Author: Xerenity

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168. Return

Jong Ho and Karin had returned to Earth.

The only ones left were Belkoseu and I.

I wanted to make a portal immediately and return, but there still was something I needed to say before I left.

“Belkoseu.”

“Yes, Mighty Human.”

“I’ll see you at the Gate that is connected to Earth. I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Understood.”

“And straighten out your shoulders. You’ll be acting as the Demon King now.”

“Kuhuhu. Yes.”

“Good. See you in a bit.”

Finishing my words, I casted Warp.

My destination was where Jong Ho and I first set foot in the demonic realm, which was in front of the Gate.

This Gate would serve as an important pathway for the future bloodstone exportation to Earth.

That’s why even though I could get rid of it right now, I wouldn’t do so.

In front of the Gate stood King Suwoo and the Devil Avatars, holding the line.

Heal Full had been casted under their feet, so despite not having given them any care for many days, they were guarding the Gate without a single wound.

Other than the guide goblin Barun, no other monster should be allowed through the Gate.

If I returned to Earth, these summoned creatures would remain, but I would not be able to cast Heal Full for them.

Just like how the Proof of Pledge skill I had cast on my mother had been severed, I wouldn’t be able to cast skills to affect other dimensions without being there in the dimension myself.

“Kuwuhhh!”

“Haaa…… Haaa…..”

“Have you been well?”

“Kuhuhhuhhh!”

No matter when, the Fear howls they roared were loud enough to make my ears sting.

Approaching them, I canceled the Heal Full spells on the ground.

“Kuruung?”

“We won’t be needing this anymore.”

Albeit little, they had some intelligence, so they understood my commands pretty well.

It seemed that they were also aware that Heal Full was beneficial to them.

Since I removed that very skill, they seemed confused, tilting their heads to the side.

Walking closer to them, I put my hand on one of the Devil Avatars.

During the 3rd test given by that god, I had learned from my copy during the fight.

I was trying to strengthen the summoned creatures using mana.

“Kuwuhuhl!”

“It would be a problem if their roars get louder.”

I poured in magical energies until the summoned creature’s body was about to burst.

The summoned creature’s size did not increase, but this Devil Avatar now at least had 10 times the offensive and defensive capabilities than before.

Since I had over 90% of the magical energy in the demonic realm, the monsters who would continue to spawn after wouldn’t have much strength.

These creatures would have to share the leftover magical energy in the realm after all.

I continued to pour mana into the rest of the summoned creatures.

With this much, they should be able to hold on for dozens of years without any issue.

“Whew…. With this, the Gate defense is done.”

The next thing I had to do was to get rid of the portals appearing on Earth.

Since one of the demonic tribe leaders, Zekill, had made these portals, they should be easily undone with the Authority of Demon King.

Once again, I focused with all my might.

Since I couldn’t use the Demon King’s Authorities with ease, it was quite the strenuous task.

With the title of the Demon King, I commanded all doors leading to any other dimensions be closed, with the exception of this Gate that was connected to Earth.

“I command as the Demon King. At this time, I collapse dimensional doors that lead to other dimensions within the demonic realm.”

As I finished, a loud noise similar to a lightning strike on a clear day rang enough to shake the earth and sky.

With it, I could feel some loss in magical energy.

It didn’t matter that much, since all the magical energy that I used would float around the demonic realm and eventually be absorbed by my subordinate, Belkoseu.

I didn’t know when, but if I continued to use my Authority like this, there probably would come a day that Belkoseu would become the Demon King.

However, that didn’t matter.

As long as I was alive, we wouldn’t be harmed by the monsters.

That is why I invested some of that time to close all doors leading to different dimensions save this Gate.

I could sense Belkoseu running towards me from afar.

I felt odd at this sensation.

To think that I would obtain the ability to sense magical energy like Karin did, which was only accessible by monsters.

It was enough to make me wonder just what I’ve become.

“Demonic race? Human? I’m not a god though. Hm. It’s become quite complicated.”

“Human!”

“Oh, you’ve arrived?”

“Yes! For what reason have you requested me here?”

“Do you see these giants?”

I pointed towards the summoned creatures guarding the Gate.

Belkoseu briefly looked towards the creatures before moving his gaze to the floor once more.

And then he spoke.

“Yes. Those who guard the Gate….. Gatekeepers.”

“Yes. I told them already to not let anyone who isn’t the guide goblin Barun through.”

“……”

“In a bit, Barun will return. He’s a diligent fellow who works through day and night bringing back bloodstones.”

“Yes……”

“You just need to hand over the stones that you’ve obtained to him.”

“Hm…. Just how much will you be needing, my lord?”

“Since the stones that drop here will be S to S+ ranking anyways, so……”

“……”

“Not sure?”

“Yes… Yes?”

“I’m not sure how much we’ll need. Just bring enough to make a mountain of it in front of the Gate. I’ll go to Earth and decide after seeing the amount that is delivered.”

“Then… Do you mean that you’ll be returning back….”

“No, that’s against the contract we made. I told you that I’m not a cruel master. All you have to do is to fill enough of the sacks or boxes I send you. Then your duty is done.”

“If that’s all. Kuhuhu.”

“Yep. I’ll be trusting you and going ahead.”

“Yes, Mighty Human.”

“Work hard, Demon King.”

“Demon King…. Kuhuhuhuhu! Yes!”

**** 

“Mom….”

“Son.”

“I’m back”

“Young Min-Cheol! You’ve gone through a lot for us. I believed in you.”

“Mr. Min-Cheol. It must’ve been hard. Thank you.”

“I hope everyone has been doing well?”

“Look at how shrunken your cheeks are. We should start eating as we talk. Commander and Mr. Ho Jin haven’t eaten yet either, right?”

“Hohoho. Yes, mother.”

“I’m in your debt from always burdening you, missus.”

“Please, come in.”

“Tsk! Jong Ho-hyung and the goblin…. No. Is there a man who came with him, right? Is he in the house?”

“That’s right. However…. Why was there a human in the demonic realm? Even the way he speaks is strange, and even the way he walked seemed off. Well, since you brought him here, I assumed that he has a good heart.”

“That’s…. It seems that he was stuck there in the demonic realm when the Unknown Dungeon opened…. Probably…..”

“Is that so. Let’s talk about the details inside. Let us go.”

“Yes.”

Earth, our house, and my mother. Everything was the same as it was before.

As promised, I returned home safely.

Mother was smiling brightly right now, but noticing how her eyes were puffed up from crying until recently, I felt terrible.

