CH 333

Philip pointed at Chi-Woo’s charred club. Chi-Woo raised it and thought. ‘Offer this ghost-busting club as a sacrifice? But this is from my mentor.’

‘No,’ Chi-Woo answered firmly. There was no need for him to even consider it. ‘It can be anything else but this club.’ Chi-Woo would be willing to offer most things, but he couldn’t give up this club no matter how great a piece of equipment came out from the fire pit. This club was a natural treasure that had been handed down from one generation to the next for at least a thousand years. It wasn’t something that he could give away for an exchange.

—Ah, why?

‘No, stop insisting. I already told you that I won’t.’

And because Chi-Woo refused so firmly, Philip backed off temporarily. Chi-Woo snorted but soon turned to Abis when she spoke up.

“Huh? Didn’t the magic circle become dimmer?”

It was as she said. The red light emitted seemed to have lost half of its brilliance right after he used the fire pit.

“What if we can’t use the fire pit anymore when all the light goes out?” Dulia asked. She had a point. Samigina might have created the magic circle on the ground to receive authority to use the firepit’s exchange system. It appeared that they couldn’t use the fire pit without limit.

“It seems it consumes more energy the higher the cost of exchange,” Chi-Woo said and turned around. “I think everyone should have a go before the magic circle loses all its energy. Then…” There were two people who still hadn’t used the fire pit even once yet: Emmanuel and Yunael—three if they included animals, the fenrir cub. The fenrir cub glanced at the fire pit, but they didn’t move out of their spot and simply wagged their tail. It seemed they were already satisfied with their first taste of a great demon and didn’t show much interest in the fire pit.

“I’m fine, sir.” Emmanuel was the same. “It will be crazy of me to yearn for more than what I have. I’ve already earned a power that surpasses all my earnest wishes and expecting more than that will be too much.” It would be a lie if Emmanuel said that a chance with the fire pit wasn’t tempting, but he wanted to focus on training his new powers for now.

“So please, I will give my chance to you, Teacher,” Emmanuel stated and backed away. Since that was what he said, Chi-Woo didn’t push the matter any further. That left one person. Yunael stared at the fire pit intently and chewed on their lower lip. Their expression had been troubled ever since steam bun first used the fire pit. It seemed that unlike Emmanuel, they did want to give the fire pit a try, but something made them hesitate.

“…Will it work?” Yunael seemed to have noticed the gaze on them and asked cautiously. Chi-Woo realized what Yunael wanted then.

“No, it won’t.” Unlike his usual self, Chi-Woo sounded firm and cold. “Even though it is a fire pit imbued with a god’s power, it won’t be able to transcend life and death.”

No matter what Yunael offered, they wouldn’t be able to bring the two dead heroes back alive.

“Even if it does grant your wish, they won’t return in the form that you are hoping for. You can tell by the strange monsters that Samigina summoned.”

“But that thing…!” Yunael pointed at Steam Bun, who had successfully summoned its same kind, but trailed off. They recalled Steam Bun’s companion gradually melting away while they were in the middle of playing.

“Perhaps you could summon their spirits and talk to them for a bit, but that will also require a considerable offering,” Chi-Woo said in a low voice; Steam Bun looked very disappointed. “Well, I don’t really recommend that either.”

Yunael closed their eyes tightly. They let out a deep sigh with a wary nod.

“…I understand…”

Chi-Woo thought Yunael might insist on trying and finding out, but it seemed like they understood in the end.

“Then I don’t need my turn either. You or someone else can use my chance.” And surprisingly, Yunael gave up their chance to someone else.

“Captain, I know I’m being shameless, but can I have one more go? Just one more time. Please?” Abis gathered her hands and pleaded desperately.

“Yes, yes. You can, but Mr. Jin-Cheon is…a bit…”

“Don’t worry about that! I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything!” Abis jumped up and down in glee and turned around.

—Hey, Chi-Woo.

And while Abis was blackmailing Jin-Cheon and Aric to give her their merits, Philip struck up another conversation with Chi-Woo.

—Do you have anything else? You know, something that you can offer.

Chi-Woo wondered why Philip was so hung up about this but thought deeply. There were two things he could immediately think of: first of all, there was ‘The Power to Rule the World’, which he always wore on his right hand.

‘I can’t give this up.’ This was a godly item made with reliquia at its core and materials that were nearly impossible to get the second time. It could be seen as his first own holy relic, and no one would be crazy enough to offer their relic on the gambling board. And if he had to pick one more besides that, there was the talisman. It wasn’t just any ordinary talisman, but a very special one that his master gave him along with the club. There used to be three of them, but after using two, he now only had one left. Its worth was immeasurable, and even if he had no immediate use for it…

‘There’s no way I can give this up. No way.’ Chi-Woo’s face hardened, and he shook his head. This was because as soon as he thought he should give it a try, his intuition gave him a clear warning that he shouldn’t, and that he needed to keep it at all costs.

