After Ten Millennia in Hell

Halcyon tilted his head. At that moment, as if he understood something, he quickly said, "Oh…! I-I\'m, uhm, a-androgynous."

"Androgynous?"

What a load of bullshit.

"Yes. I-I can choose which g-gender I want to be."

\'What an awfully convenient setting.\'

Just like humans, demons and demonic beasts had genders. Although very rare, demons and demonic beasts also produced offspring. However, Kang-Woo had never heard of androgynous demons or demonic beasts before.

\'In any case…\'

His shock died down a little after hearing that Halcyon could change genders.

"W-Would you prefer me… to be female, Master Kang-Woo?" he asked.

"Of course."

He didn\'t hesitate to answer. He didn\'t even want to imagine that someone so beautiful was a man.

"I-In that case, please just wait a little bit. I-It won\'t take very long!"

"Okay, then get started right awa—"

"I-It\'ll take about a hundred years."

"I beg your pardon? A hundred years?"

"Yes!"

Halcyon smiled brightly.

Certainly, for immortal beings, a hundred years was not a very long time. However, that meant…

\'He\'ll have a dick for a hundred years.\'

Kang-Woo\'s expression paled.

\'No.\'

Kang-Woo grabbed his head.

Halcyon, who was laying on the bed, looked at his face. He carefully asked, "I-Is there a problem?"

Kang-Woo remained silent.

A problem? There were nothing but problems.

The sensation of that thing he had felt against his thigh was still very vivid.

Kang-Woo did not even think to check that area while they were fighting, but now that he saw it, he could see it clearly under Halcyon\'s clothes, which seemed to be made from beast skin.

\'No, just… why…?\'

He was beyond frustrated; he was just enraged now.

\'Why does he have one with that appearance?\'

"You\'ve gotta be fucking kidding me…"

The difficulty of sleeping together with Halcyon had skyrocketed. Although he had never planned to do anything besides sleeping, that was not the problem.

\'Shit.\'

Kang-Woo grabbed his head in confusion. He\'d already been put into similar situations a few times. For example, Kim Si-Hun sometimes gave off a weird feeling.

\'No.\'

Kang-Woo shook his head.

It was different. There was a clear difference between Si-Hun and Halcyon. He could always brush off Si-Hun\'s actions as if it were a joke, but not Halcyon\'s.

\'At this rate…\'

Kang-Woo\'s expression paled. Within the deepest parts of his consciousness, as deep as the Abyss, the thought that it might actually be okay popped up.

"Absolutely not!!"

"Kyaa!"

Kang-Woo sprang up, sweating and panting heavily.

"Ah…"

Halcyon looked up at Kang-Woo panting heavily and exclaimed as if he had realized something.

"I-I understand."

\'Understand what?\'

Halcyon nodded while blushing.

"I-I\'m fine with it."

\'I\'m not.\'

"I-If Master Kang-Woo wants to do it that badly…"

\'No, I don\'t want to do it.\'

"I…"

\'No.\'

Halcyon lowered his head while blushing.

The sensation against Kang-Woo\'s thigh grew stronger.

"Ah."

Kang-Woo covered his face with his hands.

"Fuck my life…"

Why was this happening to him?

\'Just please let me be happy too.\'

He was crying before he realized it.

* * *

"… Did something happen, Kang-Woo?" Han Seol-Ah asked while looking at him the next morning, worried because of the dark circles beneath his eyes.

"…"

With his mouth closed, Kang-Woo looked at Seol-Ah. He grabbed her hands.

"K-Kang-Woo?"

"Darling."

"Y-Yes…?"

"You know you\'re the only one for me, don\'t you?"

"…"

Seol-Ah tilted her head at his sudden change in attitude.

Kang-Woo dragged her in and hugged her tightly.

"K-kyaa!"

Seol-Ah\'s face reddened. She quickly looked around. Thankfully, there wasn\'t anyone nearby.

"Oh, you…"

The ends of her mouth went up. She wasn\'t sure why he was acting this way, but she didn\'t hate it. She put her forehead on Kang-Woo\'s shoulder.

She felt as if he would be able to hear her heart beating faster.

"Fuuu. I feel much better now," Kang-Woo said.

"Ah…" As Kang-Woo let her go, Seol-Ah gave a short exclamation as if disappointed. "What\'s the matter?"

"Nothing much."

"Don\'t say that. You look exhausted."

"…"

Kang-Woo remained silent.

It was too complex to explain what had happened last night.

\'What should I say, exactly?\'

How could he tell the woman he was dating that he had despaired over the fact that Halcyon had something he shouldn\'t have?

Kang-Woo forced a smile and avoided answering.

"Mm… You don\'t have to tell me if you don\'t want to."

Seol-Ah smiled after seeing him troubled.

"Oh, more importantly, you had plans today, didn\'t you? I got a call from Gaia earlier."

"Oh, right."

He\'d completely forgotten about it due to the Halcyon incident. It was the day he would go see Raphael with Gaia and Si-Hun.

\'He hasn\'t fully recovered yet, apparently.\'

Raphael was still recovering after being critically wounded in the fight against Satan. Seeing how he\'d requested a meeting, it seemed he\'d gotten better.

\'I really don\'t want to see him.\'

Kang-Woo wanted to avoid meeting angels as much as possible, but it couldn\'t be helped. After all, they were allies in their hunt for Satan, the Demon of Prophecy.

"You were going to meet that angel named… Raphael, right? I\'m a bit curious. What do angels look like?"

"They don\'t look that different from humans."

Although their stature was incomparable to that of a human.