She was pretending to forget all the heartache she had until now, hiding her emotions as best she could and welcomed me with a bright expression.

I remembered the test I took after swallowing the Piece of Space and Time.

Was that why? Looking at mother, I suddenly remembered our bleak past.

Back then, I couldn’t do anything. I let it continue while pretending that it wasn’t happening.

Once more, I promised myself that I wouldn’t let that happen again, no matter the cost.

Passing the gardens, we all headed towards the house.

It was a strange feeling to walk on soft grass again after the barren wastes of the demonic realm.

This little change helped me feel that I’ve returned back to my daily life.

Inside the house, I could smell lots of tasty foods.

The butler and many of the workers inside gave an enthusiastic welcome.

Greeting them with matching enthusiasm one by one, I walked towards the living room, where Jong Ho and Karin were.

“Hey, you’re here?”

“Keruru. Min-Cheol, you’ve arrived?”

“Wow…. This is very awkward, you know?”

“Karin? Hey, I was really surprised. A human came out of the portal that a goblin was supposed to. But the moment that he started speaking, I could tell. This had to be Karin.”

“Kel kel kel. I like this new look.”

“Karin, yes, but also hyung-nim sprawled out on the couch feels awkward too.”

“Just enjoy it, you little rascal.”

“Young master, you’ve been through a lot.”

“Y…. Young…. Young master? Ah. Yes…..”

“Of course, you’re the young master. Try calling her sister-in-law.”

“Everything is so awkward. I’ll get used to slowly. But looking at Ms. So-Hyeon, now I remembered. I should’ve ripped off Berdan’s castle.”

“Why? Was it because you don’t want us to destroy the building when we have a lover’s quarrel? Pfft.”

“Yes. The building material was rather sturdy, right? Ah, and have the portals disappeared?”

“So-Hyeon, the remote control please.”

“Sure.”

-click.

-Due to Yangpyeong having vast mountains, this is one of the places where portals reaching near level 40s are present. This spot I’m standing is where a level 35 portal was. As you can see, the portal has disappeared without a trace, almost as if never being there in the first place. Not only here, but all of South Korea, and beyond that, the entire world…..

-click.

-The mega corporation in charge of exporting and trading OBEC. After all the portals on Earth have disappeared, a different icy aura is permeating here. Forty-one years ago, portals came into existence, and humankind has used the bloodstones as a resource that we cannot live without anymore. That very same supply of stones had been cut without warning…..

Instead of answering, Jong Ho had turned on the television.

No matter what channel he switched to, it was the same news.

The main points of all the coverage was that the portals where the monsters came out from have all disappeared.

Not only that, but despite after only a short time, the price of bloodstones had risen dramatically, and each country’s governments were scrambling to acquire as many bloodstones as possible.

The reporters seemed to be aware that this had been caused artificially by an Awakened, but the ones behind it being Jong Ho and I wasn’t even in the theoretical discussions.

This was because the association president, Commander Yoon Jong-sun, had put in a great amount of effort to keep it hidden.

“Isn’t it quite funny?”

“……”

“Due to portals exploding and monsters…. Do we have to call them as demonic creatures now? Anyways, they poured out each year, causing many lives to be lost in the process, but some are arguing that we shouldn’t get rid of the portals. All because of the energy resource, the bloodstones.”

“Hm…. It’s quite disappointing, but I think I can understand where they’re coming from.”

“Look at you becoming a grown adult after a visit to the demonic realm.”

“Pfft. To be honest, I’ve said it because I can’t be bothered with it. As you know, the stones will be supplied continuously through Belkoseu and Barun. And since the ranking of these stones are far greater than what we previously obtained on Earth, even though we might have less available, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Honey, look at how clever my sibling is. To think that he prepared ahead in advance, knowing that this would happen. The more I look at him, the more I realize that he’s a genius.”

“It’s whatever. It’s not like I’ve been a genius for a day or two, right?”

“You two are the dream duo, really. I can’t stop you two.”

“Keruru. Include me in and call us a trio, human female!”

“Informally addressing me?”

“Hey hey….. Karin. He’s not someone with a good personality….. Let’s start with him having him learn how to address people respectfully…..”

Jong Ho whispered while keeping an eye on So-Hyeon mood.

With that, we all ate our meals while talking about what happened in the demonic realm.

I was thinking that this is what peace was like.

However, as we finished our meal and was eating desserts in the living room, a call for Commander Yoon Jong-Sun came.

None could predict just how much of an impact this one phone call would have.

“Yes, this is the commander.”

“…….”

“What?”

---

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163. A Piece of Time and Space

-snap.

In an instant, my surroundings changed.

Only now did I see what I had originally thought the celestial plane would have looked like.

An endless waterfall of various colors flowed, and I heard a beautiful melody that seemed familiar somehow, as if I had heard of it at least once before.

It was a beautiful and peaceful scenery, fitting of a place called the celestial plane.

To me, however, this scenery had such a contrast that it was enough to make me sick.

It was because I remembered how this god had merely watched and spectated the violence in amusement just until now.

Including me, the radical faction, the Chimera, and other monsters as well, they were all creations of this god.

This god was feeling thrilled at the sight of the creatures that she created spilling blood amongst each other.

I didn’t stay on this thought too long, however.

The god pointed at a small door that led back out towards the demonic realm.

“Now, if you leave through there, Barub, who had guided you here, will be waiting for you.”

“What about the ability of a Piece of Time and Space……”

“When you are guided back by Barub through space and time and back to the demonic realm, the time that had stopped will flow once more, and you will obtain the ability automatically, so don’t worry.”

“Then I’ll be taking my leave…..”

“Hehe. Did I make a human with a personality like this? Well, since you’re not predictable like the rest, it’s pretty amusing.”

“……”

Not even pretending to listen to what this god said, I walked towards the door.

The sound of my Titan Boots against the smooth floor as I walked was music to my ears.

As I opened the battered door, I could see the pure white tunnel.

How could such a simple passageway be such a welcoming sight?

I did boast that I would be able to meet the Guide Through Time and Space Barub once more, but I was feeling pretty down after hearing that no one had passed this test before.

Just considering the results alone, I had passed the test proudly and had come back to this path with the power of a Piece of Time and Space.

To be honest, I felt proud of myself.

Just like that, I was about to step into the crack in time and space.

“Wait!”

“Is there something left?”

“……”

“If that’s not the case……”

“I don’t think I’ve ever offered this to anyone.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means that I’ve never been so interested in a human’s strength before.”

