Author: Xerenity

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154. Hide and Seek

While I was busily looking through the pile of loot that Ifrit dropped using Eye of Insight, I noticed Karin and Belkoseu’s strange behavior.

Almost as if they had planned this before, their shoulders raised up in astonishment, and they could not hide both their fear and shock.

I thought at first that perhaps the Demon King had come near, but I could instinctively tell that something far worse had occurred.

I asked Belkoseu, who was staring blankly into space.

“Hey, Belkoseu. And Karin too. Why are the both of you so shocked? Is the Demon King coming?”

“Kuhuu….. I would rather welcome the Demon King……..”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The Demon King really has done it.”

“What do you mean he did it?”

“He has undone the seal on the Chimera. All of the demonic realm will be destroyed. The worst case scenario has come true.”

“The Chimera……”

“Jamon….. No, it might be even stronger than him. From this moment on, it’ll begin its hunt.”

“…….”

“It will begin searching for someone strong enough who can give him a promising battle. It will take its time enjoying butchering its opponents. Not only that, but none can escape the Chimera once it starts tracking you down, and this includes the spell you use to escape the Demon King each time…..”

“You mean that the Chimera can accurately pinpoint the location of magical energy signatures?”

“That’s right. It can use the ability that Karin is using, and without a cooldown to boot. And with how fast it moves…… No matter how much we try to outrun it, it will eventually catch up with us. Your human physical capabilities are amazing, but compares against the Chimera, it’s nothing but a petty parlor trick.”

“Karin.”

“Keruk!”

“What do you think we should do?”

Hoping that Karin had something in mind, I asked him.

However, it didn’t seem that Karin had anything concrete.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Karin spoke up.

“Keruuu…… Min-Cheol. The length of time the Chimera is released for isn’t that long. In human time, it will take roughly 12 hours. However, it won’t be easy avoiding it for 12 hours.”

“The Chimera isn’t an opponent we can face right now. This means that we’ll have to completely hide ourselves in the demonic realm until the Chimera is sealed away again…..”

“Kel. As you are aware, there is a way. However, it is true that this method is highly dangerous.”

“Are you talking about going through the Gate and hiding back on Earth?”

“That’s right. However…… If we do get stuck in the crack between dimensions….. You will probably come to the conclusion that it would’ve been better to die at the jaws of the Chimera.”

That was right. It wasn’t as if there was absolutely no way to avoid facing off with the Chimera.

However, as Karin had said, that solution would be highly risky.

If we did get stuck in the crack in between dimensions, we would be forced to wander in a space where time has stopped, cursed to stay forever and spend a hellish eternity.

The chances for that to occur wasn’t that high, but I didn’t even know what was going to happen a few hours from now, so who knows what would happen if we took the chance.

“It’ll be the equivalent meeting tiger after trying to avoid a fox. Can we not do as what Berdan did, which would be to hide our magical energy as much as possible in order to avoid being tracked down by the Chimera?”

“The Demon King and Ladin have probably already done so, since they are aware of the strength that the Chimera carries…….”

“Belkoseu, is it possible for you to do so as well? Do you have an Authority that lets you hide magical energy signatures?”

“That’s right. However, the Chimera probably already has detected our magical energy signatures. No matter how much we try to hide it now….. Even the slightest amount of magical energy we give off, it’ll find us using that. The Chimera is not an easy opponent in the slightest.”

Listening to what Belkoseu was saying, I couldn’t help but feel the anger inside of me rise.

We couldn’t win.

We couldn’t escape.

We couldn’t avoid being chased down.

The conclusion that was drawn was that we were going to be defeated no matter what in the end.

It was as if he were spectating a fire across a river, acting as if this was none of his business.

Not hiding my anger, I stared at Belkoseu and spoke curtly.

“Hey, Belkoseu. I know that you have the body of an immortal, but that’s not the case for us. So stop beating the bush and tell us a solution if you can think of one! Have you forgotten? Without us, even after an insane amount of time passes, you still won’t be able to rise to the seat of the Demon King, right?”

However, as if finding this whole situation amusing, Belkoseu faintly smiled while speaking.

There wasn’t a single part of him that I liked.

However, without any plans, we couldn’t help but listen intently at what he was saying.

“The first thing we have to do is to leave this place immediately.”

“……”

“We do not know which monster the Chimera has targeted right now. Like a predator hunting for its prey, once it sets its sights on a target, it does not lose it. I pray that we were not selected as the first target.”

“What about after? Do we need to keep hiding our magical energy and hide the entire time?”

“You’ve gotten half of it right. We will continue hiding our magical energies and stay on the move. And while we travel around, we will be leaving behind bait to keep it off our tail as best we can. In order to reduce the chance of being found out, we’ll be leaving behind some very tantalizing bait for sure.”

“Bait?”

“We’ll be leaving traces of magical energy all over the place.”

“Continue.”

“These traces of magical energies will work like illusions. It will be similar to the magical energy you’re exuding, but this shell that you’re leaving behind will be empty. If there are magical energy readings with the same color spread out all over the place in the demonic realm? That means that the chances of it finding us will be reduced by that much.”

“So we’ll be making false copies to confuse the Chimera?”

“That’s right.”

“Guess we have no other choice. Karin, please hurry up and pick these up. We’ll be leaving immediately.”

“Kehkel! Understood.”

Karin urgently picked up all the loot.

I noticed that Jong Ho was standing next to him with a hopeless expression.

Almost as if talking to himself, he muttered.

“Sigh…… Do I have to write out the will I’ve been thinking of in my head now? There’s not even a single peaceful day, is there.”

“Are you the negativity man or something. Hyung-nim, hurry up and pick up the jewels and stones. We don’t have time.”

“Alright.”

“Hyung-nim! Even if you’re going to die, you cannot die! Do you understand?”

“What a strange declaration, but for some reason, I can put my trust in it.”

****

Following Belkoseu’s plan, we moved without rest.

Thankfully, we did not encounter the Chimera so far.

However, we knew that it would eventually come searching for us.

After all, there was no way that the Chimera would leave alone the two humans with the 3rd and 4th most magical energy after all.

The artifacts and the skill books we’ve obtained wasn’t of that much importance compared to the current situation we were in.

Due to the Chimera’s appearance, there was a 12 hour timer of death ticking, so the loot that dropped wasn’t on my list of priorities at this moment.

Right now, priority stood with doing all that we could to survive.

Coming back from beyond the edge of the demonic realm, we noticed the giant orbs in the sky.

