Living for thousands of years gave a person the ability to easily pick up on someone’s intentions just by their words. The subtle differences in facial expressions, tone of voice, and breathing patterns could reveal a person’s inner thoughts, and this was especially true when the other person was an idiot. “Laum must’ve crossed a line with the king of Earth, right?” Murmu asked. He appeared calm, but the truth was quite different. His breathing sped up, his lips trembled slightly, and his voice lowered to an unnaturally deep tone. The removal of Baal’s Legion Commander, Laum, from the rankings caused Murmu’s rank to rise by one. While that should have been cause for celebration, Murmu didn’t feel that way at all. “When I went to Earth last time, I failed to recognize the king of Earth,” he confessed. Wei Zhongqi slurped his tea, waiting for Murmu to finish. Murmu ran into Do-Jun about a month ago by chance, during a trip to Earth to try a dish called “fried chicken.” Failing to recognize him wasn’t the issue—it was his attitude. “Looking back... I think I might’ve been a bit disrespectful to the king of Earth,” Murmu muttered, visibly regretful. “Hmm.” ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel·fiɾe·net Although Murmu tried to appear calm, his twitching eyes betrayed him. “What do you think I should do to make amends?” he asked Wei Zhongqi. “I don’t believe the Heavenly Demon is too concerned. If you had truly been outrageously disrespectful, you wouldn’t be sitting here right now. Don’t worry. Even if the Heavenly Demon descends to the Deep Realm, I doubt he’d kill you.” “Probably,” Wei Zhongqi replied. In a situation where someone’s life was on the line, the word “probably” sounded dangerously uncertain. Murmu clenched his fists tightly, his face as pale as a ghost, while Wei Zhongqi closed his eyes. He suggested, “If it bothers you that much, go and offer a sincere apology. True intentions always reach the heart.” The new year was in full swing, with the 2020 calendar already hanging on the wall for a few days. Back in the Central Plains, the change of the year or seasons hadn’t held much significance, but celebrating the new year on Earth brought a nostalgic smile to Do-Jun’s face. Although the passage of time didn’t cause major changes in his life, it still held a special meaning for him. He exchanged New Year’s greetings with his family and acquaintances and enjoyed rice cake soup. Each day on Earth felt precious to him. Setting down the newspaper he had been reading, Do-Jun began tying his necktie in preparation for work. He planned to arrive at the office early to prepare for a cooperative agreement between the Hunter’s Bureau and Seoul City Hall. Then, he heard two voices from the food stall. “Yes. I need your help to apologize to the king of Earth. When I visited Earth last time for some chicken, I think I might’ve been a little... insolent.” The first voice was Kiriel’s, while the other belonged to someone Do-Jun recognized—a resident of the Deep Realm who introduced himself as Murmu. Do-Jun remembered buying fried chicken for him. “Oh? I think I can help with that,” Kiriel said. “R-really?” Murmu asked, surprised. “Tell me in detail. What kind of foolish behavior are we talking about?” Do-Jun scratched his head and continued on his way to work. Kiriel’s face scrunched up as he listened to Murmu’s story. He had expected a minor issue, but the story was much worse than anticipated. He recounted Murmu’s actions. “You spoke to him informally.” “You patted him on the shoulder.” Kiriel tapped his calculator, his face darkening, as Murmu gulped and anxiously waited for his verdict. “Based on my extensive experience on Earth...” Kiriel said, then paused. Hearing that, Murmu fell backward in utter shock, breaking the plastic chair and kicking up a cloud of dust. Hakase was momentarily annoyed, then sighed, and continued working, mentally deducting the chair’s cost from Kiriel’s paycheck. Kiriel said, “But I can save you. I’ll have you know that I’ve been living on Earth for a full six months. I bet I’m among the top in the Deep Realm when it comes to Earth resilience.” Murmu swallowed hard. In the Deep Realm, he outranked Kiriel by a wide margin in both seniority and standings. But at this moment, Kiriel appeared to be a remarkable figure. Surviving six months on Earth was no small achievement. Murmu said very seriously, “You have my utmost respect. Sincerely.” “As you should. On Earth, I’m your senior. Acting cocky just because you’re some bigshot in the Deep Realm won’t get you anywhere here, understood?” Kiriel explained, “Before you apologize, it’s important to make a good impression on the king of Earth. But right now, you’ve already been marked as an arrogant fool.” “But it’s not hopeless.” “Oh, tell me! Please!” Murmu was almost begging. “Fine. I’ll reform you.” “Yes. Through something called volunteering.” Kiriel recalled the time he checked the dictionary for the definition of Do-Jun’s job as a “civil servant.” It described a role dedicated to the development of the nation and society, serving the people. Kim Mina was a welfare worker in her seventh year at the Bangbae-3 dong Community Center, responsible for managing aid for basic living recipients and elderly individuals living alone. She also oversaw the center’s volunteer program, though the initiative was struggling due to a lack of participants. Out of nowhere, a man approached her desk and said, “I’m here to volunteer.” “Sorry?” she said, looking at a strikingly handsome young man, seemingly in his early twenties. The man gestured toward the sign on her desk that read “Volunteer Sign-Up.” He was so breathtaking, even more than any celebrity Kim Mina had seen on TV, that she briefly lost her