1 1.
"Kyaa ~ oong oong ~"
"Say Grandma, GRAND-MA~"
"Dear, you know his first words will be Grandpa. After all, our son's first words were Daddy"
"Dear, for the upteenth time, his first words were Mama" Park Kyung-Hye said as she pinched Sung Il-Hwan.
"Owowowowow~ Aigo~ you're right, you're right. My dear wife is always right" Sung Il-Hwan said as not to further annoy his wife.
*Chuckle* Sung Jin-Woo & Cha Hae-In chuckled from beside as they heard the elders doting on their child.
Today the Sung-family was having a dinner at home. They were joined by Jin-Ah & her billionaire husband Yoo Jin-Ho. There was also Go Gun-Hee and Jin-Woo's former schoolmate Woo Jin-Cheol. Il-Hwan's colleagues from the City Fire Department Baek Yoon-Ho & Choi Jong-In, also joined the feast.
"As expected, nothing tastes better than a traditional Korean meal. Jal-Meokkesseubnida" Go Gun-Hee said as he finished the plate clean.
"Huhuhu. Of course, as expected of my wife. Nothing can beat my wife." , Sung Il-Hwan said proudly.
"Yep, even Il-Hwan-ssi loses to sis-in law" Baek Yoon-Ho added the cheeky remark.
"Wha-You!" {Il-Hwan}
"Wow. Even our good-for-nothing Yoon-Ho-ssi can joke sometimes!" , said Choi Jong-In, being the prick he is.
"You little snake!" {Baek Ho}
"Now-now, we don't want our little baby to wake up do we? Shouldn't we eat quietly?" Park Kyung-Hye said menacingly to which all nodded fervently.
All were having a merry time together as they joked & laughed into the night.
'Everything was worth it.' Jin-Woo smiled as he thought about the past and the present situation. He had literally gone through hell to save the planet from monarchs and their armies. Fortunately the war had ended with very little lives lost. If not for Jin-Woo, Earthlings would've been totally wiped out. He looked at his family & friends and saw Cha Hae-In smiling at him while holding their son and he thought, 'Yep. Totally worth it.... but....'
Jin-Woo missed the thrill. He missed the excitement in his life. And he missed his absolutely loyal soldiers. He missed it when he said 'Arise' and his shadow army would wreak havoc across the landscape. When he rode Kaisel and Kaisel would roar & inflict terror on his enemies. He wanted to go off again! He wanted to feel the rush!
Though he used his shadow soldiers from time to time, he rarely ever called out for system. He didn't even check for rewards for daily exercise routine as it had become a norm for him. He didn't need the potions, weapons & equipment for his daily needs, so the system hologram was never summoned.
While in thoughts, he decided to summon the system screen after who knows how many years. The usual hologram appeared. It made him feel nostalgic, but..
[Ding! Killed the Ice Monarch, Hockwan, ...
[Ding! Killed the Iron Body Monarch.....
[Ding! Killed the Monarch of Plagues....
[Ding! Killed the Dragon Emperor, obtained ite...
[Ding! .....
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[Obtained Item Yogumunt's cloak, +50,000 MP.
Obtained Item Antares' Rune-Stone (???).
Obtained Item Antares' Rune Stone (Breath Of Destruction)
Obtained Item Chain-Mail of Monarch of Iron Body (+50,000 HP)...
.
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[Ding! New Title Acquired : {Successor To Monarch Ashborn} Effect :- Able to use 'Shadow Monarch Reinforcement' ; All Stats x10]
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[You've been awarded two item boxes. "Blessed Random Box" received. "Cursed Random Box" received. Do you wish to merge the gift boxes? ]
'Wowowowowow. Really now?! What the Hell is this ? How did I forget this? Were the Monarchs treated as monsters? 'Reinforcement' ? Like the one Thomas Andre had ? & It's those boxes again! No wait...I can merge the boxes? ..... Wouldn't hurt to try'
'Do it.' He said.
[Success! Boxes merged into "Mystic Random Box" Do you wish to open it ?]
'Mystic? Yes...Open'
[Ding! Obtained 'Ring of Dimensional Jump']
'Dimension Jump?'
[The ring allows host to travel random worlds.]
'Randomly?'
[Host will be transported to a completely different dimension, where you need to defeat enemies, monsters, etc.]
'Basically that means I have to abandon my family and world... Is there any way to return home?'
[Host needs to upgrade 'Shadow Exchange' to 'Shadow Bridge' to travel dimensions]
''Hmm.. I assume I gotta level up to achieve the upgrade...but then again..how do I level up?' If I upgrade it to 'Shadow Bridge' can I return to my world..or dimension, is it ?'
[Host is correct. Host can teleport to any place where Host's shadow is planted.]
[Host can level up by defeating their foes.]
'If it works, then there's no need to worry.'