“I’m not sure what you mean by that.”

“It means that I want you at my side. You can obtain a lot of power here while you stay as well.”

“If that’s your offer, I decline.”

“The power of the Piece of Time and Space? Even though the power I offer is far greater than that, you aren’t interested?”

“If I could take that power and walk out of this celestial plane, then I’d accept gladly. However, if that’s not the case, then I decline.”

“As expected.”

“For a god such as yourself, it shouldn’t be that difficult for you to make someone like me submit though?”

“Hehe! That’s true, but….. Eh. There’s no reason for me to explain the complicated intricacies of the world of the gods. I won’t stop you. Hurry up and go.”

“What a boring god. Then…..”

****

“Yo! It’s been awhile.”

“Human….. Did you really do it?”

“As I said, you’ll be seeing me again.”

“I congratulate you. Through the many years, I have guided countless across to the celestial plane, but this is the first time that I’ve guided someone back from the celestial plan to their original dimension. It is my pleasure to guide you back.”

“Thanks.”

I continued to follow Barub down the pitch black road.

A while passed just like that, and I was able to see the demonic realm that had turned red due to the Chimera’s orbs.

Was it because I had obtained a massive amount of power?

I was already moving faster than Barub, almost nearing a run.

Just a bit more.

The moment that Barub finished guiding me, time in the demonic realm and on Earth would flow once more.

“Now. We’ve arrived.”

“Wew…… So if I take one more step forward, time will start flowing again?”

“That’s right.”

“Good. Thank you for guiding me.”

“Don’t mention it, since it is the duty I am charged with.”

“Let’s meet again, Guide Through Time and Space, Barub.”

“We shall soon.”

“……”

With a mysterious answer, Barub grew distant and eventually out of my sight.

As Barub’s guidance came to an end, my vision went to black once more.

It was the same as when I had first swallowed the Piece of Time and Space.

It didn’t take long before I arrived at Ifrit’s castle and saw my body that collapsed on the ground.

Also came into view were Jong Ho and Karin, who were both guarding me.

“I guess it’s time that my soul returned back to its home.”

Almost as if diving back into my body, I dug into myself.

Only then did I feel my body once more, as if waking from a long slumber.

Not only that, but I felt suffocated as if my chest was being pressed down by something heavy.

Taking in a deep breath, I opened my eyes.

“Kehruruk?”

“Mi….. Min-Cheol……”

“Hm?”

“Whew…… Now I feel like I’m alive again.”

“Hey, you idiot! Why didn’t you eat it slower. So you’ve woken back up after choking on it?”

“Hm?”

“Kerururu. Even I thought that the Piece of Time and Space was too big to swallow.”

“Hurry up and digest it! If we leave it as it is, we could end up with nothing happening.”

“If you eat steak, you can digest faster. Min-Cheol, should I cook up some steaks?”

“Ah….. I feel sad again.”

This was the same situation as when I had finished my fight with the demon god Ifrit before.

Only did time pass for me and me alone.

Jong Ho and Karin must be thinking that I had merely taken a quick nap.

I was positive that they had no idea that I had passed the three tests that the god gave me.

Even so, I was somewhat happy that time had stopped till now.

It was because I was worried that the Demon King would try chasing us down in the meantime, and that I could not use Full Heal on the summoned creatures guarding the Gate.

The situation was looking great.

For them, only a short time would’ve passed, but I had obtained an inexplicably powerful strength during that time.

I had also been using mana with only basic methods, but now learned how to use it effectively in the process of passing the tests, almost as if catching a rat while stepping backwards. ¹

Even the Demon King and Ladin wouldn’t be able to face against me now.

Not only that, but I would be able to defeat Belkoseu, who had been nothing but a headache.

Due to having the Authority that granted him immortality, I wouldn’t be able to take his life, but I had the healing negation effect thanks to the Piece of Time and Space.

If I bring him near death and stop there?

He would live in the demonic realm forever in a state where he would be barely alive, unable to do anything similar to a corpse.

Looking at Jong Ho and Karin who were both making fun of me, I spoke.

“It’s the same with the time when I defeated Ifrit! This is unfair!”

“Huh?”

“Kel?”

“By that, you mean…. Did you already go? No way, right?”

“Nope, there’s no way. You’re so right.”

Since they couldn’t believe me, I pulled out the last remaining King’s Marbles and showed it to them.

Before I swallowed the Piece of Time and Space, I had 11 marbles.

I gave 6 to Jong Ho and kept 5 for myself.

However, in the timespan that I had closed and opened my eyes in their point of view, only one marble was left.

“Really?”

To Jong Ho’s question that he asked with wide eyes, I merely nodded.

Only then did I see relief in his expression.

I could also sense that he felt sorry and pity for me.

“Now, we need not run, even if our opponents are the Demon King or Ladin.”

“Good work.”

“And we need not worry about Belkoseu either.”

“What? What do you mean by that!”

At my words, Belkoseu let out his anger with a disgusted look.

Despite Belkoseu being next to me, I had spoken without a care for that fact.

The shaky alliance that we had kept up was no longer useful. It was time to end it.

To be more precise, the alliance was no longer beneficial for me.

The plan to help him grow stronger so that he could defeat the Demon King had become outdated.

Staring down Belkoseu, I spoke.

“Did you not hear?”

“Have you forgotten! Without my help, you cannot defeat the Demon King!”

“Ah. That was true 5 minutes ago.”

“What?”

“With how outdated your intel is, how can you be of any use?”

“You little….. You had planned to betray me…..”

“Isn’t it the same with you? This was an alliance that could not be held from the start. But you knew that as well, right?”

“……”

“I was just teasing to see your reaction, but since you can’t answer, I guess it was true?”

“Do not do something you’ll regret, human!”

“Regret? Instead of self reflection or regret, how about I show you something interesting?”

“…..”

I cast a Frozen Orb at him.

Frozen Orb was the lowest ranking skill, also known as a trash skill.

This pathetic attack grazed his cheek and continued to fly by.

However, I hadn’t just used Frozen Orb.

Since I was able to use all of my strength now, I had channeled additional mana into the skill to enhance it before sending it flying.

Purple blood spilled from his cheek.

This situation really didn’t make any sense to the average spectator.

To think that the one with the greatest vitality in the demonic realm would bleed profusely from a single Frozen Orb.

From looking at him, I could see that his eyes were filled with shock.

My attack ignored all resistances and had a 100% success rate.

On top of that, it prevented healing.

I gave him a sinister smile.