"I guess you could say they\'re like… giants with white wings?"

That was probably the best comparison.

"How fascinating," Seol-Ah remarked.

"Mm…"

Kang-Woo recalled that Seol-Ah had symbols of angel wings on her back.

\'Should I ask an angel about it?\'

Although it didn\'t seem like there was anything wrong with Seol-Ah\'s body, he was still worried about it nonetheless. The symbols were similar to angel wings, so the angels might know something about it.

\'…\'

He thought about it for a while, but he ended up shaking his head.

\'I\'ll keep it under wraps for now.\'

Angels were not yet trustworthy allies. It wouldn\'t be too late to ask them after they built more trust. Besides, nothing had happened to Seol-Ah in the past year she had the symbols.

\'Is it just an influence of her Trait?\'

He narrowed his eyes. Players sometimes experienced changes to their bodies after awakening a Trait.

"Excuse me for a sec, Seol-Ah."

"Pardon? Ah… Kyaa!"

Kang-Woo turned her around and lifted her shirt. He saw the angel wing symbols shining faintly. Her back would likely shine dimly in the dark.

\'The light is getting brighter.\'

"K-Kang-Woo? I-I\'m fine with it, but… d-doing it so early in the morning is…" Seol-Ah lowered her head while blushing. "W-We should at least go to my r—

"Have you noticed any changes after these symbols appeared?"

"… Pardon me?"

Seol-Ah turned her head, her eyes as wide as saucers. She finally understood why Kang-Woo was staring at her back. Her face became so red that one might think white steam would rise from her head.

"N-Nothing in particular!"

"Really?"

In that case, it seemed fine to leave them alone for the time being.

"I\'ll be going to the Hall of Protection. Halcyon is still asleep, so try talking to him once he wakes up."

Kang-Woo put her shirt back down.

She couldn\'t see any lustful intentions in his eyes.

"…"

Seol-Ah glanced at Kang-Woo with narrow eyes.

For some reason… she was displeased.

"… No kimchi stew for you for the next week."

"Huh? Wh-Why? Why would you do such a horrible—"

"I\'ve already made my decision."

Seol-Ah turned away coldly.

"At least tell me why!!" Kang-Woo shouted as if the situation wasn\'t fair.

His voice echoed through the house in vain.

* * *

"Welcome, Kang-Woo."

"We\'ve been waiting for you, hyung-nim."

As he entered the Hall of Protection, he saw Gaia and Si-Hun.

Kang-Woo nodded.

"Is something the matter, hyung-nim?"

"It\'s nothing," Kang-Woo said lifelessly. He turned to Gaia. "That aside, where did we decide to meet Lord Raphael?"

"In their fortress in Africa, like last time."

"And how is he doing…?"

"I\'ve heard he\'s gotten much better."

Kang-Woo nodded while smiling. "What a relief."

Kang-Woo honestly wished for Raphael to stay bedridden for a bit longer, but he couldn\'t let his thoughts show.

"Let\'s get going."

It was close to the time of the meeting.

Kang-Woo turned to the gate that led to Africa.

Si-Hun followed him while pushing Gaia\'s wheelchair from behind.

"Long time no see," Raphael said.

Once they arrived at the fortress of the angels being built in the wilderness, the five-meter-tall giant waved at them while sitting in a chair as giant as himself.

Kang-Woo asked, "How are you feeling now?"

"Much better. What about you?"

"I have pretty much fully healed," Kang-Woo said while lightly swinging his arm. "More importantly, what have you called us here for today?"

"I was not the one who called you."

"Pardon?"

What was all that about?

Raphael continued, "A god of Earth contacted me. They said there was something they needed to tell all of us."

"… A god of Earth?"

"I am sure you all know better than me who it could be."

Raphael\'s eyes rested on Gaia.

Kang-Woo\'s and Si-Hun\'s eyes widened.

"No way…"

Whoom!!!

At that moment, intense light poured out of Gaia.

"A-Aaaahh."

She let out an exclamation, her mouth wide open. Gaia trembled severely.

"Gaia!" Si-Hun exclaimed.

"This is…"

Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He\'d seen it a few times.

\'A revelation.\'

It was how the gods of Earth contacted the protectors through their incarnations.

"My… children…"

A weak voice that sounded as if it would extinguish at any moment came out of Gaia\'s mouth.

Kang-Woo\'s expression hardened.

\'It\'s different from before.\'

The god was talking to them directly.

Considering whose incarnation Gaia was, it wasn\'t hard to guess the voice\'s owner.

\'Gaia.\'

It was not the voice of Gaia the incarnation but of the true Gaia.

"Haaa, haaa. There is… something that… I must… tell all… of… you," the stammering voice said.

Raphael, Kang-Woo, and Si-Hun looked at her.

\'What\'s she about to say?\'

Kang-Woo glared at Gaia in disapproval. There was no way he\'d have a positive opinion of Gaia.

She had been the one who had caused him to go through all that suffering during his early days after he returned to Earth. She was also the goddess who had not been properly protecting Earth from the hands of Satan, the Demon of Prophecy.

She was so useless that she had to beg for the help of angels and gods from other worlds.

"Satan… is not… the Demon… of Prophecy."

"… Wh-What?!"

"What do you mean by that?!" Si-Hun and Raphael shouted simultaneously. Their expressions paled.

\'Motherfucker.\'

Kang-Woo\'s face also paled.

\'What the actual fuck is this goddess going on about?\'

He had worked his ass off to buy the entirety of the Satan Coin.

\'Is this coin gonna plummet now?\'