Chapter 244

Growing Pains (3)

As Ludwig looked at Grylls after his Body Reformation, one thought came to mind.

’What the hell is wrong with this man?’

The Forest of Four Seasons shattered every form of common sense, but Ludwig hadn’t expected that rule to apply to people as well.

Was it because Grylls truly was an invasive species, or had the Forest of Four Seasons transformed him?

Perhaps that was why Ludwig strangely felt neither envy nor jealousy.

Of course, given Ludwig’s noble character, he wouldn’t have felt jealous even if someone else achieved extraordinary growth.

When it came to the Hero, Asella, he had congratulated her on her growth without any envy.

Grylls, however, was slightly different.

Rather than congratulations, questions kept springing up in Ludwig’s mind.

Grylls was undeniably talented, but his talent seemed to operate in a bizarre direction.

Ludwig had considered this many times before, yet he still couldn’t understand it.

’Rapid growth is a good thing, but...’

Ludwig had heard why Grylls suffered so much.

His body had been unable to withstand the energy within it, forcing him to undergo Body Reformation.

Such cases occasionally occurred.

There had been people who underwent forced Body Reformation after improperly consuming an inner core.

’But by that logic, he should have undergone Body Reformation long ago.’

Grylls consumed inner cores with every meal.

A single inner core contained an enormous amount of mana, yet he had continued eating them regularly.

He should have undergone Body Reformation long ago.

The fact that it had only happened now inevitably raised questions.

’He’s like an onion.’

The more layers Ludwig peeled away, the more astonishing things emerged.

Regardless, Grylls possessed an upright and kind nature.

That was what Ludwig liked most about him.

Had Grylls been closer to a villain, Ludwig would have cut off his head just before they escaped.

The moment Grylls left the forest and entered civilization, he would undoubtedly cause considerable upheaval.

’Escaping must come first, though.’

Holding a crudely crafted wooden sword, Ludwig looked ahead.

Grylls stood before him with his sword and shield.

They were sparring.

Regardless of his Body Reformation, Grylls needed to relearn his sense of distance.

Even though he had acquired an Aura Blade, it would mean nothing if his fundamentals collapsed.

In fact, most people struggled to adapt to their new bodies after undergoing Body Reformation.

Therefore, Grylls would spend the immediate future training to familiarize himself with his new physique.

"Hup!"

Grylls made the first move.

Watching him, Ludwig thought—

’He’s faster.’

His speed had noticeably increased.

That meant his abundant mana and physical body had achieved proper harmony.

Thwack!

"Ow!"

Of course, possessing that speed and adapting to it were separate matters.

Grylls misjudged the distance and extended his sword too early, just as Ludwig had anticipated.

Because he thrust it forward too quickly, he created an opening while attacking.

"Hiss... Oww..."

After receiving Ludwig’s blow, Grylls rubbed his head.

No matter how much his physical abilities improved, pain wasn’t something one simply became accustomed to.

He pressed firmly against his head a few times before assuming his stance again.

"I’m coming."

"Hmm."

Ludwig also liked Grylls’s determination.

Once he formed even a rough plan, he immediately put it into action.

It was a disposition well suited to achieving greatness.

Innate talent, a hardworking nature, and even leadership rooted in his ability to connect with others.

’What a shame.’

That only made Ludwig feel sorrier for him.

Why had someone like Grylls fallen into the Forest of Four Seasons and been forced to endure such hardship?

Ludwig therefore intended to teach him to the best of his ability.

He firmly resolved to do so.

Thwack! Smack!

"Aagh! Ow!"

Of course, his resolution and strictness were entirely separate matters.

As Ludwig repeatedly struck Grylls’s openings, the latter’s cries of pain echoed through the area.

The Forest of Four Seasons was peaceful once again today.

***

"Oww..."

This hurt like hell.

I gently rubbed my throbbing body.

Thanks to my sturdy physique, I hadn’t developed any bumps or bruises, but pain was still pain.

Ludwig had increased the intensity of our training the moment he learned I had undergone Body Reformation.

’So this is what they mean when they say the closer you get, the farther away something seems.’

I thought I had finally caught up to him, but that had been foolish.

I still had a long way to go before I could truly match Ludwig.

I had already surpassed him in terms of physical ability, but my technique was severely lacking.

’Though even that is gradually improving...’

I wasn’t a genius.