Belkoseu knew exactly what they were.

These orbs basically told us how long the Chimera had left before being sealed away again.

As we moved throughout the demonic realm, Belkoseu copied our forms and began to put them all over the place.

It was an amazing ability to say the least.

Not only did it copy my outer appearance perfectly, but even the color of the magical energy that was being exuded was the same.

Even Karin, who had the ability to detect magical energy signatures, could not discern which magical energy was ours when he had his eyes closed.

With this much, I had hope again that we’d be able to escape the Chimera.

Time passed by as we continued to move feverishly.

The dark red orbs in the sky had been reduced to 3 at this point.

For a moment, we could see the Chimera’s silhouette swallowing the giant orb in one bite.

From just a glance, its shape didn’t look that much different from a Manticore.

However….. if we could see its shadow this clearly from the other side of the demonic realm, I could not even begin to imagine just how large it was.

The one positive was that the Demon King had stopped his hunt after us.

It must be that the Chimera’s existence was also a huge obstacle for the Demon King.

If the Demon King was also on the move right now, this would become a living hell.

Time passed some more.

There was only a single orb in the sky left.

Since each orb disappeared roughly every 2 hours 30 minutes, this meant that there was 5 hours or so left before we could stop running.

Traces of our magical energy had been spread far and wide throughout the demonic realm.

Since these copies were identical to the original, the Chimera wouldn’t be able to find us right away without an insane amount of luck.

My anxiety had dissipated enough for me to start feeling hunger again.

Counting the time since the battle with Ifrit, we had been moving on an empty stomach for quite the time.

While we were running as fast as we could, I spoke to Karin, who was cradled in my arms.

“Hey, Karin.”

“Kerut?”

“Can you pull out something to eat from your pouch?”

“Keheh…. Can you actually eating something in this situation?”

“We’re different from you guys. It’s nearly a day since we last ate.”

“Keruuu…..”

“Do you also want to eat something, hyung-nim?”

“Whew. I’ll decline. I feel like I’ll throw up no matter what I eat right now.”

“Is that so? Then at least drink some water. I feel like you’re going to collapse before we even finish running away from the Chimera.”

“No, no. I feel like I’m going to choke even if it is water. Don’t mind me, you should eat.”

“I understand. We just need to wait out roughly 5 more hours. Let’s hold on a little longer.”

“Right. I don’t think time has gone this slowly before in my life.”

“Karin, is it possible to search the location of the Chimera? To check the distance between us, I mean.”

“Sadly, it cannot be done. The Chimera does not exude any magical energy.”

“Hasn’t it been going around picking strong monsters to butcher as it pleased? Then shouldn’t the magical energies of the those monsters go to the Chimera…..”

“Normally, that’s the case.”

“That means that the Chimera in holding onto a massive amount of magical energy. Is it possible that similar to how Ifrit was, it does not have magical energy at all?”

“Keru. That’s right. No matter how much Belkoseu and I stay on guard, we won’t be able to predict its approach. However, as you saw when it swallowed one of the orbs, the Chimera is massive in size, so we should be able to see it coming with just our eyes alo-…..”

As Karin was about to finish speaking, something giant suddenly blocked our path forward.

Only after seeing it did we hear the sound of its decent, which sent out a massive shockwave.

Since it broke the sound barrier, that meant that whatever it was in our path was faster than sound itself.

“…….”

“Keh…… Heh…….”

“…….”

“Kurururung. Kuhuhung!”

We were running at incredible speeds.

This giant monster had suddenly blocked our path.

Due to how massive this monster was, its shadow completely covered the area around us.

Its fierce Fear howling made Karin faint on the spot.

It must be its incredible killing intent that pressured Karin into submission.

“Kuhuk……. I spread countless traces all over. Chimera….. How did you….”

From Belkoseu’s mouth did a sigh-like monologue came out.

Chimera. It had appeared before us now.

Sounding like metal being grated together, it spoke.

“You playthings before I go to the Demon King hide pretty well. Kurururu……”

---

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153. Chimera’s Release

“As Demon King, I command you! Chimera, cease your endless rest and show yourself before me!”

“…….”

“Demonstrate your strength! Show your existence, the very same existence that strikes fear into all of the demonic realm! I command you in the name of the Demon King!”

“Answer the Demon King’s call! Chimera!”

The Demon King’s roar rang through the skies and earth.

After his summons, the landscape of the demonic realm completely changed in an instant.

The demonic realm was bathed in purple light before, but now, as if someone had taken away the light itself, it became dark.

It seemed as though a night without a speck of moonlight had fallen over the demonic realm.

The Fear roars of monsters throughout the demonic realm rang throughout following that.

Was it because a darkness so pitch black that you could not see in front of you had come over them?

That could be part of the reason.

However, the Fear roars they let out all carried a hint of terror and fear.

They must instinctively sense with their bodies of the great calamity that was about to arrive.

The pitch dark blackness didn’t last long.

The dark skies of the demonic realm became smeared with red.

It was almost as the skies were painted with the blood of humans.

Five dark red spheres floated in the sky.

The spheres looked similar to how the sun appeared from Earth.

Including the Demon King and Ladin, not many would know what those red spheres meant.

The weaker monsters were busy trying to hide themselves, and there were many amongst them that went weak at the legs and collapsed on the spot.

The Demon King had undone the seal on the Chimera. The dark red suns floated above the castle where the Demon King was.

In the middle of the 5 suns, the Chimera showed its form.

Many heads clung to its body as if they were parasitic, its body twitching along in a disgusting fashion.

The Chimera had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, the tail of a serpent, and the wings of a bat.

Its appearance seemed similar to the Chimera back on Earth, but the size of its body was enough to cover the skies of the demonic realm.

Not only that, but it was so strong that it could not be even compared to the Kelvecore.

“Kuhhhhuhg!”

The Chimera flapped its huge wings and landed in front of the Demon King’s castle.

With just its appearance, the monsters on the field perished without even being able to scream.

With just the flap of its wings and a single howl, the monsters were turned to dust.

Jamon stood up and walked outside of his castle.

It was to face the Chimera.

Even Ladin, who was shaking with fear, followed the Demon King outside.

The whole area was tense.

The castle door opened, and Jamon met with the Chimera that was guarding the entrance.

Due to the sheer amount of fear, Ladin could only stare down at the ground.

He could not even bring himself to look at the Chimera.

After all, he knew best what unsealing the Chimera would bring forth than anyone else, since he had witnessed the chaos firsthand before.

