Player who Returned 10,000 years Later

"Oh Kang-Woo, that son of a bitch. There he goes again." Cha Yeon-Joo sighed in exasperation. "I was wondering what he was gonna do after going on about friendship or whatever."

It was classic Kang-Woo like always.

"Sheesh… what a scumbag."

Yeon-Joo sighed as she shook her head but had no intention of stopping him since they couldn’t let the relic be taken after coming all this way.

"That aside." She stared at the other Demon King pitifully. "Poor guy."

’He had to be targeted by that lunatic of all people.’

***

"What do you think you’re doing?"

Oh Hyun-Seong frowned and glared at Kang-Woo.

"Huh? Did I perhaps not get through to you after everything I said?" Kang-Woo smirked wide-eyed. He snickered as he pointed at the dark blue sword in Hyun-Seong’s hand. "Hand over that relic and fuck off."

Kang-Woo couldn’t care less whether or not the Demon King of another world spent ten millennia in Hell. All that mattered was the relic in his hand, Demonic Sword Midir, which was the most valuable among all the relics discovered in the Tower, according to Horos.

’Since he’s holding the sword just fine, it looks like he passed the relic’s trial.’

Kang-Woo stared at the demonic sword in Hyun-Seong’s hand with great interest, curious about what the Trial of the Demonic Sword could have been.

"Hah. So, you were after Midir from the beginning." Hyun-Seong chuckled in exasperation and smiled chillingly. "You think you have what it takes to use this?"

Fwoosh—!

Midir’s blade shone dark blue. Intense despair poured out from the demonic sword. If a normal person were to grab this sword— no, just gazing at it would cause them to go insane from overwhelming despair and die.

"Those unable to handle this dark despair cannot even hold this sword."

The Trial of the Demonic Sword was to endure the despair accumulated in the sword from devouring negative emotions and darkness for nearly an eternity. Hyun-Seong managed to overcome the trial and be acknowledged by Midir.

’I’m… used to despair.’

Hyun-Seong gripped the sword tighter with deeply sunken eyes.

"Is that so? Wow! What a useful piece of information!!!" Kang-Woo clapped as he overreacted.

He couldn’t care less about Hyun-Seong’s pointless rant about despair or whatever.

"So, are you letting me borrow it or not?"

"You’re blinded by greed." Hyun-Seong sighed deeply.

He understood; there was no way someone who was blinded by the relic would listen to his warnings of needing to endure immense despair.

"Come to think of it, you are also a human who became a demon, correct?"

Hyun-Seong stared at Kang-Woo as he smiled mockingly and recalled what Kang-Woo said about the two of them being the only ones who could understand one another.

"Hah," Hyun-Seong chuckled.

’We can understand one another? I doubt you could understand.’

He doubted Kang-Woo could even imagine the wretched nightmares he had to endure.

"How did you become a demon?" Hyun-Seong asked Kang-Woo.

"Huh? Me? Same as you. I fell into Hell one day."

"Where in Pandemonium?"

"Uhh… mm. I’m too lazy to explain. Well, let’s just say around the same area as you," Kang-Woo answered as he shrugged.

"The… same?" Hyun-Seong’s eyes gleamed and his hand gripping the demonic sword trembled. "Do you truly believe you are the same as me? That you can understand my boundless despair?"

He glared at Kang-Woo as if warning him not to speak so lightly.

"You… know nothing. Nothing about true despair or wretched agony."

Hyun-Seong gritted his teeth ferociously and clenched his fists. He naturally passed through the Corridor of Trials as well on his way here and recalled the traumas from the fragments of his memories that tore his soul apart. He screamed miserably inside the nightmare that he couldn’t wake up from no matter how much he tried.

"Do not think we are the same just because you fell into Hell and became a demon like me." Hyun-Seong glared at Kang-Woo coldly. "You could never understand me."

"For fuck’s sake, look at that glare. It’s gonna pierce right through me."

Kang-Woo smirked innocently.

’That aside, I’m getting curious now with how serious he’s acting.’

Kang-Woo had his fair share of despair and agony in Hell but he was curious about how a Demon King of another world survived ten millennia in Hell.

’I mean, I managed to somehow get by with the Authority of Predation.’

He considered himself massively lucky to have acquired Sabnak’s Authority so early. The Authority of Blades was extraordinarily versatile for its low demonic energy consumption. Even now, he used it more than the princes’ Authorities.

’But I doubt he had those to help him.’

If Hyun-Seong wasn’t putting on airs, he might have suffered far more than Kang-Woo did in Pandemonium.

’Only those who can overcome despair can be acknowledged by Midir.’

Kang-Woo would need to find out just how despairing of a life Hyun-Seong lived in Pandemonium so that he knew what to expect when he got his hands on the relic.

"Okay, what was your experience like in Hell exactly? Since we’re here, we might as well open up about each other," asked Kang-Woo with a smile. "Your memories are still fresh from passing through the Corridor of Trials, aren’t they?"

The memories Kang-Woo had to relive were excruciating.

"I…" Hyun-Seong slurred.

He closed his eyes with a dark expression as he recalled the despair of his past.

"Urgh, you don’t need to play along with that lunatic, my king!"

