Chapter Text
It had been going well.
Suspiciously well.
Two years after the final battle, and the only nuisance Cale Henituse had been dealing with were a few foolish hunters who mistook “former war hero” for “easy target.” Honestly, it had almost been delightful.
Almost.
“Rubbish.”
Cale clicked his tongue as he lay sprawled across the couch in his room at Super Rock Villa, one arm thrown lazily over his eyes. If that damned God of Death had been standing in front of him right now, Cale would have dragged him by the collar to his hyungs and personally supervised his beating-with slippers first, broom second.
Yes. In that order.
He sighed deeply.
Around him, warmth.
Raon was curled near his side, tiny back rising and falling with soft breaths. Hong had claimed the rug, tail flicking even in sleep, while On had quietly taken the armchair, as if standing guard even in her dreams.
It had been peaceful.
Finally.
But of course-
Worlds and gods did not believe in peace.
They believed in “Oh? You survived that? Wonderful. Here, have another catastrophe.”
Cale groaned.
The divine item branded by that accursed deity began to burn faintly against his skin, a subtle but unmistakable heat. His eye twitched.
“I knew it,” he muttered flatly.
‘Hehehe,’ Cheapskate’s ancient voice echoed in his mind, laughing shamelessly. ‘I told you. Gods are cheap. Especially that one.’
‘Silence,’ Super Rock rumbled sternly. ‘Do not encourage the flame.’
The faint flicker of the Fire of Destruction sputtered indignantly.
Cale slowly pushed himself upright, brushing a hand through his messy red hair. His reflection in the mirror stared back at him-handsome, pale, and already tired of a problem that had not even fully arrived yet.
Should he break it?
Smash the divine item before it finished activating?
Tempting.
Very tempting.
Unfortunately-
The most mana-sensitive being in the room twitched.
The mighty Raon Mir.
His eyes snapped open.
It was the speed of someone who had sensed danger.
Or perhaps-
The scent of adventure.
The small black dragon wiggled upright, rubbing his chubby cheeks with both paws before shaking himself dramatically. His blue eyes sparkled far too brightly for Cale’s liking.
“Human!”
One word.
One disaster.
Cale slowly turned his head. “…What.”
Raon hovered into the air, tail swishing eagerly. “I felt it! Something exciting is happening! Is it an enemy? A dungeon? Another world? Are we destroying something?”
Hong’s eyes cracked open instantly at the word destroying.
On simply opened hers quietly, already assessing.
Cale stared at the ceiling.
Why.
Why did this child react to incoming divine interference the way other children reacted to candy?
“It’s nothing,” Cale said in his usual lazy tone. “Go back to sleep.”
Raon narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Human. You are lying.”
“I am not.”
“You brushed your hair.”
At the words, Cale looks at his daughter in betrayal was grinning ear to ear, enjoying.
“…What?”
“You only brush your hair when something annoying is happening.”
Hong snickered.
On nodded once. “That is accurate.”
Cale felt a vein throb at his temple.
This was a betrayal.
He looked at Raon’s sparkling eyes-bright, powerful, expectant.
The divine item burned hotter.
Cheapskate wheezed with laughter.
Super Rock sighed like a disappointed elder.
Cale exhaled slowly.
“…It seems,” he said dryly, “that the cheap god has sent us another work.”
Raon gasped dramatically. “Another world?!”
“Yes. A troublesome one.”
Raon’s grin widened to an almost terrifying degree. “Then we will destroy it!”
Cale looked at him for a long moment.
“…I was planning to nap.”
“But Human,” Raon declared proudly, puffing out his chest, “you always say we should properly deal with annoying things so they do not multiply!”
Hong leapt to his feet. “If it’s trouble, we bite it!”
On stretched gracefully. “We should at least gather information first.”
Cale pressed a hand to his face.
This.
This was exactly how it always started.
He only wanted a slacker life.
A simple life.
Drinking tea. Sleeping late. Watching his children argue over snacks.
Instead-
The divine item flared brightly.
A faint ripple of mana distorted the air in the room.
Raon’s eyes shone like stars.
“Human,” he said excitedly, floating closer. “It feels exciting, human, if that god tried something shady we'll smack him!.”
Cale’s expression went utterly blank.
Of course they would.
He looked at his reflection again. The red-haired man staring back seemed resigned, annoyed, and faintly murderous toward a certain deity.
“…Fine,” Cale muttered.
Raon perked up instantly. “Fine what?”
Cale gave a thin, dangerous smile.
“If that god wants to throw a full toss,” he said lazily, eyes turning sharp, “then I suppose we’ll just hit it back harder.”
Raon beamed.
Hong grinned fiercely.
On’s lips curved slightly.
Cheapskate laughed in anticipation.
Super Rock remained steady.
Cale Henituse sighed.
There went his break.
Cale raised a brow.
The mirror before him shimmered like disturbed water, its surface glowing faintly as words flowed across it in elegant, moving script.
[Hello. I have heard that you offer help-if rewarded greatly. I can offer valuable gems and tons of gold. Please, save my world.]
