“Hey, you! Han Tae-Sung!”

The next morning, Tae-Sung woke up early and stopped by the gym. He ended up running right into Chae Hyung-Seok.

“You ungrateful bastard!”

“S-Sorry, man. I had no other choice at that time. I wouldn’t have been able to chase after the boss monster if I had dragged you along that time. And I can’t just let the boss monster run away, right?” Tae-Sung said with a shrug, as if it was not a big deal.

“Y-You little—!”

“And besides, you wouldn’t have died anyway, right? You could just transform into a totem just before hitting the ground. So what’s the big deal? What are you getting so worked up about?”

“You think I don’t know that?! That’s what I did!”

“So what are you complaining about?”

“I got stuck underground and can’t move!”

“Huh?”

“I was completely buried underground!”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah, you asshole!”

“That’s great.”

“What? Did you just say great...?” Chae Hyung-Seok muttered, his eyes widening.

“Yeah, it’s great.”

“What’s so great about it?”

“You will sprout nicely, grow leaves, bloom flowers, and maybe even bear fruit—”

“HEY! What am I, a plant?! You crazy bastard!”

“Hehehe! Does that mean I can get more Chae Hyung-Seoks if I plant a Chae Hyung-Seok?”

“You’re insane.”

“Hehehe!”

“Ugh... Damn it...”

Chae Hyung-Seok gritted his teeth in frustration at Tae-Sung’s glib tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to lash out at him. After all, Tae-Sung had given him a house, money, and even pushed him to work out.

Chae Hyung-Seok had managed to pay off most of his debts and was living a fairly comfortable life nowadays. Thanks to Tae-Sung's forgiveness and generosity, he had been able to start anew, so it felt pretty petty to get angry over something like this.

Thus, Chae Hyung-Seok decided to hold it in.

Tae-Sung threw his arm over his shoulder and said, “Hey, let’s just forget about it and work out together.”

“What?”

“Let’s exercise together. It’s been a while, right?”

“H-Hold on...!”

“What do you mean, hold on? Come on. What should we hit today? Legs? Yeah, legs are important for a man! Let’s go hit legs today!”

“N-No! Not legs—!”

“You have to train your legs!”

“P-Please, can we do something else?”

“Nope. Today is my leg day, so we’re doing legs.”

“...”

“Yipee! I’ve got a workout partner now!”

Ironically, Chae Hyung-Seok ended up with the honor of doing leg day with Tae-Sung.

‘Ah, I’m so screwed...’

Chae Hyung-Seok felt like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

And for good reason...

Tae-Sung’s workout intensity was beyond what other people were capable of doing.

He was a monster possessing raw strength capable of lifting a combined total of six hundred kilograms for bench press, squat, and deadlift.

After becoming the Debuff Master four years ago and gaining a new lease on life, Tae-Sung had poured time, money, and passion into training in the real world, too.

Working out alongside someone like that was nothing short of pure torture for someone like Chae Hyung-Seok, who was, by comparison, a lightweight.

It wasn't that Chae Hyung-Seok had been neglecting the gym, but keeping up with Tae-Sung’s pace and intensity was simply impossible.

‘Ugh... I guess I’ll be spending three days in bed after this...’ Chae Hyung-Seok thought, his face looking as miserable as a person could be.

***

After having a fun—a completely one-sided fun—workout session with Chae Hyung-Seok, Tae-Sung went back home, took a shower, and had a high-protein meal that afternoon.

It was a balanced meal with the right amount of carbohydrates and a generous portion of protein to match the workout.

After his meal, he sipped on coffee while calling Yong Seol-Hwa.

— The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please leave your message after the beep.

However, Yong Seol-Hwa didn't pick up the phone.

‘Hmm... She hasn’t answered since this morning, and she wasn’t home either. Is she busy with something, or is she gaming? I’m starting to get worried...’

Yong Seol-Hwa would normally pick up the call without any issue, so the fact that he couldn’t reach her from morning to afternoon started making him feel uneasy.

He was not obsessed or anything. He was just genuinely worried that something might have happened to her.

‘I hope nothing happened. Yeah, she should be fine, right?’

