“Min-Su,” Gi-Gyu called the boy’s name again. After the incident with Hwang Chae-Il and the Caravan Guild, Gi-Gyu handed the stone coffin to Baal. Hart had already tried to undo the magic and free Min-Su inside Brunheart’s gate, but he failed. The best and the only expert in this field Gi-Gyu knew was Baal, so he asked Baal for help. Thankfully, Baal was happy to oblige.
Looking down at the stone coffin, Baal explained, “The coffin was in a tricky state. Since the ritual was interrupted, most of the accumulated magic tied itself to the coffin.” Slowly raising his glasses, he continued, “This child is the doorkeeper’s descendant; he is halfway through the awakening process for becoming the next doorkeeper.”
“Then”—Gi-Gyu turned toward Baal—“what kind of changes should I expect?”
Baal shrugged and replied, “I don’t know.”
“...?” Gi-Gyu was surprised since “I don’t know” was something Baal seldom said.
Concerned, Gi-Gyu asked, “Is there a chance that something dangerous might happen?” Since Min-Su was halfway through the awakening process, Gi-Gyu wanted to prepare himself for what was to come.
‘Wait… Will Min-Su even retain his personality, consciousness, and being after waking up? Will he lose control? What about…’ Suffice to say, Gi-Gyu’s head was filled with questions.
“Not really. I can’t imagine something dangerous happening,” Baal replied.
Gi-Gyu turned to look at Min-Su again. Honestly, there weren’t many things he knew about the kid apart from that he was Old Man Hwang’s grandson. The kid brought him to Old Man Hwang’s shop; after that day, Gi-Gyu never spent time with him.
But from now on, things would be different.
‘Old Man Hwang said Min-Su will be an even greater blacksmith than him.’ Gi-Gyu remembered the elderly man’s claim. Just what kind of talent did this boy had? And what were the abilities of a doorkeeper?
Suddenly, Gi-Gyu smiled bitterly. Whatever the reason, Gi-Gyu had killed this boy’s grandfather and father. And now, he was thinking about the ways he could use Min-Su.
‘Is this why she said I have an evil nature?’ Gi-Gyu remembered what Lucifer told him.
-Why are you so worried? You can’t change what has happened so far. You just need to learn to deal with it and take responsibility.
Lou advised nonchalantly and continued,
-Contemplating like this isn’t good for you.
El and Brunheart joined the conversation.
-I’m afraid I must agree with Lou.
-I don’t care what anyone says, Master! I agree with you totally!
Lou muttered in annoyance toward Brunheart,
-Do you even know all the alphabet? All you do is agree with him.
Gi-Gyu burst into laughter as he listened to his Egos’ banter. Baal, who had been quiet, finally announced, “It’s time to wake him up.”
They could’ve woken Min-Su when they undid the stone coffin’s magic, but Baal put a spell on the boy to keep him asleep until now. Gi-Gyu nodded in agreement and slowly walked up to Min-Su.
It was finally time to wake up the child.
***
Baal said to Gi-Gyu, “The elixir brought you that one-year term.”
In exchange for the elixir, Lee Sun-Ho gave Gi-Gyu a year's grace period. Gi-Gyu felt like it was an unfair deal on Soo-Jung’s end, but it appeared that Soo-Jung and Baal disagreed with him. They both believed that one year was worth the priceless elixir.
Watching Gi-Gyu’s uncertain expression, Baal explained, “Well, perhaps the one-year period might sound trivial, but you must admit that it will be useful. You know very well how precious the elixir is, so I assume you will spend this time wisely.”
“I, of course, don’t plan on wasting this time. I know I must become as strong as possible,” Gi-Gyu replied as he scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Baal nodded and announced, “We will be back soon.”
“Have a safe trip,” Gi-Gyu bid him farewell since Baal was also leaving with Soo-Jung. Their mission was to discover the truth about the Caravan Guild and find Andras, who was rumored to be on earth.
Gi-Gyu was disappointed that he couldn’t learn more about magic from Baal, but he knew what took priority at the moment. Thanks to Baal’s stay in his home, he resolved the problems of Nine, Min-Su, and the wasted energy from Brunheart’s gate. So, for now, Gi-Gyu had nothing pressing for Baal to help with.
