Even an S-Rank monster—something even Sung Jinwoo would have to approach cautiously—had been cut down by Scáthach in an instant. Thirty of them, wiped out in the blink of an eye.
By now, how could Sung Jinwoo fail to understand? She hadn't been fighting seriously at all. She'd been playing with him.
"Why were you holding back?" After regaining his composure, he voiced the doubt gnawing at him. "If you'd gotten serious, you could've ended me the same way you killed those monsters—just… solved the problem in one strike. Why didn't you?"
Scáthach shot him an odd look, as though genuinely puzzled by his question.
"Isn't it obvious? You match your strength to your opponent. If the fight ends too quickly, where's the fun in that?"
She reveled in battle—reveling in fighting the strong, in a process where if you didn't kill your enemy, your enemy would kill you. But opponents who could push her to her limits—who could give her a truly satisfying fight—were simply too rare. So she had no choice but to restrain herself.
The woman before him was a battle junkie. Sung Jinwoo understood that clearly from her explanation and the soaring, eager killing intent radiating off her.
"So how strong are you when you really cut loose?"
"Who knows?" Scáthach idly spun her crimson spear, sounding bored. "I've been invincible for too long. Even I don't know how strong I am now… If you want the answer, then climb as high as you can—until you're standing at the same height as me."
"That's… asking a bit much…"
Sung Jinwoo sighed, helplessly. "Whether Future Me can reach your level, I don't know. But I'm about to die, aren't I? By your hand."
"Then just become my disciple, and you won't have to die."
"Why are you so insistent on taking me in?" Sung Jinwoo couldn't make sense of it. "If I don't agree, you'll kill me—who makes an apprenticeship invitation this hardcore?"
Scáthach studied him silently for a long moment, then lifted her gaze and glanced around.
"Do you know what this place is?"
"What, this place? A monster nest?" Sung Jinwoo answered uncertainly, misunderstanding her.
"Bigger than that. This sky, this land, the creatures… this entire world. Do you know what it is?"
"…A Dungeon?"
It was pure habit. Back on Earth, people called whatever lay beyond a Gate a Dungeon or an instance. Most really were underground—caves, tunnels—but there were special environments too: snowfields, sprawling palace complexes.
"'Dungeon'… that's what you call it over there?" The corner of Scáthach's mouth curved slightly. "Better to separate my domain from the rest. This place is different. This is the Land of Shadows—my territory to rule and govern. A kingdom of death that receives all who have died."
"Receives the dead?" Sung Jinwoo caught the key phrase immediately.
Scáthach nodded. "Death is everywhere—including in your world. Every moment, lives end. After death, those souls are guided here, to my Land of Shadows. My duty is to manage and oversee this realm, maintaining the balance between life and death."
As she spoke, Scáthach regarded him with a quiet, meaningful smile. Her crimson eyes, gleaming with an eerie, magical sheen, made Sung Jinwoo feel as if every secret he held was being peeled open.
"Little one… you have a very interesting ability, don't you?"
This was the Land of Shadows—a realm that received and governed the dead. In myths, such a world was often called the underworld, the netherworld, the land of the dead. And she, as its administrator… in Sung Jinwoo's mind, she was something like a king of the underworld.
Now that he understood this much, he didn't need to think hard to know what she meant by "interesting ability."
"…My ability to use Shadow Extraction?"
Once he realized who she really was, a strange guilt rose in him. He couldn't quite bring himself to meet her gaze head-on.
"Even without my explanation, you understand how vile your power is. Necromancers only borrow souls from my domain. But you… you command them completely." Her voice was calm, yet heavy with implication. "Once you turn them into shadow soldiers, their living will and thoughts cease to matter. Your mark is carved into their souls. From then on, they will never betray you—absolute loyalty, forever."
Shock flickered across Sung Jinwoo's eyes. He was the one using that power, yet this was the first time anyone had explained it to him in such detail. When the System had granted him the ability, it had provided only a brief note on how to use it. Everything after that had been self-taught—trial, error, improvisation.
He'd barely met any necromancers. How was he supposed to know any of this?
And Scáthach's words matched reality. Among his subordinates, only Igris followed him from genuine conviction—because Igris had been superior to him, and turning him into a shadow soldier required Igris's consent. The giant bear had been a monster he'd slain in a Dungeon. And Iron—once a hunter himself—had been his enemy, cut down after ambushing Sung Jinwoo; Igris had killed him while protecting his liege.
"Even without me spelling it out, you see it, don't you?" Scáthach continued. "Your actions—and your power—have severely disrupted the balance between life and death. By duty, I must kill you."
"…Then what does that have to do with making me your disciple?"
At that, Scáthach smiled.
"I am the administrator of the Land of Shadows. If you become my disciple, you'll belong to this realm. And if you're one of ours, your future actions can be considered authorized by me. Naturally, that means you'll no longer be breaking the rules."
Sung Jinwoo went blank.
So it could be calculated like that?!
At his expression, Scáthach looked faintly amused. "Look at that ridiculous face. Are you really that surprised? Even if you make it into high office, the monthly pay isn't much. So why does everyone scramble higher? For the privileges. Once you have privileges, money runs toward you. No need to care about a measly salary."
She spoke as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. "As the sole administrator of the Land of Shadows, I naturally possess the greatest privileges. If I say you didn't commit a crime, then you didn't. If anyone objects, that's fine—they just have to defeat me. As long as they beat me, they can say whatever they like."
In a few simple sentences, she exposed her tyranny—and her love of battle.
And the anticipation threaded through her words made it clear: she genuinely hoped someone would defeat her.