There was no way I could refine my technique in a single day.

I would have to proceed slowly, one step at a time, like climbing a staircase.

There was no need to rush.

Training meant I couldn’t explore for a while, but it wasn’t as though I were making no progress.

’I suppose I’ll have to remain around the cave for the time being.’

That was somewhat disappointing.

I wanted to go exploring, but I restrained myself.

I only needed to wait until the squirrel finished its work.

I also had to prepare for summer in the meantime.

’Oh, right. The insect repellent.’

Summer would arrive soon.

I checked how much insect repellent remained.

Was it Icon Guild?

They had been steadily sponsoring me with the product, so I had accumulated a considerable supply.

I supposed it could be considered an official sponsorship.

According to what I had heard on the gallery, it had become an enormous hit.

’As for the dinosaur carcass...’

I opened the auction house and checked the price of the dinosaur’s body.

I had set the auction to conclude automatically after twenty-four hours, so it should be sold soon.

"...Wow."

How many digits was that?

I slowly counted the number of zeroes.

It was enough money to live comfortably without working for the rest of my life.

Where had such an enormous sum come from?

’Did the wealthy people of Setan join the bidding?’

The current bid was approximately eight hundred thousand gold.

Converted into Korean currency, that was eight billion won.

Even for the free-spending tycoons of Setan, wouldn’t that be a burdensome price?

’Or perhaps it’s merely pocket change to them.’

The wealth of the desert tycoons I knew was beyond imagination.

I had been utterly astonished to learn that their major transactions involved trillions rather than billions.

In any case, the dinosaur carcass would soon be sold.

Until then, I only needed to train.

[The Heavenly Demon is a goddess. The Demonic Cult is invincible.]

"Huh?"

While browsing the gallery, a particular post caught my attention.

It had even become a trending post with a considerable number of recommendations.

’This must be about the real Heavenly Demon rather than the one I know, right?’

Since it also mentioned the Demonic Cult, that seemed highly likely.

Curious, I opened the post.

It had already received a considerable number of comments.

Title: The Heavenly Demon Is a Goddess, and the Demonic Cult Is Invincible

(Photo of an almost completely bald head)

(Photo of a head covered in thick hair)

To introduce myself, I’m a demonic practitioner living in the Demonic Cult.

As you can tell from the first picture, I suffered from severe hair loss and was treated like an unfilial son because of it.

I was genuinely devoted to my parents, and I cared for them until just before they passed away.

But the world isn’t kind to people with hair loss.

After my parents died, even more people began pointing fingers at me.

They said my parents had died because of me and that my hair had fallen out because I failed to fulfill my filial duties.

It was so unfair that I thought I would lose my mind, but what could I do?

My father also suffered from hair loss and received the same treatment.

That was why I moved to the Demonic Cult.

I heard it accepted people who had been wronged, and when I arrived, I found many comrades who were just like me.

The Central Plains was cruel to people who had lost their hair, but the Demonic Cult was nothing like that.

It accepted the persecuted and the wronged—not criminals.

Thanks to that, I settled down and lived reasonably well.

Then the Demonic Cult suddenly summoned me and my comrades.

They gave us a medicinal herb and told us that eating it would resolve our grievances.

What else could my grievance be?

Obviously, it was my hair.

My comrades and I ate it immediately.

I was suspicious at first, but as time passed, my hair actually began growing back.

I thought it might only be temporary, so I pulled on it.

My scalp moved with it.

My real hair had returned.

The Heavenly Demon is worshipped as an object of faith within the Demonic Cult, but she truly possesses power comparable to a god’s.

From now on, I will worship the Heavenly Demon without end and bow once each day in the direction where she resides.

I am currently on a brief leave of absence.

I plan to visit my parents’ graves and tell them this:

Their filial son—not their unfilial one—has come to see them.

└ Heavenly Demon: What an excellent post. You must feel as though you have been reborn.

└ Of course. I’ll personally beat the hell out of anyone who insults the real Heavenly Demon.

└ Heavenly Demon: Restrain yourself. This lady does not desire such behavior.

└ Why are you ordering him around when you’re not even the real Heavenly Demon? Have you ever lost your hair?

└ Wait. Isn’t this viral marketing? Most people selling hair-loss treatments are scammers.

└ Naturally, people are suspicious. If it really works, it’s practically a miracle drug. Lmaooo.

