Chapter 32: Protect Wife

Yohan spent the dawn without sleep, observing the dragon that had destroyed Litsia.

The monster had shattered Litsia with just a single breath and a flick of its tail, then leisurely flew through the skies above the area.

As the sun began to rise, it settled atop the wreckage of Litsia it had created, simply gazing at the world with an idle expression.

It looked like a child watching ants scurrying about.

“Is it going to kill everything once it gets bored?”

Muttering to himself, Yohan stubbed out the cigarette he’d been smoking and lit a fresh one.

The large tin can placed on the Observation Tower, serving as both a trash bin and ashtray, glowed faintly with the embers of a still-burning cigarette.

“Was it called a power struggle?”

He reminded himself to follow the game’s theme faithfully.

After all, he had already learned from three games that this was the way to grow stronger.

Yohan checked the Status Window.

Sure enough, a new menu item was flashing brightly.

-Create a Faction.

-Would you like to create a faction?

“Yes.”

-Register faction members.

-At least five profiles must be registered for official faction registration.

“Hmm… Yoon Junghu… July 21, 1997. Yoon Seoyoung, 2001…”

Yohan filled in all the blank fields for the profiles shown on the Status Window.

-The faction’s name and characteristics will be randomly assigned based on the faction leader’s aptitude. Please confirm if you acknowledge.

“Confirm.”

–Faction has been created.

–Faction name: Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

–Faction perks: Increased martial arts skill abilities and item drop rates upon member achievements.

–Faction structure and roles have been established. Please appoint faction members to positions.

-Basic items have been granted for each role. Please check.

“What the hell, Heavenly Demon Divine Cult…”

It sounded like something a moody teenager would pick—a name that could easily be mistaken for some notorious villain gang these days.

‘I wonder if this is going to be a pain later on.’

“Dad?”

“Dad! Are you at the Observation Tower?”

Just as Yohan was about to appoint roles within the faction’s Status Window, the voices of his children stopped him.

“Dad, it says we’ve joined the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. What does that mean?”

“What’s the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?”

“Oh, you got the notification too.”

Yohan climbed down from the Observation Tower and called everyone together.

“Why are Janggun and Meonggun here?”

Sejeong was struggling, dragging Janggooni and Meonggooni along.

They had grown rapidly day by day, now roughly the size of a small Japanese Spitz.

“They’re part of our family too!”

“Oh, right… they are family.”

A very formidable family at that.

Their combat power, now the size of small adult dogs, was around 6,000 each—stronger than Sejeong and Junga, and only slightly weaker than Seoyoung.

Considering their agility, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were stronger than Seoyoung.

Yohan reopened the Status Window to register Janggooni and Meonggooni as faction members.

“Wait… when were they born again?”

Though he had witnessed their birth, his memory was foggy. Thankfully, Sejeong accurately recalled the dates, allowing Yohan to register them as faction members.

With that, five humans and two rather special dogs became followers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

“All right, here’s the explanation. Our faction’s name is exactly what you heard—Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”

“Wow… Dad, have you been reading too many martial arts novels?”

“I didn’t pick the name; it’s randomly assigned because of my game skill.”

“Oh, so the last game you played was…”

Fearing the power of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Yohan had hesitated to tell the kids about his game abilities.

But now, he thought it best to at least give them a rough idea.

“I’m the only one with martial arts abilities, right?”

“That’s right… In a way, it’s not a great start, but thankfully, it looks like each faction role comes with its own items. That alone is a big plus, Dad.”

“Yeah, if this were a battle survival game, the highest military rank would probably only get a gun or something.”

“…Then in my or Sejeong’s games, they’d probably just get blocks or cars, huh?”

Seoyoung nodded at the family’s remarks.

“That’s actually a relief.”

“Let me check the roles.”

Yohan opened the faction Status Window.

[Heavenly Demon Divine Cult]

Followers: 7 (Humans 5 / Beastfolk 2)

Roles [Open/Close]

Sect Leader

-Only those who have mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art can ascend.
Deputy Sect Leader

-Deputy leader’s special item: [Red Demon Blood Divine Art] available.
Young Sect Leader

–Only the Sect Leader’s bloodline can ascend.

