Player Who Returned 10,000 Years Later

Magi from the Deep I

“This…”

Si Hong’s body trembled. Before him, there was nothing but a ruined wall, the remnants of a once high, stone barrier.

Even this afternoon, looking at this place, he was sure that it was safe, but now it was in ruins as if caused by some natural disaster.

Hurricane of immeasurable power must’ve blown past here. One irreparable consequence.

All the Guardians, including Si Hong, were shocked at the sight.

“Grace, what… what exactly are you seeing?” Gaia, who didn't see anything, clutched at her.

Grace, unable to answer, pressed her lips together tightly.

“Cough!” Jae Kal Hyun emerged from the wreckage.

Although he used all his Magi, he did not have any external wounds.

“Jae Kal Hyun!” Gaia screamed in horror.

He bowed his head grimly.

“Forgive me, Gaia.”

“Are you ok?!”

“It's okay. I'm not hurt. But…” He looked around.

There was nothing around but the heaving earth, as if after a strong earthquake. The man bit his lip.

“I couldn't protect the Seeds of Sundering….”

“No. It's good that you didn't get hurt,” Gaia patted his chest.

Si Hong approached Kal Jae Hyun.

“What happened here anyway?”

There was no answer. Kal Jae Hyun glared at Si Hoon and Kang Woo.

“Where have you two been all this time?”

“Are you talking about us?”

“If you’re saying you suspect them, then you shouldn’t,” Grace said with a sigh. “I understand what you might be thinking, but they have been with us the whole time.”

“Oh…” the man exclaimed briefly.

His expression getting more dismayed, he bowed his head again.

“Sorry. Satan attacked the warehouse immediately after your visit, and I had no choice but to suspect the two of you.”

Kang Woo and Si Hong nodded. They were well aware that Satan's attack and their visit coincided too well.

“These two are incapable of such a thing,” Gaia said confidently.

Kal Jae Hyun once again bent his head.

“Yes, I understand, Gaia. I'll be more careful with my statements next time. Once again, I apologize.”

“Nothing, I understand you perfectly,” Kang Woo replied calmly. “Oh ... If we knew that Satan would attack the warehouse, we would have insisted on staying longer.”

“Kang Woo, it’s not your fault. No one could have imagined this,” Gaia said.

Kang Woo let out a sigh of regret, a guilty expression on his face.

Only now, his external manifestation of emotions did not coincide with the internal. He was so happy that he wanted to dance.

‘It was easier than I expected.’

Kang Woo himself was worried that he was acting too fast, but it turned out that Grace and Gaia believed him more than he thought. On the contrary, he earned even more trust after the incident.

"Just great."

Now he could be assured that Gaia won't suspect Kang Woo to be Satan. Although she did not think so initially, it was still crucial. Because if he does something suspicious from now on, they won't believe that he or Si Hong are traitors.

And this means that he has even more freedom in action.

‘Of course, I’m not Satan,’ Kang Woo nodded his head to himself.

Unlike Satan, he wasn’t evil. Kang Woo was very different.

If Satan is Evil, then Kang Woo is his judge.

It made sense that no one saw the connection between him and the demon from the prophecy, the one trying to destroy the whole world.

"That bastard."

The whole world has put a lot of effort into collecting the Seeds of the Sundering. However, lives weren’t lost in their pursuit as in the battle against the Demons. How dare he steal what had been collected with such difficulty? Such behaviour of Satan made me shudder.

“This should not be forgotten.”

“Kang Woo?”

“We must not forget that he is ready to plunge his knife at any convenient moment, that we are always under the threat of attack ... Even us guardians are limited in our strengths.”

After listening to Kang Woo, the Guardians closed their lips tightly. Everyone clenched their fists in disgust.

There was no lie in Kang Woo's words. After all, everyone knew perfectly well that Satan could come for the Seeds of the Sundering. But they simply trusted Jae Kal Hyun's ability to protect the warehouse and failed to carry out other preparatory measures.

“Sorry. This is all because of me….”

“It's not only your fault, Gaia. This is on all of us.”

“Ahh…”

“ Everyone can make mistakes. But the main thing is to learn a lesson from this so as not to step on the same rake again. I may sound like a broken record, but in reality, it is really difficult,” Kang Woo turned around and touched the ruins said. “Satan is strong. But we cannot allow him to come into our world and act like he owns the place.”

"Yes," Gaia nodded her head.

Kang Woo turned around.

 “This goes to show that all Guardians must do one thing.”

“We must become stronger.”

All the other Guardians nodded in agreement. They were in complete agreement with him and determined.

