“It will be fine. The twelve heroes will come and save us in no time. Let’s be a bit patient.”

These were probably her last words. After that, Lee Gun and Yeonwoo had never seen each other again. 

Lee Gun had never thought he would see her again.

[Come back.]

It was short, but the words were spoken with a powerful voice. The voice was like a lighthouse.

Whether one was in the dark and the depths of a deep ocean didn’t matter. It was a voice of light that signaled one should come toward it, a magnetic voice.

When she turned toward the voice, she experienced something peculiar. She felt as if she were floating into the sky, while a light swept her up. She felt that if she opened her eyes, she’d be moved to a different world.

In the end, this was how Yeonwoo returned to her original world. Previously, she had been in a nihilistic world where she could feel no feelings or senses.

Now, she was in the sublime world of the living, where she could feel happiness and sadness. And when she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a very familiar face.

“Gun…!”

Lee Gun bit his lips when he heard the familiar voice. It was a voice that he remembered.

“Yeonwoo.”

Years. It had been dozens of years.

If Lee Gun added the time that he had spent within the tower, he couldn’t guess how long it had been, how long it had been since he was able to call out her name like this.

Even being able to call out her name made Lee Gun choke up. This was the same for Yeonwoo.

“Gun…!!”

Yeonwoo hugged Lee Gun. She cried when she saw Lee Gun, who was alive.

Lee Gun patted her back as he hugged her as well. “I’m sorry! I was too late.”

“No. I’m the one who should be sorry…! I dragged you into everything…!”

It seemed that had continued to bother Yeonwoo.

Back then, Lee Gun had been a normal human. He had no connection to the Serpent Bearer temple. 

However, Lee Gun just shook his head from side to side. “I was able to live thanks to you.”

Despite the horrible nightmare that had been waiting for him, he didn’t regret becoming an awakened being. Thanks to that, he had been able to meet some people.

The thirteenth laughed as if he was pleased.

‘That’s why he tried to revive Yeonwoo in a place where no one was present.’

Lee Gun pretended as if he wasn’t choked up. He faked a cough.

The thirteenth looked at his son anew.

“Are you ok? Can you hear me well?”

“!”

Yeonwoo was surprised by Lee Gun’s words. “Now that I think about it, my hearing is…”

“I fortified your body so that you can hear again.”

“!”

Yeonwoo was originally unable to hear sounds. To be precise, it wasn’t as if she was unable to hear Lee Gun’s voice.

Although her hearing had been sealed, thanks to the power of the Zodiac, she was able to telepathically hear the voices of Lee Gun and her younger brother.

“Time called your body back from the past, so I made some changes to it. Well, half of your body was damaged, so I had to tinker with it…” Lee Gun scratched his cheek. “Anyway, you should carefully take stock of your body. I’m great at making items, but I’m not so sure about living beings. Is it ok?”

“Yes. It is ok, but….”

“But what?”

An odd expression appeared on Yeonwoo’s face as she felt her body. “For some reason, my chest became larger…”

“Cough!!!”

Lee Gun coughed as if something was stuck in his throat.

Yeonwoo seemed oblivious to it as she tilted her head in puzzlement. “That’s odd. They were never this big….”

“No!! Cough! I didn’t know your exact size…!! Cough!!”

The thirteenth let out a wicked smile as he looked at his son. He had a reason for doing it.

[Maybe, he changed your body to his preference?]

“You want to die!!!!!”

[Yes, yes. I know my son’s preference now. I’ll apply it to you next time.]

“Apply what!!!!”

[I do like having a daughter~]

“Do you really want to die!!!!”

The thirteenth cackled, and Yeonwoo finally realized his presence. Her mouth fell open.

The thirteenth let out a bitter laugh when he saw this.

[I’m sorry, and I’m glad you are ok.]

When Yeonwoo saw the familiar face, she couldn’t close her mouth. It looked like tears were about to roll down her face. However, she lowered her head. It was a habit.

“I never expected to see you again like this… Ahh!” Yeonwoo screamed as she was about to prostrate herself.

However, a hand suddenly flew in to stop her. The hand stopped her forehead.

The culprit was none other than Lee Gun. “It’s fine. You don’t have to bow down to that bastard.”

“!”

The thirteenth laughed.

[Yes. I’m no longer your master. He is.]

The thirteenth looked at Yeonwoo with satisfaction. His reaction was expected since he had picked up Yeonwoo and Junwoo when they were on the verge of death. They were the baby snakes that he had reared.

Naturally, he wanted her to live a happy life with her little brother Junwoo despite his death. If there was an opportunity, he thought it would be great for them to meet Lee Gun, but…

‘I never expected her to pass her power to him.’

The thirteenth had been surprised by the siblings’ chance meeting with Lee Gun, and he never expected them to sacrifice their lives to save his son.

When one considered what had happened, it was as if he had nudged his son to grow up as the Serpent Bearer…

‘If I knew he would become someone who doesn’t even acknowledge his father, maybe I shouldn’t have helped him.’

Lee Gun didn’t care as he grabbed Yeonwoo’s arm. “Anyway, let’s head back.”

It seemed he didn’t want to see the thirteenth’s face. “I don’t know why, but the Divine statuses have stopped going berserk. I’m sure it’ll be fine if we head out.”

[You don’t even entertain the idea that your father stopped them from going berserk?]

Instead of answering him, Lee Gun unfurled his middle finger.

The thirteenth feigned laughter as he flicked his finger. Then something surprising happened.

Flash!

[Dad has imbued the Serpent Bearer with a new ability.]

[Praise Your Father]

- Seals the berserk Divine statuses. It can temporarily lower them to stage 5.

- If you shout I Love You Dad, Limit Cancel status will activate. You will be able to use stage 6.

