Chapter 904

EP.904 [Light Novel Side Story] The Death Dinass of the Created Heaven Volume 2 Chapter 021

March 4, 2025.

It had been two days since the villains lurking beneath Seoul were wiped out.

The underground passages of Seoul were once so infested with villains that they earned the derogatory nickname “Wheeled Ballet Den.” These villains would hide in the shadows alongside monsters, barely surviving day by day.

Their leader was none other than A-Rank Villain, Sky Castle.

Sky Castle concealed a monster and evolved into a Penril monster, causing chaos by toppling Namsan Tower and creating over twenty critical cases.

However, he eventually fell to a coordinated assault by Heroes, reverting back to his core.

Additionally, many monsters were captured, but the ones who drew the most attention were the twenty ‘Penril Monsters.’

Twenty cores stolen from the Guild Red Pine’s containment facility somehow transformed into ‘Penril Monsters.’

Sky Castle was their representative, wielding S-Rank power and wreaking havoc across Seoul.

Now that all have been apprehended, public interest naturally turned toward the bounty on their heads.

100 billion per head.

And the one who offered this bounty? A mysterious ‘blonde foreigner.’

By some strange twist of fate, aside from the unnamed male monster captured by their team, this person willingly put up 1.9 trillion to maintain the siege around Seoul.

– This man saved Seoul! We thank you!

– Procedures for the bounty distribution? We’ll handle it within two hours! No worries!

– Ahem, instead of this, the nation should step forward with a grand ceremony…

The Hero Association, Hunter Union, and the government didn’t let this opportunity slip away.

On March 4th, they swiftly organized an event without giving the benefactor any room to refuse. Presided over by the third-highest-ranking official, the Monster Countermeasures Minister, the benefactor was forcibly “invited” to attend with a smile.

“To all the Special Ability users and esteemed guests present today, we express our gratitude…”

Reports on the results of the Seoul Underground Sweep Operation, praise for the Heroes led by Princess Snowflower for their heroic deeds, bounty awards to Hunters, and expressions of thanks to the ‘foreigner’ who made it all possible.

Nothing but gratitude.

“The righteous Xian.w.Hibiscus donated 2 trillion for the safety of Seoul and South Korea, and on behalf of the citizens, we express our deepest gratitude…”

Indeed.

The Hero Association, Hunter Union, and the government.

These three groups collaborated for the first time to strip this foreigner of 2 trillion in exchange for mere ‘honors.’

“The exemplary figure Xian.w.Hibiscus…”

All Xian received at this morning’s event was a commendation certificate worth less than an elementary school award, a bouquet of flowers, and a few camera flashes.

“Now, Mr. Xian, let’s take a commemorative photo! Kim… no, Cheese!”

“…Cheese.”

And with that, he deposited 2 trillion into the association’s account, collected his share of 100 billion, and left the venue.

* * *

<March 4, 2025, 10:30 AM, Xian's Office.>

“Damn it, you bastards!”

Xian threw the commendation certificate lying on the table with his left hand, grumbling. While he carefully arranged the bouquet in a vase as decoration, the commendation certificate was tossed onto the floor. Gaon thought it was rather shameless.

“Shouldn’t you hang it on the wall?”

“I’ll just extract the paper and frame it! The outer part can get damaged anyway! It’s mine, after all!”

Xian lifted his boot to stomp on the commendation but managed to restrain himself at the last moment. He was still fuming, pacing around the office while clutching his head with one hand.

“100 billion!!”

Xian forgot to correct Gaon’s title while raging. Only then did Gaon realize the severity of the situation and held his breath.

‘Did Lord Court Magician finally lose his temper over this unfair treatment and is about to unleash his hidden powers-‘

“These bastards! I put up the bounty with my own money, caught one myself, and they took taxes off it! Thirty-three percent!!”

“……”

Gaon averted his eyes. The sky was cloudless and clear. Xian jumped around the office, pulling out his hair with one hand.

