Chapter 307

The Status Window Snake typically appeared as nothing more than an ordinary bracelet. Essential for survival in the Core, this bracelet could transform into a baby snake whenever its user wished. Its color varied by grade, serving as a visual indicator of its strength. The Status Window Snake could also enhance its abilities by consuming mastery stones, refusing to ingest anything else for the most part.

Do-Jun was reading the newspaper. He glanced down when he noticed the bracelet on his wrist slowly begin to transform into a pure white baby snake. With its round, adorable eyes, the little snake blinked curiously at Do-Jun before letting out a soft

Kyuu!

Placing the baby snake in his palm, Do-Jun picked up an almond from the plate on the table and gently placed it in the snake’s mouth. It happily chewed the almond, its tiny jaws working diligently. Watching the scene, Yoon-Hee smiled, finding it quite adorable. After munching on a couple more almonds, the little snake let out a small burp, and Do-Jun chuckled as he took a sip of his beer.

Kyuu!

The baby snake tilted its head, watching intently as Do-Jun drank. Its gaze seemed to say it wanted to try the beer, too. Noticing its intention, Do-Jun shook his head firmly. The snake’s head drooped in disappointment.

Seeing this, Yoon-Hee opened the fridge, poured some milk into a small dish, and set it down.

“Here, Kyu-Kyu. You can have milk instead of beer, okay?” she said.

At home, the baby snake was affectionately called Kyu-Kyu—a name Yoon-Hee had given it because of the soft

kyuu

sounds it made.

Kyu-Kyu eagerly drank the milk. It probably liked the taste because it kept drinking without pause until the dish was completely empty. With a satisfied sigh, the baby snake returned to its spot.

Kyuu!

Settling back onto Do-Jun’s wrist, Kyu-Kyu let out a contented hiss. Smiling, Do-Jun gently stroked its head with his index finger, and the little snake cooed softly before morphing back into its bracelet form.

Still watching, Yoon-Hee chuckled. “So cute. Its real name is Ouroboros, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

She recalled the other S-rank Hunters who had completed the Core’s tutorial long ago. They also had snakes similar to Do-Jun’s. As she rinsed the empty dish in the sink, she wondered how many different types of Status Window Snakes there were.

***

Beneath Solomon’s Altar, located in the Deep Realm, Demon King Baal writhed in agony, as though his very soul was being wrung dry.

The voice was coming.

The intervals between each occurrence, which used to be a few centuries, had grown shorter in recent times. Gritting his teeth, Baal bit down hard enough to draw black blood from his lips, which dripped to the floor as he collapsed to his knees.

—Baal, my creation.

It was Solomon—the lord of all demons, the origin of all demonic power. To Baal, he was like a god. As the voice echoed in his mind, Baal struggled to stay conscious. Gathering what little strength he had, he adjusted his posture and knelt. Solomon’s presence was invisible, but having descended into his very soul, he demanded reverence.

“This lowly being... humbly greets... Lord Solomon...”

Black blood dripped from Baal’s eyes as his consciousness flickered, almost on the verge of shattering. Desperately clinging to the last bits of his mind, he forced himself to stay focused.

—I would like to know why... why there has been no progress on the matter I instructed you to resolve.

The matter Solomon was referring to was the discovery of the “keys.”

To find the keys, Baal had imprisoned the Keyholder, Cecilia, inside his own body. Yet even Cecilia claimed ignorance of the keys’ whereabouts, insisting instead that Solomon himself had taken them. The situation was driving him crazy.

The two keys—Cosmos and Origin—had vanished without a trace after the Great War. While the keys lacked any inherent power, they were essential for ascending to the throne of the King of the Dimensions.

Following Solomon’s command, Baal had scoured every corner of the Deep Realm for the keys. Having exhausted all known areas, he recently started exploring the uncharted territories.

“Please, Lord Solomon... just a little more time...”

Baal knew that the moment he found the keys, Solomon would take over his body. Yet, despite knowing this, he had no choice but to obey. At the end of the day, he was merely one of the seventy-two demons created by Solomon, a subject before his creator.

Though officially ranked as one of the two most powerful beings in the Deep Realm alongside Imfelheim, Baal knew that that was only a superficial ranking. The true rulers of the Deep Realm were the Overlord and Solomon.

The inhabitants of the Deep Realm only recognized the Overlord’s dominance because Solomon remained hidden while the Overlord made his presence known.

—Baal, I believe I have given you ample time. And yet, you have failed to deliver results. How very... disappointing.

“I will... find them. I give you my word.” That was all Baal could say.

Admitting failure would be tantamount to begging for death. No matter what, he couldn’t afford to fail. He clung to the last threads of his consciousness.

—Very well. I will grant you a little more time. But you must find the keys... and offer them to me.

There was a condition one had to meet to claim the throne of the King of the Dimensions, and the keys were essential just to reach that condition.

Baal bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as a name surfaced in his mind—the name of the living legend sleeping within the Tutorial Zone.

—So that I may earn the recognition of Ouroboros.