‘Ah damn it. That means I might have to use it soon…’ Chi-Woo thought. These were talismans that could even summon the White Horse General and Indra’s Vajra. It worried him that he would soon encounter a situation where he would need a power like that again. Thus, Chi-Woo wondered whether he should consult his brother about rolling the World’s Milestone as soon as he returned to the city, but then Philip spoke again.

—Okay, those two are out of the picture. But I still think offering that club will be the best option.

‘…Mr. Philip?’

—No, calm down and hear me out.

Philip cleared his throat.

—I know that burnt club is an amazing item, but isn’t it severely limited in that you can only use it against spirits like me?

There was truth to that. Though the club was sturdier than he thought, it was still made out of mere wood. If he swung it against a well-equipped soldier, it would easily be sliced into two like a log.

—So, let’s use this opportunity to make it useful in any situation. You must also know the importance of having a weapon by now.

‘That’s true, but…’

—Furthermore, didn’t you say that club drank a whole load of holy water at the cave under the Evalaya volcano? I’m sure of it since there was no way that pond would become dry in just one day.

—Think about it. It drank holy water on top of being an outstanding godly item. Wow! I bet you can really expect something huge in return.

Philip got more excited as Chi-Woo looked like he was getting more convinced.

—Just believe in me this once and try it. I’m sure whatever comes out of it will be crazy good.

Chi-Woo smacked his lips and looked down at the club he was holding. This club was a precious object that his mentor used to carry around with him everywhere. Chi-Woo couldn’t even count the number of times he was smacked with it. Though it had hurt every time it hit his head, Chi-Woo never felt bad about it. He had always done something that warranted a beating during those times, and he knew that his mentor was taking care of him out of love and affection. His mentor wouldn’t have even paid any attention to him, much less swing his club, if he hadn’t been interested in Chi-Woo. Chi-Woo recalled those memories, and a smile formed on his face. Then he froze.

He thought he had lived a life far different from others, but it hadn’t always been like that. There were times when he managed to live the life he wanted, albeit momentarily, and his time with his mentor was one of the few happy memories he treasured. This club reminded him of such memories. Thus, Chi-Woo hesitated.

He knew Philip had a point, and he also didn’t get a foreboding feeling about giving away this club as he did with the talisman. Instead, his intuition seemed to align with Philip’s. Chi-Woo knew at times like this, it was best to go along with what his intuition said, but he couldn’t let go of this past. He was only human, and he couldn’t exchange an item filled with so many memories. Still, there were parts of his mind that kept asking, ‘Who cares about that when your intuition is telling you something else? You know better than anyone else that your mentor wouldn’t mind. Instead, he would want you to use it.’

“Bag!” In the end, Chi-Woo hardened his resolve and called for Steam Bun. Steam Bun was looking around for things to offer, but jumped over when he heard Chi-Woo’s call.

“Keep hold of this for a bit,” Chi-Woo told it while holding up his club. “Never give it back to me even if I ask for it until we return this fire pit back to its original owners. Do you understand?”

Steam Bun looked like he wasn’t really paying attention but swallowed up the club and departed.

—Sigh. Seriously, how are you so stubborn?

Philip raised both hands and shook his head.

—You should’ve given it a try…

Philip murmured, sounding really disappointed, but Chi-Woo ignored him. He knew he might’ve missed a great opportunity, but this was the kind of person he was. One time, he kept the allowance he got from his parents inside his wallet for nearly a year because he wanted to save it. Though he ended up using it in the end, Chi-Woo had the kind of personality that was very stubborn about such matters. It was then he heard Abis’ cheering from behind. She was jumping and walking around while wearing new boots. It seemed she had gotten a new item by offering merits.

—Ah, seriously…I have only felt this much certainty once or twice in my whole life…

Philip was still murmuring. Chi-Woo smiled bitterly. He had wondered why Philip was being so persistent, and it seemed he had gotten the same intuition as he did.

—If you really can’t give that up, why don’t you at least try offering your blood?

‘What? Do you want me to do the same thing as Mr. Jin-Cheon?’

—No. Who told you to spit on top of some rock dust? I’m talking about blood. And if you think about it, isn’t your blood quite costly?

That was true. It was even in his user information; he had ‘Divine Blood’. Chi-Woo let out a humorless laugh. They were both trying so hard to come up with more options, but Chi-Woo thought it was worth a try.

