Chapter 106 – Duty
“Master died!”
The Death Knights stirred at Bibi’s words.
[The death of our monarch means the death of us.]
[The witch is spouting bullshit.]
Bibi titled her head in confusion at their words, then she looked at Woojin. Woojin laughed as he approached Bibi, giving her a light tap on the head with his knuckles.
“Give me a tour.”
“Aikoo. Hmmm. How did you get in here?”
Bibi grumbled as she moved in quick, short steps with Woojin in tow.
“From here to there is my land. Hehe. Isn’t my hut pretty?”
Woojin looked across the fence to see the land beyond it. The garden was full of weird plants from the Demon World and there was a cozy hut built there. The place was decorated with cute items, and Bibi proudly showed off each of them.
“Ehem. Wait here.”
Bibi waved her hand through empty air, and a picnic table appeared in the yard. Then bread and meat formed on top of it.
“Mmm? How’d you do that?”
“I just did it?”
It seemed Bibi was used to doing this.
“I can decorate the place more to my liking as Master gets stronger. He he he. Please work a little bit harder.”
The Summon room was a space of nothingness. It allowed each occupant to change the room to their preferences. He looked at the tower without an owner in the distance. It must be Jaenis’ tower. Was the mountain in the distance occupied by Ryong Ryong?
The large open space was strewn about with Skeletons. The Skeletons were training with the Death Knights. It was a very ungainly sight.
His Death Knights had very distinct personalities. There were buildings sparsely located in the surroundings like the smithy and a pub. There was also a stable for the Phantom Steed. Various buildings were lining the place.
[Lord. Would you like to prove yourself as a Warrior against me?]
It seemed the Death Knights were bored of fighting each other. Several of them came to challenge Woojin to a sparring match.
“We can do that later. Follow me for now.”
Woojin led the Familiars out of the Summon Room.
[When did a door form here?]
[In the past, it used to be an altar.]
Each of them commented on the door as they passed through it to reach the Dimensional Domain.
Every time his Familiars stepped onto the land, an announcement was heard. Woojin smiled. It was as he thought. He was able to register his Familiars as immigrants, and it was possible to use them as a fighting force here.
‘I guess I don’t really need to use the Energy.’
He couldn’t do anything about the monsters respawning after every visitor, but he would be able to defend his Dimensional Domain with just his Familiars.
Of course, he had to prepare for when his Familiars were summoned to earth. He created a substantial amount of defenders for the Domain.
Woojin registered all of them as immigrants.
Moreover, he made Bibi and Kiba the vassals of his Domain.
At the Lord Level, there was only two positions one could fill as vassals.
There was the commander in charge of the defense, and the butler that was in charge of what goes on inside the castle.
“Heheh. Do I have to wear clothes befitting a butler?”
Bibi was surrounded by black smoke, after which she was changed into a black maid outfit with white frills. She looked adorable but it wasn’t a suitable attire.
“That isn’t the uniform for a butler.”
“Master doesn’t like this kind of stuff?”
“Stop trying to mess with me. You will protect this place from now on.”
“Yah-ho! I can decorate it however I want?”
“Well, do it in moderation.”
“Heh heh. This is going to be fun.”
Bibi would take care of everything within the framework of authority given as the butler. When Kiba was named the commander in charge of defense, the 10 Wyvern were assigned to him.
This was a big reason why he had made them his vassals.
Woojin set it so the butler had the authority to use 10,000 Energy. The commander of the defense would be able to use 30,000 Energy.
“If you guys are in trouble, then use it.”
[The monarch’s orders are like our life!]
Bibi pouted.
“Pi. You are already dead… Master. Do you think I could use a little bit of the Energy to decorate the castle?”
“Well, use it in moderation. However, if you are in danger, don’t skimp on using it.”
“Yah-ho.”
It seemed decoration was a hobby of hers even inside the Summon Room. Bibi felt as if she would fly away when she had become the butler of the large Dimensional Domain.
