# Chepter 004

[Succession of the Guardian of Planet 717-Axis A1002-B ‘Earth’ is initiating.]

Distinct magical runes began to shine in silver light as the mana began to grow stronger, putting pressure on Gyungho.

‘Is he trying to push me into a Guardian?’ thought Gyungho, right as the message flashed before his eyes confirming it.

“Hell no!” shouted Gyungho as he concentrated powerful mana to his fist, which then began blazing like a fire.

“You bastard, who said you could force this on me?” Gyungho frowned and stretched his fist toward the magical rune that was binding him. With a large explosive sound, the magical rune shattered. Kanis growled at Gyungho’s absurd show of power.

“No! I expected as much, but to actually see a human destroy it…” said Kanis, lowering his body as he watched Gyungho rip apart the magical rune.

“Ugh. I was amost forced to become a Guardian. I’ve never even considered such a thing!” said Gyungho. He then looked up and turned to Kanis.

“You! Were you trying to make me a Guardian? I mean, shouldn’t you at least talk to me befor trying anything funny! Isn’t being a Guardian a sacred position?”

“It— it’s a complicated matter.” Kanis replied.

Gyungho was dumbfounded by the answer. “What? A complicated matter? That’s none of my business,” he snapped.

Gyungho understood that the Guardian was dying and the earth was under attack, so he suspected what Kanis was up to.

“You can’t do this. You’re not supposed to act like some sort of thug.”

...

Kanis couldn’t refute Gyungho's claim. It sure was thug-like behavior.

“Let’s not meet again, yeah? If you have time to do this, you should spend it on taking care of yourself. You look pretty bad.”

...

Gyungho was about to bring up his mana so he could change the warped space back to normal, when he heard Kanis’ voice ringing inside his head.

“I am sorry. But making you to be the Guardian is the only way to save Earth.”

“What are you talking — ugh!” Suddenly, something wrapped around Gyungho’s arms and legs and dragged him into the air. Gyungho looked down and saw a thick rope wrapped around his arms and legs. It had a type of transparent enchantment on it that even Gyungho needed to concentrate to actually see. The end of the rope was connected to a large shining magic rune.

“Dammit. The ‘Rope of Binding,’' said Gyungho.

“That is correct. As you know, this rope will not break unless the rune it is connected to is destroyed.”

After learning about Gyungho’s status through the System, Kanis figured that the power runes alone was not enough to hold Gyungho. Instead, he used a rune to successfully divert Gyungho’s attention.

“Hah… so you did prepare. But like you said, I just need to destroy that rune and… huh? What the—?”Gyungho, who tried to bring up mana to destroy the rune, flinched before sighing in annoyance.

“You froze the mana here?”

“That rune is a complex combination of runes, and together they contain the power to freeze mana. It will only last for ten minutes, but it will make sure nobody uses mana here.”

“Then you won’t be able to proceed with that succession bullshit either.”

“Divine energy is different from mana – it is still very usable. This is a power that you, too, will be able to use very soon.”

“This is dogshit!”

“I am a dog, so in essence, you are right.” Kanis conceeded.

“Ugh… get this thing off me while I’m still willing to be nice, got it?

“I am pretty sure that it won’t end nicely even if I let go of you.”

Kanis then ignored the enraged Gyungho, swaying as he barely rose to his feet. “It was hard to bind you. It has taken its toll on me.”

Gyungho then snapped at Kanis. “Why are you doing this? I know you are dying, but that doesn’t make okay to do things like this to me. Especially if you are a Guardian that ought to protect humans and the Earth.”

When Gyungho finished, Kanis nodded. “You are correct in what you say.”

“Then let me go! I need to get home!”

“Without a successor, when I die the Earth will be truly finished. We need a new Guardian, for Earth’s sake. Only you are capable of this role. Please, become Guardian.”