‘Okay, all right. I will try.’

—Oh.

‘But you can’t nag anymore after this.’

—Hey, do you think I do this for fun? I am saying all this for you.

Philip nagged, but when he saw Chi-Woo move, he smirked and sneakily backed away after checking his surroundings. Chi-Woo made a scratch on his thumb and dropped a couple drops of blood into the fire pit. Then he wondered what he should ask for. In the end, he closed his eyes and prayed.

‘I pray that I will get a piece of equipment matching the worth of my offering…’

Clunk.

‘It will be preferable if it’s a weapon, but…?’ Chi-Woo stopped because he heard the sound of something heavy falling. He immediately opened his eyes and saw Steam Bun on top of the fire pit. If he hadn’t seen wrong, it looked as if Steam Bun had sliced a good part of its body and dropped it in.

“Why are you….?” Chi-Woo was saying this when he realized something. Would there be such a heavy metallic thud if the jelly-like substance was the only thing dropped? In that instant, Chi-Woo’s eyes opened wide, and he quickly checked the inside of the fire pit.

“No!” His club was lying prettily inside the fire pit, Chi-Woo reached out instinctively at it.

Craaaaaaaaaaackle!

A gigantic trail of fire they had never seen before rose and pushed Chi-Woo away with its immense force.

“My club!” Chi-Woo stretched out his hand, but it was too late by the time he raised his head. When he looked up, he realized that he was no longer in an empty room, but a workshop—like the one that the buhguhbu’s leader worked in.

“W-What? Where is this place?” Chi-Woo asked with utter shock. “What is it again?”

—This is…really surprising!

Soon, a low and majestic voice boomed inside the workshop.

—It surprises me no matter how many times I look at it.

The voice shook in admiration.

—To think it held onto such deep, deep energy of thunder for so long… The beliefs endowed upon it are immense. Hmmmm? Furthermore, there’s blood from the heavens…and isn’t this the first….!

The voice rambled in amazement for a while.

—This is an honor. A great honor!

Then in high spirits, the voice exclaimed.

—I can’t believe there will come a day when I get to work with materials of this level. This is truly shocking… With this much…It seems like I’ll have to pay the price for it on my side.

Chi-Woo thought he saw a wide toothy grin. But soon the voice became gravely serious.

—All right. I will give it my all in the name of Vulcanus!

Clang! Clear metallic sounds vibrated inside the workshop. At that moment, Chi-Woo was presented with a clear view of the scene and saw a shining giant thrust his hammer toward the fire pit. The hammer clanged down nonstop, but strangely, Chi-Woo never thought it was noisy. Instead, he became immersed in it, and every time he heard a clang, it felt like his body and soul were vibrating along with it. He was too enamored by the sight of a great master pouring his whole heart and soul into his creation to think of anything else.

Sometime later, the giant gave a satisfying laugh that shook the whole workshop. It lingered around Chi-Woo’s ears and eventually settled down and disappeared. And when Chi-Woo regained his senses, he opened his mouth wide. The first things he saw were the magic circle without its light and the fire pit without its fire. The inside of the fire pit was completely empty, and there was something lying on the ground. It wasn’t a club, but what looked like a white glove. Not a pair, but a single glove.

“Ppyu!” Steam Bun picked up the glove with its mouth and jumped up. It then panted like a dog that had just brought its toy back. Chi-Woo took the glove. It felt strange. Though he was holding onto it, he didn’t feel any sensation on its palm, and it felt as if he was touching light…

No, that wasn’t the important part. Chi-Woo checked the inside of the fire pit again and screamed.

“Uhahhhhhhh!” It was so loud that the rescue team who had gathered around to check what came out all jolted in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

“I will kill it…”

“T-Teacher? Are you…all right?”

“I will kill it…for sure…!” Chi-Woo gasped out, and everyone stopped approaching and began to walk backward. There was a crazy look in Chi-Woo’s eyes, like he’d turned absolutely mad.

It was the club from his mentor! His treasure that held precious memories and happiness was now gone!

“Why! Why!” Chi-Woo shouted. His eyes blazed, and his body trembled in fury. Steam Bun also looked shocked by Chi-Woo’s response and moved away, not knowing what to do.

“My cluuuuub!” Chi-Woo gripped the glove he got and poured out his exorcism mana.

Shaaa!

The glove then shone and burned in pure, white light. Chi-Woo grabbed Steam Bun and shook it, but soon stopped when he saw the club that had disappeared appear inside his hand. There was his club, letting out a glorious ringing sound and casting brilliant light all over its surroundings.

Wing!

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