Han Se-Hyun brought Kang Yoon-Soo to an old, run-down pub. Shaneth excused herself to go rest at the inn because she was visibly too tired to accompany the two men. Lee Kang-Hyun and the others persistently tried to chase after Han Se-Hyun, but they were courteously asked to leave, as he wanted to speak in private with Kang Yoon-Soo.

The two men sat at a table in the corner and placed an order.

“Two lime liqueurs, and some snacks that aren’t too greasy.”

“Yes… Sir… I… I’ll bring it shortly!” The waitress blushed before running toward the kitchen after Han Se-Hyun cheekily smiled at her. It was obvious that the women working in the kitchen would be gossiping about them.

The lime liqueurs came in two large mugs, and a set of fragrant fried chicken wings that were perfectly golden brown came along with the alcohol.

Han Se-Hyun started to take his armor off before he started the conversation with a question. “Are you a fan of beating around the bush?”

“No,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied curtly.

“Good, I don’t like it either. I’ll get straight to the point then,” Han Se-Hyun continued after taking a swig of lime alcohol. “I’ve heard from the alchemist guild that you killed Ravian, the boss of the Chimera Dimension.”

Kang Yoon-Soo nodded without taking his lips off the mug. It was a very rude gesture, but Han Se-Hyun did not seem to mind at all. Han Se-Hyun ate a chicken wing before he continued, “You must have obtained the homunculus heart that never decomposes. I wish to buy that heart from you.”

“It’s not for sale,” Kang Yoon-Soo said flatly.

“If you decide to, I’ll pay handsomely for it, so that you won’t have to worry about leveling up and you can live comfortably,” Han Se-Hyun offered.

“I said I’m not selling it,” Kang Yoon-Soo reiterated.

“Then I’ll have to kill you,” Han Se-Hyun said.

Kang Yoon-Soo stared coldly at Han Se-Hyun. Han Se-Hyun smiled at him, but he could see that behind that smile, Han Se-Hyun’s eyes were very cold and ruthless.

“You said you won’t sell it. That leaves me with no choice but to kill you and take it, right?” Han Se-Hyun no longer bothered to be polite with Kang Yoon-Soo anymore. He leaned close to Kang Yoon-Soo and extended his index finger toward the other man’s neck. Suddenly, a line of blood formed on Kang Yoon-Soo’s neck as if it had been cut by something sharp. 

‘Blade-Body Transformation’ was Han Se-Hyun’s unique skill. It allowed him to use any part of his body as a lethal weapon for a short period of time. It was not an exaggeration to say that Han Se-Hyun was the strongest Traveler on the continent.

Kang Yoon-Soo had faced death multiple times in one of his life when he had worked as an assassin and received a request to have Han Se-Hyun assassinated. However, that was just a story from the past. He had no plans to kill Han Se-Hyun in his thousandth life.

Han Se-Hyun kept smiling as he waved his finger around, saying, “I hope you’re smarter than you look. Not everyone can avoid being murdered in this world, you know?”

Kang Yoon-Soo looked at him indifferently and answered, “I know.”

“Then give me Ravian’s heart,” Han Se-Hyun said.

“I don’t want to,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

Han Se-Hyun was perplexed for a moment before asking, “Then do you plan to die?”

“No,” Kang Yoon-Soo answered.

“What do you mean?” Han Se-Hyun asked.

“You can’t kill me,” Kang Yoon-Soo said simply.

“Hmm… How can you be so sure?” Han Se-Hyun retorted.

“Because you plan on becoming the emperor,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

Han Se-Hyun slowly raised his finger as if he were drawing a sharp dagger. His eyes had changed into something cold and sinister as he echoed Kang Yoon-Soo’s words. “I plan to become the emperor?”

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“How can you be so certain?” Han Se-Hyun asked.

“The white lion is roaring toward the throne,” Kang Yoon-Soo explained. He was talking about the white lion embroidered on the mantle that was handed out to the members of the White Lion Guild. He continued, “A beast doesn’t roar at something for no reason. It only roars toward its prey.”

The threatening sharpness of the finger on Kang Yoon-Soo’s neck disappeared, and Han Se-Hyun slowly brought his finger down.

Silence descended for a moment…

“Hahahaha!” Han Se-Hyun suddenly laughed out loud, but Kang Yoon-Soo was expressionless as usual. Han Se-Hyun was not bothered at all, and he laughed until he started wheezing for air. “You’re the first! I’ve never met a guy as entertaining as you ever since I came to this world. I like you! I’ve never seen a guy stay so composed even with a knife to his neck. This! This! You made me want to talk to you more!”

“It’s not something I’d want to hear,” Kang Yoon-Soo answered coldly. Nevertheless, Han Se-Hyun kept smiling, and it was a smile that differed from his usual expression of simple courtesy. Kang Yoon-Soo said quietly, “Give up with the request you received. You won’t be able to complete it anyway.”

“You mean I should give up Ravian’s heart? Then what can you give me instead?” Han Se-Hyun asked.

“I’ll make you the emperor,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

Han Se-Hyun looked surprised, but then he asked, “You plan to become my ‘Emperormaker[1]’?”

“Yeah,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied, nodding. He knew his travels would become much easier if he just said that one word.

“By what means?” Han Se-Hyun asked.

Kang Yoon-Soo merely said, “I have my ways.”

