Player who Returned 10,000 years Later

He referred to themselves in the plural.

…And also mentioned that they were paid based on performance.

With those two hints, KangWoo easily figured out that more than one big guild was working with the demon cult.

"Where is the summoning ceremony going to take place?" KangWoo asked in a low voice.

Kim JaeHyun slowly opened his mouth.

"Pohang."

"The place where the S-rank gate is."

It was a possibility he had already thought of when he’d heard that the ceremony would take place either way.

Summoning meant that you brought someone from another dimension to Earth, so the higher the rank of the gate, the stronger being you would be able to call.

KangWoo had figured that out after summoning Echidna.

"How did you...?"

Kim JaeHyun looked at KangWoo in surprise.

He’d just mentioned Pohang; he had never said anything about the gate.

"That's none of your concern. Ms. HwaYeon, YeonJoo. Let's go to Pohang immediately."

"Right now?"

"Yes. They're probably aware that we have a clue about them, so they're probably going to try to do the summoning ceremony, even if preparations aren't 100% complete."

They weren't sure if the other big guild had managed to provide them with all the necessary offerings or not.

But based on what Kim JaeHyun said, it was clear that they couldn't waste any more time.

"Wait. If it's the Pohang S-rank gate, isn't it the one that's being protected by the Hwarang Second Squad?"

"I'll check."

Baek HwaYeon took out her smartphone and called someone.

The call was short.

Baek HwaYeon's expression hardened.

"A few hours ago, a big party of about 20 people entered the S-rank gate."

"So they immediately moved..."

KangWoo frowned after hearing how fast they’d reacted.

Chae YeonJoo got closer to Baek HwaYeon and opened her mouth.

"What about the identity of the people that entered the gate? If we check out the entrance permits, won't it be easy to figure out their identities?"

"It's probably going to be pointless."

KangWoo shook his head.

"Why...?"

"Because they all probably used fake entrance permit."

Even Chae YeonJoo had easily gotten KangWoo an S-rank gate entrance permit.

The Demon Cult was receiving the help of two big guilds, so there was no way they wouldn't be able to get fake entrance permits.

"Ugh."

Chae YeonJoo let out a sigh as if she felt guilty.

To be honest, getting an S-rank gate entrance permit wasn't hard.

The reason was that most people that didn't fulfill the conditions wouldn't even try to get inside it.

If they forced their way inside it, they would probably be devoured by monsters, so who in their right mind would enter one out of their own volition?

"I told the Second Squad about the situation. They said they would also enter the gate and start searching for them... But the Pohang S-rank gate is quite big and complex, so I'm not sure they'll be able to find them."

"Let's also move."

"I'll contact the guild members too."

After saying that, Chae YeonJoo turned to Baek HwaYeon.

"The Hwarang Squad has a military helicopter, right? Let's use that. It's going to be faster than going by car."

"Okay. I'll contact the base imm—"

"There's a better way than that," KangWoo interrupted Baek HwaYeon and said.

"A better way...?"

Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon looked at KangWoo. He nodded.

"A dragon is probably faster than a helicopter."

* * *

"KangWoo...!"

As he opened the door, a girl whose hair reached her waist came running toward KangWoo.

Her red eyes showed how she'd spent the last few days.

"I'm sorry."

KangWoo patted Echidna.

It was true that he hadn't done that on purpose, but it was true that he hadn't taken care of Echidna for over a week.

She had just gotten over the feeling of loneliness. That's why, to her, KangWoo was someone that couldn't be replaced.

It wasn't hard to imagine the despair she must have felt for the last week.

"Where were you...?" Echidna asked in a trembling voice while hugging KangWoo.

"There were things I had to do."

"It isn't like I've done something wrong... Right? You're not going to leave me alone, right?" Echidna asked while looking at him anxiously.

'She said her father suddenly disappeared one day. Right?'

While thinking that he should have paid more attention to her, he kept talking.

"Okay, it won't happen again. So don't worry."

"Okay... I believe in you."

Echidna nodded while smiling.

"This kid..."

"You’ve seen her before, right?"

Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon nodded.

"Is she really a dragon?"

* * *

"She just looks like a child..."

Both looked at Echidna suspiciously.

Echidna opened her mouth while grabbing KangWoo's clothes.

"I'm really a dragon."

Echidna created two small wings on her back and flapped them.

The fact that two wings appeared on the girl's back proved that she wasn't human.

"A little girl with dragon wings..."

"It's a combination that looks a bit dangerous."

Baek HwaYeon and Chae YeonJoo gulped after looking at the breathtakingly cute girl.

Even though they didn't know her well, they wanted to hug her.

"Echidna, there's something I want to ask."

"Yes. I'll do anything I can."

Echidna nodded without hesitation at KangWoo's words.

You could see in her eyes that she really trusted him.