“Hurry up and try healing with your magical energy.”

“You made a mistake that you cannot take back……”

“Your injury is what that cannot be reversed, and have you really not understood the situation?”

“No matter how long it takes, I will rise in power and take the Demon King’s throne by myself. The first thing I shall do with the Demon King’s Authority will be to raise an army of death. After that, I shall immediately send them through the Gate that connects the demonic realm to Earth! Though to call it a fair punishment for your betrayal would be light…..”

“So can you recover.”

“An injury like this….. What! How can this be…..”

“You should’ve brought some ointment or something. You’d heal back in no time, right?”

Belkoseu had used magical energy to recover before.

However, the cut from the skill I used did not heal even after a long time.

With my arms crossed, I spoke with my head held high.

“Do you have the confidence to block any additional attacks?”

“…..”

“Even though you’ll have to live with the pain for an eternity?”

“Damn…..”

“What I want isn’t something so difficult.”

“…..”

“As you wish, I’ll give you the demonic realm onto the palm of your hands. How about it?”

“What are you up to! And how did you obtain so much power in such a short amount of time…..”

“Don’t bother trying to figure that out. Just remember this well. That if you mess with humans, you’ll get more than you bargained for.”

“Right now, you could tear me apart like a dirty rag and leave me to suffer an eternity in the demonic realm. But you’re saying that you’ll let me take the seat of the Demon King?”

“Yep. To be exact, it won’t be the seat of the Demon King. After all, since the one who becomes Demon King will be the one with the most amount of magical energy, and that will be me, naturally.”

“I’m sure that what you wish of me will be incredibly difficult.”

“That’s not the case.”

“…..”

“How about it? Would you like to at least hear me out?”

“Kuhu……”

Instead of negotiating a deal, I threatened Belkoseu.

I was sure that he would’ve noticed from my simple attack.

I had become an existence with a power far surpassing him in an instant.

“What I want is……”

---

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164. Demonic Realm Factory’s Plant Manager (Feat. Belkoseu)

Belkoseu flinched at the small cut on his cheek, unable to hide his shock.

It was an attack that came from Min-Cheol’s hand.

It wasn’t the flashy skills that he had been seeing, but a small chunk of ice had come out instead.

However, this attack that came out from this human’s hand shot out at a speed almost impossible for him to comprehend.

After all, it was so fast that he couldn’t even try avoiding it.

Not only that, but he also couldn’t ignore the power behind the attack.

However, the real reason why he was surprised wasn’t because of the destructive power behind the attack.

He was an immortal existence.

No attack could destroy him, and he never flinched to an attack before.

However, with this single attack, he had met with fear that he had never felt before.

Not only that, but the wound from the attack did not heal.

Since it was a simple injury, he had thought that he could recover using a little bit of magical energy.

If not, he had believed that after some time, it would heal on its own.

However, the injury didn’t show any signs of healing, and instead kept on bleeding out profusely.

The reality that Belkoseu faced was something far worse than what he had expected.

After Min-Cheol woke up from his sleep, even the aura around him was different.

It wasn’t as if he had the ability to sense powers other than magical energies, but he felt it for sure.

He was positive that Min-Cheol had grown several times stronger.

Not only that, but he also sensed that real death could be fast approaching him.

Belkoseu was like a flower in the demonic realm.

To him, Min-Cheol the human, who had come from Earth to the demonic realm, was something akin to a butterfly.

For someone who had difficulty growing stronger even if he struggled as much as he could, Min-Cheol had come and given him the opportunity for a tasty fruit to bear.

At the end though, he had planned to become a carnivorous plant to eat this insect instead.

Since he was aware of the Gate that led to Earth existing in Berdan’s territory, once he had obtained the title of Demon King, he was planning to rule over the human realm as well.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“…..”

“Won’t you focus? Can you still not understand your situation? Are you even listening to me?”

“What happened. I sense an unknown power from you…..”

“Glad to hear. I was worried that I had to bring you halfway to death in order to make you realize.”

“Kuu…..”

“I don’t plan to kill you. Isn’t that good news for you?”

“……”

“However, there is something you need to do. I guess this part isn’t that much of a good news?”

“What……. What will you have me do?”

Belkoseu, who had completely submitted under Min-Cheol’s strength, carefully asked a question instead of resisting.

“The Demon King and Ladin. They will disappear within days. Of course, they will die by my hand.”

“Im… Impossible!”

“What part of you needs to be cut off before you fix your habit of cutting people off?”

“Ugh……”

“From now on, if you have something to say, raise your hand and ask me for my permission. You will only speak after I give you permission, understood?”

“……”

“Answer me!”

“Ah! Yes!”

“Good. After all, you are immortal, right?”

“That’s right. I have the immortal Authority…..”

“You should think carefully if you know what’s good for you. After all, you could be subjected to the pain of your body being torn apart without being granted the sweet bliss of death, living like that forever.”

“What do you wish of me…..”

“Obedience. And for you to toil for me.”

“If you need monsters with the magical energy capacity that of a demon king candidate, I shall call forth as many as you need.”

“Hey. Look, buddy. I don’t need anything like that anymore.”

“…..”

“From now on, you shall become known as the demonic realm’s factory plant manager.”

“I do not understand what you mean by that.”

“Bloodstones. You shall bring me an amount that I will decide on each day.”

“Are you telling me to pick up those pathetic stones! I am Belkoseu, a being with an Authority that grants me immortality…..”

“You can do your self introductions later when you’re alone. Just answer.”

“Ahem!”

Belkoseu crossed his arms and turned his head to stare off into space.

This was obviously gesture of declination.

Despite his position, it must be due to his pride.

It was obvious for Min-Cheol to not take kindly to such a gesture.

Using Blink to get right next to Belkoseu, Min-Cheol raised his hand.

“AHHH!”

His forehead turned red as if on fire.

Despite being hit with just a flick of a finger, it had enough strength to blow apart most monsters.

Belkoseu held his forehead in his hands and asked.

“Wait! Then what shall I receive from this?”

“Good. You should’ve said that from the start. I’m not an evil employer after all.”

“Kuuu…”

“Obedience. And if you work hard, then you shall become the strongest monster in the demonic realm!”

“Oho! You plan to let me defeat the Demon King and Ladin with my own hands! I shall be obtaining their magical energies!”

“No, that’s not it. I can’t go back to the demonic realm without becoming the Demon King. Well, there is a Gate, but it’s not a full proof plan.”

“Then…..”