Chimera’s breath from its nostril were kicking up thick dust.

After a short moment, Chimera’s eyes met with the Demon King Jamon and gave off a mysterious smile.

Chimera then lowered its head and laid down on the ground.

Even while showing respect towards the Demon King, it did not stop staring at his eyes.

Stepping on the frozen ground that froze over from the cold air coming off of the Chimera, the Demon King came closer.

Standing right before the Chimera, the Demon King spoke.

“I am the Demon King Jamon. The one who has summoned you here is me.”

“Kurururu.”

“I am aware of your strength due to hearing about it constantly. Enough strength to consume the demonic realm. I am speaking about your absolute power that no one can stop.”

“Kuru……”

“I am also very well aware of how little time you have left. The first unsealing in hundreds of years……. You want to start running wild as soon as possible, right? You want to go through the demonic realm like a hurricane, bringing destruction in your path? I know that you want to release all of your inhibitions that you’ve been holding back.”

“Kururu……. That’s right……. However, do you have the confidence to not regret setting me free, Demon King?”

Chimera asked the Demon King while letting out an intense killing intent.

The reason why the Chimera lowered its head before the Demon King was simple.

Access to the Chimera was one of the Authorities the Demon King had.

Only the Demon King can undo the seal and summon the Chimera here.

Other than that method, there was no other way for the Chimera to appear.

What was to follow after that was unfathomable, but since the Chimera was summoned thanks to the Demon King, it was only natural that it show respect.

Jamon also looked into Chimera’s eyes as he spoke.

“Did you mention regret? From the way you speak, I can tell just how pathetic and weak the Demon Kings before me were. However, I am different. As the Demon King king who has called you forth, I have all the qualifications needed to be your master!”

“Kururung. We’ll find out soon enough……. I hope that you aren’t wrong. I do not want to be disappointed by an easy fight…..”

“You won’t be disappointed. Instead, that spot will be taken by regret and remorse.”

While the conversation between the two continued, Ladin kept on sneaking peeks at the Chimera.

He kept staring back down at the ground, but during the times that he peeked, he saw it clearly.

What he saw were things attached to the Chimera, clearly greatly suffering away.

What he saw was a blast from the past, a time when the 6 demonic tribe leaders fought for the throne of the demon king, with the demon tribe Gan winning for a brief moment and allowing one to rise to the title of Demon King, Seu Reol.

To end the war, Seu Reol had undone the seal of the Chimera.

Ladin saw him and the other 5 tribe leaders letting out terrifying screams filled to the brim with pain, attached to the body of the Chimera.

That’s right. Those who lost their lives to the Chimera did not meet their ends with death.

Even while the Chimera was sealed and resting, those who lost to the Chimera were to suffer eternal pain that was so intense, none could endure it without letting out horrific screams.

This punishment was to last until the Chimera, who none could dare defeat, was to be completely eliminated.

As if Ladin had seen something he shouldn’t have, his body trembled more intensely.

He had stood opposed until the end about releasing the Chimera.

He wasn’t aware of the suffering one would endure after being defeated by the Chimera, but he was aware of the catastrophe summoning the Chimera would bring.

Ladin wasn’t even aware of himself shaking his head and muttering to himself.

“No…… We’ll all die…… Summoned something that should have not been……. We’re all going to die……… I can’t end up like them….. I can’t.”

However, his mutterings were drowned out by the sound the Chimera’s breathing and did not reach the Demon King’s ears.

Even while that was happening, the conversation between the Chimera and the Demon King continued.

“Chimera. Shouldn’t you get going now?”

“The moment that I consume one of those orbs in the skies, I will move like a whirlwind through the demonic realm. To find a stronger magical energy essence. To find a stronger opponent……. I shall enjoy butchering, stepping down on everything, bringing destruction, and annihilate everything. Everything in the demonic realm that I have arrived in!”

“Pff. That is what I want as well. Before you become sealed away again, it seems that this will be our first and last time conversing. Destroy everything in this realm. I command you as your master.”

“Kururu. There won’t be a need to set targets. No matter how well you hide your magical energy, I will find you…..”

“Kuhahaha! Sounds like you want to be put back to sleep before your time is up, weakling……”

“Then….. I shall begin…….. As I kill my way up from the bottom, I’m sure you’ll be somewhere at the end. It won’t take that long. A Demon King……  different from the previous Demon Kings. When the time comes, you’ll have to prove me your strength.”

“Good. Hurry now. Go and consume everything. Afterwards, find me. I shall face you as much as you want!”

“Kururung…….”

The moment that the Demon King finished speaking, the Chimera swiftly flapped its wings and took to the skies.

The cries of all the monsters fused with the Chimera that seemed to tear apart the very air grew further and further away.

Seeing the Chimera flying further and further away, the Demon King leisurely walked back into the castle with a slightly more relaxed expression.

The Chimera only enjoyed battles and butchering.

It had held back all this time, now recalling the taste of blood that it had never forgotten once, hunting monsters with stronger magical energy signatures after each kill.

Included in those list of targets would be the humans and Belkoseu.

Ladin and himself could also become targets of the Chimera, but the Demon King believed that this was the best solution to put the troublesome humans to rest forever.

It would be great if Belkoseu, who had the Authority that gave him immortality, also perished in the jaws of the Chimera, but he didn’t expect that to be the case.

After all, Belkoseu was an existence that could not be annihilated.

Moving with complete confidence that he would not be defeated, the Demon King headed back into the castle.

Flying close to one of the dark red orbs in the sky, the Chimera consumed one of them with a single bite.

Its large jaws had no trouble consuming one of the orbs.

The 5 orbs signified how much time was left.

After swallowing all five orbs, it wouldn’t be long before the Chimera would be sealed away once more.

How ironic the situation was, since it had to take the very action that would seal itself.

However, until it consumed the first orb, the Chimera could not kill anything or anyone.

After a certain amount of time, it would need to eat another orb to continue.

Without any other options, it had to enduring consuming the orbs.

The effect of the orbs didn’t end there.

Depending on the rank of the orb consumed, it allowed a greater amount of its strength to become unsealed.

To explain this simply, the first orb consumed would be the equivalent of an Awakened learning a skill.

The second orb consumed would grant strength equivalent to a an Awakened Awakening a skill after having it reach level 100.

The third orb would mean strength equivalent to an Awakened reaching level 200 on a skill and Transcending it.

The five orbs split into each rank allowed the Chimera to display far more powerful strength with each consumed.