“67 billion? No, fine! I said 100 billion, so I’m okay with that! Catching one monster is also fine! So if I deposit 1.9 trillion and keep 100 billion, isn’t that how it works?! Why did they insist on rounding it to 2 trillion, deduct taxes, and make me collect the rest???”

“……Still, you’ve become a model taxpayer and a national hero, haven’t you?”

Gaon searched for related keywords online using Xian’s name.

“Global sucker, monster slayer, hundred-billion loser, sympathy harem guy, Nuri manager… Most of these terms are somewhat harsh, but the biggest issue right now is…”

Gaon smirked while scanning the bolded text.

“Embezzlement King (背任 甲)”

“…Isn’t that a politician?”

“Politicians? If you run for office in Seoul, you’re guaranteed to win. That embezzlement nickname stuck because Oracle dumped 2 trillion invested in the studio…”

“Ah…….”

Indeed, such criticism wasn’t entirely unfounded.

As the local supervisor of Oracle Studio, which was both a safe and quality stock yet unlisted, spending 2 trillion in Seoul caused quite the disappointment in the industry.

Especially the film industry, which was excited about the dream of “Korean actors breaking into Hollywood” through the recruitment of actress Chun Bom, was utterly devastated.

Chun Bom was officially reported to have gone to the U.S.

“Everyone’s asking where the 2 trillion for the actor and special ability user training center went… There are rumors that Kim Nori might end up on the streets without a penny…”

“Let me send a text.”

Xian hastily pulled out a virtual keyboard to compose a message. Recognizing the recipient instantly, Gaon turned pale and asked.

“Didn’t you discuss this with Oracle beforehand…?”

“……”

Xian swallowed hard.

Assuming Oracle had already foreseen things with her usual prophecies, Xian still internally questioned whether going all-in with 2 trillion was really necessary.

Oracle’s reply came swiftly as if she’d been waiting for Xian’s message. Trembling, Xian asked Gaon for help pressing the screen.

“I’m too scared to open it.”

“…Surely you’re not asking me to open it, Alchemist Lord? What if I see something and cause unnecessary trouble?”

Unlike Gaon, who was just a regular member of the Round Table’s subsidiary organization, Xian was practically a senior executive influencing the entire Round Table.

If Gaon was a subcontractor, Xian was like an external director of the main contractor—someone far above Gaon’s reach.

“It’s fine.”

Xian cast a magical phrase worthy of a wizard.

“I’ll take full responsibility.”

“…Alright.”

If anything goes wrong later, Gaon decided to replay the recorded conversation verbatim. With trembling fingers, he barely managed to open Oracle’s message.

[Okay. Send your account info. I’ll resend it.]

“…I’ve got one good friend.”

Xian covered his face with his left hand and looked up at the ceiling. Gaon momentarily considered adding his own account details to the reply but quickly dismissed the idea.

“Now that the money issue is resolved, what do you plan to do next?”

“Don’t know. Let’s just start with what needs to be done now that we have funds.”

Xian lazily grabbed a milk carton from the fridge.

Green milk poured into a plastic pet dish caused Gaon’s expression to sour.

“Ugh…”

“Don’t give me that look. This is for our life-saving benefactor.”

Xian placed the bowl of mint chocolate milk by the window and opened it. As expected, a black cat appeared on the windowsill, settling down to bask in the sun while licking the milk with its tongue.

Meowww~

“Yeah. Let me know if you need more.”

While stroking the cat’s fur, Xian muttered,

“Talked with the boss about adding a new menu item—mint cake. Do cats eat cake?”

“Cats shouldn’t eat chocolate.”

Meowww! KYAAAH!

While soothing the aggressively growling cat with his left hand, Xian turned to look outside where people had gathered.

“Oh, you saw something you shouldn’t have. Sorry, could you come in?”

Xian gently brought the cat inside by holding its bottom.

The cat, though startled, stared blankly at Xian before spotting the crowd outside and crying out in panic.