“If I absorb all the magical energies of Zekill, Berdan, Ladin, and Jamon, who are the leaders of the demonic tribes, then?”

“……”

“I will be holding onto over 90% of the magical energies of the demon realm, right?”

“That…. That’s right…..”

“Out of the remaining 10%, you’ll be the strongest.”

“Is that all!”

“Do you want to obey after you lose your arms and legs? Or do you want to work while you still have them?”

“Ahhhhh!”

Belkoseu flailed about in desperation.

Not able to hold back his anger, his entire body shook.

Not only that, but purple blood was coming out from his tightly clenched fists.

It seemed that he was quite angry.

“Hm?”

“I! I am Belkoseu! Holder of the immortal Authority Belkoseu! My destiny is to become the Demon King! That is why! I shall work while keeping my limbs intact!”

“You little….. To think that we had the same sense of humor.”

“Kuhu……. Just promise me one thing, human.”

“What is it?”

“As you demand, I shall continue sending bloodstones to Earth.”

“Right, right.”

“However, if the amount I delivered didn’t meet your demands or if I failed to deliver them properly, then……”

“Continue.”

“Do not come back to the demonic realm!”

“That’s nothing. If there is a good employee at the workplace, why would the boss come out to the store? Okay. This, I shall be happy to do so. After all, only by doing this will you have some pride still left as the best employee of the demonic realm.”

“I do not understand these concepts of shops and employees, but….. I shall take it that you have agreed.”

“Yeah. Since there is not an official contract, let us shake hands and settle on this. After all, I have a lot to do.”

Min-Cheol pulled Belkoseu’s hand and forcefully shook hands.

Belkoseu’s expression was the definition of having eaten shit.

Just from putting out his hand forward, Belkoseu was freaking out intensely and went into a defensive stance.

The reason why Min-Cheol didn’t kill Belkoseu and instead planned to use him as a source of bloodstones was the following.

As said beforehand, the Demon King and Ladin will soon be removed out of existence.

We still had 7 King’s Marbles, and now I had the power of the Piece of Time and Space.

Not only could I use mana, but I could now use it in any way I wanted to.

With this, I did not need to grow any stronger before I could defeat my opponents.

After that, as the one with the most amount of magical energy, I would naturally rise to the title of the Demon King.

Since the dawn of the demonic realm till now, I would have the most amount of magical energy by far of any Demon Kings in the past.

Since it will be over 90% of the magical energy in the demonic realm, it would be quite a lot more than any before.

If that is what comes to pass, then we would be able to return to Earth safely.

Not only that, but I could remove the portals and dungeons formed on Earth one-sidedly.

Removing the portals and dungeons on Earth was a good thing, obviously.

After all, I would be putting an end to the monsters causing destruction upon our world.

However, humans had adapted bit by bit since the monsters appeared.

The biggest example was the appearance of the mutant Awakened.

Also, bloodstones that dropped from defeating the monsters were incorporated into our society.

Right now, bloodstones had become a resource that humans couldn’t live without.

Not only were they responsible for keeping machinery and factories powered, but even the creation of the smallest everyday products required the stones.

But if the portals and dungeons disappeared, cutting off the supply of bloodstones to us humans?

It would cause chaos equivalent to the first appearance of portals on Earth.

To put it simply, it would be the equivalent of coal and fossil fuel that were the main source of energy 40 years ago disappear all of a sudden.

That is why Min-Cheol did not plan at all to remove all portals and the Gate that connected the demonic realm with Earth once he had risen to the seat of the Demon King.

It was the only way that humanity could be supplied with this stuff, so why would he.

Continuing to kill the monsters that spawned endlessly, humanity would continue obtaining the stones.

There wouldn’t be many who could do this job.

That is why I put Belkoseu on the table.

Sealing the deal with a threat, Min-Cheol called for Karin.

“Karin!”

“Keruru. What is it?”

“Let’s use your ability a bit.”

“Keruk? Is there a monster you’d like to locate? Who is it?”

“Demon King.”

“Kel?”

“Ah, I made a mistake.”

“Kehhehheh. I thought you went insane for a second, Min-Cheol. Without being insane, why would you go to the demon king? Kel kel.”

“Instead of the Demon King, let’s go find Ladin first. Well, I think they’d be together, so I guess it doesn’t matter.”

“Kehheh? Jong Ho! Min-Cheol is being strange! I think he didn’t sleep well!”

“Pfft. He’s fine. Please search them out for me.”

“Kehet! Have both of you given up! Have you lost your sights on getting back to Earth alive!”

“No, that’s not….”

“Keruk! I am disappointed at the two of you!”

Karin had no idea that Min-Cheol had become strong beyond description at this point.

It was to be expected, since Karin had been happily eating away some steaks after Min-Cheol had woken up.

To him, it must’ve looked like I was just trying to end this long journey in the demonic realm.

He must be thinking that I had given up on everything, planning to die at the hands of the Demon King and Ladin.

As he spoke out passionately, food from his mouth spewed forth all over the place.

Seeing this little goblin rage, I found it cute without understanding exactly why.

Jong Ho set about the difficult task of calming down the upset Puppet Goblin.

“Karin. We’ll be heading back to Earth now.”

“Kehheheh…… Min-Cheol, is it very difficult for you? You can talk to me. Family is supposed to be like this.”

“No, you fool! I’ve become incredibly strong. Not only Ladin, but I could easily defeat the Demon King now.”

“Keruuuuuuu. Jong Ho! Min-Cheol is hurting. I think he is hurting on the inside a lot.”

“Sigh. Let me show you. Hey, Belkoseu.”

“……”

“Let’s get this whole pecking order all cleared up. From now on, consider Jong Ho-hyung and Karin as equals to me and address them accordingly. Understood?”

“Kuhuu!”

“Finger flicking again?”

“Kuhu….. Understood…”

“And isn’t there a way to address people respectively in the demonic realm? Why are you not addressing me with respect since the moment we met.”

“Kel kel! There is! Even in the demonic realm, there is a way to refer others with respect in a way that follows etiquette.”

“Oho? Is that so? Sir Belkoseu? I ask that you address us respectively now, please?”

“Tsk! I understand…. Sir.”

“Kehhel! Kehhel! Kehhel! Say it properly!”

“Karin…. Sir…..”

“Keh heh heh heh!”

Karin laughed as if he had owned the entire world for quite some time.

His happy expression was as if he was swimming in a pile of steaks.

Without much thought, I looked at his expression for awhile.

