Chapter 657

The fight ended.

Only then did the two of them collapse to the ground.

As he caught his breath, Su-ho asked,

“But let me ask you one thing.”

- What is it?

“That second reward you said you gave me a long time ago. What was it?”

Shiva had requested a spar during their first meeting.

Su-ho had accepted that spar under certain conditions.

The result had been Su-ho’s victory, and when he asked for his reward, Shiva said he had already given it to him.

Shiva smiled.

- You still haven’t found it?

“No, I haven’t. What is it?”

Shiva glanced over Su-ho and smiled.

- Looking at you, I think you’ll find out soon. Wait until then.

“What? You’re really going to be like this?”

- Yes, I’m really going to be like this.

Judging by the atmosphere, it did not seem like Shiva intended to tell him.

Su-ho stood up and dusted off his backside.

“Fine. I’ll figure it out myself.”

- Heh, sure. When the time comes, you’ll thank me.

After exchanging farewells, Su-ho returned home.

When he arrived, Jack was lying on the sofa watching television.

“I’m back.”

- Good grief, you startled me! What in tarnation?! Are you a ghost?

Jack flinched in surprise.

But why was he talking like that?

“Why are you talking like that?”

- It’s how the village chief in the drama I’m watching talks. What do you think? It’s fun, so it rolls right off the tongue.

“It sounds strange, so stop it. But why is the house so clean? Has it not been long since I left?”

Even the trash from the delivery food he had ordered before leaving was gone.

Finding it strange, Su-ho was about to check his phone when Jack spoke first.

- Not long, my ass. I thought you were dead. It’s been more than half a month since you left the house.

“Half a month?”

It was true.

When he checked his phone, nearly three weeks had passed.

“Then why is there no trash?”

- Because I cleaned it up?

“If you leave it outside, the staff will clean it up, but did you take the trash out?”

- How would I know that? I either ate everything or burned it all away.

As he said that, Jack produced flames in his hand.

Ah, now that he thought about it, Jack was a mage.

Su-ho nodded and picked up the tablet.

But to his surprise, although only about three weeks had passed, the amount charged through the delivery app had already exceeded thirty million won.

Then it happened.

Knock, knock-

The sound of knocking.

When Su-ho turned his head, Jack had already gone out and opened the door.

“Hey, you!”

But before Su-ho could stop him, Jack carried in an armful of delivered food and moved it to the table.

There was plenty of alcohol as well.

Watching the entire sequence of movements connect as smoothly as flowing water left Su-ho too dumbfounded to speak.

Jack had already finished setting the meal and opened a bottle of soju with a crack before drinking straight from it.

- Ah, that hits the spot. Want a bottle too?

“......What is this?”

- What do you mean? I’m eating. What else was there for me to do while waiting for you? All I could do was watch television and eat.

“That’s true, but...... No, since when do you drink soju too?”

- In Korean dramas, everyone drinks soju at the slightest excuse.

Jack coolly emptied the entire bottle.

Right.

The bill had grown that large in less than a month because he had been eating like this.

Of course, it was not that Su-ho begrudged him the money.

Although Jack belonged to him, he was still a partner who deserved proper respect, so Jack should enjoy himself whenever he had the opportunity.

Su-ho sat down beside him, deciding to rest while he was at it.

Still, Jack had ordered quite a lot.

Sashimi, pork backbone stew, sushi, maki...... But it seemed the type of delivery food he ordered had changed considerably.

“You used to mostly eat pizza and fried chicken. Your tastes have changed a lot.”

- I’ve eaten enough of those. These days, I’m trying a wider variety of things.

“I see.”

Fine. As long as Jack was happy.

Su-ho also picked up a can of beer and opened it.

Jack shoved five pieces of sushi into his mouth at once and asked,

- So, did you achieve anything?

“I did. Along with comprehending the Pinnacle of Vacuum Style, I also increased Girard by one.”

- Oh, impressive.

After saying that, Jack poured an entire plate of sashimi into his mouth again.

It was an extra-large portion.

Of course, that was not the only platter.

There were several more bags of extra-large sashimi that had not even had their plastic wrap removed yet.

Su-ho answered with an exasperated expression.

“You weren’t actually curious. You just asked for the sake of asking, didn’t you?”

- How did you know? Was it that obvious?

“Forget it. Eat as much as you want.”

- You’ll show me everything when the time comes anyway. Why would it matter so much?

“Still, if you’re my strategist, shouldn’t you know so you can make use of me properly?”

- If I pay even a little attention, I can sense and understand all of it anyway. There’s no hurry.

“Fine. You’re amazing.”

- You only just realized?

Since Jack was not wrong, Su-ho decided to leave it alone.

He had taken only a few sips of beer when it happened.

[ ■■ wishes to meet you. ]

“......?”

A notification appeared before his eyes.

The moment Su-ho saw it, his gaze froze.

“What?”

- Why?

“Ah, no. Not you.”

All of a sudden?

■■?

But who was ■■?

At that moment, a Subspace Gate formed before Su-ho’s eyes.

Both Su-ho and Jack turned toward the newly formed Subspace Gate.

- What is that?

“I-I don’t know either.”

- You don’t know either? Isn’t it your guest?

“It is my guest, but.......”

Who was ■■?

Then it happened.

[ The master of spear arts and owner of the Overlord Spear Art is deeply hurt by your reaction. ]

“Ah!”

After seeing the notification, Su-ho unconsciously raised his voice and stood up.

Startled, Jack looked at Su-ho ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) with a taco in his mouth.

- What is it?

“My sponsor. I forgot about him.”