-Heavenly Demon Divine Art acquisition possible.
Divine Maiden
Military
Elder
Grand Protector
Protector
Five Corners Pillar
Ten Great Division Leader

And so on…

‘What a complicated mess.’

Not only the roles but all the perks made things overwhelmingly complex.

While Yohan was deep in thought, Junghu spoke up.

“As the eldest grandson, hmm, how about I take the Young Sect Leader position?”

“…”

Yohan paused, then shook his head.

“You’re too hot-headed to suit the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.”

“What? Why?”

“More precisely, you can’t control it. You’d get consumed by it. Even I nearly became a monster once. You know those martial arts novels where people fall into demonic possession and go berserk, becoming outlaws? That’s the kind of demon the Heavenly Demon Divine Art can turn you into.”

“Ah…”

Yohan had almost been devoured by the Heavenly Demon Divine Art himself.

Now that he was beyond the second stage, aiming for the third and fourth, he could control it to some extent.

But the beginning was the most dangerous.

Junghu was too passionate, unable to restrain his anger against injustice—there was a 100% chance anyone could see he’d be swallowed whole by the art.

Yohan looked carefully at his children.

Junga was just as fiery as Junghu, and Sejeong was too young.

‘Then what about Seoyoung?’

Seoyoung’s foundation was magic and mana, so Yohan hesitated.

‘Is it okay to learn martial arts so different from magic at the same time?’

Though the Heavenly Demon Divine Art could absorb mana as internal energy, it might even prevent her from using magic altogether.

Since magic played an important role in the current situation, Yohan made a decision.

“Let’s put the Young Sect Leader position on hold for now. It’s not too late to assign it once I’ve properly mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Yohan began appointing each role for his children one by one.

***

After the dragon’s appearance, anti-aircraft guns were installed nearby.

The dragon seemed oblivious, merely observing or sleeping.

Should Yohan be relieved that there were people who could fight the dragon?

Taehyun felt uneasy.

Soldiers who hadn’t been seen for a while suddenly appeared and were moving actively, which felt strange.

It was odd that they had disappeared for so long, but it was also odd that they suddenly showed up and were so active.

“What on earth has been happening outside?”

Regretting having spent the chaotic times inside the house, he realized more than ever that information was still the most important thing in a world gone mad.

“Did the soldiers come to save us?”
“As far as I know, all military units had withdrawn… or maybe not?”
“Isn’t the 17th Division based near Bucheon but actually part of Incheon’s administrative district? When did they station such equipment in Bucheon?”
“Do we have to rely on the military now?”
“I’m uneasy about the military…”
“I’d rather rely on the military than risk our lives fighting ourselves!”

Amidst the arguments, some saw hope in the military’s arrival and insisted on depending on them, while others cautioned about the dangers of soldiers in these times, creating a commotion.

Meanwhile, the dictator of Seonga Village sat with a stern face, biting her thumbnail painted with nail polish as she stared at the haughty dragon.

‘If the military intervenes in this peaceful paradise where people casually groom their nails, it can only mean trouble!’

Kim Taehyun gritted his teeth inside.

“Chairwoman, what will we do if the military comes?”

An ajumma asked Kim Sunja.

Kim Sunja busied herself with biting her nails without answering.

The ajumma, undeterred, continued talking like a fool.

“Isn’t it better to just ask the soldiers to protect us? I mean, the so-called self-defense force is just neighborhood folks. Rather than watching neighbors get killed, it’s better to hide and ask the soldiers for protection, right, everyone?”

“Exactly, didn’t you see Sungjun’s dad died yesterday? Sungjun’s family is in tears. I heard his mom might follow his dad soon.”

“My husband is in the self-defense force, and I’m worried too. I don’t want him to die anytime soon. It’s better to rely on the military!”

As people began agreeing with the ajumma’s words, Kim Sunja’s gaze sharpened.

Despite passing her role as Chairwoman for over ten years, she had enjoyed the sweetness of power more than anyone before the madness began.

Now, with money and honor gone, she was addicted to power itself.

Moreover, though wealth and fame vanished, she still had the self-defense force—like her own soldiers—and villagers who were like servants.

She considered herself a queen here.

But if the military came?

She would become powerless.