The two shared a long conversation, and Han Se-Hyun became more serious the more he listened to Kang Yoon-Soo. The idea had been vague at the start, but it started to become clearer and more detailed as he listened to the man’s advice. Top secret information such as the location of the rival guilds’ headquarters, the way to plant spies, and even a secret passage that he could use to enter the headquarters flowed out of the man’s mouth, and the way Han Se-Hyun looked at Kang Yoon-Soo changed.

***

The sun was setting by the time they finished talking. Han Se-Hyun extended his hand to Kang Yoon-Soo as they left the pub.

“I’ve decided to believe you from now on. I’ll ambush that guild on the date you told me. Of course, I’ll be participating personally,” Han Se-Hyun said; his voice was filled with confidence as he held out a hand. “We’ve now established an alliance. I’ll support you no matter what you do, and in return, you’ll support me to bring my plans to fruition.”

“I don’t want to shake hands,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Oh really? I guess you have OCD.” Han Se-Hyun awkwardly withdrew his hand. In truth, his unique skill had been active when he extended his hand, and he had been trying to test Kang Yoon-Soo’s senses.

Afterward, he made a proposal to Kang Yoon-Soo. “Don’t you have any plans to enter the White Lion Clan? I could promote you as a branch manager immediately. I’ll provide you with the best items every time you level up. That’s a privilege that hasn’t been given to anyone else.”

“No,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied flatly.

Han Se-Hyun gave out a hearty laugh. “To think that you would refuse such a proposal without even thinking about it. You’re denser than a wooden statue, aren’t you?”

Kang Yoon-Soo remarked, “And you’re an annoying one.”

Han Se-Hyun could not stop laughing as his fist bumped into Kang Yoon-Soo’s chest. It meant he had already disabled his unique skill. He said in a friendly tone, “Let me know if you ever drop by the capital. I’ll treat you to a proper pub and not a rundown place like this. Oh, and there will be a lot of pretty Continental girls too.”

Kang Yoon-Soo slowly nodded.

Han Se-Hyun laughed before extending his right hand and saying, “Summon griffin Armian.”

A griffin with golden wings made a majestic appearance, attracting the gazes of onlookers in a short instant. Han Se-Hyun quickly mounted the griffin before it attracted any more attention, then looked at Kang Yoon-Soo before saying, “As I said earlier, I’ll be waiting for you. I’ll never forget the conversation we had, and I hope you’ll never forget the promise we made to each other.”

“Yeah,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied simply.

The griffin spread out its wings before shooting up toward the sky, and Han Se-Hyun became a dot in the distance before completely disappearing from sight.

Kang Yoon-Soo went up to his room as soon as he reached the inn. There, he found Shaneth with her hair loose; she was sleeping with her saliva all over the pillow. She was exhausted because of the side effects of the adrenaline potion.

However, Shaneth immediately looked toward Kang Yoon-Soo in a half-awake state as soon as he entered the room, mumbling, “Slurp… Oh, you’re back? Did you have a good discussion with him?”

“Better than expected,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied as he plopped face-down on the bed Shaneth was sleeping on. Shaneth was too tired to even realize that he was lying down beside her.

‘I’m tired.’ Kang Yoon-Soo fell asleep.

***

The morning sunlight penetrated through the window. Shaneth slowly woke from her sleep, but then she was suddenly horrified. Kang Yoon-Soo was sleeping soundly with his face inches away from hers. His soft breath tickled her ears.

Suddenly, a piece of meat fell out of Kang Yoon-Soo’s backpack and started to crawl sloppily across the floor. The meat moved slowly like a snail, leaving a trail of blood across the floor.

Slither… Slither…

The heart moved by itself as if it were a living organism. It was a grotesque sight.

“Kyaaaaah!” Shaneth screamed first thing in the morning. “Mr. Kang Yoon-Soo! Mr. Kang Yoon-Soo!”

“What?” Kang Yoon-Soo replied. He had definitely just woken up, but he spoke with the same emotionless voice he always had.

However, Shaneth did not seem to care as she pointed toward the backpack. “The… re…! Look! The heart left the backpack on its own!”

Kang Yoon-Soo got up from the bed, and as he walked toward the heart, it suddenly hardened. The veins on the heart suddenly stood up and turned into sharp spikes, and the heart flew toward him.

Smack!

Kang Yoon-Soo grabbed the heart with one hand and ripped it apart in an instant. The whole room turned into a bloody mess, and even Shaneth was covered in blood.

[You have destroyed the heart of the homunculus, Ravian.]

[You have found a clue left behind by the grand alchemist, Minerva.]

[You have proven your qualifications to carry out the task, as you have inherited the will of Nakron the Ultimate Necromancer.]

[Do you accept the quest related to a legendary hero?]

Kang Yoon-Soo said, “I accept.”

[You will face countless fatal dangers when carrying out this legendary quest.]

[Your decisions will greatly affect the future of the continent.]

[You will not be able to quit halfway through the quest.]

[Please think carefully before you decide whether or not to accept this quest.]

[Do you really accept the legendary quest?]

“I said I accept,” Kang Yoon-Soo reiterated. He plopped down on the bed again without even wiping off the blood. He then immediately fell asleep.

Shaneth just stared at the man who had managed to fall asleep instantly as she brushed her blood-covered hair with her hands. She then muttered under her breath, “What is this disaster so early in the morning…”

1. The author replaced the word ‘king’ in ‘kingmaker’ with ‘emperor’. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingmaker ☜