“!”

Lee Gun looked at the thirteenth when something unexpected happened. 

The thirteenth smirked.

[Stage 6 will erode your lifespan and body. If you continue to live with stage 6, you won’t live even a year as a god. You’ll die. If I’m being honest, it really is harmful, so you shouldn’t use it.]

Lee Gun looked like he had bitten into a lemon. The thirteenth grinned at that expression.

[What? Did I say something false? Stage 6 almost caused the downfall of the earth. You almost wiped out humanity through the pain that they felt. Your Zodiac Saints acted beyond their means. You might think that was why everyone was safe, but…]

Lee Gun gestured his hand in anger. “Change the skill title from ‘I Love You Dad’ to ‘Fuck off.’”

[Is that what you were dissatisfied with?!!]

“Of course? Since you’re giving me the skill for free, there is no reason for me to reject it. Ah. I want you to change the skill name from ‘Praise Your Father’ to ‘This Is My Power.’”

[Really! Do you realize how hard it was to create that ability? You should allow that much…!]

The thirteenth became angry, but he soon spoke as if it was enough.

[I want you to give my regards to my daughter-in-law when you get out. Tell her that her father-in-law wants to see her.]

Lee Gun completely ignored his words, but Yeonwoo’s eyes shook violently.

‘D…Daughter-in-law?’

Who was he referring to?

[My baby.]

“!”

Yeonwoo turned her head when the thirteenth called out to her.

[Did you not get a letter that I left you after I died?]

“No. There was nothing like that…! I only received a message full of anguish…!”

[Message?]

“Yes. It was a holographic message of an angry master saying that the other Constructs were going to kill you…”

“Ji Yeonwoo. Don’t refer to that god as your master.”

[Understood. Take good care of Gun.]

Yeonwoo looked both happy and sad as she smiled. “Yes. I will do my best to protect him. Since I’ve lost my Divine status, I don’t know if I’ll be of any help to him…”

The thirteenth laughed at those words.

[No. You guys already had your own Divine statuses.]

“!”

[I temporarily gave Life and Death to you and Junwoo to save you guys. You will be able to awaken your new Divine status like Junwoo. It’ll be done through the new blessing of the Serpent Bearer.]

Yeonwoo was surprised when she realized what those words meant. “My little brother is alive?!”

“Ah! Stop talking with that guy. If you keep responding to him, he’ll try to get closer to us.” Lee Gun opened the door of the Middle World.

Koo-goo-goong!

He exited the Middle World along with Yeonwoo using the power of Space. The thirteenth looked satisfied as he saw the two exit the place.

[I know you’re there. Stop watching us in secret. Come out.]

[!]

Unlike when he looked at his son, the thirteenth’s eyes were now cold. 

Then, a familiar face appeared. It was a Zodiac wearing a horse mask. It was Sagittarius.

* * *

Around that time…

“Ha! Are you sure this is fine?”

“Are you really sure this will be ok?”

“I-It will be fine!”

“What are you going to do if it isn’t?”

The Leo Saint, Virgo Saint, Aquarius Saint, Scorpio Saint, Pisces Saint, and the substitute Zodiac Saints were shaking from worry.

The person lying before them was none other than Hugo. It was Hugo’s body, which was summoned early on by slime.

The Zodiac Saints and the Archer disciples made a circle with Hugo at the center. The Zodiac Saints were paying respect to their peers and guarding the body against anything unexpected.

They would do it until Lee Gun returned. However, there was a reason they were shaking from worry.

“Did Lee Gun really send Hugo back to the past without erasing his faith?”

“Yes. I heard it clearly.”

“Damn it! Hugo was already that bad. If his faith gets added to that…!”

“What if the future changes?!”

“Hmmph. If it changes, it changes.”

“!!”

Everyone was surprised by the familiar voice. The one to suddenly show up was none other than Lee Gun.

Then, the eyes of the Zodiac Saints turned round when they saw Yeonwoo’s face for the first time.

“Uh? Who’s this beautiful woman?”

“Ah! Is she the one? Is she your girlfriend?”

Hailey was surprised by Kevin’s words.

At that moment, Yeonwoo checked Hugo’s status. “Gun. You can’t revive a Construct using the method that you used before. The souls of Constructs are under the domain of the gods within the Divine world.”

She seemed to be an expert in this matter since she used to be the god of Life. “He probably got swept up into one of the worlds ruled by the gods of the underworld. According to the rules, you have to go there and receive approval.”

Of course, she immediately realized whom they had to see.

“Since my previous master sent this soul away, he probably sent him to his friend Hades, the master of the Underworld.”

Lee Gun nodded. Making contact with the master of the Underworld wasn’t too hard.

[You’re connected to the “Master of the Underworld.”]

[The request to retrieve the soul of a Construct belonging to the Serpent Bearer Temple has been submitted.]

[The request has been received.]

[A commission will be taken (1 Talent).]

[The soul of Hugo Otis (Construct Name: Pushover) is being called forth.]

Lee Gun activated his skill.

[Come back]

Flash!

The next second, Hugo breathed as if he had been rescued from the waters.

“Kuhk! Cough! Cough!”

Everyone cheered at this sight.

“Dad!!!”

“Hugo!”

“Hugo-nim!!”

The Zodiac Saints and Archer disciples were all happy. The Chun siblings cried as they ran to their father.

“Dad!!”

“Yes. Kuhk. Cough. You guys were safe. I’m glad nothing happened to—”

Boohoo-gahk!!!

“Kuh-huhk!!”

Hugo was suddenly sent flying by Lee Gun’s kick.

This shocked everyone.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing?”

“How could you?”

Instead of answering them, Lee Gun angrily asked, “Who are you?”

“W-What?”

“I said, who are you, asshole?”