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- A man in his 20s, caught hiding in the women's bathroom at Gangnam Station -

A man, A, was booked for investigation by the National Security Support Command (former National Security Command). This man, who appeared to be mentally ill, was caught at around 7:00 pm today in the women's bathroom in an underground shopping mall at Gangnam Station.

According to eyewitness testimony, Mr. A was arrested by martial law troops conducting an operation while fleeing in the direction of Exit 7 of Gangnam Station.

Currently, a photo captioned 'Pervert at Exit 7' has gone viral on social media, especially among female users on multiple platforms.

Reporter So Yujin

jin0810@dailykorea.com

[Fortunately, your face is a bit blurred.]

"That's not the problem now."

[The curse has turned you into a pervert. Kukuku.]

Although I wasn't actually charged, it seemed that people on the scene had taken pictures and posted them on social media.

My face didn't appear in any of them, but anyone who knew me could guess it was me.

Besides the person who wrote the article was So Yujin.

[You got involved in a dirty way.]

"Yeah."

[Even though you have returned, it seems the roots of your destiny haven’t changed. It appears that you'll meet everyone you're supposed to. Kukuku.]

"Did Seol-ah and So-eun not meet before the return?"

[I guess they had no connection then.]

"They met now, right?"

[It may be by God's arrangement that you returned, and a new relationship was formed.]

"It would be nice if it was arranged by God. That way, what I have planned will work out."

[Do you want to receive the protagonist's buff?]

"What nonsense is that?"

[Never mind.]

His words were only speculation, but my intervention had changed the present a little.

In that case, the end of the world after the Fifth Cataclysm could also be changed. Otherwise, wouldn't going back in time be meaningless?

As Heavenly Demon said, if I were the main character, I should receive a proper buff.

[If it's a buff, aren't you already receiving it?]

"What?"

[The Heavenly Demon Buff.]

“…”

While I was exchanging nonsensical jokes with the Heavenly Demon, Yoo So-eun called out to me.

"Mr. Byeong-gi!"

"Yes? What now?"

"If you go out now, you will break curfew again."

It was already almost 11:00 pm. It didn't matter much because I had the Heavenly Demon Air Stride, but Yoo So-eun, who didn't know that, seemed concerned.

[Is she interested in you?]

'Oh, no way.'

"I will take you home. You will pass without incident if you go with me, even if you get caught."

"Thank you. By the way, can you just come out like this?"

"Oh, I have at least that much power."

"You seem to have quite a lot of power, huh?"

"You don't seem to believe me. In fact, I’ll accompany you with the 'Hunters of Interest' surveillance car. I have that kind of authority."

"Hunters of Interest?"

"Let's get in the car and talk."

Whilst in the car, I listened to Yoo So-eun's story.

After returning from the Tutorial Dungeon, So-eun had returned to her unit, but she found she was wanted for having left the workplace without permission.

She had suddenly disappeared in a situation where there was an emergency, the Second Cataclysm, so it was understandable. At the time, quite a few privates deserted during the chaos.

She returned to her unit around the time the gate was cleared, and an intense investigation was launched.

Her story was readily accepted, as a few military personnel had also awakened during the Second Cataclysm.

The Management Bureau effectively managed the hunters who were in short supply after the Second Cataclysm and organized a particular unit specialized in gate hunting.

Yoo So-eun was appointed leader of the 1st special team.

Her job was to manage the awakened soldiers, including finding those who hadn’t yet returned.

Anyway, the critical fact was that they designated high-level hunters as 'Hunters of Interest' and recruited them into the special forces. That apparently included me.

"In summary, you’re saying you want to recruit me into the Management Bureau."

"That's right. No matter how high their level, no hunter can sniff out monsters and gates that easily. I don't believe everything you’ve said, but it is hard to find a hunter with the guts to clear a gate alone."

"So?"

"It means that as a hunter, I value you highly. So? Are you interested?"

"I refuse."

"Oh?"

