The Heavenly Demon Does Home Repairs

The health clinic was built near the boundary area, far from the city center, where the shield was clearly visible.

As he got out of the car, the Heavenly Demon looked up at the sky. Above, the transparent light of the shield shimmered like glass, something he couldn’t usually see clearly from within the city, but here it was visible due to the proximity to the dungeon area.

“Hmm… registration is…”

As Jang Chaewon entered the health clinic, she examined the comprehensive guide on the wall of the first floor.

“Ah, it’s on the second floor.”

The two took the elevator to the second floor and entered a large office filled with dozens of staff members seated at desks.

“We’re here to get a health check-up report.”

At Jang Chaewon’s request, a young man at the front of the office handed her a form.

“Please fill this out.”

“Okay.”

As she began filling out the form, the phone in her handbag rang loudly.

“Hello? Oh, yes, boss.”

While she spoke on the phone, filling out the form, her eyes widened in surprise.

“What? There’s a water leak? In the bathroom we worked on just a few days ago?”

After a brief conversation, her expression stiffened as she nodded along to the call.

“Alright, I’ll head over right away.”

Hastily ending the call, Jang Chaewon handed the half-completed form to the Heavenly Demon.

“This is all filled out. I’ll go handle the emergency, and you can take the exam while I’m gone.”

“I don’t know how to proceed.”

“Don’t worry. Just hand in the form, and they’ll take care of the check-up and issue the report for you.”

Checking her phone for the time, Jang Chaewon waved and dashed off.

“I’ll be back before your exam is over, so just wait a bit.”

“Hmm.”

The Heavenly Demon glanced at the form in his hand, his expression unreadable, then turned around. However, the young man at the desk had already left.

He stood there for a while, waiting, but the young man didn’t seem to be returning anytime soon.

“Hmm.”

Letting out a low sound, the Heavenly Demon walked outside. Just as he was about to survey the area, he heard a clear female voice behind him.

“Can I help you?”

Turning around, he saw a young woman in her twenties, holding a stack of documents.

“Are you speaking to me?”

With bulging muscles that would put even heavyweight bodybuilders to shame and crimson eyes that burned like embers, the Heavenly Demon’s appearance would frighten most at night. But the young woman gazed at him calmly, as if recognizing something.

“Why are you still here?”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you completed the form?”

The Heavenly Demon glanced at the form in his hand, nodded.

“Yes, my superior filled it out.”

“Then you’d better hurry to the building across the parking lot. You’re almost out of time.”

“The building across the way?”

“Yes, go out, cross the parking lot, and you’ll see it right in front of you.”

At the woman’s urgent tone, the Heavenly Demon gave a curt nod.

“Very well. Thank you.”

Watching him hurry off, the woman let out a sigh.

“Why did they have to build the two buildings to look exactly the same? So many people still get confused.”

The Heavenly Demon sprinted across the parking lot to the large building on the other side. Upon arriving, he saw a crowd of people of all ages, genders, and attire gathered outside the entrance.

“No need to rush.”

An elderly man, spotting the Heavenly Demon arriving in haste, chuckled.

His hair was graying, but his posture was firm, and his body was still muscular and fit.

“We’ll go in order, so no need to hurry.”

The Heavenly Demon squinted at the old man, observing him closely.

‘Are all these people here for health check-ups?’

This was certainly not the “quick procedure” Jang Chaewon had promised.

The old man, noticing the form in the Heavenly Demon’s hand, raised his eyebrows.

“Why are you still holding that? Didn’t you submit it?”

The Heavenly Demon nodded, and the old man stroked his chin before whispering quietly.

“It’s too late to submit it now. Just go in, and they’ll handle the paperwork later. They tend to overlook things around here anyway.”

“Grades.” The Heavenly Demon mused. “Do they assign grades for health as well?”

Tucking the form inside his robes, the Heavenly Demon followed the old man’s lead. The elderly man offered him a kind smile as he gazed at the Heavenly Demon’s robust physique.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

Unlike the reactions he usually received from ordinary citizens, who ran away in terror just from making eye contact, both the woman and this old man had treated him calmly.

“I also awakened without any abilities, relying only on my body,” the old man said, flexing his well-built arm.

“It happened to me a bit later in life, though.”

Just then, a man’s sharp voice came from inside the building.

“We’re starting. Please enter slowly.”

“It’s starting. Good luck to you.”

The old man gave the Heavenly Demon’s muscular arm a light pat, his expression warm and friendly. Without realizing it, the Heavenly Demon found himself nodding back.

Following the long line into the building, they passed through a hallway with a large machine installed along the wall. One by one, people in front of the Heavenly Demon walked past it, triggering a robotic female voice from the machine.

“Physical awakening rate: 39%. Please proceed to the second floor for explosive ability testing.”

“Physical awakening rate: 33%. No abilities detected. Please proceed to the third floor for a physical capability check.”