Gyungho understood Kanis’ words but had a question. The Guardian of the SpiritRealm, Mir had become very weak after summoning Gyungho to their world, but he had recovered in half a year.

“Isn’t it better for you to recover than to try and transfer the Guardian title to me? I thought a Guardian is immortal as long as they remain a Guardian?” said Gyungho. Kanis was surprised at how much Gyungho seemed to know about Guardians.

“You are right, but also wrong in some sense.”

“What do you mean?” asked Gyungho.

“A Guardian is promised an eternal life in order to protect its world. But life energy, once depleted, is hard to recover. To be precise, it is hard to recover with Earth in its current state.”

“Why is that?”

“The Guardian and the its world are one. Currently, Earth has lost its power to regenerate. There are no spirits or spiritual beasts, thanks to humans. Despite this, I am using the last of my life energy for humanity’s survival. Isn’t it ironic? Has that answered your question?”

What Kanis was trying to say was that the Earth, unlike the Spirit Realm, no longer had enough spiritual energy, and so it instead needed a successor powerful enough. Gyungho felt that his questions were answered.

“Yeah, I get what you mean. That’s sad,” said Gyungho.

“Yes.”

“But I don’t want it. To be the Guardian.”

“What?” Kanis started. “But we have to save—"

“I don’t want it,” Gyungho snapped, interrupting him.

“Well... Even if you don’t, you will still become a Guardian soon. And then you will— what are you doing?” Kanis stopped when he saw Gyungho open his right palm, although it was still bound by the rope. In an instant, the space in front of his hand turned black.

“An interdimensional space?”

“Yeah. I don’t need mana to open this up.” Gyungho reached in and pulled out the Dragon Fang Sword, made from Mir’s own fang.

“And this sword is of a very high quality, so much so that I’m pretty sure it’s enough to destroy that magical rune even without mana,” said Gyungho as he grinned. He then flicked his wrist and flung the sword toward the rune.

“NO!”

Kanis quickly got up to stop the sword, but the sword was faster, and it struck the rune.

Gyungho felt the rope loosen and gave a strong tug, causing the ropes to snap. The Dragon Fang Sword was back in Gyungho’s hand already.

“Alright, now the mana is unfrozen, and I have a weapon in my hand. Shall try talking again?” Gyungho said with a satisfied grin.

Kanis became desperate. “Gyungho, sir. You must help me. You must become the Guardian.”

“Sorry but I'm a bit too busy for that.”

Gyungho thought the ten years he had spent in the Spirit Realm was enough. His plan now was to do at least enough work to keep the world alive, while running the restaurant with his mother for the rest of his day.

Under no circumstances had he thought of becoming a Guardian.

‘My power is enough as it is to live happily with mom,’ thought Gyungho.

“Please. You must help.” Kanis begged, but he was almost on the verge of giving up. In truth, if a successor was not forcibly chosen, initiating the succession process required a Guardian to explain the duties and responsibilities to a potential successor and gain their permission. However, the duties and responsibilities were not all that attractive.

“Have you forgotten what you have been doing to me just now? And still you want me to succeed you?”

“But that was for the greater good of—"

“I don’t care about the greater good, alright? I just want to live in peace. Leave me alone,” snapped Gyungho.

“But—"

“Words don’t seem to be working, do they?” Gyungho then ran over to Kanis, who was cowering with his head down, and struck him on the face, his fist landing upon Kanis’ jaw. It was a powerful enough blow that the house-sized Kanis rolled a few times before he was able to come to a stop.

“Ugh… Please, wait. Listen—"

“Yeah, yeah. Everyone has a plan, you know. Until you get smacked!”

Kanis rolled again as he was struck once more by Gyungho.

“There are lots of great things about being a Guardian!”

“And here you are, dying. How great is that?”

“Please! Listen to what I have to say!”

“Yeah? Go on, then.”

Kanis began to think, trying to come up with a good excuse. Gyungho scoffed at the wolf as he remembered a conversation he had had with Mir regarding being a Guardian.