Should she make it look like her birthplace, the Demon World? Or should she make it like what she had seen on earth? Woojin left Bibi to her thoughts as he sat on the throne.
“Call me if there is something amiss.”
Since his Domain had a 30 day protection period, he was worried more about the mess in Seoul. He had eliminated the cause of the Dungeon Breaks, but the monsters were still rampaging there.
He was pretty well informed after reading the Dimensional Domain manual. This Domain was tied into Woojin’s wants. When he received a challenge for a Dimensional Battle, he would be able to use the portal wherever he was to get to his Dimensional Domain.
Woojin created a portal that led to the Seoul Station’s 1st Exit Dungeon.
Zzahhhng!
A portal formed in the hall, and Woojin passed through it. There was a momentary dizziness before he appeared inside the subway station. He was at the entrance where the portal usually formed.
When Woojin walked up the stairs, the Roused from before were still gathered there waiting for him.
“W…where’s president Lee-sahngho?”
Both of them went in, but only one had come out. The answer was obvious, but one of them decided to ask the question. Wasn’t this guy from some mid-sized guild?
“I killed him.”
“…….”
How could he speak such words in such a blunt manner?
The gathered Roused felt a chill down their backs.
“The bastard tried to assassinate me. Do you need any more explanation than that?”
“…….”
Of course, they wanted a more detailed explanation. From their perspective, Woojin was the one persecuting the other man without any reasons. However, no one here had the courage to question him about that fact. Woojin looked at Lee-myungjin who had introduced himself as the vice president of the KH Guild.
“Did you say you are from Baek-hyung’s guild family?”
“Yes. I’m the vice president, Lee-myungjin.”
“Mind if I ask you a favor?”
“Please speak.”
Lee-myungjin had heard about Kahng-woojin from president Baek-jongdo. He was told to never go against Kahng-woojin. Moreover, he had been told until his ears hurt that he should do his best to help Kahng-woojin if the occasion arose.
“Protect this place until my guys get here. Don’t let anyone in.”
“Understood. However, the Dungeon Reset happened not too long ago….”
From the outside, it had looked as if a Dungeon Reset had happened. Woojin spoke as if nothing significant had happened.
“This is my Dungeon now.”
“…?”
Woojin patted Lee-myungjin’s shoulder.
“Tell Baek-hyung that I want to meet up with him sometime in the future.”
“Yes.”
Lee-myungjin’s face became a shade brighter as he watched Kahng-woojin ride his summoned Phantom Steed away.
“All right. Let’s quickly organize the surrounding. Let’s restrict access to this place until the Alandal Guild gets here.”
No one would try to raid this Dungeon during such a chaotic situation, but one could never be too sure. This was why he put KH Guild members on strict watch around the Dungeon.
Lee-myungjin sent a brief summary of the situation through a text message.
Ddi-ring.
[Good.]
Lee-myungjin smiled at the short but meaningful reply. If he took into consideration of Baek-jongdo’s personality, this was the highest of compliments. Baek-jongdo’s actions were highly influenced by his mood, so Lee-myungjin felt a sense of satisfaction when he thought about the rewards he would receive.
*
When Woojin arrived at Sadahng, most of the monsters had been killed. The streets were filled with soldiers and weapons. The soldiers were recovering the corpses of monsters and were in the process of organizing the roads.
There were teams formed with Roused possessing Detection and Pursuit Type abilities. They were busily going around Seoul to hunt down the leftover monsters.
“A single mudfish caused this disaster.”
He shook his head at the city that had been burnt to the ground in a short amount of time. Woojin walked towards the Hammer guild’s headquarters. It was still being used by the people who took shelter there.
They were still sheltering there since it might still be dangerous to be out in the city. Moreover, the city was in the midst of getting rid of the monster corpses and recovering from damage.
Woojin was trying to find his family in the crowd when an employee from the Titan guild came to find him. Then he guided Woojin to the upper floors occupied by the Titan guild.