Having consumed the first orb and releasing its first stage of power, it began to hunt for its prey with fire in its eyes.

Accurately pinpointing the location of its first prey in one attempt, it flapped its wings and flew forward with incredible speed.

“Kuruuuu! I have waited for hundreds of years. I seek ones that will give me the thrill of battle…… An opponent who will leave me scars that won’t heal……. If the fight is anything like the previous letdown, I shall turn the entire demonic realm into ashes!”

****

Min-Cheol had defeated Ifrit.

Karin, who had categorized the pile of loot, was whistling a tune with excitement at the thought of steak nicely sizzling away.

Everything was going so well that it was enough to make one worry.

Both Karin, who was whistling away with joy, and Belkoseu, who was looking at the scene with a treacherous expression, both twitched their bodies as if struck by lightning.

Since we were past the edge of the demonic realm, we were surrounded by pitch black darkness.

That was why Jong Ho and I had no idea that the scenery of the demonic realm had changed.

However, being the monsters that they were, Karin and Belkoseu could sense it.

At this very moment, they knew that something that shouldn’t exist had been summoned forth.

“KEH HEH EHHHHHHHHHH!”

“Kuhu…… What a fool. So he has actually resorted to this……”

---

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152. Ifrit (2)

“S…. Status….. Denial……”

As if leaving a will right before passing away, I casted Status Denial.

As you know, Status Denial returns the body to a state the caster wishes.

However, it could only be used on targets that haven’t died yet.

It was most effective to use it right before death.

I didn’t intend for things to end up like this, but I was in a state where I felt like I was going to stop breathing any second.

What I spoke out with my last breath, Status Denial, completely restored by body.

The skill had returned by body to a state right before my battle with Ifrit began.

The spikes that pierced my body had disappeared as if they had never been there before, and my body that was ripped and pierced were spotless without injury once more.

It had a downside of a 24 hour cooldown, but with how powerful the effect of the skill was, it was something I could live with.

The current score was 1 to 1.

Using my Reflect Shield, I had cut its core in half.

Ifrit’s attack had destroyed all my shields and brought me at death’s door.

The score was the same, but it was in my favor.

After all, Ifrit only had half its core left, but I had fully recovered.

Jong Ho must’ve also seen how pathetically I was done in.

I could not turn around to face him.

Forget shame, I didn’t have the confidence to look at Jong Ho’s expression filled with heartache and worry.

Normally, our relationship was that of constant bickering, but during times like this, you can call it a love and hate relationship?

Only after completely destroy Ifrit and looking through the drops will I be able to meet his eyes.

I gripped the Butcher’s Sword tighter in my right hand.

I casted Reflect Shield and Iron Skin at the same time, since both their cooldowns had reset thanks to Status Denial.

This was the only way, since it absorbed all forms of attacks without leaving any openings.

However, since I had been taken down once, every time it changed forms I made as much distance as possible and focused on my defenses.

After all, if I was hit by that shockwave again, I didn’t have a future.

Ifrit prepared to attack again.

Its body began to separate itself into small marble shapes.

These marble shapes covered the core and spun around it.

These orbs seemed similar to the old musket balls used back in the past.

Since this was a different pattern of attack unlike anything I’ve seen so far, I kept my distance and moved away early.

“I just need one reflection proc or groggy status effect. Attack. Give me a strong enough attack to grind away your heart.”

“Keeee!”

As soon as I finished speaking, all the bullets flew towards me at the same time.

Just like gunpowder blowing up from gunfire, the bullets gave off sounds of gunshots nonstop.

The attack was pretty quick, but it wasn’t something that I couldn’t avoid.

There was no need to receive all the attacks.

I just needed to get hit enough until the special effects from the shields triggered.

Kicking off the ground, I shot off into the air.

It was to avoid the projectiles that were being fired at me in a straight line.

Observing the amount of projectiles still covering its core, I knew that Ifrit could continue attacking like this for a very long time.

Since I needed to get rid of as much of Ifrits body that was protecting its core as possible in order to deal more damage with my attack, I bid my time.

Ifrit wasted no time in changing its attack trajectory, aiming at me in the air.

If I freefell downwards, I would eat all of its attacks.

I casted Iceberg midair to create a massive iceberg.

Afterwards, I kicked it to increase my descent downwards.

Slowly but surely, its red core was showing itself.

The core kept burning to create more projectiles.

However, perhaps due to its urge to attack being greater, the recovery speed wasn’t able to keep up with the fire rate.

“Good…. A bit more. Just a bit more!”

“Now!”

Looking at the situation, I didn’t hesitate even for a second and charged towards Ifrit.

I took on its projectiles with my body, almost as if letting my body go into the water stream of a shower.

Was it because it had lost half its life?

Unlike before, the shield was breaking down at a slower rate.

This also meant the the damage reflected back at Ifrit was reduced, but that wasn’t a huge problem.

Just one groggy status proc and everything would be over.

Finally.

“It worked!”

Suddenly, my body gave off a bright light.

This light was from the visual effect Iron Skin let out if the special effect triggered.

The projectiles that kept coming in like rainstorm suddenly stopped as if time had stopped.

It was the same with Ifrit’s body.

This being was called a monster god.

I did not know how long the groggy effect would last.

Since it was incredibly strong, I could only guess that the effect wouldn’t last very long.

However, Ifrit was a monster that did not possess any resistances.

That’s why I still had some hope that it would stay stunned for awhile.

Either way, it didn’t change the fact that I needed to finish this fight with this attack.

‘Formless Sword Aura.’

“Kuwaaaaa!”

“……..”

While I was using Formless Sword Aura to crazily swing at the core with reckless abandon, my body glowed red and gave off smoke.

The Formless Sword Aura’s Beast effect had triggered.

The effect made one fiercely attack until the enemy was reduced to nothing but dust in the wind.

Unlike the time when I faced Ghost, I did not lose my ability to reason.

Thanks to using the Beast effect multiple times, I had become skilled enough to control it to my will.

The swings of my sword increased not only in speed, but the destructive force grew to unimaginable amounts.

Until the groggy effect faded, the fierce attack continued.

I wondered how much time had passed.

Ifrit perished without even being able to make a sound.

Its core literally became dust and disappeared.

Its black form that was essentially its body turned to smoke and evaporated.

The place that it last was, only bloodstones, jewels, and artifacts were piled up.

Only after I saw the pile of loot was I sure that Ifrit had breathed its last.

It was then. As if they had been waiting for me all this time, I could hear Jong Ho and Karin’s voice.