- Your sponsor?

“I had four Transcendents as sponsors. I met Sword Demon and Shiva, but two still remain. I was especially busy and completely forgot about this one for far too long.”

- Who is it?

“I don’t know his name. I only know that he created the Overlord Spear Art.”

- I see. But why did he suddenly contact you?

“I don’t know either.”

[ The master of spear arts and owner of the Overlord Spear Art wishes to invite you. ]

Another notification appeared.

He must have been quite hurt.

Su-ho scratched his cheek apologetically.

‘Ah, I can’t even refuse this.’

He had forgotten about him for far too long.

Out of courtesy, it seemed he should at least show his face once.

‘Now that I’ve even learned Hundred Strikes, I can’t keep pretending not to notice him.’

With no other choice, he decided to accept obediently.

Su-ho put down his beer can and sighed.

“Whew, I’ll be back.”

- You’re really going? You only came back after nearly a month.

“I have no choice. If I started something, I have to take responsibility for it.”

- That’s true. Have a safe trip.

“By the way, you.......”

Su-ho was about to tell him not to order too much, but soon stopped himself.

Right. What would be the point of deliberately nagging him?

It would only make Su-ho look stingy.

Jack stared at him.

- What? Were you about to tell me not to order too much?

He was remarkably perceptive.

Su-ho quickly denied it.

“No. I was just going to say I’m sorry for making you wait.”

- Oh, that. It’s fine. I think I prefer waiting like this without any fighting. The Spirit Realm was somewhat boring, but why is there so much to see here?

“Good for you. I’m leaving.”

With those words, Su-ho entered the gate.

Leaving Jack behind as he enthusiastically waved goodbye.

***

After crossing through the gate, Su-ho’s vision changed.

What appeared before him was a small city reminiscent of medieval Europe.

People were even walking through its streets.

Su-ho opened his eyes before an enormous tree in the center of the city, and while looking around at the unexpected sight, someone called out to him.

- Hey!

Someone approached while waving.

The man was dressed lightly and carried a wooden staff over his shoulder.

“Who are you?”

- Who else would I be?

“Ah!”

Su-ho recognized him immediately.

More precisely, he realized who the man had to be.

After all, he had never once seen the face of the master of spear arts and owner of the Overlord Spear Art.

He was a relatively young-looking man with a short beard growing along his jaw.

After hesitating briefly, Su-ho brought his hands together respectfully.

“I’m sorry. My name is Su-ho. It’s not that I deliberately tried to forget you.......”

- I know. You were very busy. That’s why I didn’t say anything either. But after watching you meet Sword Demon and then Shiva, I couldn’t keep standing by forever.

So it really had been because of them.

The man extended his other hand for a handshake.

- This is our first time meeting properly, right? Nice to meet you. I’m the Spear Venerable.

“Ah, so you were the Spear Venerable.”

Sword Demon and Spear Venerable.

They all had names belonging to those who had reached the absolute peak.

Su-ho asked,

“But is this your world, Spear Venerable?”

- That’s right. I call this place the Spear Realm. Since I’m a Constellation, I could live with absolutely nothing around me like Sword Demon if I wanted to, but wouldn’t that be far too boring?

“I see. I suppose that could happen if you’re not the type who enjoys solitude.”

- Something like that. So, shall we have a drink now? You were already drinking anyway, weren’t you?

“Ah, shall we?”

It was not as though he lacked time, and he had come to soothe the Spear Venerable because he felt apologetic, so Su-ho readily agreed.

The Spear Venerable then led Su-ho to a tavern he knew well.

“You’re here, young man?”

- Yes. Two of my usual, please.

Surprisingly, the tavern owner called the Spear Venerable “young man.”

Once the owner had walked away, the Spear Venerable grinned and said,

- Why are you so surprised?

“Ah...... You’re simply very different from the image I had imagined.”

- What image did you imagine? Did you think I would live here being worshipped like the leader of some religion? That’s an extremely exhausting life. You’ve experienced it yourself, so you know that well, don’t you?

Su-ho knew.

How could he possibly say he did not?

Perhaps because of that, Su-ho felt more at ease with the Spear Venerable’s words and actions, which carried such a strong sense of ordinary humanity.

Before long, a light snack and two large cups of alcohol were brought out.

- Cheers.

Clink!

The two of them knocked their cups together and drained them in one go.

It was delicious.

It was a flavor Su-ho had never tasted before, but it went down smoothly without any resistance.

When he put down his cup, the Spear Venerable smiled and said,

- So, why do you think I called you?

“Wasn’t it because you felt hurt?”

- That’s part of it, but I also called because I thought it was about time you made some progress with Heavy Strike Style. To put it bluntly, once you finish your Trait Quest and ascend to the position of a Constellation, you’ll become incredibly busy. Will you have any time to train Heavy Strike Style then?

They all said the same thing.

Perhaps because they were all Constellations, they seemed to share similar concerns.

But Su-ho could not deny those words either.

Because he thought they were correct.

“That’s true. That’s why I just finished comprehending the Pinnacle of Vacuum Style.”

- Good. Then, since you’re already here, comprehend the Pinnacle of Heavy Strike Style before you leave.

“I’m not taking it lightly, but won’t it take a long time?”

- So what? Here, I can also make time flow slowly, just like Sword Demon.

“Ah?”

That changed everything.

The corners of Su-ho’s mouth immediately rose.

“Understood. I’ll do that.”

- Excellent!

The Spear Venerable beamed at Su-ho’s refreshing answer.

Then he raised a hand and shouted,

- Two more drinks over here!