[That's a slightly different answer from what you're thinking.]

'If I belong to a special unit under the Management Bureau, I can gain wealth, honor, and power. The benefits are substantial. I'm indeed tempted. However, I would have to obey the orders issued by the government unconditionally. There would be too many restrictions placed on my activities.'

Above all, the biggest reason was my reluctance to re-enlist.

For Korean men, the military brought back memories filled with 'lies.' It was a place that became our biggest worry in life before enlisting and a strange pride we discussed over drinks afterward.

As such, the place I absolutely didn't want to go to twice was the military.

[Military? What a strange system. It is inefficient.]

That was all the Heavenly Demon had to say after searching for my memories of the military.

'It's embarrassing to have you keep looking at it like that.'

[I'm so bored in your head that I’ll get sick.]

‘…’

Yoo So-eun was staring at me again since I’d gone silent to talk to Heavenly Demon.

"You are staring into space again. Why does that contemplative look seem attractive to me?"

[What?]

"What?"

It was the same as before, but the way this woman suddenly made her move flustered me.

"It’s nothing. Anyway, I didn't expect you to reject my offer so firmly."

"Thank you for the offer, but I have something in mind already."

"Are you thinking of establishing a guild?"

"Seong-jin Hyung is already on the move. It would be easier if you helped me too."

"Lee Seong-jin? Hmm… If it's under the condition that you will help us in our work, I'll think about it."

"Great."

To establish a guild, I had to obtain official permission from the Management Bureau. The procedures involved could be tricky, but with her help, it would go smoothly.

I might turn quite a profit at this rate.

The first thing the Hunter Management Bureau did after the First Cataclysm was to organize the hunter registration system and guilds.

Of course, there was opposition from those hunters in the guilds, but the Management Bureau quelled that opposition by providing massive subsidies.

Despite this, quite a few hunters and guilds still didn’t register, and most of them were involved in crime.

***

"It's been a while."

"Are you happy?"

"Absolutely!"

The Heavenly Demon drank liquor from the bottle without any snacks.

"I didn't think something like this would be possible. Martial arts are truly remarkable."

"It's only possible because you learned the Mind Divine Shifting Art."

"Embody the image… I now comprehend to some extent what you said before about training my mind."

"If you comprehend this skill perfectly, it will help you cultivate control over your mind in the future."

After parting with Yoo So-eun, the Heavenly Demon and I entered the mental world using the Mind Divine Shifting Art. I could create a virtual space in my mind without the help of the Heavenly Demon, and with his help, I could embody things like food as an image.

Of course, I had to fully remember the taste and shape before implementing it as an image.

"Isn't it possible to embody the food of the Martial World that you remember here?"

"Mind Divine Shifting Art isn’t omnipotent. Even if I embody the Martial World's food, it is impossible because there is no medium through which I can experience its taste."

"Medium?"

"This means that you need a body that has experienced that sensation. If I had a physical body, would there be any reason I’d borrow one from you?"

It was a bit difficult, but in short, my body had never experienced the Martial World's food, so there was a limit to the Heavenly Demon’s memory. Plus, there was the point that I had to share my bodily sensations to taste something.

However, the experience Heavenly Demon wanted could be fully realized as an image, so I thought this was fortunate.

Anyway, I felt good I had kept my promise to buy him a drink.

The Heavenly Demon smiled with satisfaction after emptying the last drop in his glass.

"It's weaker than the Martial World's liquor, but it’s okay."

The Heavenly Demon wanted some unique liquor, but there was no particular way to get it.

So, I thought back to the traditional liquor of Samcheok in Gangwon-do, which had the same name, and materialized it.

"So, did you say you wanted to learn wide-area skills?"

"I think I'll need it for the gate I'm going to this time."

"If you reach the stage where you can use Strong Blade Energy, you can use Demonic Dragon Skywrecker as an area of effect skill. Or… you can get a similar effect by linking the Demonic Dragon Era with the Demonic Dragon Force and pouring all your inner power into it."