“What the? What are these artifacts?”

“Keruruk? Min-Cheol. What happened?”

“Whew….. It was a difficult battle.”

“Is walking even hard for you nowadays? You little!”

“Kel kel kel. Min-Cheol. I think we got lucky getting all this free this time. Kel kel.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Keru…. You walked forward to defeat Ifrit and suddenly all these artifacts spilled out.”

“Was Ifrit a monster that died just by waking it from slumber using one’s killing intent? If that was the case, I should have been the one to fight it. I don’t have to thank you for your hard work this time, right?”

“What. What nonsense…. I went through hell to defeat Ifrit….. Sigh….. What a headache.”

“Kuhut. Did I not say that it will be a battle only between you two……”

“……”

“Karin.”

“Speak, Jong Ho.”

“For now, please start organizing the pile of loot for us.”

“Kerururu. I understand. Now, I can do this with my eyes closed. It’ll be done soon, so wait just a bit.”

“Yeah, you’re the one putting in the most amount of effort. Min-Cheol, why are you just standing there blankly?”

“Did….. time stop or something…..”

“If we can defeat these monster gods so easily, shouldn’t we hurry and find the rest?”

“Hyung-nim, did you really not see anything?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you not see my body being torn apart like old rags, my body thrashing against all the spikes and bullets stuck to my body. Did you not hear the sound of gunfire….. I nearly died!”

“Did you watch a war film before you came over to the demonic realm or something? Do you have narcolepsy? How did you dream in between that time.”

“Belkoseu, did you also not see anything?”

“Kuhut. Of course, I also didn’t see anything. You simply walked towards Ifrit. Afterwards, the materials that you all desperately need were piled there.”

“Ha…… I think I’m going crazy.”

“Karin, where is Barun right now?”

“Kerut. Since he headed towards Earth in the afternoon, it won’t take long before he returns. And he’ll be back with plenty of steak. Kel kel kel.”

“Looks like we’ll need more employees? Just look at how much loot is stacked here.”

“Keruruk. I shall let them know.”

“As expected, you defeated the Demon God Ifrit.”

“……..”

“No one here has seen your battle with Ifrit. Once you are selected by the Demon God, you are dragged into their own personal dimension. It’s a dimension that is completely isolated. Until only one is alive, the barrier separating the dimensions will not dissipate. For those observing outside of the barrier, time flows differently. It flows so differently that they aren’t able to even imagine what you just went through.”

“Actually it’s better this way. There was a scene in the middle of it that I didn’t want to show anyone.”

“Kuhut. The Demon Gods we’ll be meeting from here on out will be stronger than Ifrit. Can you handle them?”

“Do you see what Karin is sorting through right now? I’m not sure what is in there, but if I hit the jackpot, defeating the rest of the monster gods won’t be even a challenge, so don’t worry.”

“Good…… It is as I had hoped.”

“Kel kel! Look at this. The sorting is already done.”

“Nice. As expected of Rin. Hurry over here and check out what we got, Min-Cheol.”

“Yes….. The one who has done nothing is coming.”

“Right. Hurry over. Whew. Just look at how much Rin worked up. Good work. Let’s have a party with steak today as well.”

“Kerururuk.”

“I don’t know why, but I feel sad and resentful…… Am I just imagining it?”

****

“I expect that you won’t stand against my decision to release the Chimera any longer, Ladin.”

“It is as you say, Demon King. To think that they’ve taken down a Demon God…..”

“It is my fault for not being decisive earlier. I must summon the Chimera immediately…..”

“However, Demon King, humans are unable to use magical energies, yes? And the Demon God Ifrit does not even have any magical energies…. Even if the human and Belkoseu worked together to take down the monster god, there’s nothing for them to gain from it, is there not?”

“Ladin…. I have seen him. The human that took down the Kelvecore.”

“What do you mean…….”

“The human took something from the corpse of the Kelvecore. For that prize, he even took one of my attacks. I concluded that whatever he took was worth risking his life for.”

“………”

“For whatever reason it may be, that is probably why the human is going after not only monsters, but Demon Gods as well.”

“So you’re saying that this human is not hunting for bloodstones, but something else?”

“That’s right, Ladin.”

“Yes, Demon King.”

“In a brief moment, I shall be undoing the seal on the Chimera.”

“Ah…. It is as you say.”

“Until then, hide your magical energy signature as much as possible.”

“Yes.”

“We cannot become targets of the Chimera, after all. All we need to do is wait and see the Chimera take care of the problematic humans and Belkoseu completely.”

“…….”

The demon king waited, giving time for Ladin to hide his magical energy signature.

Just like Berdan had done, Ladin hid as much of his magical energy as possible.

The Demon King then raised both his hands and spoke.

“As Demon King, I command……”

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149. Butterfly Effect

It had almost been a month since we’ve been hunting while being chased down by the Demon King and Ladin.

As the days went on, their chase became fiercer, and our methods of escape improved.

The hide and seek to increase Belkoseu’s magical energy continued.

Perhaps due to the finite amount of magical energies present in the demonic realm, we could not increase Belkoseu’s magical energy as quickly as we had hoped.

It might be because I had absorbed Berdan and Zekill’s magical energies already.

I basically had at least 20% of the magical energy in the demonic realm.

This meant that no matter how many monsters with the magical energy pool worthy of a possible future demon king he took, if he did not obtain the magical energy of Ladin, then he could never face up against the Demon King Jamon.

Noticing that, the two of them stayed together at all times, moving together to hunt us down.

In order to take down Ladin, we had to separate him from the Demon King.

We had thought that all we had to do was to focus on Belkoseu’s growth, but it was no longer the case.

To summarize our plan, it went something like this.

First, I needed to grow strong enough to be able to keep the Demon King occupied on my own.

Second, make sure that Jong Ho becomes strong enough to be able to face off against Ladin without me.

Third, have Belkoseu obtain Ladin’s magical energy and have him defeat the Demon King.

Fourth, use Eternal Rest to defeat Belkoseu.

Fifth, return back to Earth.

The way to accomplish our goal was that we all had to grow stronger.

Belkoseu, who experienced first hand the results of our hunting, must realize this as well.

At the rate we were going, before he could grow strong enough, he would be captured by the Demon King and Ladin.

While we were returning to base camp, I spoke to Belkoseu.

“You know, our growth rate is too slow as far as I can tell.”

“Kuhuum….. It seems that the flow of magical energy is far more concentrated in the demonic realm than I had originally thought.”