└ Maybe this Heavenly Demon bastard is running a scam. We need to see whether all that hair falls out later.

└ Where is it? I’m going there right now.

└ Don’t fall for it. There’s a high chance it’s a scam.

└ Even if you know it might be a scam, hair loss makes you desperate enough to try.

└ No, but... Ah, forget it. I suppose desperation can’t be helped.

└ If this were a scam, the Demonic Cult’s reputation would plummet. Doesn’t that make it relatively trustworthy?

└ Yeah. It’s being distributed by an organization, not some random individual.

└ Maybe I should pay them a visit.

Someone had posted that his hair loss had been completely cured.

The moment I read it, I remembered the medicinal herb I had given the Heavenly Demon.

I had clearly been told that it was effective against hair loss.

I had heard they wouldn’t distribute it immediately and would focus on producing medicine from it instead.

’Did someone leak it?’

If so, that could be a slight problem.

Just in case, I sent the Heavenly Demon a message.

I could also take the opportunity to thank her.

[Wild Grylls: Hello, Heavenly Demon!]

[Heavenly Demon: Is your body all right?]

The moment I messaged her, the first thing she did was ask about my condition.

As expected, she possessed truly excellent character.

I hoped we could continue interacting regularly in the future.

[Wild Grylls: More or less. By the way, did you see that post from the member of the Demonic Cult who said his hair loss had been cured?]

[Heavenly Demon: I did. Is there a problem?]

[Wild Grylls: The medicinal herb hasn’t been officially distributed yet, so I wondered whether someone had leaked it.]

[Heavenly Demon: There is no need to worry. I ordered that it be granted first to those whose need was most desperate.]

Ah. So that was what happened.

In that case, it made sense.

I nodded, but then a thought suddenly occurred to me.

’Could she really be the actual Heavenly Demon?’

Judging by the post, a high-ranking person seemed to have distributed the medicinal herb.

Moreover, during the previous incident involving the Blood Cult’s revival, the real Heavenly Demon had suddenly appeared.

I compared the Heavenly Demon behind the username to the real Heavenly Demon for a moment, then gave up.

’Who cares?’

What mattered to me was the junior-moderator Heavenly Demon.

And as a person, the junior-moderator Heavenly Demon possessed excellent character.

Someone like her would surely treat her subordinates well too.

[Wild Grylls: I hope we continue to get along. Thank you very much for teaching me the verse.]

[Heavenly Demon: Those are the words this lady should say. I shall wait until you emerge from that place in good health.]

My conversation with the Heavenly Demon ended there.

Feeling pleased, I resumed browsing the gallery.

[Ah, fuck. I want to quit my job.]

One title caught my attention.

It was a typical office-worker post about wanting to resign.

Normally, I would have ignored it, but I recognized the username and opened it immediately.

Title: Ah, Fuck. I Want to Quit My Job

Smart Demonic Practitioner

My boss is driving me insane.

I keep begging her to make just one public appearance, but she says she’s too busy tending to a flowerpot.

This is the perfect opportunity to grow the fucking company, but she refuses to appear simply because she can’t be bothered. It’s driving me crazy.

└ What kind of company requires its head to appear personally?

└ Smart Demonic Practitioner: There are companies like that. She’s both our figurehead and our actual military power.

└ Would that even be possible? Someone like that would have an absurd level of authority.

└ Smart Demonic Practitioner: That’s exactly the problem. Fuck, I handle almost everything myself, but she refuses to help when it actually matters. She just does whatever she feels like.

└ Hang in there. Serving a boss like that must be difficult.

└ Aren’t you going to quit?

└ Smart Demonic Practitioner: The company has been doing well lately, so I can’t quit. The work is satisfying, so why would I leave?

└ Lmaooo. Going insane because of another person is the most infuriating part.

└ Just make it your lifelong career. Lol.

’What a poor guy.’

Such were the sorrows of office workers.

***

"O Heavens! Please allow the believers to behold your heavenly countenance!"

"Not now."

"Why not?!"

Despite Wi Seorak’s desperate plea, Yu Sowol continued with what she was doing.

She was watering a flowerpot.

It contained the medicinal herb Grylls had given her.

"The herb has not finished growing yet."

"Oh, for heaven’s sake!"

Wi Seorak felt as though he would die of frustration at her utterly absurd answer.

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