I was hoping that the life in the demonic realm that I thought would never end would conclude happily as Karin’s laughter right now.

“Karin! Find us the Demon King!”

“Kel! Understood!”

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161. The Last Test

-snap!

I could hear this god snap her fingers.

This was the noise that sounded each time before the scenery changed.

At this god’s movement and the sound I heard, I automatically looked around me.

However, I could not see any changes.

The only thing that changed was that the illusion of my mother dissipated.

Next to me, I could hear the laughter of a young girl.

Of course, it was the god. Looking at her, I asked.

“I thought the last test began? Has it not yet?”

“Hehe. Nope! The test has started.”

“……”

“Why do you look at me like that? What! What! Hehehe.”

“Weren’t you the one to tell me to prove my strength to you?”

“Yep! That’s right! I can’t just hand over the powers of the Piece of Time and Space, right?”

“Hm… If that’s the case, there needs to be an opponent for me to demonstrate that.”

“Kekek!”

“Perhaps…. Are you telling me to face you?”

“Kahahaha.”

“Didn’t you say that you wouldn’t ask the impossible of me?”

“That’s right.”

“……”

“Don’t be so tense. This isn’t a test to defeat me.”

“But there’s nothing here……”

In a gesture to invite her to look around, I lifted my hand to point.

It was then.

I wasn’t sure when, but I hadn’t noticed all this time.

It was the fact that my body was several times heavier than usual.

Not only that, but I noticed that there was another arm below the arm I had raised to point.

“……”

“Hehe. I thought you caught on quickly, but I guess that’s not the case?”

“Is this the third test you were talking about?”

“Yep!”

“However, this test doesn’t end.”

“Hm?”

This was this god’s final test that I needed to pass in order to make mine the power behind the Piece of Time and Space.

It seemed that I needed to win against myself in a fight.

However, as this god had said, this fight wouldn’t end.

The reason for that was due to my Mana Shield.

Mana Shield could only be penetrated by a skill beyond ranking.

Not only that, but because I had successfully Transcended this skill, this shield had a chance to block skills beyond ranking at a fixed percentage.

That percentage was at a whopping 50%.

I had 3 skills beyond ranking in my arsenal.

Proof of Pledge, Dual Casting, and Archangel’s Fall.

All these skills weren’t offensive spells.

The only thing close to one was the Archangel’s Fall, and that spell was more akin to a support spell due to the fact that it raised my damage against monsters.

And it wasn’t as if the bonus damage worked against humans such as myself.

What would happen if another me, who has the same powers as I have, fight me while both of us have Mana Shields up?

Only the area around us would be destroyed, with no clear victor at the end.

She looked towards me for awhile with a playful childish look.

It was almost as if she was signaling me that she already knew what I was going to say and what I was thinking.

Her appearance was that of a cute little girl.

However, her personality was so cruel and vicious that I dreaded even thinking about it.

After a long silence, she spoke.

“You mean to say that the shields in this battle are too thick, right?”

“……”

“Hehe. That won’t do! This fight won’t be fun at all then. A boring fight where all you do is defend! We should start this fight by removing shields from both sides to make it fair. How about it? That’ll do, right?”

“That means…..”

“Hehe. From this moment on, you and your copy cannot use defensive skills. This is the rule of the test.”

“I cannot use defensive skills?”

I quickly opened the status window and checked my skills.

I was hoping that wouldn’t be so, but as this god had told me, I could not find any defensive skills.

Not only that, but all my recovery skills were sealed away as well.

I could only attack.

While I was deep in thought, another me had separated itself from my body and stood in front of me.

It was almost as if I was looking into a mirror.

Even its expression, armor, and weapon was the same as mine.

It was enough to unnerve me just how identical this copy was to me.

“I assume both of you are very well aware of how strong each other is, right? Hehe.”

“Of course. I know better than anyone else.”

“Then an explanation won’t be necessary, and right now I’m very excited, you know? I’m hoping that this begins as soon as possible…”

“Sure.”

Finishing her words, she seemed to turn and move away from me, but all of a sudden came back and whispered in my ear.

“Kehe. Do you think that you’re using all of your strength? Heh. Wrong. You’re not using your strength properly to its full potential. Learn well from this, though I guess you won’t be using this knowledge anywhere after you perish.”

“……”

I wanted to swear up a storm, but this was a god I was facing.

I couldn’t mess this up due to my pride.

Hearing the words through one ear and out the other, I ignored what she told me.

Not using the strength I had properly?

I thought that I possessed quite the sense in when and how to use the skills I possessed.

Something that could only be obtained from countless battle experiences, I guess?

This copy that stood in front of me, had it only copied my growth?

Or has it copied also my thought processes and my experiences?

Either way, it was obvious that this opponent was quite the difficult one to deal with.

The biggest reason being that I could not defend against it.

Just from it using Meteor Call, I would have my hands full trying to avoid it.

The god leaving the scene signaled the beginning of the fight.

The one who was ready to launch the first attack was the opponent.

Behind its back were many of the vastly powerful Butcher’s Swords.

It had casted Piercing Sword.

It was pretty smart for using this skill.

Piercing Sword was one of the skills that moved at the will of its user.

Since this fight did not include any defensive measures, it would seek its target more persistently.

“This copy is quite handsome. And smart to boot…”

It began its attack before I could even finish.

The opponent it targeted was just me.

There were a vast number of swords that flew towards me at once.

If I had my shields, I wouldn’t have even bothered to try avoiding or blocking against this attack skill that wasn’t even beyond ranking.

However, the situation was different.

It was so very different.

My choice to counter the flying swords was to use Iceberg and Devil Avatar.

Just with my fight against Joker before, Iceberg was quite useful as a defensive measure.

It was solid enough to hold out against most attacks, and even its size was massive.

It was obvious that this skill would be very important in this fight.

Due to my lack of a Mana Shield, I could cast three spells at once.

I used Iceberg in front of me to block the flying swords, and then casted Gravity Laser.

Gravity Laser attacked all that was in its range.

The attack would also become more concentrated the fewer targets there were.

An orb appeared in the air and a summoned Devil Avatar charged at my copy.

-crack!

“Ha….. You’re also blocking with that?”

“…….”

It seemed that this would become quite the extended fight.

Not only did this copy possess my ability and growth, but it also had copied my fighting style as well.

I smashed a Meteor into the Iceberg it had summoned.

Meteor and Iceberg were of the same ranking and dealt a similar amount of damage.

When these two skills meet, they cancel each other out completely.

You could say that these skills were the polar opposites of each other.

