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Of course, those thoughts eventually disappeared as he experienced many near-death situations. When he first fell into Hell, he wasn\'t the protagonist; he was a being at the bottom of the food chain, even lower than plankton.

\'But…\' Kang-Woo looked at Kim Si-Hun, dumbfounded.

Si-Hun\'s dazzlingly good looks, kind personality, and well-mannered attitude…

\'He\'s the definition of a protagonist.\'

Kang-Woo couldn\'t help but find Si-Hun\'s status window absurd.

"Hmm."

He began thinking deeply about Si-Hun\'s status window.

\'Destined to become the protector of this world, huh?\'

Considering Si-Hun\'s Trait, the description that stated he was to become the world\'s protector did not seem overblown. Kang-Woo wasn\'t sure who the Martial God Tian Taihuang was, but he was likely extremely strong considering the \'Martial God\' title. Moreover, Si-Hun had obtained an SSS-rank Trait just for being the Martial God\'s successor, so there was no doubt about the Martial God\'s power.

\'Is that why his swordplay is so good?\'

Si-Hun\'s movements were too good for it to be simply because he\'s talented. He was strong and growing at a frightening speed.

"…"

Kang-Woo looked at him with a deep and subdued gaze as he became lost in his thoughts again, particularly about what he should do about Si-Hun.

\'I could give him my full support and build an amicable relationship with him.\'

That was what Cha Yeon-Joo had decided to do with Kang-Woo. A simple and effective way to produce a good investment return was to recognize someone\'s talent, provide them support to grow even faster, and, while doing so, build an amicable relationship with them.

\'But that has a lot of flaws.\'

The biggest flaw was that the sponsor could not make the person that they were supporting do their bidding if the only relationship between them was an amicable one. In the worst-case scenario, the sponsor could be betrayed by the person to whom they had given their full support.

\'Kim Si-Hun doesn\'t look like someone who would do something like that.\'

Si-Hun was so kind to the point that he could be called a pushover, so the chances of that happening were low.

\'But…\'

Kang-Woo looked at Si-Hun, who was being healed by Han Seol-Ah.

\'No one can know that for sure.\'

Si-Hun was a kind person. He might not betray Kang-Woo of his own volition, but there was no guarantee that he wouldn\'t do that because of someone else\'s influence.

If Si-Hun thought of Kang-Woo in a very good light like Seol-Ah or Kang Tae-Soo did, then Kang-Woo wouldn\'t think this way. However, that wasn\'t the case.

\'How about I eliminate him now and nip the bud?\'

Si-Hun wasn\'t the same as Seol-Ah and Tae-Soo. Seol-Ah and Tae-Soo were talented Players, so they could aim to become Rankers in the future, but that was all. No matter how strong they became, there was an extremely low chance that they could become a threat to Kang-Woo.

However, Si-Hun was different. If he were one day able to use his SSS-rank Trait to its fullest, or if he unlocked even stronger ones as he leveled up… he could grow into a threat to Kang-Woo. It wasn\'t a bad option to eliminate Si-Hun as a safeguard.

\'…No.\' Kang-Woo shook his head. \'That would be too much of a waste.\'

Eliminating someone as talented as Si-Hun just because he could become a threat was stupid. He was like a lottery ticket that was guaranteed to win. If there was a way for Kang-Woo to make Si-Hun an ally, he could gain a subordinate that was even stronger than Balrog.

\'I want to make him an ally, but I don\'t feel comfortable doing nothing as he keeps growing stronger.\'

Kang-Woo crossed his arms and stroked his chin with one hand.

\'In that case…\'

Kang-Woo\'s eyes lit up. He\'d thought of a good idea that could help Si-Hun grow while making him a guaranteed ally.

\'And it\'s something I can only do now.\'

The corners of Kang-Woo\'s mouth curved upward. He was extremely lucky to have discovered Si-Hun early.

"Kang-Woo? Is something wrong?" Seol-Ah asked.

She had finished healing Si-Hun and was now walking toward Kang-Woo.

Kang-Woo wiped the smile from his face and calmly answered, "Oh, I was just thinking about something."

"Sigh. What was that monster? I\'ve never seen anything like it before… We would\'ve been in real trouble if you weren\'t here."

"I\'m not sure either… I also want to know why a monster like that appeared in a D-rank Gate," Kang-Woo said while analyzing the corpse of the Demon Wolf.

He was still unsure about what Rift Fragments were and why demonic beasts were appearing in Gates.

"That aside, how is Si-Hun doing?" Kang-Woo asked.

"Oh, he\'s much better now. He can\'t move excessively yet, but walking should be okay."

"Hmm." Kang-Woo nodded and walked to Si-Hun. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I\'m feeling a lot better thanks to Seol-Ah."

"That\'s good to hear."

"I would\'ve been hurt even worse if it weren\'t for you, Kang-Woo. Thank you so much. You\'re as strong as Tae-Soo said," Si-Hun said as he stood up and smiled affably.

The surroundings seemed to brighten just from his smile.

"Of course! I\'ve never seen a Player as strong as Kang-Woo hyung-nim!" Tae-Soo bragged about Kang-Woo while pounding his chest. "He isn\'t just strong! Kang-Woo hyung-nim is someone with a strong sense of justice. He once taught the members of the Andras Guild a lesson all by himself!"

"Wow."

"Hehehe! He is the man whom I have dedicated my undying loyalty to!"

"You have a good hyung-nim." Si-Hun nodded and turned his head to look at Kang-Woo.

It seemed like he was also starting to trust Kang-Woo.

"Oh, but you were amazing too, Si-Hun. I\'ve never seen someone like you among Second Awakening Players," Tae-Soo said.

"I\'m flattered."

"Hehehe. But why didn\'t you join a large guild? You could probably join any guild you want. The Mir Guild has been seeking out new members. Are you interested in joining them?"

