, contracted with Guardians. What he lacks in brains he makes up with skill."

"Oh, yes. I've heard of him."

"Do you think we would've made absolutely no countermeasures for a terror attack?"

"Ah…" Si-Hun's expression brightened. "I-I see! I would expect nothing less from you, hyung-nim!"

Si-Hun nodded while making a bright smile.

"I see you were so firm for a reason! Haha! I completely misunderstood you without even knowing that."

Si-Hun nodded in succession while smiling. He was tearing up a little from relief. The fact that they were able to stop Samuel's terror attack likely had a part in his feeling of relief, but he likely felt even more relieved that Kang-Woo wasn't cruel enough to sacrifice thousands of people without remorse.

"I'm… so glad."

Si-Hun continued to tear up.

"…"

Kang-Woo clicked his tongue when he saw Si-Hun's reaction.

'Actually…'

He had made no such countermeasures. He had simply said whatever came out of his mouth. Not even he had expected the control apparatuses to not explode when Samuel pressed the button. Moreover, Samuel's death had been completely outside his expectations. If he knew, Kang-Woo would've used the Authority of Regeneration and stopped him from dying instantly.

'I'm not sure whether it's a good or bad thing.'

It was good in the sense that Kang-Woo was able to come up with an excuse to satisfy Si-Hun, since he was not yet ready to accept Kang-Woo's true self. But…

'I honestly hoped for the explosion.'

He stared at Si-Hun crying in relief.

Si-Hun was a good person; he was righteous and kind-hearted. Although Kang-Woo had molded him through countless battles into someone who would cut down his enemies without hesitation…

'He still exerts himself too much to protect as many powerless people as possible.'

It was not a good thing by Kang-Woo's standards. It was hard enough even for Kang-Woo to protect the things around him despite having become more powerful than himself back in the Ninth Hell, so there was nothing more demented than Si-Hun struggling to protect people that he had absolutely nothing to do with.

Kang-Woo had honestly hoped for Si-Hun to be stimulated by this incident to abandon the things that he did not need without hesitation.

'Well, even so…'

This was just how Si-Hun was. It was his nature. Kang-Woo had no intention of denying that or forcing him to change.

Si-Hun was good-natured. Taking into consideration his wretched life before Kang-Woo had come across him, the fact that he was still this good-natured was worthy of respect and admiration rather than ridicule.

'Stay that way.'

Kang-Woo would take measures so that it would be okay for Si-Hun to be like that.

"That aside, I can't understand. What was he so confident in for him to…"

"He probably thought it would work. I purposefully hid the fact that the control apparatuses have measures in place against terror explosions."

"Ah, if he had known that…"

"He would have found a way to bypass it."

It was a lie. There had never been any such measures from the very beginning.

"I see," Si-Hun nodded as if he understood. "Then… did Samuel die also because of…"

"I killed him. Because I hated his guts."

That was also a lie. What had killed Samuel was the trap hidden within the detonator.

"Hahaha. You really have no mercy, hyung-nim."

"I can't let a scumbag who tried to kill thousands of people live."

Yet another lie. As long as they were people he had absolutely no relation with, Kang-Woo couldn't care less about those thousands of lives.

"Fuuu, but I'm glad things were resolved smoothly," Si-Hun remarked.

"Yeah."

"I will go and report everything about Valencia to Grace. I will make it so that the bastards who had harassed the natives receive their due punishment," Si-Hun said in a chilling tone.

Kang-Woo smirked after feeling the intense bloodlust in Si-Hun's voice.

"Okay. I'll stay in Samuel's office to investigate if there are any others involved in this incident, so you go ahead to the Hall of Protection first and report what happened."

"Okay, hyung-nim."

Si-Hun nodded. There was a firm determination in his eyes.

'I guess they're gonna be going through hell.'

Seeing Si-Hun's expression, it seemed like the Guardians members in Valencia would soon be in trouble.

Kang-Woo turned his head.

"What about you, Balrog?"

"I will regroup with Lilith. She is almost here."

"Okay, then go."

Balrog and Si-Hun left.

Finally, only Samuel's scorched body and Kang-Woo were left in the room.

"Right, before I begin…"

Kang-Woo looked at the shelf in Samuel's office—it was filled with luxurious liquor.

'Good, time to set a badass mood.'

He had a cheap-ass palate from only drinking beer and soju, but hard liquor was best for moods like this.

Kang-Woo picked one at random and poured a glass.

Maybe it was because it was expensive liquor, but an intense aroma filled the air.

"Nice."

He sat down with one leg over the other and sipped the glass of alcohol while trying to look as cool as possible.

"Fuck, that's bitter!"

Pfft.

He spat out the hard liquor.

* * *

"Pfft, bwahahahaha!!"

A man sitting on a luxurious chair in a dark room burst into laughter. He snickered while leaning back on the chair.

"Man, I didn't think it'd work so well."

The man watched the footage that had been recorded by the communication crystal orb. This footage was the true objective of this plan as well as the precious result.

"Press the fucking button."

"Holy crap! What a fucking line!"

The man laughed while clapping. Everything had gone as he'd planned. No, even better.

"I never expected him to react that way."

The man had honestly fretted that the two men would stupidly let Samuel escape.

'Well, that would have also been usable in its own way.'

After all, the main objective of this plan had been to prove Guardians' incompetence.

'This won't necessarily prove that, but…'

Considering he had clearly said that he did not care if thousands of people died, it was actually even more impactful than incompetence.

'If this footage spreads…'

Guardians would be completely tossed aside by the public. They wouldn't be able to keep their disgusting title of being the protectors of humanity.

"Bwahahahahaha!!"

The man grabbed his stomach and burst into laughter. Thanks to Oh Kang-Woo's idiotic intervention, things had turned out much better than planned.

"All that's left is to let the Americans know that I succeeded."

He continued laughing and transferred the video to a USB.

Just then…

- Fuck, that's bitter!

"Hm?"

He saw Kang-Woo spitting out liquor.

"Tsk tsk, he has no idea how expensive that is."

The man clicked his tongue.

"I mean, what would I expect from a man who grew up in an orphanage?"

He shrugged as he recalled the records from when he had investigated Oh Kang-Woo.

"Well, this should also be useful. I'm sure the people would absolutely love to see this son of a bitch drinking liquor from a dead terrorist."

He focused on the footage again.

- Fuuu.

Kang-Woo in the footage sighed, and…

- Fucking hell, what a fucking embarrassment after trying to act cool.

… He turned his head to look right at the camera secretly installed in the table.

"… Huh?"

- Can we cut that out? Lemme try again. I'll make it look really good this time, I swear.

"Wh-What?"

There clearly wasn't anyone else in the room.

"Wh-Who is he talking to?"

The man got goosebumps. Kang-Woo, who was looking his way, smiled. An inexplicably chilling sensation ran down the man's spine and throughout his body.

'What the hell?'

Something was going wrong.

- Hey, are you listening? Maybe there's a communication crystal somewhere here. Ah, here it is.

Whoom.

The communication crystal orb on the man's table vibrated.

"H-Huh?"

The man placed his hand on the crystal orb before he had even realized it.

[What's wrong? Did you think everything was going as you planned?]

Kang-Woo's voice came out of it, and the man's expression hardened.

[This kind of shit is my specialty, you dumb fuck. Did you seriously think I'd fall for it?]

"Wh-What the fuck?"

The man trembled.

Then…

Squelch.

He heard a viscous liquid dripping from behind him.