"Do summoned monsters always trust their master so much...?" Chae YeonJoo asked KangWoo.

KangWoo shook his head while smiling bitterly.

"No. Echidna's case is a bit special."

In reality, Echidna and KangWoo hadn't known each other for a long time.

Even if she was a summoned monster, there was another reason why she trusted him so much.

'It's because she doesn't want to be alone anymore.'

KangWoo patted the back of her head softly and turned around.

"There's a place I must go. Can you return to your original body and take us there?"

"Understood."

Echidna nodded with her eyes shining.

"I'll transform immediately."

"Calm down. If you return to your body here, the house will crumble. First, let's go outside."

KangWoo took Echidna outside.

"Won't people panic if a dragon suddenly appears?" Chae YeonJoo asked worryingly.

"I already thought about that," KangWoo answered without hesitation.

Chae YeonJoo looked at Echidna suspiciously.

Echidna didn't seem to care about that.

"KangWoo, should I transform now?"

"Yes."

As KangWoo nodded, Echidna's body started to glow with a blue light.

The blue light began growing until it became a dragon that reached 20 meters in size.

"Woah..."

"I can't believe it..."

The two girls looked surprised at Echidna, who had become a dark dragon.

There were some players who could control summoned monsters, but there wasn't anyone who could control a dragon.

[KangWoo, which direction should I be flying in?]

KangWoo pointed in the approximate direction with his finger after climbing up Echidna's back.

Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon followed him.

[I don't like people that aren't KangWoo climbing on my back...] Echidna said in a protesting voice.

KangWoo laughed and patted her neck softly.

"It's urgent. So let this one go, Echidna."

[If I do well, will you reward me...?]

"What reward do you want?"

Echidna snorted in excitement at KangWoo's question.

She spoke in a trembling voice.

[I want to go and play with KangWoo somewhere.]

"Hmm..."

It was too low of a favor to ask in such a serious tone.

KangWoo nodded.

"Okay. Once this is done, I'll take you somewhere."

[Really?]

"Yes."

[Yay!]

Fwoosh-!

Echidna, who couldn't control her excitement, snorted once more.

There was hot air coming out of her nose.

[I'll do my best!]

Whoosh-! Whoosh!

Echidna started flapping her wings and rose to the sky.

KangWoo used the Authority of Invisibility on her and covered her body.

Her body started to become transparent and melted into the background.

If you didn't look closely, you couldn't distinguish her.

"Woah. You can even do things like this?"

Because Chae YeonJoo was on top of Echidna, she’d also become transparent.

She looked at her body, which she could see through as if she were a ghost.

"How do you have so many abilities?"

Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo. She couldn't understand how he was able to do so many things.

Not only was he very strong at fighting, but he could also manipulate other people's memories and even do things like make people invisible.

He seemed to have tens of different Attributes that people usually obtained once every 10 levels.

"Because I'm someone who’s just very capable."

"Arrogant bastard..."

Chae YeonJoo glared at KangWoo.

She didn't like the fact that she couldn't deny those arrogant words.

[Then, I'll start flying.]

Flap-! Flap!

With an excited voice, Echidna began flapping her wings.

The transparent dragon began flying at an incredible speed.

A strong wind current hit Chae YeonJoo, Baek HwaYeon, and KangWoo.

"Huh? Huh?!"

"Ugh."

Both were struggling to resist the strong wind current, but it wasn't just them that were struggling.

'It's too fast.'

There was saliva coming out from KangWoo’s mouth, and he was hugging Echidna's neck.

Echidna was flying too fast.

He would have probably fallen if he hadn't been using the Authority of Divine Power.

The problem was that the Authority of Divine Power and the Authority of Invisibility were both Authorities that had great difficulty.

To use both Authorities simultaneously, he had to concentrate.

He felt that, if he relaxed a bit, he would bounce away, so using both Authorities in the middle of a situation like that was hard.

"Echidna, please slow down..."

[Hmph! Hmph!]

It seemed like Echidna couldn't hear his words anymore.

KangWoo hugged Echidna's neck and increased his strength.

[...!]

After feeling that KangWoo was hugging even tighter, Echidna's eyes shone.

'Why are you increasing the speed?'

[Hmph! Hmph!]

'Stop.'

[KangWoo, you can hold even tighter.]

'I'm already doing my best.'

[Are you maybe embarrassed?]

KangWoo, who had even held an ogre by the neck, had more strength than that.

Echidna didn't know that KangWoo had been using the Authority of Divine Power during that fight, so she thought he wasn't putting in more strength because he was embarrassed.

[You don't need to feel embarrassed.]

'Save me.'

[If it's KangWoo, It’s even okay if you try to get closer.]

'I don't want to die.'

[I want to feel KangWoo's warm temperature... With my body.]

'I'm falling.'

AAAAHHHH.