Leaving behind glittering shards of ice behind, most skills had canceled each other out.

It was the same with how this copy destroyed my Iceberg I was using as a shield.

The same strength and thought process.

“Even if I used Mass Stealth Jutsu, you’d use Eye of Insight to see right through it. Just what do I need to do defeat you?”

“Same with me. I am another you.”

“Oho…. You even speak? I’m too scared to even die, considering that you might impersonate me.”

“You won’t be able to surpass me.”

“At the rate this is going, I think we’re going to tie? As you said, you are just another me, right?”

“Kuhu! I am foaming at the mouth from all this wasted talent that is rotting away because of you!”

“Huh?”

“Endless mana. To think that you’re only using it to cast skills.”

“What do you mean?”

“I shall show you. Your special trait! Your ability! Used to its full 100% potential!”

“…..”

“Kuaaa!”

I wondered just what nonsense it was spitting out.

The only way humans could use their mana was through the use of skills.

I had never thought otherwise all this time.

However, here was this clone, berating me.

I looked at my copy as if I was looking at an insane person.

With its ringing shout, this copy had given up on all defense and stood still.

Thinking that it had gone mad, I charged it.

There was no attack worth allowing to be attacked freely in such a vulnerable state.

To exchange one’s life to attack was going overboard and an incorrect decision.

Especially if there wasn’t any ways to defend oneself.

This was the case at least for me.

Without a single hesitation, I stabbed it with my sword.

After that, I used Formless Sword Aura.

It was because I was being too hasty with the idea of trying to deal a heavy amount of damage to my copy.

However, I didn’t deal that much damage.

The reason for that was simple.

My strength was over 30,000. However, my stamina stat was far over 50,000.

Due to my miscalculations, I had made a mistake that had wasted what little precious time I had.

However, I believed that my continued attacks with Formless Sword Aura would cover the mistake.

“Damn it! Why did I raise so much of my stats!”

With the Wild Beast activated, my Formless Sword Aura attack countlessly stabbed away at my copy.

I sliced and stabbed repeatedly in a crazy frenzy.

Due to the skill’s rank and destructive force, the difference in the strength stat and stamina stat had been covered for awhile.

The end was approaching.

-gulp.

“Damn it…. No way…..”

“UWOOOOO!”

Something that I didn’t even want to consider a possibility had occurred.

It had swallowed something.

That something was the King’s Marble.

Noticing the changes to its body, I became sure of it.

“You little shit!”

“Kuhahaha!”

In an instant, its body turned to a slightly reddish hue.

This process continued until its color changed black like charcoal.

Thanks to the effects of the King’s Marble, its body had become immortal.

Even the body that had been pierced all over had recovered in an instant.

There was still one more huge issue.

That issue was the effect of the marble that granted twice the offensive power to its user for a minute.

Even resorting to letting out a roar, it had created something.

It was using a skill that I did not possess.

This spellcasting motion was something that I had never seen nor heard of before.

It had created something insane that was completely different from anything so far.

Not only that, but it was twice as strong what it would have been normally.

“What…. What is that…..”

“I told you! I said that I would use 100% of your potential!”

“I had never learned that skill! What…..”

“Kuhu. Skill? I understand that you cannot use magical energies. After all, it is a power that our kind cannot use. However, you’re saying that someone who cannot even use the mana that they were hand fed will obtain the power of the Piece of Time and Space? Shut up with that nonsense!”

“Damn it……”

---

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162. Control+C, Control+V

“You’re just an illegal fake copy…..”

“Observe well! This is what true power is! This is how you use power!”

“…..”

A massive tower appeared behind it.

The tower glowed in a bluish hue.

It didn’t appear solid, but anyone could tell from a glance that massive amounts of mana had been compressed into it.

A pure white pupil formed at the top of the tower.

I did not know of its capabilities or use, but I sensed that it was dangerous.

Not letting down my guard, I kept watch of the tower.

“What is that….”

“Take this! While you lament in your helpless state, receive the attack of the Magician Tower!”

“……”

As soon as it had finished talking, a bright light shone from the tower, almost as if exploding.

Magics that I’ve never even heard nor seen before came forth at me.

Attack skills had their own elemental types.

Fire, ice, and electrical attacks were the most common out of the spells being hurled towards me, with other types being mixed into the barrage.

-crack!

“My Iceberg is being shattered this easily? And to an electrical attack? Shit……”

Iceberg could only be destroyed by polar opposite skills, yet it was being destroyed by a simple electrical magic.

The power behind the spells from that Magician Tower was immense.

No, it would be more accurate to call it downright insane.

The one good thing for me was that the tower was stationary.

I did not know the full attack range of the tower, but it wasn’t likely that it covered this large battlefield.

Thus, if I was able to escape its activation range, I would be able to nullify that tower without taking any heavy damage.

Continuing to use Iceberg as a shield, I made distance between myself and the tower.

If things were normal, I would be using up a shield or two and escape the distance in one leap, but due to the endless barrage of attacks, I could not do so in this situation.

“Just how far do I need to back up?”

“Kuhaha! Are you trying to escape the range of my tower?”

“…….”

“Good. Try to flee with all your might! I’ll make it as many times as needed!”

“It doesn’t just end with one? Damn it!”

According to this copy, the Magician Tower could be created infinitely.

If I keep holding out and it just keeps spawning more Magician Towers to cover the entire battlefield in its range?

That would conclude in my defeat.

Only if I was able to control my mana to my will like this copy did, but that was impossible.

So instead my plan went like so.

As stated before, this copy was identical to me.

This also meant that the number of King’s Marbles would be the same as mine.

Out of the 5 marbles, I had to make this copy consume at least one more before me.

Whenever it creates a Magician Tower, it will be open to attacks.

When that happens, it will have to consume a King’s Marble.

Since it had consumed one already, this copy would only have 4 marbles left.

I had to increase the advantage further. I had to make the copy use as many marbles as possible before I have to.

“What are you thinking about? Hm? Are you thinking of a strategy to win?”

“……”

“Know this. There is no such way. Once these towers are summoned all over this area, no matter how much you struggle for you life defending, you will lose your life.”

“Not sure who you take after, but you sure talk a lot. Shut up and go build your towers, you little shit!”

“Pfft! I shall do as you say. Keyaaaa!”

‘Good. Looks like I can make it consume another marble.’

The copy did not chase me past the range of the Magician’s Tower.

Instead of coming close and overextending to summon another tower, it stood near the already summoned tower that had stopped its attacks due to me being out of range to summon another tower.