Unlike the complex ties of family and neighbors in Seonga Village, the military wouldn’t acknowledge her as a mere ajumma.

That damn lizard…!

If that beast hadn’t appeared, the villagers wouldn’t be anxious, the military wouldn’t have come, and no one would be talking about relying on the soldiers.

She forced herself to hide her expression and opened her sharp mouth.

“They call it the military, but who trusts the military these days? How do we know they won’t treat us like slaves? Wouldn’t it be better to stick together ourselves?”

“My husband said those things being installed are for shooting down planes, right? Who in our village can even catch that dragon? Rather than sacrificing innocent villagers, it’s better to rely on the military, don’t you think?”

“That’s right. Yoonho’s mom is right. We shouldn’t blindly rely on them—we should send a delegation first to observe and decide.”

“Exactly! The execs exist for a reason. Why not send them as representatives?”

Opposing voices were stronger than she expected.

Kim Sunja flinched and glanced at Yoonho’s mom, who had been boldly speaking from the start.

‘That damn woman.’

People thought she was an airhead, but Kim Sunja knew she was the most cunning fox around.

She could bow endlessly but would bite subtly whenever she saw a chance, coveting Kim Sunja’s position.

Fuming, she wanted to grab that woman by the hair immediately, but she knew she had to stay calm.

She shifted her gaze to Kim Taehyun.

“We have our Volunteer Defense Corps Leader! He’s protected and cared for us all this time. Isn’t it dishonorable to ignore that and rely on the military instead? Ho, ho ho…”

Trying to recover with Kim Taehyun’s support, she failed again when she caught his cold, hardened gaze.

‘How can someone who created the defense corps and became leader just ignore me like that? Ungrateful… That’s why you don’t recruit idiots…’

Unlike others, especially Kim Taehyun, who didn’t think this way, she shamelessly believed he owed his position to her.

“I’d rather safely rely on the military. My ability to protect has limits, and I don’t want any more of our defense corps members to sacrifice themselves.”

Kim Taehyun spoke firmly and scanned the crowd.

‘It’s time to push this annoying woman aside and settle this.’

“This kind of decision should be made by majority vote! Taking opinions from the middle school and here, even if I have to represent us, I’ll try to contact the military!”

At Kim Taehyun’s shout, her face went pale.

Then…

Clack clack clack clack.

The orderly, loud footsteps sounded as if from a movie.

“What’s that sound?”

“Aren’t those footsteps?”

As people murmured, Taehyun stepped forward again.

“Everyone, it looks like the main military force has entered. No matter how capable we are, the military has numbers, supplies, and guns obtained from the game. And those soldiers must have abilities too. Nothing’s stronger than soldiers! If you’re hesitant, I’ll go alone to make contact.”

When the crowd urged him on, Kim Sunja, who had been nervously biting her lips and nails, stepped forward.

“I-I’ll go!”

“The Chairwoman?”

“It’s better for me, the representative of Seonga Village, to go. Leader, you watch the villagers, and I’ll go with some other execs!”

She said, calling out to those close to her.

“I’ll come along too! I want to see with my own eyes whether these soldiers are good or bad!”

Again, Yoonho’s mom stepped forward, seemingly thoughtless but clearly watching over Kim Sunja’s moves.

Kim Sunja was furious but had no grounds to oppose and reluctantly nodded.

“It’s a problem if only people unfamiliar with the military go. You told me to protect everyone, but since there are others, I don’t need to stay behind. The Chairwoman is the village’s backbone—what if something happens to her? Let’s go together.”

With Taehyun joining in, her face crumpled even more.

Thus, a sort of delegation was hastily formed to meet the military, including some defense corps members.

They agreed to finish urgent tasks and reconvene later.

Shortly after, a woman approached Taehyun.

“Honey.”

It was his wife, Ji-young.

“Do you think we’ll be okay?”

Taehyun spoke quietly.

“Better to be protected by the damn military than that damn women’s association.”

“Yeah, but why do I feel so uneasy?”

“I don’t know…”

Watching his wife’s inexplicable anxiety, Taehyun’s expression darkened.

Having finally decided to meet the military to break free from the women’s association, an ominous feeling lingered.

“It must be because of the monsters.”

Taehyun tried to blame the monsters and comfort his wife.