'Hmm...Status'
――――――――――――――――――――――――――
Name : Sung Jin-Woo
Level : 200
Job : Shadow Monarch
Titles : Successor to Monarch Ashborn +3
HP : 250,000 (200,000+50,000)
{Iron Body Monarch's Chain-Mail Equipped}
MP : 350,000 (300,000+50,000)
{Monarch Yogumunt's Cloak Equipped}
Fatigue : 0
Strength : 1000
Vitality : 1000
Agility : 1000
Intelligence : 800
Sense : 1000
Physical Damage Reduction : 46%
Remaining Points : 90
Passive Skills : Perseverance, Will to Rehabilitate, Longevity, Master of Shortsword.
Active Skills : Quicksilver, Bloodlust, Stealth, Violent Slash, Dagger Rush, Ruler's Authority.
XP : 0/2,000,000
――――――――――――――――――――――――――
'XP bar ? Maybe it shows how close I am to Level Up. But still, 2 million XP to Level Up is too much I think !
Also I assume I need to reach LVL 201 to obtain >Shadow Bridge<'
"Hey Oppa, why are being so quiet?" Jin-Ah asked her brother.
Jin-Woo : "I plan to retire from Police Department & start my own business"
'Like that I can leave for extended time', he thought.
"Ah! That was random Oppa!"
"Whatever you do Hyung-Nim, I'll always assist you whenever you need!" Jin-Ah & Jin-Ho said.
"Whatever you do, we'll always support you son." Park Kyung-Hye told Jin-Woo.
Everyone present welcomed his decision, except Woo Jin-Cheol of course.
Woo Jin-Cheol : "Senior, please reconsider!"
'Damn, he's become just like Beru', Jin-Woo thought.
Jin-Woo : "I've considered it plenty. All I wish for is you guys' support"
Everyone : "Of Course" (though Woo Jin-Cheol said it reluctantly)
Cha Hae-In : "I will do everything possible to help you out, dear"
"Oong, oong kwak~"
"Oh the little troublemaker is awake! Come to your Aunt"
"Jin-Ah, if you want a child you can have your own. Little Su-Ho is his grandma's"
The mother-daughter duo continued bickering while everyone else had a laugh at now beet-red angry Jin-Ah.
~
Next Morning.
Jin-Woo was wearing his trademark black tracksuit with black trainers. He had just completed his usual training & was sitting on a bench. He decided to open his inventory after this many years to check whether it had something useful. He pressed the holographic button and a huge inventory popped up. This was a disadvantage of having an infinite inventory, he thought. There were knives, daggers, swords, clothing, etc. that he came across while hunting. His gaze went up to a certain row of items. It was labeled as 'Junk'.
When he opened the tab, he saw various types of apparel. Coats, necklaces, footwear etc. with buff effects. Before the encounter with former-monarch Ashborn, apparel could be worn by normal people but they wouldn't receive the buff effects due to p̶l̶o̶t̶ 'System's Limitations'. Now when the limitations were removed, the buffs were applied to normal people as well. Jin-Woo decided to take advantage of this development & earn some cash from it. Now that his business idea was decided, it was time to hire people to run his business.
~
After reaching home, Jin-Woo decided to ask his wife, mum and sister about it.
Cha Hae-In : "How about a female exclusive apparel store ?"
Jin-Ah : "That's right Oppa! I got friends who have previously worked at a clothing store!"
Cha-Hae In : "I too have some contacts that would help."
Park Kyung-Hye : "Hmm, a female apparel store isn't a bad idea. Do what you feel right son."
Jin-Woo : "I'll rely on you then. We'll meet with your friends this weekend."
~
Sunday Morning.
"Hello, I'm Han Song-I, Jin-Ah's ex-classmate. I have previously worked at a clothing store."
"Yep,yep. She's my best buddy!" Jin-Ah was happy to meet her former classmate & was clinging onto her.
Hae-In : "These are my friends, Lee Ju-Hee & Park He-Jin. They are experienced tailors. They also have very good connections in clothing industry."
"Excuse Me, but have we met before. You look very familiar." Lee Ju-He asked Jin-Woo.
Jin-Woo was taken aback by the question as scenes from the apparent 'B Rank Healer' healing him surfaced in his mind. Countless times she had helped him without any complaints & expectations. 'This time let me help you', Jin-Woo thought.
He smiled and said, "Nope. We've met for first time"
"Hmm...now that you say it, your hubby does look familiar." Park He-Jin said.
Cha Hae-In : "Enough idle-talk. Let's hear your plan again."
Jin-Woo relieved by his wife rescuing him said,
"I plan to open a female exclusive apparel store, I would like to hear your plans & recomme....
The talk went on and Song-I, He-Jin & Ju-Hee agreed to run the store if everything went well.
~
A Few Days Later.