It seemed that he was thinking along the same lines as I.

Stopping his walk, he spoke as he stared intensely at me.

I think I knew what his intense gaze meant.

“I guess one of those sources include me, right?”

“That is correct. That magical energy that you cannot even use… If we could find a way to transfer it over to me…..”

“You already know, but life isn’t so convenient like that. I guess there isn’t a way to transfer it.”

“Kuhuut. Aren’t you the one who knows that fact best? That there isn’t a way to take it without killing the target.”

“With how things turned out, you have to obtain Ladin’s magical energy…. But to do that, we need to separate the Demon King from him.”

“It sounds like you’re hinting at me to teach you a way to grow stronger quickly.”

“You catch on fast enough to scare me, you know? You’re really good at reading the mood. That’s right. A method to get us stronger. We need one that is a surefire way. I think you know why that’s the case, right?”

“That’s right. And one of our conditions for our alliance was that too.”

“So you’ll honor your word? That’s a welcome surprise for me.”

“Does that mean that I need to hand over the monsters with massive pools of magical energy instead of killing them myself?”

“They won’t drop that many artifacts. You know how picky are with that stuff, right? What we want is a monster that is one of the strongest of the demonic realm. Someone like you, for example.”

“Kuhu….. Kuhahat. To think that we, who have formed an alliance, want each other’s life…. How ironic.”

“Even if you help us become stronger as I have requested, there won’t be any downsides for you, right?”

“Well….. You cannot kill me. But when I become stronger than you…..”

“No matter the outcome, I lose out.”

“You’re good with words. I shall search for monsters that drop a lot of artifacts as you have requested.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere. But do you have a way to do so?”

“I guess this is information that you haven’t heard from even the likes of Karin.”

As if surprised, he looked towards Karin while speaking.

There’s information that even Karin, our informant in the demonic realm, doesn’t know about?

Under Berdan, Karin was a monster that has obtained a vast amount of knowledge regarding the demonic realm.

For Jong Ho and I, his words were nearly equivalent to the demonic realm’s law.

Karin seemed quite surprised as well.

“Keruuu?”

“Do you really not know? Existences similar to the Chimera, that is…..”

“Kerut? Aren’t those types of creatures only able to be summoned by the demon king?”

“That is correct. However, he isn’t the only one who fulfills the role of guardian in the demonic realm.”

“Kehel…..”

“Karin, even you aren’t aware of this?”

“That’s right. I knew of the Chimera’s existence….. However, what he’s saying right now, I have not even heard rumors of before.”

“Is that so. Isn’t this getting interesting? Hurry up and tell us. I don’t think you understand just how curious I am about their existences.”

“Kuhut. I guess you won’t have any reason to regret our alliance.”

“Ha. Look at you, really throwing a nice sales pitch. I knew that you were anything but ordinary.”

“Kuhat. Then…..”

****

“Demon King. Thankfully, it seems that Belkoseu’s magical energy hasn’t grown that much.”

“Yes. However, what I am worried about is the growth of the two humans. As long as you aren’t done in by Belkoseu, he cannot obtain the power he needs to take over the demonic realm. However, if the two humans grow in strength and assist Belkoseu in striking you down….”

“…….”

In an instant, Ladin’s expression became serious.

There weren’t any falsehoods in what the Demon King said.

However, unlike his expression, Ladin wasn’t that worried.

If his magical energy was to be obtained by Belkoseu, who would be the next target?

It would be the Demon King.

Ladin knew well that to prevent such a thing from happening, the Demon King would protect him well.

As Ladin had expected, the words that he wanted to hear began to come out from the Demon King’s mouth.

“However, what you are worrying about won’t happen. I shall stop it from happening. Ladin, it has been a month since we have dropped everything to hunt down these humans.”

“……”

“But what have we obtained during this entire month!”

“That’s……”

“We weren’t able to focus on the war we had planned and prepared for at all.”

“You are right as rain. We must take them down as soon as possible…..”

“You have seen it yourself. Their crafty trickery…… Using strange magic, they have escaped us time and time again. On top of that, they have allied themselves with a monster to detect our magical energy ahead of time. We have no way of catching them at all.”

The Demon King was talking about how Min-Cheol and Jong Ho were using Warp to escape his grasp.

For the demonic race that had no information regarding the Awakened and their skills, it was no surprise that the only way they could refer to them as strange magics.

“It is as you say.”

“We carry enough strength to upheave this entire realm yet we cannot catch them.”

“I apologize for my ineptitude.”

“But you are still against releasing the seal on the Chimera…..”

“Demon King, anything but that…..”

While Ladin spoke with the Demon King, his gaze was only pointed at the floor.

However, at the mention of the single word “Chimera” by the Demon King, Ladin stared at him while looking as if he was going to convulse at any given moment.

It was unsettling for the Demon King to see Ladin like this.

“I cannot understand why. The release window on the Chimera isn’t that long. You know of this as well.”

“I am aware. However……”

“Are you afraid of its ruthlessness? Are you afraid that you and I will be done in by it?”

“……”

“Speak.”

“Demon King, are you aware of how I rose to the throne of Demon King before?”

“Hm? Even I am not aware of that. But why do you ask all of a sudden? Well, you aren’t the type to waste time taking a trip down memory lane…. Continue.”

“Then….  I shall proceed with the information that you are not aware of how I rose to the seat of Demon King.”

“That is correct.”

“Before a lowly one such as myself rose to the throne of the Demon King, the demonic realm was dominated by the one named Seu Reol.”

“Hm….. I think I have heard of this through rumors.”

“Is that so? The demonic realm in the past was quite different from the current one. Six leaders, each with their own demonic tribe, were present before, unlike now, where a single ruler rules with absolute power, such as yourself, oh great Demon King Jamon.”

“…..”

“The war to take the throne of Demon King continued, and the title of Demon King changed hands dozens of times every single day. A single victory from battle could determine who the next Demon King was…… But even during all these battles, there was one thing that the leaders forbade doing. Despite how heated the battle was, they still refused.”

“Hm……”

“That was the act of unsealing the Chimera. Even if it meant losing the seat of Demon King, they refused to use their Authority to unseal the beast.”

“This is making me uncomfortable. So what are you trying to say?”

“The one I spoke of before, Seu Reol, broke that taboo. The moment that he obtained the title of Demon King, he immediately unsealed the Chimera. He did so to obliterate the other leaders…..”

“Get to the point.”

“All the leaders perished.”

“What…..? Is that the truth?”