"Yes, you have to get stronger."

Because of what happened, they could know the extent of Satan’s power. Accordingly, you can not leave everything as it is.

"Yes. Get stronger."

And it doesn't matter which way.

Kang Woo’s delight was immeasurable.

***

After the incident with Satan, Grace and Jae Kal Hyun focused on rebuilding the warehouse. You can't leave a warehouse in the Grand Canyon after Satan knows its location. But they took up this case for the sake of restoring the Protector's Sword, the warehouse's defense system. Even though Satan's attack damaged it, it could be repaired and used again. You can't just throw one of the most advanced defense methods available to them.

Kang Woo and Si Hoon were immersed in training. Si Hoon went to the Middle East again to train with Jung Moo Jin.

As for Kang Woo…

“It’s time to start.”

Over a hundred black crosses lay before his eyes. He looked down at the Seeds of the Sunder and smiled broadly.

Last time, he used only one cross, so the effect was not very strong. But now the number of them exceeded one hundred.

Of course, Kang Woo was in anticipation.

“I don't want much.”

He wanted Magi to only increase by one. But his magi stood up 120 units currently. The diminishing returns played a role.

“Good.”

The preparations were completed. Time to get down to business. Kang Woo took the Seeds of Sundering in his hands. Using the Power of Insight, he learned how to apply them and set them to work. Black energy began to emerge from the Seeds of Sundering. It oozed out of the crosses, creating a network. From more than a hundred pieces, quite a lot was obtained.

"Just one!" Kang Woo shouted with an inner voice, and black energy went into his heart.

He felt the power that sealed Man Ma Jeong weaken.

The ground shook, and the explosive black Magi shot up into the sky. The ground on which he stood cracked, unable to withstand such an energy pressure. A frightening power rippled through his body.

[Man Ma Jeong's sealing power has been weakened]

 [Mage increased by 3]

“Three…?” He opened his mouth in surprise.

He hardly counted on one, and then suddenly three. His mood improved as his face lit up, but he did not understand how it happened.

“What's happening?”

Kang Woo closed his eyes, feeling out the Magi running inside him. He figured it out soon enough.

"Magi from the depths broke out."

Magi belonging to Mang Ma Jeong was at three different levels: Magi in the shallows and the depths,

And also ...

Magi from the "Abyss."

The deepest place of Man Ma Jeong.

Before returning to Earth, Kang Woo, being the ruler of Hell, could not cope with the Magi, who was in the abyss.

“Magi from the depths has finally appeared.”

Before that, all the Magi that he received was aground, but now Magi from the depths began to appear little by little. Of course, not completely. Magi from the depths was only a fraction of the Magi he had received.

"But still."

“A little more, and I will be able to match the strength of Pallock,” a satisfied smile touched his lips.

If he continued to collect Magi from the shallows, it would take more than a few months to get three units. And this means that he would be far from Pallock and Lilith.

So far, I'm weak.

Kang Woo's eyes shone. But if you compare him now and at the moment of arrival on Earth, then he undoubtedly became stronger. Apart from the Greater Demons, there would be almost no one on Earth who could beat him.

But now the situation has changed significantly.

"Great Demons"

There is a high possibility that he will have to face Greater Demons sooner or later. No one will resist them if they appear on Earth because you can't take them on with just numbers. Only Greater demons can only counter Greater demons.

Even though the Players are growing, if they think they can fight back against the Great Demon, Kang Woo immediately shakes his head.

“Although in Si Hong’s case, I’m not sure.”

Up to this point, no single player possessed the powers to fight back the Great Demon besides Si Hong. Kang Woo clicked his tongue.

“The balance of power is off.”

Hell is too superior a force compared to the forces of Earth, and it will not lead to anything good.

But, one way or another, Kang Woo had already made a plan for further actions.

"We need to build up enough strength."

He is well aware of the existence of Hell, and he believes in the existence of a celestial dimension, heaven. But he decided relying on oneself is better than relying on the help of celestials..

After all, even if they do not meet with Lucifer himself, who is now on Ernor, they are not protected from meeting with Aamon or Baal.

And, Satan has been resurrected.

The demon from the prophecy, Satan.

The most terrible of them all.

It's safe to say that Satan is closely connected with the demons. No, not even just bound, most likely, he is behind them, leading from the shadows.

“Satan.”

He recalled the image of the Great Demon he confronted in the Nine Thousand Circle of Hell. Kang Woo's fists clenched involuntarily.

“I will protect this world.”

Suddenly, he had a sense of justic