In one of the lavish buildings belonging to Yoojin Construction, Jin-Woo was cutting a ribbon, announcing the opening of 'Ah-Jin Apparel'. Apparently, Jin-Ah & their Mother came up with this name after Jin-Woo had planned to name it 'Solo Play Apparel'.
Inside the store were faux Fur Coats, stylish footwear, necklaces, earrings etc. Needless to say, all of these were monster items with effects ranging from 'increases agility' to 'minor HP increase'.
Jin-Woo personally chose the items so as to not create any public uproar. He also gave raw materials to Ju-Hee & He-Jin to tailor clothes. Song-I was made the manager of the store.
~
A Few Days Later.
"I need to travel to Japan to meet a customer. I'll stay a few months. I'll be leaving tomorrow."
Jin-Woo said to his parents & wife.
Il-Hwan : "You do what you need son. Me & your mother wish you all luck."
Cha Hae-In : "Do keep in contact, okay?"
Kyung-Hye : "I'll get things ready for you"
Hae-In : "I'll help"
~
Airport.
'This is the first time I travel to Japan in this timeline. I've planted a few Ant shadows all over the city. A few around my & Jin-Ah's house and at the store. That would do it.' Jin-Woo thought.
"Take care son, eat well okay?" Kyung-Hye said being emotional.
Cha Hae-In also said her goodbyes while holding Su-Ho in her arms.
Jin-Woo waved his hand to his family as he left them outside.
~
After arriving in Japan, he switched his phone off and took a taxi to the most rural locality, and there, he rented a guest house for a month.
'Now's the time. The only thing I must focus on right now is to Level Up & get >Shadow Bridge< to return home. Everything depends on how the system helps me.'
[Host can always depend on me.]
'....'
Jin-Woo had noticed that system had developed it's own conscience somehow & hoped that it wasn't the Architect of the system. (A/N : It isn't the Architect, instead it's another jolly guy....HurHurHur😁)
Without any further delay, Sung Jin-Woo checked his inventory once more. Food, weapons & equipment, and equipped his 'Ring of Dimensional Jump'.
'Okay now what?'
[Host needs to kiss the ring and say 'Jump' to activate the teleportation.]
'....'
Does the system keep doing this intentionally? Hateful!
It was time. Jin-Woo closed his eyes, kissed the ring and said, "JUMP"
*fwoop*
Jin-Woo opened his eyes and felt that the landscape was familiar. He was on the terrace of a building with a Japanese anime advert board over it.
"System, are you sure I didn't need a taxi to get here?"
[Host has been teleported to another dimension. It's called the Draconic Deus (DxD) Realm. The current location is Kuoh Town, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan]
[Host will automatically learn all languages in this dimension.]
[Beings from legends & myths inhibit this Universe. There are also certain individuals with magical capabilities. Magical equipment called 'Sacred Gear' exists here which could enhance the user's strength. Some beings are stronger than the Host. Host is advised to be careful.]
This revelation shocked Jin-Woo. Granted he was not a God himself but he killed the Damn Monarchs... by himself...in a different dimension at that!
'Anyways, getting knowledge about languages will sure help.'
"System, tell me my quest & the ways to Level Up. Pronto"
[Ding! Quest Received! Kill Kokabiel, the fallen angel, and his followers. Rewards : 10,000 XP.]
[Host can level up by killing enemies. Stronger the opponent, greater the rewards.]
Jin-Woo understood the implications and derived that Kokabiel must be a small fry.
'Shadows, Arise. Move out and report a being referred to as a fallen angel.'
Immediately, Infantry shadows and Ant shadows scattered around the town.
[Ding! Final Quest Received! Kill or Seal Trihexa away! Rewards : 1,000,000 XP]
'This is it. This maybe my return ticket to home. Literally...but... who's this Trihexa guy. Must be a big honcho!' Jin-Woo mumbled totally oblivious to what kind of existence Trihexa was.
He didn't care about staying at an inn since he had survived harsh conditions inside various types of dungeons and he had huge amounts of food in his inventory.
He took an Ice-Bear fur coat, wrapped it around him and went to sleep on the terrace as it was already evening.
Around midnight, one of his shadows alerted him about the beings called 'fallen angels'.
'Shadow Exchange'
When Jin-Woo arrived at the location, he saw a priest torturing a nun in a church. This made Jin-Woo unconsciously release bloodlust towards the priest. The priest felt a shiver down his spine and when he tried to turn around, all he could see was his headless body a few meters away.
[Ding! Emergency Quest! Killing Intent detected! Kill Freed & His Church Loonies. Reward : Fused Excalibur]
Jin-Woo was equipped with his 'Rasaka Fang' dagger so as to inflict maximum damage to the enemies while poisoning them and rendering them immobile.