There was one huge issue with my plan though.

The problem was that the way I thought would easily become the way it thinks as well.

This copy also knew just how important these marbles would be to the conclusion of this battle.

However, it wasn’t as if there was no other way.

After all, I had skills that had longer ranges than that of the tower.

These skills were Explosion and Holy Missile.

The destructive force wouldn’t match that of a Formless Sword Aura with the Wild Beast going off or that of Meteor level S ranking skill, but they were still very destructive.

Since the copy could not use shields, I was positive that it would deal massive amounts of damage.

I busily moved my previously idle hands.

Targeting only at its body, I casted a barrage of instant cast spells without rest.

With all the skills hitting their mark, it seemed that the damage was beginning to rack up.

‘Hurry up and eat it already. Shove down that King’s Marble!’

Almost as if my pleas were heard, I saw its Adam’s apple move.

-gulp.

“Good……. With this, it’s over.”

The copy of myself swallowed the marble in its mouth without a second thought.

At this moment, one could say that the victor in this fight was already decided.

And that victor would be me.

Why?

With this, this copy only had 3 marbles left.

I, on the other hand, still had 5.

With how our healing skills were sealed away, there was no possibility that Status Denial would be used in this fight.

No matter how strong the Magician Tower is, I would be able to ignore it easily with a one minute immortality buff.

From now on, I’m going to stick on this copy and not let it escape.

One minute of immortality. Once that ended, it would consume another.

Another minute and it would so again, and after another minute, again.

Without a King’s Marble to help against my attacks, it would be difficult for it to survive.

Just like that, the one to consume the marbles one by one and run out of them first would be the copy.

A battle of attrition had begun.

I’m sure that my copy had thought this through carefully and decided on a drawn out fight.

You could say that it had planned quite far ahead.

However, there was something that it didn’t consider.

The scariest person in the world is not someone who meticulously plans ahead and follows it without a single mistake, but someone who lives as if it is their last day.

Finishing the creation of a Magician Tower, the copy called forth summons.

They were King Suwoo and Devil Avatar.

I knew that with a Meteor or two, they would be defeated.

Was it because it wanted to decrease as much as damage it was going to take while it created the next Magician Tower?

However, the copy probably also knew that doing this was pointless.

I observed it for a brief moment instead of acting right away.

The copy began to pour in mana into the giant summoned creatures.

Absorbing the mana, the summoned creatures became even bigger in size, and the amount of killing intent that they let out increased to another level.

Just exactly how many ways could one use mana?

I felt ashamed at myself that had been only using mana for skills all this time.

After receiving mana, the summoned creatures covered the copy with their bodies.

This probably meant that it was attempting to not use anymore marbles.

After all, it had enough defensive capabilities now to hold off against my Explosion and Holy Missile attacks.

“You’ve even got my smarts. But you know, sometimes charging in with reckless abandon is the right choice.”

“Haha. What? If anyone else heard you right now, they’d think that you are the winner of this fight.”

“Why, anyone can see that this is my victory…..”

“You won’t be able to damage me with those quick cast spells no matter how much you try. What will you do? Will you get in the range of my tower to try attacking me? Or will you accept your death and watch as a new tower is created?”

“Observe well, smartass.”

I threw all 5 of the King’s Marbles into my mouth that I had been keeping in my armor.

It was impossible for me to eat them one by one whenever I was in danger.

Not only that, but this copy would try to flee as fast as it could within the range of the tower.

This plan that I had carried out with a small gesture and everything on the line could go awry.

Kicking the ground, I shot forward at it like a bullet.

Due to being in the range of the Magician Tower, a barrage of magical skills came hurtling towards me.

Defensive measures? I did not need such a thing.

The reason why I had waited until I had two more than the copy was that.

On one hand, I could not guarantee that I would win with this.

I had to calculate the damage that I would take from the tower after all.

“Ugh!”

Even the short while during the time it took me to close the gap, I felt a great amount of pain.

However, I did not give in to the pain and kept my eyes trained on the copy.

The other me was smiling sinisterly at me from behind the summoned creatures.

Staring it down, I swallowed the first marble.

“Kuwahhhh!”

The moment that I swallowed the marble, all the pain that was blocking everything out disappeared as if it was never there in the first place.

On top of that, I felt a power surge from somewhere from my body.

I put a level of strength that I could not control on top of the S ranking skills I possessed.

From the sky came Blizzard and Meteor.

From the ground came Iceberg and Glacial Field.

Not only that, but I used Chain Explosion, which I could not use without a shield.

“Urgh!”

Despite the summoned creatures having received mana to become a rank stronger, they were torn apart as if they were nothing.

Only then did it seem to react and turned around to try escaping.

However, it was too late.

I had become 2 times stronger due to the marbles.

My strength and speed had far surpassed my copy’s.

With how shocked it was, only after did I grab it by the cuff of its collar did it swallow a marble.

“Cuffing time. Gotcha, you little shit!”

“Ah! You’re crazy.”

“Crazy…… Despite not wanting to be called that, for some reason I feel good.”

“Argh!”

Due to the marbles in my mouth, not only did what I say incoherent, but drool was spilling out.

I could’ve avoided looking like a fool by not talking, but how could I hold back when I’m in a situation this satisfying and cathartic.

I was smiling, continuing to drool.

I looked absolutely insane, but I did not feel any shame.

Grabbing a hold of my copy, I casted a barrage of spells down on it.

Most area of effect spells also deal some damage to the caster as well.

The copy struggled to escape, but it could not do so.

A minute had already passed amidst the storm of spells.

Noticing that its body was cooling down from the previous heated form, my copy swallowed another marble.

“Two.”

“Aargh!”

Two marbles left.

It would all end soon.

-gulp.

“AHH! LET ME GO! YOU’RE INSANE!”

“One.”

“DAMN IT!”

“Zero.”

“PLEASE! AHH!”

“32, 31, 30…… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, bye.”

“A…. ugh!”

****

“Oho?”

“As you can see, I won.”

“……”

“I passed all the tests you’ve given me.”

“Hehe. I did think that you weren’t an ordinary human……. But to think that you’d actually succeed.”

“As promised, I demand that you give me the power of a Piece of Time and Space.”

“A promise is a promise. I’m curious as to how things will be, you know?”

“Happy ending. That’s it. Do I need to explain further?”

“Pfft. No. I hope that things go as you will it to. It won’t be all sunshine and rainbows though. Let’s meet again, human.”

-snap!

---

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