Sung Jinwoo felt like he'd finally uncovered the real reason she wanted him as a disciple.
"You just want an opponent you can fight, don't you?"
"I have waited," Scáthach said softly, her scarlet eyes fixed on him, "for someone who could defeat me—kill me—to appear before me. Later, I realized it would never happen. So I decided to raise a warrior strong enough to surpass me instead." She lowered her voice. "Can you understand how that feels?"
No. Not even a little. Isn't being invincible a good thing? What's there to brood about?
That was what Sung Jinwoo thought, but he kept it to himself.
He rubbed his chin, carefully turning it over in his mind. He didn't really have a reason to refuse.
It was just taking a master, not swearing a blood oath. The idea didn't particularly bother him.
What he truly feared was being manipulated—turned into a pawn on someone else's chessboard without even knowing it.
And he liked that Scáthach had laid her motives plainly in the open. He could treat it as a simple transaction: she would spare his life and help him grow stronger; he would satisfy her craving for combat by becoming her sparring partner.
The ones he distrusted were those like the System—giving freely, handing out benefits without explanation. It was when nothing seemed to be asked in return that one had to suspect a hidden, sinister agenda. As the saying went: nothing was truly free; the cost was always hidden somewhere in the shadows.
Yes—though he'd just met her, and though she'd nearly killed him—Scáthach already felt more trustworthy than the System.
After careful consideration, Sung Jinwoo agreed to become Scáthach's disciple.
"Do I need to bring an apprenticeship gift? Like… presents, bowing three times, that sort of—"
"You have the right spirit, little one," Scáthach said, "but we don't bother with empty ceremonies here. If you have time for that, you have time to fight me."
She gave the red spear another casual twirl. There was impatience in her smile, and her fiercely predatory gaze pinned Sung Jinwoo in place, sending a chill down his spine.
"Uh… maybe not right now. I've been gone a while. If I don't go back soon, my family will worry."
"Is that so? Then we'll save it for next time."
As the overwhelming battle intent rolling off Scáthach receded, Sung Jinwoo finally released the breath he'd been holding.
With Scáthach's help, he quickly found the Gate he'd used to enter. The Land of Shadows was far larger than any Dungeon encountered on Earth. If he'd been alone, he would've easily gotten lost—and more importantly, the place was teeming with terrifyingly powerful monsters. Wandering blindly here meant becoming monster fodder.
"Goodbye, little one," Scáthach said with a wave. "Don't keep me waiting too long. I'll prepare the perfect training regimen for you."
Sung Jinwoo bristled immediately. "Stop calling me 'little one.' My name is Sung Jinwoo."
He'd lost track of how many times she'd used that nickname, and every time it made him feel belittled.
"Fine, then—Little Jinwoo."
Seeing the odd expression that flashed across his face, Scáthach smiled as if she'd successfully landed a joke. "Respect is something earned through strength. If you want someone to stop underestimating you, it's simple—defeat them."
"If it's other people, sure. That's easy. But when the opponent is you, that's a whole different story."
After muttering a few more complaints, Sung Jinwoo waved goodbye, turned, and stepped into the Gate.
Just then, a light, playful voice drifted after him.
"Don't even think about running away. If you make me wait too long, I'll step through that Gate myself and find you on the other side."
"…"
Back on Earth, Sung Jinwoo turned to stare at the Purple Gate, picturing Scáthach stepping into his world.
…That would be a catastrophe.
He tried calling the System.
As expected, the System's screen—visible only to him—finally appeared before his eyes.
In the Land of Shadows, no matter how many times he'd called, it had never appeared.
Are you disconnected… or just scared?
From Scáthach, Sung Jinwoo had learned that the strongest being in the Land of Shadows was, without question, his newly accepted master. Everything in that realm had crossed spears with her at some point: monsters who ruled mountains like kings, warriors whose very souls were shaped by battle.
The results spoke for themselves. None had ever satisfied her.
Which meant—if the System truly feared something in the Land of Shadows, then it very likely feared Scáthach herself.
For Sung Jinwoo, that was incredibly good news.
Fear was good. At least it proved the System wasn't all-powerful—wasn't invincible.
When evil spirits could be killed by blades and bullets, when gods had visible health bars, they stopped being untouchable.
Yet he still needed the System for one thing.
He opened the System's item-crafting function, his gaze locking onto a single item displayed on the screen.
[Holy Water of Life]:A mysterious potion that uses powerful magic to cure all diseases. Only by drinking an entire bottle can its full effect be realized.
One day, after surpassing the requirements of his [Daily Quest], he'd received a blueprint. That blueprint had taught him how to craft the [Holy Water of Life].
If it truly could cure all disease… perhaps it could awaken his mother, still lying unconscious in her hospital bed.
Crafting [Holy Water of Life] required three materials.
The first was a World Tree fragment, obtained by killing Vulcan, the Boss of the 50th floor of the Demon Castle.
The second was springwater from Echo Forest, acquired after defeating Metus, the Boss of the 75th floor of the Demon Castle.
Only the final item remained—
Purified blood of the Demon King.
Presumably, that last ingredient awaited him on the 100th floor of the Demon Castle… in the hands of the Final Boss at its summit.
In other words, to save his mother, he had no choice but to conquer the Demon Castle. For that, he still needed the System's power.
"But before I go to the Demon Castle, I have to tell Shishō," he muttered. "If she comes to Earth, it'll be a disaster… And before I face the Final Boss, I need Shishō's training. It'll greatly improve my chances."
With his path ahead now clear, Sung Jinwoo headed home.
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T/N: oughhhh i love her