“You family is over this way.”
It was a guest reception room located on the higher floors. When Woojin entered after opening the door, the first thing to greet him was a barking sound.
Kuhng kuhng!
It was the large dog Bokhwee that he had gifted Sooah. The dog had grown a lot during his absence. Woojin glared at the barking dog and Bokhwee retreated as he whined.
“You are here?”
“Yes, mother.”
Even after going through such a bedlam, his mother was giving off a air of calmness.
“After you stopped by, some people brought us to this place.”
His mother’s voice didn’t have any strength behind it.
“What about Sooah?”
“She’s asleep.”
Woojin turned the corner at the conference room’s pillar and saw Sooah soundly asleep in a bed. He carefully backed out so Sooah wouldn’t wake up. His mother called for him.
“Sit here for a moment.”
“…….”
It seemed she wasn’t in a good mood today, so Woojin obediently sat across her. Lee-soogyung bit her lips several times, but her indecision didn’t last long.
“Woojijn.”
“Yes.”
“I’m proud of you.”
“…….”
“I thought you were dead but you came back after 5 years. Just the fact that you are alive has granted my wish.”
Tears welled in Lee-soogyung’s eyes. She didn’t wipe away the tears that was flowing down her face and she looked at Woojin with eyes full of affection.
“You disappeared, then you father also disappeared… Seoul was in a mess.”
She didn’t looked to be in a good mood as she talked about the great calamity from 5 years ago.
She must had reminisced about the Dungeon Shock. Moreover, she had also thought about the past years when she had struggled alone to feed the young Sooah.
“Now I have received unexpected filial affection, and I was able to get on TV because of my son.”
The media probably hounded Lee-soogyung for interviews, yet she was thankful. Her son was an amazing person. Yes, he was.
Lee-soogyung grabbed her son’s hands.
“You mother doesn’t need any special treatment from you.”
The people who had evacuated here were crowded into a room without any amenities yet her family was in a spacious room with a bed… She didn’t know what to think about this. Moreover, she was worried she was causing harm to her son.
“Don’t worry about your mother. Save Seoul instead of your mother.”
“…….”
How could he do that?
Woojin had lasted until now because of his family.
“People are saying you are a hero.”
He wasn’t a hero. He was a predator that ate carnivores.
Why was his mother acting like this today?
“Did you see the news?”
“…….”
He pretty much had a reporter within his reach everywhere he went. He wanted the people of the world to see him. He wanted to arouse the people’s attention.
If they were afraid, Woojin wanted it to be like that. If they were defiant against him, Woojin again wanted it to be like that. It would separate his allies from his enemies.
However, what would his mother have felt when she saw her son commit indiscriminate slaughter?
He saw worry, sympathy, anxiety, and the uncertainty in her eyes. She was trying to suppress those feelings. She wanted to tell him to just drop everything. He could feel her hold herself back.
Woojin grinned as he grabbed both of Lee-soogyung’s hands and shook it.
“Don’t worry about me.”
Lee-soogyung’s chest hurt more as she saw her son’s laughing figure.
It was said that heroes were given by the heavens. Why did her son have to walk such an arduous road? She wanted to argue, and she wanted to wish for everything to return to normal.
Since she couldn’t do that, her heart was breaking.
The only thing she could do was to silently cheer for him. The only way she could help him was to make sure his family didn’t become a burden to him.
Her son had grown too much to envelop him in her bosom.
He had become so big that he was able to take the world under his arms to protect it.
“I’m all right.”
“Ok. Ok.”
Lee-soogyung laughed as she tried to hide her tears.
“You should go. You are busy.”
“Yes.”
Woojin stood up gave gave her a hug. Then, he exited towards the reception room.
Chal-kahk.
He stood outside the closed door as the sound of his mother crying tickled his ears.
I’m sorry, mother.
The destruction of earth has already started.
Neither a hero nor a god could stop this…. A calamity that would make the Dungeon Shock look cute was coming.