After their farewell, Baal left. Soo-Jung had already left earlier after her meal with Gi-Gyu’s family. Gi-Gyu murmured, “Soo-Jung seemed in quite a hurry to find Andras.”
‘Just how powerful is Andras that Soo-Jung had to hurry like this?’ Finding Andras and the Caravan Guild was also vital to Gi-Gyu.
‘I don’t know why, but they took Old Man Hwang’s weapons.’ Gi-Gyu thought, once again disappointed by the fact. All the pseudo-Egos, which Gi-Gyu needed desperately, Old Man Hwang stored in his workshop were stolen. This was one of the many important reasons they had to find the Caravan Guild.
After seeing Baal off, Gi-Gyu walked back into his house. Soo-Jung and Baal hadn’t stayed with him for a long time, but perhaps he had gotten closer to them than expected. The house felt a little empty without them.
Clack.
When Gi-Gyu opened the door to enter his house, he didn’t immediately go downstairs to the basement. He walked into the living room, where a familiar voice asked, “Did you say goodbye to Mr. Baal?”
Gi-Gyu replied, “Yes, Mother.”
“I wish he could’ve stayed for dinner. I cooked something for Soo-Jung, but not for Mr. Baal. I feel a little guilty about that.” When his mother commented from the kitchen, Gi-Gyu replied simply, “There is no need for you to feel bad. Please don’t worry about it.”
Baal didn’t eat, so he barely had any contact with Gi-Gyu’s family.
‘It’s so funny that Mother calls him Mr. Baal.’ Gi-Gyu couldn’t help but smile. Soo-Jung and Baal’s stay had brightened his mother’s demeanor. After the accident that left her bedridden, Gi-Gyu’s mother seldom left home. Even after the elixir cured her, she rarely left home; she only met and went out with Yoo-Jung and Tae-Shik. So, Gi-Gyu’s mother liked having Soo-Jung home.
“Thanks to you, Gi-Gyu, our home has become so busy! I mean it in a good way.” Gi-Gyu’s mother commented as she hummed. Smiling, Gi-Gyu glanced at the kitchen. At the expensive dining table Tae-Shik bought for them, a small boy sat and asked Gi-Gyu, “Daddy…?”
“Min-Su… I told you I’m not your dad.” Gi-Gyu protested weakly, but the little boy murmured again, “Daddy…”
“Haa…” Gi-Gyu sighed as Min-Su insisted on calling him Dad.
“Yoo-Jung!” Su-Jin called for her daughter loudly.
“Yes! Your Majesty! Did you need me?!” Yoo-Jung, who had been watching TV in the living room, answered and quickly ran into the kitchen.
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“It’s time for dinner. Go feed Bi first and come back.” When Su-Jin asked, Yoo-Jung replied, “Okay! Got it! Uwaah! Oppa! Long time no see!” Yoo-Jung lightly playfully jabbed Gi-Gyu’s waist.
“It hasn’t been that long, Yoo-Jung,” grumbled Gi-Gyu.
“Will you be eating with us today?” When Yoo-Jung asked, Gi-Gyu nodded and answered, “Yeah.”
She teased with narrowed eyes, “So your love child finally taught you the importance of family?”
“Shut up!” Gi-Gyu muttered and tussled her hair. Yoo-Jung ran out to feed Bi with a grin. Gi-Gyu looked at Min-Su again and sighed, “Haa…”
After Min-Su woke up, he suffered amnesia: He had no memories of his grandfather, Old Man Hwang, or his father, Hwang Chae-Il. Because Gi-Gyu was the first person Min-Su saw, the boy followed him around and called him “Dad.”
It was awkward at first, but since he could do nothing about it, he decided to let Min-Su stay with his family as Soo-Jung and Baal did. When Gi-Gyu first introduced Min-Su to his family, their reaction was memorable.
“I knew it, Oppa! This boy appeared right after Soo-Jung left, so…” Yoo-Jung whispered, insinuating Min-Su was Soo-Jung and Gi-Gyu’s child.
“I’m so happy to be a grandmother, Gi-Gyu. All of my dreams have come true now. I can now die without any regrets.” Su-Jin had murmured with a grin.
“Mom! What are you talking about? You need to see me get married and have my kids too! And besides, you aren’t gonna die! You’ll probably live longer than me!” Yoo-Jung grumbled.
