He thought he might be dragged into an interrogation room, but the place they arrived at by car looked more like a reception lounge. Perhaps thinking there was no way to communicate since he didn’t respond to any questions, the man wearing a badge from the Paranormal Phenomena Response Agency simply gestured for him to eat, then placed down some snacks and coffee before stepping out.
[Death and Beauty sobs as they search for Death and Rest.]
Kim Sibaek closely examined the words printed on a small wrapper, no bigger than two fingers.
“That’s English, right? What was this called again… Lotus?”
He rolled the word around in his mouth a few times before giving up. He was never good at studying to begin with. Even becoming a police officer wasn’t from passing a regular exam, but through a special recruitment process. Still, remembering that the letters before him were English after all these years—wasn’t that something?
He put the snack in his mouth. The sweet, nutty crumble was surprisingly pleasant. Had he tried this before? He couldn’t be sure.
[Death and Beauty despairs, lamenting that this world barely holds any divinity.]
Coffee didn’t feel unfamiliar either—Mak Slechth had similar fruits. The bitter coffee paired with the sweet cookie made for a delicious combination.
“Judging by the signs I’ve seen and the language I’ve heard, this definitely seems like Korea…”
But some things didn’t quite add up. He had spent nearly 70 years in Mak Slechth. A similar amount of time must have passed on Earth too, yet it was hard to believe this was the future, 70 years after the era he remembered.
The streets had changed a little, sure, but not drastically enough to reflect nearly seven decades of progress. Above all, what he found most suspicious was that the language hadn’t changed at all in 68 years. That, and the sudden emergence of demonic beasts—something that had never existed before.
“Could this be… a parallel world?”
There was Mak Slechth, a different dimension. So it wasn’t too far-fetched to think there could be another Earth—a parallel world where demonic beasts appeared.
[Death and Beauty sobs, saying they might as well die.]
[Death and Beauty grieves.]
Kim Sibaek crumbled the cookie into small pieces and poured a bit of coffee into the saucer. Then he gently lifted the crying young crow avatar of Lord Biendeoé from his head—its tears soaking even his scalp—and placed it softly on the table.
“Would you like some cookies? The coffee’s bitter, but it tastes better with the sweets.”
With eyes swollen from crying, Biendeoé blinked and sniffed at the cookie crumbs, then began pecking at them with its beak.
[Death and Beauty eats cookies soaked in tears.]
Biendeoé was a fourth-generation deity—young by divine standards despite having lived far longer than any human ever could. In truth, he knew very little. It wasn’t for nothing that his avatar took the form of an immature fledgling.
Seeing him cower in fear in this unfamiliar world, crying without end, it was clear he wouldn’t be much help in figuring out their current predicament. After calming Biendeoé down, Kim Sibaek once again sank into thought.
“This feels just like when I first arrived in Mak Slechth… but how did I end up in yet another world?”
He was worried about Mak Slechth, which he’d vanished from right after the Edokers’ subjugation ended. And now he’d even brought Biendeoé with him to this unknown place.
That man earlier—Gwak Yoonsang, was it?—his government ID had looked similar to Kim’s old police badge. But the Paranormal Phenomena Response Agency? He had never heard of such a department before. Maybe it really was a parallel world.
But if this wasn’t a parallel world—if this truly was the Earth he once knew…
Hyung.
His still heart gave the faintest thump. Could he possibly see that child again? No—68 years had passed. The odds were high that they were already dead. Still… maybe he could at least find some trace of them left behind…
[Death and Beauty sniffles, saying at least the cookies in this world are delicious.]
“I’m glad there’s at least something you can enjoy.”
Crushing up more cookie, Kim Sibaek opened his status window to assess his current condition.
[Name: Kim Sibaek]
[Title: Apostle of Death and Beauty]
[Nationality: Atrebathum Empire]
[Affiliation: Cult of Death and Beauty]
[Achievements: One who encountered a god. The first to meet Death and Beauty. Slayer of demonic beasts. Guardian of Holme. Divine representative. First to serve Death and Beauty. First Apostle of Death and Beauty. First Great Warrior of Death and Beauty…]
He scrolled quickly through the long list of achievements, scanning the most recent ones.
[Achievements: …Terror of Edokers. Nightmare of Edokers. Savior of Mak Slechth.]
“Savior of Mak Slechth” had been earned at the same time he destroyed the Edokers’ core—a final achievement before his disappearance. So far, so good.
But the real issue lay further down. Though his other stats remained unchanged, his divine power had dropped significantly. As the purest divine power wielder across all cults in Mak Slechth, such a loss was grave.
Had his divine power remained intact during the earlier demonic beast incident, he wouldn’t have had to bother hacking away at them one by one.
“Still… I’ve got just enough to sustain Lord Biendeoé’s avatar. That should last me a while…”
Kim Sibaek let out a sigh and pressed his fingers to his forehead.
His worries only continued to pile up when a knock came at the door. The man who entered was Gwak Yoonsang, the same person who had escorted him here.
Kim Sibaek parted his lips, then closed them again. He didn’t even know what kind of world this was yet. It didn’t seem wise to reveal his cards too early.
Gwak Yoonsang gave a slight bow and cautiously spoke.
“Hello? Hola? Ni hao? Konnichiwa? Saeungbaeno?”
“……”
The tighter Kim Sibaek’s lips pressed together, the more flustered Gwak Yoonsang became. The young man had literally appeared out of thin air, and while he looked unmistakably Korean, he didn’t seem to understand a single word of the language.