“…Hm.”
Not bad.
Cale leaned back slightly, red hair falling over his forehead as he studied the message with lazy interest.
Across the room, Raon floated mid-air, speaking excitedly into a communication device. On the other side of the call was none other than Eruhaben.
“Yes, Goldie! I felt strange mana! It is suspicious! The human is pretending it is nothing, but it is clearly something!”
Cale ignored him.
The mirror flickered again.
[My world is both modern and magical. There are human superheroes, gods, and advanced science. It is currently threatened by a villain who wishes to court Death.]
Cale stilled.
Court Death?
A laugh nearly escaped him.
Ah.
Would it be that Death?
His mind drifted unwillingly toward the irritating figure of the God of Death.
If it was that one-
Cale’s lips twitched dangerously.
He suppressed the laugh.
‘No,’ he thought calmly. ‘Different world. Different Death. Probably.’
The mirror continued.
[He believes that killing people and conquering planets will bring him closer to Death. I only wish to prevent unnecessary loss of life.]
Cale hummed quietly.
Unnecessary deaths.
That phrase was annoyingly effective.
Hong had stopped fidgeting and was now staring at the mirror with sharp eyes. On’s tail swayed slowly, thoughtful.
Raon abruptly ended his call.
“Human!” he declared, spinning dramatically in the air. “Goldie says if it is interdimensional mana, then it is either troublesome or very troublesome!”
“Helpful,” Cale replied flatly.
He turned back to the mirror and spoke lazily, as if discussing tea prices.
“What’s the limit?”
The surface glowed brighter.
[You may bring five individuals in total.]
Cale frowned slightly.
Five.
That was… low.
But better than two.
He had suffered through worse restrictions.
Raon floated closer immediately. “Human, are we going?”
Cale ignored him, watching as more words formed.
[The villain possesses immense physical strength, advanced alien technology, and commands armies. He seeks powerful stones that control aspects of existence—space, time, reality, power, mind, and soul.]
Cale’s eyes sharpened.
Stones that control existence?
He disliked that already.
“Human,” Raon whispered dramatically, eyes sparkling, “that sounds very strong.”
“Yes,” Cale replied calmly. “It does.”
Hong tilted his head. “Are we beating him?”
On glanced at Cale. “The one who courts Death by slaughtering innocents… is foolish.”
Cale’s gaze grew distant.
Court Death by killing people.
How absurd.
If the Death in that world resembled even a fragment of the one he knew-
That god would likely be irritated, not impressed.
And if the villain was doing this for affection?
Pathetic.
Cale leaned forward slightly, resting his chin against his hand.
“Describe him.”
The mirror complied.
[A Titan from a distant world. Obsessed with balance. Believes eliminating half of all life will bring salvation. His name is Thanos.]
Raon gasped. “Half?! That is stupid! Why not eliminate the stupid person himself instead?!”
Cale almost smiled.
A Titan seeking balance through genocide.
How very grand.
How very delusional.
‘Half of all life,’ Cale mused inwardly. ‘And he believes Death would admire that?’
He truly wanted to laugh.
Because if there was one thing Cale knew-
Death did not need flattery.
Death certainly did not need overachieving fools trying to impress it.
Cheapskate snickered in his mind. ‘Should we rob their treasury too while we’re there?’
Super Rock remained steady. ‘If innocent lives are at stake, we move.’
Cale exhaled slowly.
Five people.
Raon was obvious.
On and Hong would never stay behind.
That left one more.
He glanced at Raon. “Call Eruhaben-nim again.”
Raon’s eyes lit up. “Are we going?!”
Cale stood, adjusting his sleeves with composed elegance.
“If this Titan wants to court Death,” he said mildly, a dangerous glint settling into his reddish-brown eyes, “then perhaps we should introduce him to reality first.”
Hong grinned.
On’s gaze sharpened.
Raon clenched his tiny fists. “Yes! We will protect the world! I am great and mighty!”
Cale looked back at the glowing mirror.
“Payment,” he added calmly. “Half in advance.”
The mirror paused.
Then-
[…Agreed.]
Cale smiled faintly.
Modern world. Superheroes. Gods. Science.
And a lovesick genocidal Titan named Thanos.
What a troublesome full toss.
“…Fine,” Cale muttered.
He had wanted a peaceful slacker life.
Instead-
He would be visiting a universe that played with space and time like toys.
How annoying.
How very, very annoying.
And yet-
His eyes gleamed with quiet confidence.
If that Titan believed himself inevitable-
He had clearly never met Cale Henituse
Only seconds passed before golden light split the air.
Mana folded neatly inward, elegant and precise, and the ancient dragon of the West stepped into the room as though he had merely taken a stroll through a doorway.
The children brightened instantly.
The ancient dragon did not.
Eruhaben’s golden eyes swept across the room-first the glowing mirror, then the restless mana, and finally the red-haired human standing at the center of it all.
His unlucky child.
Cale met his gaze without flinching.