**

“Mir! Is there anything good about being a Guardian?” asked Gyungho.

“No. There’s nothing good about it,” said Mir.

“Then why did you do it?”

“A god chose me to do it.”

“That’s it?” asked Gyungho in disbelief.

“Yes.”

“You don’t seem like you enjoy it,” Gyungho said simply.

To which, Mir responded right away. “No. Even if I am reborn, I will never, ever, do this again. Never.”

Mir had been so firm and certain when he’d said it.

***

“Still thinking? You have five seconds. If you can’t find anything interesting to say, then I’ll just smack you a few more times and head out. Don’t come find me anymore,” warned Gyungho.

Kanis quickly thought of something. “Y-you will receive an eternal life—"

“No need,” Gyungho interrupted.

“You will gain enormous power.”

“I’m already stronger than you though.”

“You will have the ability to control life.”

“I won’t need that because I don’t get sick or age anymore. Wait...” Gyungho said, with a pause. “Can you heal any illness?”

“If you have enough divine energy, yes.” Answered Kanis.

Gyungho’s thoughts turned to his sick mother. He nodded and walked over to Kanis.

“Then it is possible, as a Guardian,” said Gyungho.

“That is correct.”

“Alright. Then you are now my mother’s primary care physician,” claimed Gyungho.

“What? What do you mean?” Kanis asked with a confused look.

“Make yourself smaller.”

“Myself?”

“Yeah. Be smaller.”

“Smaller?”

Gyungho then smacked him again.

“W-what are you doing?”

“What am I doing? Do you want another smack?” Gyungho warned as he raised his fist. Kanis then grew smaller, soon taking on a form similar to that of a small Pomeranian.

“You knew what I was saying, you punk,” said Gyungho. He then grabbed Kanis’ by the scruff and held him up.

“Let’s go then.”

“What?”

With a swing of the sword in his hand, Gyungho turned the warped space of the dark cave back into the Lucky Diner.

“What is that sword? How can it cut through a warped space like that… W-why did you drag me into place like this? My life energy will deplete faster in places like this! I’ll give up on making you a Guardian, just let me go! I must return to my lair!” Kanis shouted in frustration.

“You think I will just let you go without an apology after you tied me up in ropes and tried to ruin my life? Don’t you think that’s unfair?”

Gyungho then rasied his sword with a grin, waving it at the other. Kanis shivered and whined in his Pomeranian sized body.

“W-what do you mean?”

“I was in huge trouble because of you, so you need to pay me back.”

“Pay you back?”

“Come here.”

Gyungho then placed his sword back into the dimensional space and opened the small door to the bedroom. Jisook was fast asleep in the corner. Kanis then looked at Jisook and spoke in an apologetic voice.

“Late-stage lung cancer. She has about 6 months at most. Just like me…” said Kanis.

“Can you heal her?” Gyungho asked.

“Will you become the Guardian if I do that?” Kanis asked back.

“No.”

Kanis was dumbfounded by Gyungho’s firm answer.

“I am not sure if my remaining Life Energy is enough to heal her or not. I cannot do that if there is nothing in return.”

“You’re a Guardian and you can’t even do that?” Gyungho asked, disappointed. Kanis was certainly much weaker than Mir.

“Controlling matters of life requires divine energy. I do not have much divine energy left, so I have to use my Life Energy as a replacement.”

“I will replenish your life energy then. You can heal my mom with that, recover and then keep working as a Guardian,” said Gyungho.

“If that were possible, I would never have tried to make you a Guardian forcefully,” said Kanis. He then sighed and put his head down.

‘H-he’s cute,’ thought Gyungho, watching the puppy-sized dog let out a big sigh.

“I will be able to replenish your life energy, I promise. What do you say?”

“There’s no way that can happen.”

“I know a few tricks. Don’t worry.” Gyungho said with a grin.