“That is so. The 5 leaders, as well as the Demon King Seu Reol. None of them survived, dying to the Chimera. The Chimera’s instinct is to search and destroy anyone with a high amount of magical energy. The range and accuracy of its ability to search out its targets cannot even be compared to that of any other monsters.”

“Kuhmm…….”

Jamon was unable to hide his surprise, and at the same time, felt greatly insulted.

Ladin was comparing him to the weak demon race of the past.

However, barely pushing down his boiling anger, the Demon King waited for Ladin to finish his story.

“Just like that, all those with massive amounts of magical energy in the demonic realm perished, returning the demonic realm to a state similar to ancient times. The newly born demonic races began to compete for the seat of Demon King instead. During that time, I was the one to rise to the seat of Demon King.”

“Is the Chimera’s strength…… Is it really that powerful?”

“That is the case. That is why I still caution you of this idea. So Demon King, please consider this once more.”

“However, you said that the six were evenly matched, right?”

“……”

“Look at me now. I am the Demon King Jamon! I have nearly half the magical energy of this realm. You say that even I will die to it?”

“I cannot be sure of…..”

“You! Such insolence!”

The Demon King finally blew up with fury.

He was upset that Ladin did not acknowledge his strength.

He stared down Ladin and spoke.

“…….”

“It is the Authority and right of the Demon King to be able to release the Chimera! It is one of the many Authorities the Demon King carries. Thus, the monster is nothing more than a slave, serving me at my whim!”

“D…. Demon King. Please calm yourself.”

“However, you say that I, Demon King, will be done in by a mere slave? Tsk! You speak like a fool, Ladin!”

“…….”

“10 days from now! If we’re unable to capture them till then, I shall release the Chimera.”

“Demon King……”

“Silence! This is a command, Ladin. If you wish to disobey, then you shall pay with your life!”

“…… Understood, Demon King.”

At last, Ladin bowed down to the will of his Demon King.

However, the Demon King had no idea of how much chaos and destruction the words he spoke and the choice he made would cause.

For the humans…. And even to his kind.

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148. Goblin Talk

“Commander! The Gate is vibrating!”

“……”

“What shall we do?”

“Have all forces prep for battle. It seems that the war will resume.”

“It was calm for awhile, but now……”

“The vibrations are getting stronger. Everyone, do let down your guard! The battle is not yet over!”

“Yes, commander!”

“Understood!”

At the general’s command, all forces readied themselves for battle.

A couple days ago, a massive number of monsters poured out the Gate.

Due to that event, several Awakened lost their lives, and many more were heavily injured.

However, humanity was able to stop the wave of monsters with their own strength.

No one knew how much longer this war was to last.

On top of that, no one could be certain who the victor of this war would be.

However, everyone worked together with one goal and purpose, relying on each other every day to stay alive.

“All forces, cast your shields and buffs! Sang-Ho and Geon.”

“Yes, commander.”

“Hm?”

“Please take the front.”

“What’s up with gramps? Have you not recovered yet fully?”

“I shall do my best to prevent casualties in the backline.”

“Gotcha. Let’s go.”

“…….”

At the general’s command, all forces cast their buffs and shields.

Due to thousands of Awakened casting their spells at once, the sound was deafening.

The sound filled the entire mountain area, which could even be described as grand.

The wait for the monsters to exit the Gate was short.

Geon, who had been standing in the frontlines, urgently sought after the commander.

“C…. Commander! The situation is a bit strange!”

“What’s the matter! Just what monster appeared that has you in such shock!”

“T…. That’s…….”

“Old man! I think this is something you should see for yourself?”

“Damn……”

Abandoning his position, he ran up towards the Gate.

His direct subordinates in his squad were Sang-Ho and Geon.

Their combat prowess were not only one of the highest in Korea, but in the entire world as well.

These were the same two that were looking for his guidance with such confusion evident in their faces.

The commander had thought that the monster that had appeared was far stronger than expectations.

The commander arrived near the Gate.

And then merry laughter broke the silence, echoing through the mountains.

“Kuhhuhuhuhuhuh! Kahha! The sight couldn’t be more welcoming! Kuhuhuh!”

Three goblins stood in front of the Gate.

Holding a makeshift white flag, they showed that they had no intentions to fight.

How did the goblin monsters know what it meant to wave a white flag, or why did they carry the duffel bags that Min-Cheol and Jong Ho had taken with them.

The commander could figure it out in an instant.

These goblins were servants sent by Min-Cheol.

The goblins carefully approached the commander.

They all dropped the large duffel bags before the commander, and then one of them spoke up.

“The great Karin sent us here.”

“Karin?”

“Kururu. He has told us to send you these.”

“Karin… Have you perhaps seen any humans next to the one named Karin?”

“Kuruk. There were two who called themselves Min-Cheol and Jong Ho next to him.”

“Kuhhuhhuh! Right. You all have come here under their directions.”

“Yep. Kuku. But firstly, this…..”

The commander looked at the duffel bags that they had laid at his feet.

The bags were filled with bloodstones in numbers far beyond what he could guess.

All of the stones were S or S+ tier, far superior to what was found on Earth.

The commander smiled while playing around with one in his hands.

Was it because he had obtained very rare high tier bloodstones? No.

These stones meant that Min-Cheol and Jong Ho were safe.

After they had entered the Gate, he could only guess that they were safe due to the lack of monsters coming out from said Gate.

Now, however, he could be positive of it.

One of the goblins who had been eyeing the commander all this time pulled out something from his pockets and spoke while handing the item in question to the commander.

“Kururuk. He asked me to give you this as well.”

“I see. Thank you.”

The item that the goblin gave to the commander was a letter.

It was a letter with messages that Min-Cheol and Jong Ho each wanted to send back to everyone on this side.

Due to the lack of paper or pen, indentations on rough monster leather was used instead to form the letters for the message.

“They’re holding their own well….. Thank you…..”

“Kururu. There is a message that Lord Karin has told us we must send.”

“What is it?”

“Kukuku. Then….. ‘Keruru! Humans! Give up your steak!’ is what he said.”

“Kuhhuhhuhhuh! Will you all be returning back to them?”

“Kuruk. That’s is correct.”

“Alright. I shall prepare the items at once.”

****

After finishing our meal, Jong Ho and I went towards the Gate.

With our luggage on our backs, we took a nice little stroll.

We walked without the slightest hint of worry.

While the two humans went about their business in a relaxed carefree manner, there was one that was on the floor, working with sweat pouring out from his body.

