Only after the inside of the barrier echoed with his shouting did he finally get a response.

From deep within the distant forest, a human-shaped Park Doo-shik emerged, his face scrunched up in a deep frown.

“What do you want?”

“I came to get some Arutus eggs.”

“Arutus eggs?”

“Yeah.”

“Did the Demon God send you?”

“I don’t run errands for the Demon God! I'll have you know, I’m a Hero!”

“Then why do you want them?”

“Because… I want to eat Arutus eggs!”

“Not without the Demon God’s permission. Did he allow it?”

“A Hero doesn’t need the Demon God’s permission.”

“Here, you do. Without his approval, you won’t be taking a single Arutus egg.”

At that moment, Park Yeon pulled out a pack of ramen.

“Even now?”

It was a newly released ramen, but Doo-shik merely scoffed.

Though he hadn’t been on Earth for long, thanks to Seo-jun, he had tasted plenty of ramen.

No matter what kind he tried, the ultimate winner was always Pura Ramen.

The one Park Yeon held looked tasty, but not enough for him to sell his soul to a Hero.

‘I am Karanto, warrior of the Red Orc Tribe! I will never betray the Demon God!’

Just as he reaffirmed his resolve—

Sniff, sniff.

Even in human form, an orc's instincts didn't fade. A familiar yet oddly nostalgic scent tickled Doo-shik’s nose.

Right on cue, Park Yeon pulled out the Gyeongjong Cabbage Kimchi.

“Well, I suppose I’ll just have to eat this alone.”

“That… What is that? The smell is unique. Is that… kimchi?”

“You know your stuff. It’s kimchi made from a crop called Gyeongjong Cabbage.”

Doo-shik had no idea what Gyeongjong Cabbage was, but the word "kimchi" imprinted itself firmly in his mind.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he responded.

“How many Arutus eggs did you need again? One? Two? Or three?”

Slurp!

After inhaling the last strand of noodles, Doo-shik grabbed a piece of Gyeongjong Cabbage Kimchi and popped it into his mouth.

Crunch, crunch!

“Mmm. This is a taste straight from Valhalla.”

But it wasn’t enough.

As Doo-shik prepared to cook another batch of ramen, Park Yeon clicked his tongue.

“Aren’t you full yet? That’s already five packs.”

“I am a warrior of the Red Orc Tribe! This is nothing!”

“Whether you're a warrior of the Red Orc Tribe or the Blue Orc Tribe, I couldn’t care less. But you do owe me something, don’t you? When are you giving me the Arutus eggs?”

“Arutus eggs?”

Suddenly, Doo-shik let out a low chuckle.

“Heh, heh, heh, heh. As expected of a Hero—so naive. I did say I’d give you the eggs, but I never said when. Come back in 150 years. If you do, I’ll give you a hundred, even a thousand. Hahaha!”

“Hmm… I thought you might pull something like this. That’s why I used a little bit of Earth’s technology.”

“……?”

Click!

- "You know your stuff. It’s kimchi made from a crop called Gyeongjong Cabbage."

- "How many Arutus eggs did you need again? One? Two? Or three?"

“A servant of the Demon God selling his soul to a Hero… The Demon God is going to be quite disappointed. He seemed more sentimental than I expected.”

“What… What is that?”

“A voice recorder.”

“…You’re not seriously thinking of playing that for the Demon God, are you?”

“I’m considering it.”

“You… You’re a Hero! Blackmailing someone over their weakness doesn’t suit a Hero!”

“You seem mistaken. A Hero fights against evil by any means necessary.”

“But… I’m not evil!”

“You’re not evil, but you are an orc serving under it.”

“You… You… You damn Hero! May you fall into Detolan!”

Detolan was the opposite of Valhalla—a hell for orcs.

But—

“I’m human. I won’t be going there.”

Doo-shik trembled in frustration at the irrefutable logic and let out a quiet sigh.

“What do I have to do for you to keep this secret from the Demon God?”

“You don’t have to do anything, but if you really want to, I suppose I can’t stop you.”

“……”

“First, let’s play hide and seek.”

“Hide… and seek?”

“Yeah. I hide, you find me.”

“And… what’s the point of that?”

Park Yeon hesitated.

There was no grand meaning to it. He had simply wanted to try it after seeing Seo-woo and Yeok-sam having fun playing it.

“You ask too many questions. Just accept the Hero’s deep wisdom.”

“That’s it?”

“One more thing.”

“Spit it out, you damn Hero destined for Detolan.”

A bit awkward, Park Yeon stroked his chin before casually sitting on a log chair.

“Tell me your story. What’s life like as an orc?”

Doo-shik flinched at the unexpected question, then muttered, “Why do you even care?” as he sat down opposite him.

Meanwhile, Seo-jun had finished preparing his shop and was watching TV.

Just as he was focused on the screen, breaking news interrupted the broadcast.

- “Breaking news. Japan’s Eisuke (えいすけ), commonly referred to as ‘Oni,’ has reached the SSS rank. This brings Japan’s total number of SSS-ranked Awakeners to twenty-three, making it the fourth highest in the world…”

Seo-jun turned off the TV.

SSS rank or not, he wasn’t particularly interested. Besides, it sounded like Yeon-jun had arrived outside.

He could hear Seo-woo and Hye-jin chattering before the door swung open.

…Four people?

Yeon-jun, Seo-woo, Hye-jin… and someone else?

“Hyung, come say hello. This is Hye-jin’s father.”

“Oh, so you’re Hye-jin’s father.”

“Yes, my apologies for the late introduction. I’m Go Kyung-soo.”

“I’m Lee Seo-jun.”

As they exchanged greetings, Seo-woo and Hye-jin scurried back out of the shop.