"She’s right! You’re pained just from remembering them!"

The two women who were blown away by Kang-Woo’s attack approached Hyun-Seong. They carefully embraced his arms and looked up at him in worry.

"No." Hyun-Seong shook his head. He glared at Kang-Woo with cold eyes and continued, "I want to tell that man who dares to think he can understand me. I want to show him true hell— true despair."

Of course, it couldn’t be expressed with just words.

"If you think you have what it takes, grab the edge of Midir."

Midir, also known as the sword of despair, could instill despair in others. It was mainly used to drive those the sword slashed insane from despair, but it could also send the despair its wielder experienced to another.

"Alright."

Kang-Woo’s eyes shone with interest as he grabbed the edge of Midir, his hand getting slightly cut by the sharp blade.

Swoosh—!!!

An intense wave of despair traveled up the blade.

"I fell into despair when I first fell into Hell. There was nothing around me. There was nothing to eat or drink. All that my surroundings contained were predators ready to eat me alive."

"Yeah, yeah! I know that feeling very well!"

Kang-Woo also nodded as he recalled the despair he went through. He had no issues enduring it because he had experienced the same thing.

"However, I still had the powers of an apostle. If I didn’t, I would have died as soon as I fell into Pandemonium."

"That’s true. A powerless human can’t face a demon."

Kang-Woo would have died from blood loss due to his arm being severed by Sabnak’s blade if he did not have the Authority of Predation. As for Hyun-Seong’s case, he had the powers given to him by the gods of the Tower, which allowed him to survive.

’Man, I was kind of bullshitting when I called him a friend, but we have a lot in common.’

Kang-Woo had mistaken Hyun-Seong as his doppelganger in a parallel world for a reason. The two of them were likely the only ones who had to go through literal Hell for ten millennia.

’Is this what a conversation between soldiers is like?’

He heard that people from the Marine Corps or special forces could spend three days straight talking about the shit they had gone through. Kang-Woo wouldn’t mind even taking time to let everything out about their struggles if they were in a different situation.

"I struggled… only with the thought of surviving."

"Kaaah. Yes, yes! I had to stay out of a Hellhound’s sight to survive in my initial days!"

"Every single day… I felt like I was in a neverending nightmare."

Hyun-Seong continued to talk as the memories of his past were drawn vividly in his head. Kang-Woo could feel Hyun-Seong’s despair clearly through Midir.

"Yeah! And nothing to vent your stress out on either! You’re always tired—"

"And I have no idea where they heard about me, but Succubi wouldn’t leave me alone."

"Urpp! Just thinking about it makes me want to puke— huh?"

’Wait a fucking second. Pandemonium’s Succubi don’t have tentacles.’

"On days I had no strength to resist, I would have to beg for my life as Succubi endlessly sucked me dry."

"Huh? They endlessly sucked you dry…?"

’Isn’t that a good thing?’

"My, did you dislike that?"

"We’re sorry about what we did back then, my king…"

The two women clinging to Hyun-Seong’s arms squirmed seductively.

"I remember. All the Succubi of Pandemonium swarmed you because of your peerless life force…"

"They slept with you in exchange for them guaranteeing you food and safety."

"Kuh…!" Hyun-Seong bit his lip in shame. "I had to endure such humiliation just to survive…! Dozens of Succubi exploited me every single day!!"

"..."

"I felt like the humiliation was driving me insane!!! How could you possibly understand the endless despair and agony I had to endure?!!"

’Uhhh, what? So what you’re saying is, you fucked dozens of Succubi every day, got free food, and was guaranteed your safety?’

"Huh…?"

’I’m jealous.’

"Not only that, those evil bitches didn’t even give me the proper food they promised me despite forcing such humiliation on me." Hyun-Seong bit his lip, not even wanting to remember it. "It was just boiled Leuconostoc and meat in a pot! I had to force that pig shit down my throat for millennia!!!"

’Boiled Leuconostoc and meat in a pot? Isn’t that just kimchi stew?’

"Now! Repeat those arrogant words of you being able to understand me!!" shouted Hyun-Seong as he gritted his teeth. "The despair of falling into Hell! The humiliation of being forced to sell myself to Succubi just to get food and safety!!! How could the likes of you possibly understa— KURGHHH!!!"

BASH—!!!

Kang-Woo instinctively swung his fist into Hyuun-Seong’s stomach.

"So… while I was rolling in shit… you were rolling in Succubus pussy, is that it…?"

’While getting fed kimchi stew, at that?’

"A-Arghhh."

Kang-Woo pulled on his hair. His eyes rolled backward as he trembled.

"I, I, I, I, I—!!! I HAD TO DO ALL KINDS OF SHIT JUST TO GET A TASTE OF THAT VERY KIMCHI STEW THAT YOU CALL PIG SHIT—!!!"

He had to climb the Nine Hells and engage in war against the seven princes of Hell for a millennium.

’But he… why…?’

"FUCK MY LIFEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

An immense sense of frustration and rage surged from Kang-Woo. He was so enraged that he pulled down his pants, did a 720-degree somersault, and put his pants back up. He danced in rage as he foamed at the mouth.

"WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

On that day, Kang-Woo lost yet another friend.