Feeling ashamed of his own racial assumptions, Gwak had tried greetings in English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and even Mongolian—but the response was always the same. Judging from the way the young man had been whispering to the crow while hunting the demonic beasts, it wasn’t that he was incapable of speech.
He even tried using a translation app to greet him in Thai and Filipino, but again, nothing.
“My name is Gwak Yoonsang. Gwak. Yoon. Sang.”
He tapped his chest as he repeated his name, thinking this kind of body language should be universally understood—but the young man only offered a gentle smile.
‘Based on his skill hunting the demonic beasts, there’s no doubt he’s an S-rank Hunter…’
Since the Cataclysm 21 years ago, when demonic beasts began to appear, the number of S-rank Awakened and Hunters had become a direct measure of national power. Their identities were practically public domain—too powerful and valuable to remain hidden. Yet no known Hunter from any country matched this man’s appearance or skills.
He looked to be in his mid-to-late twenties at most. No matter how generously one guessed, he couldn’t be over thirty. A young man with a calm and gentle face, delicately handsome features, and a slim frame. Though lean, his tall stature and finely toned muscles gave him a strong presence, not a fragile one.
A mage, perhaps? But his physical prowess exceeded what would be expected of someone with only magical abilities.
A fencer? With skills like that, Gwak—himself once a fencer—would have remembered someone like him.
All sorts of questions swirled in Gwak Yoonsang’s head, but the young man simply kept smiling in silence. Since he couldn’t just stand there gawking, Gwak tried again, knowing full well they couldn’t communicate.
“Is that bird eating the cookies your… companion crow?”
Using the word companion—a term he’d only ever heard in historical dramas or old novels—caught Kim Sibaek slightly off guard. Maybe this really wasn’t Korea? Or had the word companion changed meanings over the past 70 years?
Gwak gestured as if asking for permission to pet the bird. But when the crow raised its head, he flinched.
‘What kind of baby bird looks that terrifying?!’
Everyone knew baby animals were supposed to be cute and adorable—that was a universal truth. But this little crow, barely the size of a palm, had bloodshot eyes and a glare so fierce it looked like it had clawed its way up from the depths of hell. Touching it felt like asking to have one’s fingers pierced by its beak. The mad gleam in those crimson eyes left no room for doubt.
[Death and Beauty rubs its tear-swollen eyes and wonders what that foolish human’s hand gesture is supposed to mean.]
Trying not to look intimidated by a mere crow, Gwak offered an awkward smile and pulled his hand back. As the one who discovered this mysterious S-rank individual, it was his job to persuade him to settle in Korea.
“Once again, I’m a Hunter from the Paranormal Phenomena Response Agency of the Republic of Korea. Do you understand… Korea?”
He tried saying Republic of Korea, South Korea, Hanguk, Korea, and every other variation he could think of, but the young man’s expression remained unchanged. He even offered pen and paper, inviting him to write something down, but the young man simply stared without taking them.
It felt like swallowing an entire box of sweet potatoes—dry and suffocating. If only he could at least find out his nationality…
[Death and Beauty asks if their Apostle’s homeland wasn’t originally Korea.]
Of course, Kim Sibaek heard that. Whether this was a parallel world or the future 70 years later, one thing was clear: this was Korea. Maybe it was time to stop pretending he didn’t understand the language if he wanted to get more information.
As he calculated how to extract information while keeping his own hand hidden, Kim Sibaek’s eyes landed on Gwak Yoonsang’s injury. If he healed it, perhaps the man would let down his guard.
Tapping the bandage wrapped around his own hand, Kim gestured toward Gwak.
“Uhh… Are you telling me to take off the bandage?”
Though he didn’t understand the reason, Gwak complied—he was clearly the subordinate in this situation. He began unwrapping the bandage. The bleeding had stopped, but the gash was still long and deep. When Kim Sibaek reached out to touch it, Gwak looked puzzled—only for his eyes to suddenly fly wide open.
A soft glow surrounded the wound, and just like that—it healed completely.
“……!”
He couldn’t believe the surreal sight. Gwak kept touching his now-unblemished hand, still in disbelief, while Kim Sibaek gave him a gentle smile. Normally, his face carried a firm, composed impression, but when he smiled, a warmth washed over it—soothing and kind.
His heart thundered in his chest. Not in a romantic way, but in that soul-shaking kind of way. If Kim Sibaek had suddenly asked, “Do you believe in enlightenment?” Gwak might’ve shouted, “I believe in YOU!” without a second thought.
In this world full of emerging Awakened abilities, no one—absolutely no one—had been granted the power to heal. He had to secure this man. He must recruit him…!
Just as Gwak Yoonsang’s patriotic fervor was beginning to boil, a commotion erupted outside the door.
“Director Tae! Even if you’re the Guild Master, this is—urgh!”
“We’re filing a formal complaint to your guild—gahh!”
“Uaaaagh!”
Screams overlapped in chaotic bursts—and they were heading straight for this room.
Startled, Gwak shot to his feet, just as the tightly shut door burst open with a thunderous crack. It swung wide open, looking ready to come off its hinges.
Standing there was a towering man, so tall his head nearly grazed the doorframe.
“Guild Master! What the hell are you doing?!”
Ignoring Gwak’s protest, the man’s eyes slowly scanned the small room. That was all he did, but the air itself seemed to ripple in response to the overwhelming pressure emanating from his presence.
At last, the man’s cold gaze settled on Kim Sibaek.