"The problem is that I can't do that."

"Right… Let's see."

The Heavenly Demon seemed lost in thought for a moment before he said.

"The Blade Breaking Technique would suffice."

"Blade Breaking Technique?"

The martial arts skill the Heavenly Demon taught had the same destructive power as a claymore in terms of modern weapons.

It was a martial art skill that destroyed weapons with inner power and scattered the fragments forward to hit your enemies.

"This is impossible with your inner power. You'll be able to use it three times at most. Besides, the larger the range and spread, the weaker the destructive power."

"That'll be enough. Though I don't like the fact that I must destroy a weapon to use it."

"You can use the things the monsters drop in the Gate. And it doesn't have to be a weapon; it just needs to be a solid object."

"Okay. Then let's start right away."

"Don't be hasty… One more bottle, please."

As I learned this new skill, I organized the items I gathered from the past gates and Hidden Pieces.

In my spare time, I continued to raise my inner power, that is, with the Heavenly Demon’s Origin Art, and spent time sparring with the Heavenly Demon.

In addition to the Blade Breaking Technique, I learned the Heavenly Demon Stealth, which I liked quite a bit. It seemed like it would be very helpful.

At the end of all that, there were still a few more days before the gate opened.

Before that, I could have leveled up by hunting in the gates that had already been created, but since it was more efficient to train in martial arts, I decided not to.

[Okay, what are you planning to get next?]

"I want a Skill Book related to making potions."

[Potions? You’re using those already.]

"The ones on the market are normal potions. The existence of advanced potions is still unknown."

[Hmm… What's different about those?]

"They cause your wounds to heal quicker, and they offer a higher recovery amount for magic power.”

[I see.]

"Unlike regular potions, we cannot figure out the required ingredients for advanced potions without a recipe scroll."

[So?]

"I know the ingredients needed to craft advanced potions. It's the Poison Spider's venom bag. Poison Spiders are a monster that appeared during the Second Cataclysm, so hunters don't know about their existence yet. I can produce and distribute high-quality potions faster than anyone else."

[So, you think you don't have enough money selling mana stones?]

"Yes. I feel a bit guilty, but if I get the exclusive rights to distribute high-quality potions, I'll be able to secure more funds for the establishment and operation of my guild."

[Whoa! Is this the beginning of the Let's Eat and Live Well project?]

"I can do a lot with that kind of money. Even the powerful bow their heads in front of money. Korea is such a place.”

[As expected, the places where people live aren’t different. Even the Golden Ghost that I met in the Martial World before...]

"Ah, stop it. Anyway, the advanced potion-making skill will drop when I defeat the Named Boss monster, Arachne, at the next gate. I can't break the Summoning Stone of this gate."

[Named Boss?]

"Literally, it means a monster with a name. These guys are more likely to drop Skill Books. On the other hand, they’re difficult to hunt."

[Then, what about managing that gate?]

"This time, I'm going to ask So-eun to entrust it to the Hunter Management Bureau. The gate location isn’t good, so I will only ask them to manage it until a similar gate opens in a better spot in the future."

Mana stones and ingredients obtained from gates had significant economic value.

For that reason, gates that were relatively easy to hunt were registered as owned by guilds who managed them to generate profit and train Probies.

Even so, there couldn't be too many gates, so the Hunter Management Bureau restricted the number and destroyed dangerous ones.

[Still, wouldn't it be a waste for them to own the gate where the Poison Spiders come out?]

"It is a gate that needs to be extinguished because of its location. I don't have enough energy yet; that's why I'm asking So-eun."

[I guess you use your head at times like these. Kukuku. Are you planning to supply those high-quality potions to the special forces?]

"Yes. Advanced potion recipes will become widely known later, anyway. Gates with Poison Spiders will continue to be created. I just have to secure these initial funds."

[When will the gate open?]

"It is already open. The problem is…."

As I was about to explain it to the Heavenly Demon, I heard my mother calling.