That one was Karin.

Until Belkoseu arrived, we had plenty of time.

While we waited for that, Karin was going through all this trouble to find a way to use the Gate that connected the demonic realm with Earth.

The monsters that Karin were looking for with his ability to detect magical energy signatures were monsters with intelligence.

We planned to use monsters that, while carrying intellect, did not possess any special powerful Authorities or were just weak in general and had difficulty surviving alone.

In short, monsters in a similar situation as Karin.

“Keruk!”

“Did you find any?”

“Found one!”

“Oh…. But who were you looking for specifically when you were using your search ability? How did you know that the monster you were looking for had intelligence?”

“Keruu. The monster is someone who had been serving Berdan with me until recently.”

“Aha! Coworker?”

“Keru?”

“Whew. Are you really using that term. He won’t understand at all. Rin, ignore him and keep going.”

“Since they worked under the same boss, they’re coworkers…..”

“Keruru. He was my one and only underling that made it possible for me to bear the brutal life of the demonic realm. We’re separated right now, but I accurately remember his magical energy signature.”

“Hm….. You’re on friendly terms with him? Then I don’t think this will work out…..”

“Kel? Why is that?”

“I’m going to send them through the Gate. He’s going to act as our messenger, traveling between Earth and demonic realm.”

“Keruruk. Are you worried that they’ll be lost in the crack in time?”

“Yeah. You said that you are fond of this monster. We can’t have that.”

“Kel kel! It doesn’t matter in his case.”

“Why is that?”

“His name is Barun. He’s a pathfinder goblin.”

“A pathfinder goblin?”

“That’s right. I do not know about other monsters, but he won’t be stuck in the crack between dimensions.”

“Oho…..”

“He cannot do what I do, which is having a pocket dimension and being able to search out targets based on their magical signatures, but he was born with that special ability instead.”

“Good. Let’s go find this Barun fellow.”

“Keruruk! Understood!”

****

We found the goblin named Barun that Karin was talking about.

Goblins are so weak that you could even consider their attack capabilities to be nonexistent.

In such a hostile realm, they lived quite miserable lives.

After all, instead of working for demonic leaders like Berdan or Ladin, they were working for what essentially was the local thug equivalent of a monster.

I did not know what they did to become so hated by Berdan, but they were barely surviving in their own ways.

Taking down the monster that was the boss of these goblins with ease, I offered them a deal.

It would be better for them to work for me as servants rather than being the underlings of other monsters, being treated like disposable peasants.

Barun accepted the offer immediately with gratitude.

He gathered a few goblins that would follow his orders and followed after me.

Using Barun as a messenger, I sent the bloodstones we’d been discarding without a care to Earth.

Here, the bloodstones were nothing more than rubble on the ground you’d trip on, but it would be very useful back on Earth as energy resources.

I also added messages on a letter that I wanted to send to my mother and the commander.

Obviously, the message also included a report of our situation and plans for the future.

In this suffocating life in the demonic realm, finally a way to contact Earth had been discovered.

I could finally breathe a little easier.

A little after Barun and the goblins entered the Gate, Karin detected the magical energy of Belkoseu from afar.

“Keruu. Min-Cheol, Belkoseu is coming.”

“Is that so? Pfft!”

“Keruru. I am also no longer afraid of Belkoseu! After all, he cannot even hold his own against you.”

“Of course, that’s obvious. Just because you’re in front of him, don’t be scared!”

“Kel kel. Understood!”

Until now, just hearing his name made me frustrated.

The feeling reminded me of not having done homework that was due the next day.

However, I no longer felt that way at all.

Just a couple hours ago, the situation had completely changed.

After moving closer to me, Belkoseu spoke.

“Kuhu. Today wasn’t an easy day to hunt.”

“Seems so. To think that we had to run from the demon king twice in a single day.”

“This is just a feeling I’m getting, but I think we’ll be running into them more often from here on out. What I mean by that is that we could be in far greater dangerous situations than what we faced today.”

“Hm…. It did seem that he was hunting me down with everything on the line. Still, all I have to do is run away using Warp. Isn’t that so?”

“Kuhmm….. That’s true……”

“Don’t worry about us and focus on gathering magical energies. It won’t be long before you should be able to face Ladin at the least.”

“…….”

“The biggest challenge would be getting them to separate them though.”

“If all goes according to your plan, then of course I’d be happy. However, if Jamon unseals the Chimera, it will become messy.”

“Chimera?”

“Keruruk! C…. Chimera…..”

“It seems that the goblin that serves you is aware of its existence.”

“Chimera….. Is he able to call forth summoned creatures as well?”

“Belkoseu, don’t beat around the bush. What’s a Chimera?”

“Jong-Ho…. The Chimera is……”

“Kuhoot. I shall explain for you.”

“……”

“One of the countless Authorities that the demon king possesses is the Unsealing. With that, he summons forth the strongest monster in the demonic realm.”

“Its strength?”

“For the Chimera, the concept of allies and enemies do not exist. You could say that it’s a monster that only follows its instincts.”

“So you’re saying that it’s a monster that will just run about wildly? Is it that dangerous?”

“I have not faced it myself. I have merely heard stories of it, passed down as legends in the demonic realm.”

“…….”

“The Chimera had existed since the creation of the demonic realm. You can say that it ruled the prehistoric demonic realm. And since it’s still alive even now, just imagine how strong it would be.”

“And you’re saying that this monster is under the thumb of the demon king? Something doesn’t add up.”

“Kuhoot. You can call it a mischievous prank by a god. The one who takes the throne of the demonic realm gets it as his or her property.”

“…….”

“Of course, the demon king would not be exactly the most comfortable unsealing the Chimera. Even he could meet his end by the hands of the Chimera, after all.”

“So you’re saying that the list of opponents to run away from is going to increase.”

“The Chimera will instinctively search after those with high amounts of magical energy. You might be okay if you could hide from its prying eyes, but if you cannot……”

“Isn’t this the worst case scenario though?”

“Kuhuhu. That’s true.”

“Then we’ll deal with it then if it comes down to it.”

“As expected, you’re anything but normal. However…. why have you been smiling at me like that?”

“Hm? No…. Nothing really. I think I’m getting more comfortable being around you.”

“……”

“You’re just imagining it. Just your imagination. We’ll be going to sleep now, so please keep a good eye out for the demon king.”

“Kuhoot. Will do.”

Why am I laughing?

I’ll let you know after the Demon King becomes a cold corpse.

---

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