"I\'m not planning to enter a guild, especially the Mir Guild." Si-Hun\'s expression turned cold at the mention of the Mir Guild.

Upon noticing that, Tae-Soo scratched his head and said, "Hmm. I see. Do you have some bad blood with the Mir guild?"

"Nothing worth mentioning," Si-Hun replied in an uncharacteristically cold and firm tone.

Tae-Soo surmised that he had mentioned something he shouldn\'t have.

So, he lowered his head apologetically as he spoke, "Well, it doesn\'t seem to be anything good. I\'m sorry for asking something I shouldn\'t have."

"No, don\'t be. It\'s just that it\'s a bit complicated… I should be the one to apologize for reacting in such a way."

It seemed as if Si-Hun managed to control his emotions, and he once again looked at the party with a smile.

Si-Hun said, "I feel better now, so let\'s continue hunti—"

"Oh, I think it would be better if we stopped for the day. After all, you\'re not in your best condition right now."

"I\'m fine."

"You don\'t need to push yourself so hard. There\'s always tomorrow."

"Hmm… Understood," Si-Hun replied with a nod.

Kang-Woo walked toward the Gate exit with the rest of the party.

"Hyung-nim! Are you going to come tomorrow, too?"

"No. Try hunting with just the four of you. And don\'t forget what I taught you today."

"Oh…"

"I can\'t be looking after you guys forever."

"Ngh. Well, okay. I, Kang Tae-Soo, will level up more so that I can party with you, hyung-nim!"

"Okay, I\'ll be waiting." Kang-Woo laughed and walked out of the Gate.

"Then, I\'ll be going this way," Si-Hun remarked.

"Okay, I\'ll see you tomorrow, everyone!" Choi Eun-Bi exclaimed.

Everyone went on their way after the hunt was over, but Kang-Woo walked to the station with Seol-Ah since they lived together.

"Seol-Ah."

"Yes, Kang-Woo?"

"There\'s something I have to do, so go on ahead of me."

"Oh… Is it urgent?"

"Yeah."

"I understand. What about dinner?"

"You can eat first. I might be a bit late."

Seol-Ah looked at Kang-Woo sadly, disappointed that she wouldn\'t be able to go home with him. Nevertheless, she turned around and walked into the station alone.

"Right, then…" Kang-Woo uttered.

After parting ways with Seol-Ah, Kang-Woo turned toward where Si-Hun had gone.

"Let\'s begin."

He had a big smile on his face as he kicked off from the ground and soared into the air.

* * *

"Sigh… the Mir Guild, huh?"

Si-Hun thought of the name that had popped up during his conversation with Tae-Soo. His heart filled with dread the moment he recalled a certain man who was a member of that guild.

He shook his head to clear his mind and kept walking.

"Kang-Woo?" Si-Hun called out in surprise.

Kang-Woo had suddenly appeared in front of Si-Hun while he was walking to the bus station to return home. Si-Hun tilted his head puzzledly and looked around to try and figure out what was going on.

Kang-Woo slowly walked toward him and said, "There\'s something I need to talk to you about."

"Oh, I see. What is it?"

"Hmm… It\'s something important, so let\'s go somewhere private."

"I understand." Si-Hun nodded.

He walked into a secluded alleyway and then turned around to face Kang-Woo.

"What did you want to ta—"

Smash!!

"Kurgh!!"

Kang-Woo punched Si-Hun right in the solar plexus. Caught completely off guard, Si-Hun fell to the ground with a hand on his stomach.

"Cough! Cough! Wh-What are you—"

"Oh. This is just insurance," Kang-Woo stated.

"Cough! I-Insurance?" Si-Hun asked.

Kang-Woo got on top of Si-Hun, who was lying on the floor.

Then he continued calmly, "You are going to become stronger, Si-Hun. Overwhelmingly stronger than other Players. So, I want to build a good relationship with you."

"G-Good relationship…?"

"To put it simply, I want us to become allies."

"Kurgh! How can you say that after doing something like this?!"

Si-Hun tried to shake Kang-Woo off of him, but Kang-Woo looked down at him with a smile.

"And this is insurance for that."

"What is that supposed to m— Kargh!"

Kang-Woo focused demonic energy on his hand and stabbed it into Si-Hun\'s chest, reaching his heart. Then, Kang-Woo gathered as much demonic energy as possible and used an Authority.

\'Authority of Subordination.\'

It was an Authority that forcibly made the target\'s soul a subordinate of the Authority\'s user. To put it simply, it made the target into a demon\'s Familiar. The Authority of Subordination was a level higher than the Authority of Fear, so it had more to offer.

"Kurgh! Cough! S-Stop!"

"Don\'t worry. You\'ll forget everything that happened here," Kang-Woo said calmly while looking at Si-Hun. "When you open your eyes again later, you\'ll continue living your life just as you\'ve been doing until now. You just have to hunt and keep getting stronger like you did today. I\'m sure you and the others will be able to become a party that\'s stronger than any other, as long as you keep growing with Tae-Soo and Seol-Ah."

"Kurgh! Cough!"

"Oh, and if you become my Familiar, you\'ll be able to use a portion of my power. I\'m sure it will be very helpful for your growth."

Kang-Woo used the power of the Authority of Subordination to check if Si-Hun\'s soul was under his possession. Once he confirmed that it was, he took his hand off of Si-Hun\'s heart.

Surprisingly, there was no wound on Si-Hun\'s chest. Even his clothes were perfectly fine.

"A-Aaaahhh…" Si-Hun waved his hand in the air as if he were trying to grab something.

"You don\'t need to worry about anything," Kang-Woo said softly. He grabbed Si-Hun\'s hand and continued, "We\'ll become very good allies."