composure. Slightly embarrassed, she smiled and said, “Oh, uh, you mean the volunteer program?” “Do you have any prior volunteer experience?” The man nodded and said, “I’m renowned for my volunteering even in the Deep Realm. Born to serve—this body exists for that purpose.” “Right... Um, please fill out this form first.” Kim Mina handed him a volunteer application form. The man held up two fingers. “Huh...?” Kim Mina was confused. “I need two forms. I came with a friend.” “Yes, over there.” He pointed toward the visitor seating area. Another young man, equally handsome, sat waiting. Kim Mina gasped internally again. Are they celebrities? But I don’t recognize them... A moment later, she received two completed forms. The handwriting was messy, with the names “Kiriel” and “Murmu” written on them. She just shrugged and assumed they were foreigners. “Do we get a volunteer certificate for this?” Murmu asked. “Yes, we credit the hours.” “That’s enough for me. We’d like to start immediately.” Kim Mina looked at the welfare office, where stacks of rice bags were piled high. These were called Narami, government-distributed rations for elderly or disabled residents. Although recipients were supposed to pick them up, many couldn’t due to mobility issues, leaving the rice undelivered. Kim Bok-Soon, an elderly woman over eighty, lived in a small studio apartment no larger than seventeen square meters. Coughing, she struggled to her feet and opened the door. Standing in front of her were two young men. “Who... who are you?” she asked, startled by the unexpected visitors. “Are you Kim Bok-Soon?” Kiriel reached into a small artifact pouch. A twenty-kilogram rice bag labeled “Narami” slid out, which he placed inside her home. Kim Bok-Soon sighed, realizing it must be from the community center, and muttered, “I should’ve picked it up myself...” Although she said that, she knew she couldn’t possibly carry such a heavy bag by herself. Suddenly, she was struck by a coughing fit. She covered her mouth and coughed repeatedly. Murmu noticed a faint trace of blood on her palm. “Human, are you unwell?” he asked. “I think it’s just a cold...” Ignoring her answer, Murmu activated his magic with a voom, scanning her condition. Despite her casual dismissal, her health was in dire straits. He rummaged through his artifact pouch and pulled out a small pill, handing it to her. “Take this.” “Concentrated extract from an Engelon’s heart. It’ll restore your strength.” Though skeptical, Kim Bok-Soon swallowed the pill with water. Miraculously, her coughing stopped, and her pain faded. Meanwhile, Kiriel inspected the state of her apartment. It was evident that living alone with limited mobility made it hard to maintain a clean home. Without a word, he started cleaning thoroughly. He also noticed that some appliances, like the refrigerator, microwave, and rice cooker, were broken. “Hold on a second.” He picked up the broken appliances and vanished. Kim Bok-Soon was left dumbfounded, her mouth agape. About ten minutes later, Kiriel reappeared, and the once-worn appliances now looked brand new and fully repaired. He had, of course, entrusted the repairs to Hakase. Despite being a cocky, arrogant, and foolish lizard, he certainly had a knack for fixing machines. Taking the opportunity, Kiriel started cooking rice in the repaired cooker. Using his honed skills from working at the street food stall, he prepared several side dishes. Of course, he bought the ingredients with his own money. “Is this also considered volunteering?” Murmu asked. “No. Our task ends with delivering the rice,” Kiriel replied. “Then shouldn’t we move on to the next house?” However, Kiriel detested unnecessary tasks. To avoid being called for extra volunteer work, he chose to take care of everything at once. “Well then, we’re off.” With that, Kiriel and Murmu headed to the next house. Kim Mina had been busy lately, and the reason was none other than the two young men who had volunteered for community service. The phone had also been ringing off the hook. “Yes, this is Kim Mina from the Bangbae 3-dong Community Center. Ah, yes, hello. How have you been?” Most of the calls were to express gratitude for the “two young men who came to volunteer.” From what she heard, they had not only delivered rice but also provided various other forms of help. “Yes, I’ll be sure to pass the message along, sir.” After hanging up, Kim Mina looked at the two volunteer application forms on her desk. The two young men hadn't come back after receiving their volunteer certificates. She stood up and approached the office manager. “Sir, would it be okay to add two more names to the Bangbae Luminaries list this time?” The Luminaries of Bangbae 3-dong Photos were displayed on the bulletin board at the Bangbae 3-dong Community Center. Do-Jun quietly scanned them for a while before his gaze settled on one. The photo showed two young men holding their volunteer certificates. However, Do-Jun wasn’t the only one looking at it. A woman, appearing to be in her early thirties, stood nearby. Judging by the government ID around her neck, she seemed to be an employee of the Bangbae 3-dong Community Center. “These two, when they first came, I wasn’t sure what to think,” she remarked. “Yes. They suddenly announced that they wanted to volunteer and said something like, ‘I’m the best volunteer in the Deep Realm.’ I have no idea where that is, but... I’ve received so many calls praising them.” “They sound like good people.” “Don’t they?” For a brief moment, Kim Mina blushed slightly. “Oh, I’m sorry for rambling. We’ve only just met.” Kim Mina gave a small bow and walked back into the center. Left alone, Do-Jun smiled softly, looked at the photo a moment longer, then turned to head home.