“Lord Xian!!! Please allow me to join your guild! I desperately want to join!”

“I’m here too! Ready to work like a dog!”

“KYAAAAH! Brother Xian!!! I love you, please let me join the guild!!”

THUD! Xian slammed the window shut in irritation. The atmosphere was perfect for lighting up a cigarette if only he had one.

“Kim Nori, Seok Harang, those damn bastards…”

It was a moment when the two water-element special ability users were deeply resented.

The story rewinds to March 3rd, the day after the Seoul Underground Sweep Operation, exactly 24 hours prior to the current point.

* * *

<March 3rd, 9:00 AM, New Seoul, Oracle Studio.>

“Aren’t you better off just putting the magical gear aside?”

“No way. Important calls might come in.”

Xian sat deep in thought with everyone’s magical gear piled on the desk. Though it didn’t require separate charging since it used the wearer’s magic power as energy, excessive use could lead to severe exhaustion.

BEEP BEEP!

This time, it was Nuri’s magical gear ringing. It was a familiar number.

“Why would Ji-Hye call me, that damn thing?”

“Your high school best friend?”

“Not best friends anymore.”

“Correction: Ex-best friend.”

Having firmly established her relationship with a former classmate, Nuri reached out to reject the call but accidentally hit the answer button.

“Holy…”

[Nu, Nuri?! It’s Ji-Hye…]

[Ms. Kim Nuri! US Magazine wants to interview you…]

[At Oracle Studio…]

POOF. Nuri swiped the screen away with her hand, automatically ending the call. As Xian chuckled and picked up his cup, Nuri groaned.

“It’s chaos, pure chaos. You can’t answer calls anymore?”

“Just let Uncle handle it.”

“……Haha.”

Xian gave a soulless laugh and tapped his magical gear.

With significantly low magic power, Xian either needed to buy a charging core or ask someone else for a recharge. When the red warning light flashed, indicating it was almost dead, Xian handed his device to Nuri.

“Can you charge this for me?”

“Um… it’s embarrassing, so I’ll go to the bathroom and charge it.”

“?? What’s embarrassing-”

Nuri snatched Xian’s magical gear and rushed to the restroom. Left alone, Xian scratched his cheek awkwardly before realizing his missing arm and clicking his tongue.

“Ah. It’s gone now.”

Xian felt empty and awkward without his usual heavy coat that always provided a sense of stability. Even the gun tucked inside was currently absent from his body.

“Maybe I should have kept it on…”

Xian tried lifting a heavy flower pot on the table with his left hand. Straining to lift it by gripping the neck tightly, he barely managed to raise it about 1 centimeter.

“Where are you moving this?”

Raon approached and grabbed the edge of the flower pot with his clawed hands. Effortlessly lifting what Xian struggled with like it was a paper cup, Raon glanced at him for directions.

“Uh… just put it on my desk.”

“Understood.”

Xian pointed to his desk with his trembling left hand, and Raon silently placed the pot there. Xian flexed his left hand several times and smacked his lips.

“If I had my right arm, I could move a hundred of these easily.”

“So you were controlling the recoil of the gun with your prosthetic?”

After silencing the alarm on his magical gear, Raon asked Xian, who shrugged his left shoulder.

“Well, there’s no way someone without magic like me could just lift a 7 kg gun with one hand.”

“About the prosthetic… never mind. Asking probably wouldn’t yield much meaning.”

Raon patted his lower abdomen and bowed his head. The feeling that his lower dantian core had grown stronger during the Seoul operation wasn’t likely to be a hallucination.

“Xian, if you have time next time, maybe ‘magic recharge’-”

“Uncle!!!”

Nuri burst through the door running towards Xian. She was holding her magical gear, mid-call with someone, causing Xian to furrow his brows.

“Why are you answering calls without permission-”

[Why do you keep cutting off my calls?]

On the screen, the white-haired Hero Seok Harang glared angrily at Xian.