“Work has kept me busy, but I’ve heard a lot about you two from Hye-jin. I truly appreciate everything you’ve done.”

Go Kyung-soo’s words were sincere

There were countless times when he had been surprised by what Hye-jin had told him.

Especially when he heard that someone had bought her ice cream or made her grilled pork belly.

In this harsh world, who would care that much for someone else's child?

There couldn't be many.

‘I must repay him someday.’

As Go Kyung-soo made that promise to himself, Seo-jun smiled. Of course, he hadn't actually read Kyung-soo's mind.

Every person carries a natural aura.

From Kyung-soo, he could feel a good-natured energy, and his expression made it even clearer.

A heart determined to repay kindness.

Seo-jun shifted his gaze from Kyung-soo to Yeon-jun and asked,

“By the way, how did things go with the daycare?”

“Oh. It went so smoothly, it felt almost anticlimactic.”

“What do you mean, anticlimactic?”

“Na-rae Daycare is a well-known place around here, right? Just the entrance fee costs a few million won… But when I went with the admission certificate, it was a free pass.”

“Yeah, that would feel a bit anticlimactic.”

“Still, it's a good thing. Oh! Hye-jin will also be going to Na-rae Daycare with Seo-woo.”

“I heard from Hye-jin earlier. She was smiling from ear to ear.”

“Isn’t it a crazy coincidence?”

“Yeah, what are the chances? It's surprising.”

He feigned ignorance, but in reality, this was all part of Seo-jun’s plan.

Seo-woo and Hye-jin were inseparable.

They were the only kids of the same age in the area, so they relied on each other even more. But now, Seo-woo was suddenly going to daycare.

Seo-jun could easily imagine how sad Hye-jin would be, so he had entrusted the matter to Hwang Tae-su.

And Tae-su had handled it even better than expected.

Just then, Yeon-jun sniffed the air.

“I smell something like fermented seafood from the kitchen. Did you make some side dishes, hyung?”

“You’ve got the nose of a bloodhound. I made some Gyeongjong cabbage kimchi.”

“Gyeongjong cabbage kimchi? You mean Joseon cabbage?”

“Yeah.”

“Where did you manage to find that?”

Yeon-jun assumed that Seo-jun had gotten it from Choi Sungkyun, a regular at a portal shop or dungeon supplier, even if not an open dungeon.

Of course, the reality was the opposite, but sometimes ignorance was bliss.

And this was one of those times.

Meanwhile, Seo-jun interpreted the phrase ‘found it’ as ‘purchased well’, which, to be fair, he believed he had.

“If nothing else, if you made it, the taste is guaranteed.”

“Of course. Mr. Kyung-soo, was it?”

“Ah, yes.”

“If you haven’t eaten yet, why don’t you join us?”

“Oh… I wouldn’t want to impose on our first meeting.”

“It’s no imposition.”

“Then I’ll gratefully accept.”

“Please wait a moment.”

Seo-jun debated whether to make ramen or rice and ultimately decided on rice.

Though Gyeongjong cabbage kimchi paired wonderfully with ramen, serving ramen to a guest felt inappropriate.

‘And the rice should be perfectly steamed by now.’

Seo-jun quickly prepared an Arutus fried egg.

Sizzle—!

Having made it thousands of times, he could probably do it with his eyes closed.

The golden-brown Arutus fried egg was soon plated.

Next was the salted squid he had received as a side dish from Lee Sook-hee. And finally, the highlight: Gyeongjong cabbage kimchi.

The meal was simple, but to Go Kyung-soo, it was anything but.

A man walked through a dimly lit corridor without a single lamp to guide him.

Eventually, he reached the end of the hallway.

“It is Eisuke.”

As soon as he spoke, a massive door opened, revealing a stone chamber.

At the center of the chamber stood a peculiar statue.

A grotesque sculpture of a snake coiling tightly around the body of an angel. And stroking that eerie statue was a young man.

The young man was extraordinarily handsome, with skin as white as porcelain.

Still caressing the statue, he spoke.

“So, you have reached SSS rank.”

“It is all thanks to the noble and pure ones.”

“Noble and pure…?”

“……”

“How does it feel to reach SSS rank?”

“May I speak honestly?”

“Of course. You know I appreciate honesty.”

“Forgive my insolence for saying this before someone as noble and pure as yourself, but… it feels as though I have become a god.”

The young man smirked.

“Even if you feel like a god, I hope you don’t forget why we helped you.”

“I will never forget.”

“I trust that you won’t. But… can the same be said for the others?”

“Pardon?”

The young man’s hand moved to the snake wrapped around the statue.

“Ichiro is acting suspiciously.”

That was not a name one would expect to hear from him.

Ichiro—the first SSS-rank in Japan, personally granted the title of Guardian by the Emperor himself.

“Ichiro… sir?”

“People tend to forget the past. Perhaps Ichiro is no exception.”

“……”

“There is a saying on Earth.”

“……”

“Those who forget the past have no future.”

“…Just give the order.”

“Deliver this message to our brothers. Those who forget the past can no longer walk with us into the future.”

“I will relay your words.”

Just as Eisuke was about to leave, the young man called out.

“Ah! Eisuke?”

“Yes.”

“Though belated, congratulations on reaching SSS rank. Here, a gift.”

The young man handed him a small box.

Eisuke bowed deeply.

“Thank you.”

After he had left the stone chamber, the young man, still gazing at the statue, smirked.

“Not long now.”

With those words, a soft crack sounded.

Then, unbelievably, something emerged from the young man’s back—

Wings.

Black and white feathers intertwined in perfect harmony.

Spreading his wings wide, the young man shot into the air.