As soon as he had that thought, his phone vibrated.

“Oh?”

It was a video call from Yong Seol-Hwa.

— Oppa!”

“Hi, Seol-Hwa.”

— Sorry, I was so busy I didn’t see your call and message!

“It’s fine. I’m sure you were busy with something important. I’m glad that nothing happened. I was just worried.”

— Sorry for making you worry!

“But why a video call all of a sudden?”

— Why else? Because I missed you and wanted to see your face.

“Hahaha...”

— Guess where I am right now.

Yong Seol-Hwa turned her camera to show where she was.

“That’s the department store, right?”

— Yup!

“Ah, so you were shopping?”

— Yes. With your sister.

“Eh? With who?” Tae-Sung muttered, his eyes widening in shock.

— Oppa!

Yong Seol-Hwa tilted her screen to show Tae-Sung’s sister, Tae-Hee, waving at him.

“W-Why are you with Seol-Hwa...?”

— I had lunch and went shopping with her!

“How do you even know each other? Since when...?”

— Ah, I’ve known her for over a year now.

“What? How?”

— Oh! It’s our turn now. We have to head into the store. I’ll call you later! Bye!

And with that, the video call ended.

“What the hell was that all about...?” Tae-Sung muttered, stunned.

He couldn't wrap his head around what he had just witnessed. The fact that his girlfriend and his sister had known each other for over a year and were close enough to eat and go shopping together was nothing short of shocking to him.

‘Hold on... Is everyone close with each other except for me?’

The thought briefly crossed his mind.

‘Oh well, I guess I’ll just ask about it tomorrow.’

With that, he decided to let it go for now and take a nap instead.

After working out and eating, food coma was slowly starting to hit him.

Besides, there was no reason for him to start pressing her for answers right now, as tomorrow was the day he was supposed to visit his mother with Yong Seol-Hwa.

***

The next day.

“...”

Tae-Sung sat stiffly beside Yong Seol-Hwa, sitting awkwardly without saying a word.

Today was the day, and he was currently meeting his mother with Yong Seol-Hwa.

“Hohoho! Do you like it, mother? I picked it out while thinking of you!”

“I love it. Thank you so much.”

“Ah~ Please, you do not have to be so formal with me, Mother.”

“But still—”

“I will feel better if you speak comfortably, Mother!”

“Should I? Hohoho!”

Yong Seol-Hwa and Tae-Sung’s mother got along perfectly well, and they somehow clicked together. Of course, it was clear that his mother was very fond of Yong Seol-Hwa.

Tae-Hee played her part, too.

“Mom, I really like unni. I feel so happy whenever I hang out with her. We get along really well,” Tae-Hee said, clinging to Yong Seol-Hwa’s arm.

Caught between the three women’s endless chatter, Tae-Sung had no choice but to sit quietly and eat his food, only answering with a simple "yes" or "no" whenever someone asked him a question.

‘Ah, I suddenly miss Hamchi...’

His thoughts drifted to his companion in the game.

He felt drained by the constant chatter, and they were also talking about things unknown to him. The things they talked about were so foreign to him that he had no room to join in, and being so left out of the conversation made him wonder if he even had to be here.

If Hamchi had been here, then at least he could have had a chat with him to pass the time.

Unfortunately, sitting all alone there made him feel all the more out of place.

“I’m so happy, Oppa!”

On their way home, Yong Seol-Hwa leaned against his shoulder.

“You already met my parents, and now I’ve met your mother, too.”

“Thank you.”

“Hm? For what?”

“For... everything.”

To Tae-Sung, Yong Seol-Hwa was simply too lovely.

Was there truly another woman out there who was as kind, gentle, beautiful, and considerate as her?

‘She’s more than I could ever deserve...’ Tae-Sung thought, promising himself he would treat her even better. Yong Seol-Hwa was a warmhearted, considerate, and extremely understanding person.

She possessed an innate gift for empathy, and she could get along with anyone.

The fact that such a woman loved him made Tae-Sung feel like he could bow a hundred—no, a thousand times at her feet and still not feel worthy of her love.

‘Someday with Seol-Hwa...’