He had not yet spoken when Raon shot forward like an arrow.
“Goldie! Another adventure!!”
The young dragon’s eyes sparkled with such unrestrained delight that Eruhaben’s lips thinned slightly.
Hong nodded enthusiastically. “And we’re going to smack anyone who gets near Cale-nya!”
Cale raised a brow slowly.
He did not recall verbally agreeing to take the children.
On, perceptive as ever, observed his expression and let out a soft, feline snicker-as though lightly slapping his face with reality.
As if they would ever remain behind.
Eruhaben exhaled, long and exasperated. “Slow down, children.”
He gently patted Raon’s head and lightly brushed Hong and On between the ears. His touch was warm, steady-an ancient being humoring hatchlings before a storm.
Then his gaze returned to Cale.
“So,” Eruhaben drawled, voice smooth but edged with irritation, “what mess have you entangled yourself in this time, unlucky child?”
Cale brushed a hand through his hair, unbothered by the accusation.
“Another world that needs help,” he replied simply, raising a brow.
Eruhaben scoffed.
“I was asking for something I did not already know.”
Ah.
He was not in the mood for Cale’s evasiveness today.
Cale merely shrugged and rose to his feet. Hong and On leapt smoothly into his arms without hesitation, as though they had rehearsed it. Raon floated beside his shoulder, tail swaying.
“Well,” Cale began lazily, “it’s different from ours. Highly advanced. They rely heavily on science. Humans dominate it. But there are also gods… and something similar to magic. It’s structured differently. Mana isn’t as openly integrated into daily life.”
He spoke vaguely.
Deliberately vaguely.
Explaining “superheroes” to a being who predates civilizations sounded exhausting.
Cale specialized in conserving energy.
Eruhaben’s golden eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
“A world dependent on humans…” he murmured. “Then mana is likely scarce or concealed.”
Cale nodded once.
Of course the ancient dragon would connect the dots.
Eruhaben studied him carefully.
The set of his shoulders. The calm in his gaze.
Cale had already decided.
The dragon sighed inwardly.
‘This child.’
He complains, he curses fate, he speaks of slacker lives-
Yet when lives are threatened, he moves without hesitation.
How troublesome.
“So,” Eruhaben asked, folding his arms, “who are you taking? And what is the limit?”
There was faint curiosity beneath his tone. Cale’s selections were always… interesting.
Raon immediately flew directly in front of Cale’s face.
“Us!!”
Hong nodded firmly, tapping Cale’s chest. “Yes, nya!”
Cale sighed quietly.
He was faintly grateful that On was not pushing the matter.
Or so he thought.
“Well,” Cale began evenly, “I was considering Choi Han and-”
He stopped.
Raon stilled mid-air.
Eruhaben’s expression sharpened instantly.
Hong blinked. “Who else, nya?”
Then he noticed the shift in the air.
On’s ears flattened slightly. She scanned the room. There was nothing visible-
Yet her instincts prickled violently.
Something was wrong.
“Eruhaben-nim,” Cale said quietly, eyes narrowing as he met the dragon’s gaze.
The golden dragon’s hand lifted instinctively, threads of golden mana weaving between his fingers like luminous silk.
“It is a god,” Eruhaben stated, voice dropping into cold venom.
Raon’s eyes widened.
“Something is wrapping around time!” he snapped. “It’s twisting—
-no, it’s layering over it!”
His time attribute reacted violently, senses flaring.
This was not ordinary interference.
This was intrusion.
Cale’s jaw tightened.
No one else was present in the villa.
No hostile mana had been detected.
And yet-
The air thickened.
“Raon, contact-”
His words faltered.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Not shadow.
Not absence of light.
It was as though the world itself had blinked and forgotten how to exist.
The warmth of the villa vanished.
Sound dampened.
Mana stiffened unnaturally.
Cale clicked his tongue softly.
Of course.
Of course it would escalate immediately.
‘That damned Death,’ he thought flatly. ‘If this is your doing-’
He would truly strangle that god one day.
Golden mana flared brightly beside him as Eruhaben stepped slightly forward, positioning himself between the children and whatever force was pressing against reality.
His ancient instincts screamed.
This was not a lesser deity.
Nor was it playful.
It was controlled.
Intentional.
Raon clenched his small fists, mana surging. “Human, this is not friendly!”
“No,” Cale replied calmly, though his eyes were sharp as blades. “It isn’t.”
Hong pressed closer against his chest.
On’s gaze turned icy.
Eruhaben’s golden eyes burned brilliantly in the darkness.
“A god interfering with time itself,” he muttered, displeasure evident. “How distasteful.”
The pressure increased.
The darkness pulsed.
Cale exhaled slowly, irritation outweighing fear.
He had not even finalized the team selection.
He had not negotiated properly.
He had not secured the full advance payment.
How extremely rude.
“Fine,” Cale muttered under his breath.
If a god wished to force an entrance-
Then they would deal with it.
And afterward-
He would absolutely have words with that troublesome deity.
Preferably while holding a slipper.