Although Yoo-Jung and their mother joked, they didn’t actually believe Min-Su was Gi-Gyu’s son. There was no resemblance whatsoever, and more importantly, Min-Su was way too old.
“Dad? You need to eat too,” Min-Su urged Gi-Gyu.
“It’s okay, Min-Su. You can eat first.” Gi-Gyu patted the boy’s head affectionately. It looked like Min-Su’s mental state had regressed a little, probably from the shock of what had happened. His vocabulary became limited, and he seemed dazed.
‘The ritual will probably become the most traumatic part of his life.’
According to Baal, the effect of the failed ritual could have negatively impacted the boy.
‘Min-Su probably also saw his father attack his grandfather…’
Baal suggested that the brutal fight between the boy’s father and grandfather must have also traumatized Min-Su. Baal guessed that the boy would recover in time, but Gi-Gyu couldn’t help feeling sad for him.
When Yoo-Jung returned from feeding Bi, their meal began.
“Min-Su! Say ah…” When Yoo-Jung said, Min-Su obeyed, “Ahhh…”
“Good boy,” Yoo-Jung replied as she fed him a spoonful of rice. Su-Jin was also at the table, eating while smiling at Min-Su.
Whatever might have happened in the past, it didn’t matter at the moment. Gi-Gyu enjoyed a peaceful meal with his family.
***
“Min-Su, are you sure you’ll be okay?” Gi-Gyu looked at Min-Su with obvious worry.
“Yup! I’ll be fine, Dad!” Min-Su smiled brightly and replied.
Min-Su and Gi-Gyu were standing in the basement. Brunheart’s gate was generating crystals atop Baal’s magic circle in one corner. Besides it, Gi-Gyu had created a temporary workshop Min-Su asked for.
‘Everything here is from Old Man Hwang’s workshop.’
Min-Su’s makeshift workshop was filled with the tools from his grandfather’s workplace. These all now belonged to Min-Su as a family inheritance.
“Here.” Gi-Gyu handed Min-Su a small hammer from his pocket. Gi-Gyu felt certain it also belonged to Min-Su; Old Man Hwang only gave Gi-Gyu this so that he could enter the barrier. He didn’t know if this hammer might come in handy again in the future, but his instinct told him he should give it to Min-Su.
“Uwaah…” Min-Su exclaimed in awe as he accepted the tool. Feeling curious, Gi-Gyu asked, “Why? Do you see something inside?”
“It’s so pretty! It looks so nice!” Min-Su looked at the small hammer happily. To Gi-Gyu, it was a strange-looking hammer, too small for actual work, but Min-Su saw something very different.
“Huhhh?” Suddenly, Gi-Gyu shouted in shock. Even Lou seemed impressed as he murmured,
-He’s indeed Paimon’s descendant… All weapons have blessed this boy.
Min-Su yelled in excitement, “Uwaah! It’s bigger now! It grew!”
Once the hammer reached Min-Su’s hand, it grew just big enough to fit the boy’s hand perfectly.
“I guess it was an item too,” murmured Gi-Gyu. He assumed it was just an unusual tool because he couldn’t bring up its status screen. But now that he thought about it, the hammer had to be an item influenced by the Tower’s system. Gi-Gyu suspected that it was a magic item that could be recognized by only those worthy enough to see its true potential.
Impressed, Gi-Gyu watched Min-Su.
“Huh?” Gi-Gyu whispered as Min-Su walked toward the stone coffin, acting like a crow seduced by a sparkling jewel, but Gi-Gyu didn’t stop him.
Gi-Gyu didn’t throw away the stone coffin due to its powerful energy. There was no way of knowing what kind of magic this item held inside. The stone coffin had remained a mystery to Gi-Gyu, so he felt strangely ecstatic when Min-Su approached it.
Lou ordered,
-Watch carefully. You’re about to witness the secret to Old Man Hwang’s method.
“What?”
-That boy is Paimon’s descendant. I don’t know the exact details, but I’m certain that the old man also had a connection with Paimon. Paimon, master of the high Seat of Power, is the keeper that protects the door to hell.
Clank!
Suddenly, a clear metallic sound rang inside the basement. When Gi-Gyu turned toward the sound, he saw Min-Su banging on the stone coffin with his new hammer. Even though the metal hammer hit the stone surface, it generated a clear metallic sound.
Lou laughed and continued.
-And he is also the greatest blacksmith of hell.