He started the massacre and all 6 priests fell. He then advanced his attack on one he believed was 'Freed'. But as Jin-Woo approached to stab him, he could sense something wrong with the setting. He sensed danger from the weapon the guy was holding.
'Tch. Small fry. Always acting cocky', Jin-Woo thought.
Freed assuming that his enemy was scared started laughing and talking smack....until he found a hand tearing out of his chest. His eyes were filled with shear terror when he heard a loud screech behind him. He tried to look upward, but before he could...
'Crack'
His head was swallowed whole and teared off of his body by Beru.
'Arise'
Jin-Woo didn't want crap soldiers in his summons. And from Freed's performance right now, one could say he was plenty crap. Jin-Woo wanted information on this world and this Trihexa person. 'Surprise me!' He said while interrogating Freed's shadow. And boy surprised he was.
He learnt that there are beings on par with his powers named Ophis, Red Dragon, Trihexa, Gaia, etc.
There were also some angels & demons who were as strong his strongest summons. There existed equipment called 'Sacred Gear' which boosted the power of an individual to rival Gods!
But what gobsmacked him was the Trihexa being. An individual to which even Gods shuddered to. It was the being Jin-Woo had to Kill or Seal. From the limited info that he juiced out, he could deduce that Trihexa was a bad news to the whole damn universe!
'Cancel Summon' The summon vanished into darkness.
Now, the sword.
――――――――――――――――――――――――――
Item : Fused Excalibur
Item Class : B
Type : Sword
Attack : +100
Sword brimming with Holy Energy. Can transform into any shape. Can enhance speed of the wielder....
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'Though it's an excellent sword, I'd rather wield my S-Rank equipment. I'll save this for later.'
The 'fallen angel' Kokabiel's whereabouts were still unknown. Though Jin-Woo had confidence that even his weakest summons can gang up & thrash Kokabiel, he didn't underestimate any enemy due to things like 'Sacred Gears'. These equipment could literally turn the tide of a battle. Heck, it could even win wars. Another thing he was wary about was the group who referred themselves as 'Chaos Brigade'. It was said to be headed by a being on par with Jin-Woo's powers, Ophis - The Infinity Dragon. He decided to worry about it later as he moved forward to complete his Quest.
~
***********************************************
Side Story ~
Jin-Woo used the Cup of reincarnation to return to the past & defeat the monarchs.
After his victory, he hears the systems usual chirp.
[Host has cleared the Final quests.]
[Would Host like to delete the 'Player' Nurturing system?]
"No." {A/N : He said 'Yes' here in Original Story (LN: Chapter 221), so here we go.}
[Would you like to retain System and all System-related functions?]
"Yes"
[Ding! Updating System]
[Ding! Shop is Online]
[Ding! Inventory is Online]
[Ding! Limitations are removed, every Shadow Soldier of 'Marshal' grade will regain all of their original powers . ]
[Marshal grade soldier Igris' powers have been restored in full . ]
[Marshal grade soldier Beru's Stats have been enhanced greatly . ]
[All items, except consumables, are usable by other individuals by themselves.] {A/N : Jin-Woo would still need to help folks consume consumables like in the OG story.}
[Shadows of Demonic Beings can be extracted.]
~
Then he returns to earth as a 12 year old himself. {A/N : Like in Light Novel} He lives with his family thereafter & all these years, never once had he summoned the system. {A/N : As stated later in OG story, Jin-Woo gains the ability to technically shapeshift.}
Jin-Woo's father Il-Hwan continued to work as a firefighter, while Baek Yoon-Ho and Choi Jong-In worked as his colleagues.
Jin-Woo maintained a close relation with Go Gun-Hee, who sometime later returned to Japan to restart his small business.
Jin-Woo was best buddies with Woo Jin-Cheol & Yuu Jin-Ho in school days as their senior. Woo Jin-Cheol joined Jin-Woo to work in Police Department. Jin-Ho took over his father's business & some years later, married Jin-Woo's sister, Jin-Ah.
Jin-Woo got close to Cha Hae-In in college days, & few years later, both married. They have a son together, Sung Su-Ho, who's a carbon copy of Jin-Woo but has blonde hair, like his mum.
Chapter End~
[Unlike Canon, Su-Ho won't inherit Jin-Woo's abilities until a few years.
Like in Canon, only Cha Hae-In has knowledge that Jin-Woo can fly.
Since Jin-Woo beat the monarchs & retained the system, he will continue to receive rewards & quests in another worlds.
With system's limitations removed, shadows of 'Demonic Beings' can also be extracted.]
{A/N : So basically Jin-Woo doesn't get the 'Delete System?' notification after meeting Monarch Ashborn. He gets that notification after the battle in another dimension & decides to retain his 'System'. That's the whole setting of this fanfic. There will be a side-story of the conversation between Ashborn & Jin-Woo in the future.}