Solomon had once ventured into the Tutorial Zone to challenge the mythical creature, Ouroboros. But the creature was immortal, simply unkillable. No matter how many times Solomon struck it down, Ouroboros would rise again. The prolonged battle had left Solomon grievously wounded, forcing him to abandon his physical body.

Only one method of conquest existed: negotiation. With the two keys, Cosmos and Origin, one could strike a deal with Ouroboros. In return, Ouroboros would open the path to becoming the King of the Dimensions.

Solomon had discovered this truth only after the Great War. But by then, he had already lost, and Ouroboros had emerged victorious.

“I will ensure that you are acknowledged by Ouroboros, Lord Solomon. I will find the keys... no matter what it takes...”

Yet, Baal did not know what the keys looked like. Even Cecilia, the Keyholder, had no idea. That was the most maddening part. Still, he dared not say he couldn’t do it.

Solomon’s voice reverberated through his mind.

—If the Overlord finds the keys first....

Baal coughed violently, black blood splattering onto the floor as his vision blurred. Sickening demonic energy tore through his body like molten iron, inflicting agony beyond anything he had ever known.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

—I need not spell out what would happen.

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, the pain stopped. His body trembled from the aftershocks, muscles twitching uncontrollably.

Slowly, Baal nodded.

***

The conclusion of dinner signaled the assembly of the snack squad.

Having cleaned his empty dog bowl, Yong-Yong placed it in the sink and rushed to the drawer. He took out his wallet and proudly hung it around his neck. Inside the wallet was over 4,000 won, an amount that made him feel like a bourgeois.

“Byeol, let’s go to the store!” he called out.

Byeol had already finished her meal and was ready to leave. She nodded eagerly. Today, however, they had a special guest coming along—the baby snake that wriggled adorably atop Byeol’s tiny palm.

***

“What do you wanna eat?” Byeol asked the snake.

She held up various snacks one by one, and the snake’s sparkling eyes scanned the selection. The store owner, Kim Ok-Soon, barely batted an eye anymore. Of course, she was startled at first, but she had gotten used to all sorts of unusual sights now.

Kyuu!

With a tiny leap, the baby snake hopped off Byeol’s palm and started tapping a few snacks with its tail: some hard candy, a chocolate bar with almonds, and finally, a rice cracker.

Watching from the side, Yong-Yong commented, “You’re a guy with a plan, huh?”

Kyuu!

No one could understand what it meant, but Byeol, acting as an interpreter, chimed in, “He said he was alweady thinking of these when we came here.”

Satisfied with the accurate translation, the baby snake wiggled back onto Byeol’s palm, rubbing against her hand affectionately.

Gathering the chosen snacks in her arms, Byeol placed them on the counter. Naturally, she didn’t forget to add her own treats, a Choco Pie and gummy worms.

“Gwemma, just these, pwease.”

Kim Ok-Soon quickly calculated the cost. She always made sure it stayed within the children’s pocket money limit. The total should have been over 8,000 won, but she generously reduced it to around 6,000, using whatever excuse came to mind, whether it was a sale or a “buy one, get one free” deal.

Even if it meant operating at a loss, she couldn’t resist indulging the children. Luckily, the villa residents, aware of her kindness, made a point of purchasing their daily necessities from her store, so she never actually went out of business.

“Thank you, gwemma!” Byeol chirped happily.

“Come again soon, dears.”

“Yes, Grandma!” Yong-Yong replied.

***

“Wow, you brought back so much,” said Yoon-Hee, who was washing dishes next to Karsiel.

With chocolate crumbs smeared around her mouth, Byeol nodded with a hearty “Mhm!” as she looked around, searching for her dad. Peeking into the bedroom, she found it empty.

Just then, the bathroom door swung open with a puff of steam as Do-Jun stepped out. Wearing shorts and a plain white T-shirt, he moved to the vanity, squeezed some lotion onto his hands, and rubbed it evenly across his face. Not that his skin needed it, since he always kept flawless skin.

“Daddy, wook at all this! We bought a wot,” Byeol said happily.

“Did you remember to thank Grandma?”

“Yeah!”

Do-Jun gently patted Byeol’s head, then grabbed a can of beer from the fridge and settled onto the sofa. Turning on the TV, he switched to the evening news, which started at 8 PM. Although he occasionally watched reality shows, the news was his usual choice nine times out of ten.

The sound of the beer can opening echoed as he took a sip.

From the kitchen, Yoon-Hee called out, “Father, would you like some snacks with that?”

“No, I’m good.”

At that moment, the baby snake, watching him intently, suddenly slithered into the black plastic bag filled with snacks. Moments later, it emerged with a chocolate bar clenched in its mouth, dragging it across the floor before dropping it onto the coffee table.

Kyuu! Kyuuuu!

Hearing the snake’s cries, Byeol approached and translated, “He says you should have it as a snack, Daddy.”

Kyuu!

“There are almonds inside the chocwate.”

It seemed Ouroboros remembered seeing Do-Jun snacking on almonds with his beer earlier that day. Unable to hold back a smile, Do-Jun took a bite of the chocolate bar. Four large almonds crunched between his teeth.

Satisfied, Ouroboros happily began nibbling on its own treats.