As he wrapped his arm around her, his mind slowly wandered to their future.

‘Marriage... Is that something I can do?’

Thoughts of marrying Yong Seol-Hwa, building a family, raising beautiful children, and living together until they were grey and old filled his mind. Before he knew it, Yong Seol-Hwa had become such a huge part of him that he was already imagining getting married to her.

‘I’ll bring it up when the time is right. Her feelings matter the most, so I need to ask her about it.’

He chose not to say anything about it just yet and tucked those thoughts away deep in his heart. He decided to take his time, do his best, and only bring it up with her when the moment felt right.

***

The next morning, Tae-Sung woke up early and logged into the game.

After descending onto the continent as the Adventurer, Siegfried von Proa, he received reports from Michele on recent events and then carried out his duties as emperor. Once he was done, he had lunch with Brunhilde and Verdandi before taking some time to review his current quests and plan his next moves.

What occupied him the most these days was the latest quest he received—the Ten Calamities.

He had to hunt down the ten demonic monsters that had escaped from the Celestial Prison, Purgatory, before they could cause widespread destruction or die at the hands of someone else.

[The Ten Calamities]

[Hunt down and slay the ten most terrifying demonic entities who escaped from Purgatory.]

[Type: Special Quest]

[Progress: 40% (4/10)]

[Reward: +20 Levels]

[Targets:]

- Swarming Locusts ✓

- Bloodstained River ✓

- Destructive Hailstorm ✓

- Plague of Flies

- Endless Darkness

- Mass Extinction

- Curse of Decay

- Bloodsucking Parasite

- Wailing Beasts

- Song of Death ✓

[Note 1: Each slain Calamity drops an item infused with its powers.]

[Note 2: Collect all 10 to gain authority over world-scale disasters for six months.]

[Note 3: This quest is exclusive to the main protagonist of BNW.]

‘There are still six left. If I take all of them down and clear this quest, then I will gain twenty levels and have all ten calamities in my hand. If I unleash those calamities on the Marchioni Empire, then it will definitely fall.’

Siegfried was determined to hunt the remaining six Calamities, seize the items containing their powers, and use them to bring the Marchioni Empire down.

Hence, he had no choice but to pester Cheon Woo-Jin almost daily. With the help of the satellite, Cheon Woo-Jin had a bird’s eye view of the entire continent and knew exactly what was happening everywhere.

“Hey, have you found anything?” Siegfried asked, hoping for something.

— Nope. There’s nothing so far.

Unfortunately, there were no rampaging Ancient Dungeons at the moment, which meant there were no signs of the Ten Calamities at all.

“Okay. Got it.”

Once he ended the call with Cheon Woo-Jin, he decided to make better use of his time than just sit around and wait.

‘Oh well, I guess I should be productive and deal with the Ancient Dungeons within our borders.’

Even if they were not one of the Ten Calamities, the boss monsters were still dangerous creatures that could endanger the empire if left alone.

If Siegfried focused solely on the Ten Calamities, then there was a chance that he would end up neglecting the Proatine Empire.

‘Okay, I’ll start going around and clearing the Ancient Dungeons within our borders.’

“Your Imperial Majesty.” Michele suddenly rushed into the emperor’s office, bringing urgent news. “Something strange has occurred in a city near the border with the Kingdom of Lambda.”

“Strange? What do you mean by that?”

“Every single living creature in the city is dead.”

“Huh? Dead?”

“Yes. Everything with life in the city was found dead. People, livestock—everything.”

“Hmm...”

“But here’s what’s truly bizarre. According to our investigation, every single one of them died of natural causes.”

“What?! So you’re telling me that an entire city died a natural death, including the livestock?!”

“Yes, sire.”

“And you expect me to believe that nonsense?”

While he wasn't doubting Michele, he found it hard to believe the report. The fact that an entire city had died from a natural cause rather than a plague, a natural disaster, or a massacre by monsters was something that defied all reason.

It would somewhat make sense if the people ended up dying of heart failure en masse, but natural death was a whole different thing.

Besides, what did natural death even mean?

Siegfried tried to make sense of the situation, but he only ended up even more baffled the more he tried to do so.