“Physical awakening rate: 11%. Hmm, that’s quite low. Do you have any mental abilities?”

The man operating the machine occasionally asked questions to the people passing through, checking the screen on the side to assign them to the appropriate area based on their awakening rate.

Finally, it was the old man’s turn. He stepped up to the machine.

“Physical awakening rate: 3%.”

At that moment, the old man’s face turned ashen.

“3%?”

“Your physical awakening rate is below 10%. I’m afraid you’ll have to return.”

The operator’s voice was firm, and the old man, his voice trembling, pleaded.

“Can’t I at least take the test?”

“I’m sorry. If your physical awakening rate is below 10%, we can’t allow you to take the exam. Too many people have gone into dungeons relying only on abilities without sufficient physical strength and didn’t make it back.”

“I understand, but…”

The old man clenched his teeth.

He had lived in poverty his whole life, but recently, he had been blessed with the gift of awakening.

Suddenly, his body had become stronger, able to lift things he’d never been able to lift before. He could even lift a car with his bare hands.

‘I can’t fail… I have to become an awakener.’

The old man had a granddaughter to take care of, a granddaughter whose parents had passed away in a car accident. Though they lived modestly, she always smiled.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we need to move on.”

The operator’s voice snapped the old man out of his thoughts.

“Huh?”

“You’ll need to step aside so the next person can be tested.”

“Ah… yes.”

As he turned to leave, he muttered under his breath.

“I thought I’d at least make it to the 9th level… but I couldn’t even get a grade.”

But before he could leave, the Heavenly Demon, standing beside him, intervened.

“You’re wrong.”

“What?”

“You don’t know how to harness your strength properly. Without inner energy, you can’t fully utilize the power within your body. You must synchronize your body and spirit.”

“Inner energy?”

The old man, too stunned to realize he was being spoken to informally, stared in confusion. The Heavenly Demon locked eyes with him, gathering his remaining inner energy to induce a light trance.

“Focus, old man. You’re not going to like what you see.”

As the Heavenly Demon’s voice echoed in his mind, the old man’s surroundings began to warp. The testing machine in front of him seemed to catch fire, and in the flames, he saw his granddaughter trapped beneath it.

“Grandpa! It hurts, it’s too hot!”

“Wait! Hold on!”

In his panic, the old man lifted the machine with all his strength, despite the searing pain. His arms felt like they were burning, his muscles tearing apart, but he pushed through the agony.

“Grandpa, it’s too hot!”

“No! I can’t lose you too!”

In the midst of his struggle, the image of his granddaughter vanished, as did the flames.

“What… what just happened?”

The old man blinked, bewildered. The woman operating the test machine was staring at her screen in surprise.

“Each arm lifted 650 kilograms… Your physical awakening rate is now at 39%.”

“39%? Me?”

The old man, his eyes wide in disbelief, grinned from ear to ear.

“I’m at 39%?”

“Yes, and it looks like you’ve also awakened a strength-enhancing ability. You can now register as an 8th-level awakener.”

“Is… is that real?”

The old man looked to the Heavenly Demon for confirmation, still dazed.

“You heard her.”

“Sir, please take this form and head down to the first floor for your registration.”

The old man, trembling with gratitude, accepted the form.

“Thank you… thank you so much!”

“You don’t need to thank me.”

The old man turned to express his gratitude to the Heavenly Demon, but the latter had already moved ahead, uninterested in further conversation.

“If you’re done, move along, old man.”

“Y-yes, right… thank you again!”

“Next, please step forward.”

“Good.”

The Heavenly Demon grinned and placed his hands on the testing machine.

He had been curious to test his raw strength without drawing upon his inner energy, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

“Let’s begin.”

With a sharp grin, he lifted the machine. As he did, the concrete beneath it began to crack, and the machine emitted a high-pitched beep as red lights flashed on the woman’s screen.

At that moment, blood-red flames began to flicker in the Heavenly Demon’s eyes.

“Stop!”

A sharp voice rang out, and Jang Chaewon burst into the room, rushing over to block him.

“Are you crazy? Put that down now!”

At her fiery glare, the Heavenly Demon obediently lowered the machine.

“You’re late, boss.”

“Shut up. Why are you taking the awakener test?”

“Awakener test?”

The Heavenly Demon tilted his head.

“A woman at the other building told me to come here, said I was late.”

Realizing what had happened, Jang Chaewon sighed.

The bureaucrats at the health clinic must have taken one look at the Heavenly Demon’s menacing appearance and sent him to the wrong building, mistaking him for an awakener candidate.

“Never mind, let’s get out of here.”

As she dragged the Heavenly Demon away, Jang Chaewon quickly bowed to the startled staff member.

“I’m so sorry for the confusion! Haha, we made a mistake.”

As the two hurried out of the building, the woman operating the machine glanced at the monitor, where a number flashed in red.

The impossible figure of 3,000% was displayed on the screen.

“Hmm… must be broken.”