Author: Xerenity

Previous Chapter|Index|Next Chapter

146. One Who Died with a Full Belly Looks Better as a Ghost Than Those Who Died While Starving

The monster that answered Belkoseu’s call was a Kelvecore.

Kicking up a thick layer of dust, it came close before letting out a Fear.

This was a monster that had the heads of a lion, dog, and dragon.

In the past, there was a time where my life was in danger due to the vicious poison from its tail.

I was also a victim of its intense fire breath attack from the dragon head.

On top of that, it had wings, boasting high mobility.

One Earth, all types of attacks worked on the Kelvecore.

It was a hidden boss of a level 12 dungeon after all.

However this was the demonic realm.

Seeing as to how Belkoseu was acting, the monster must be stronger than a Lich King.

However, it was still just a monster to me.

Giving the smug Belkoseu a glance, I immediately poured down magic on the Kelvecore.

Meteor Call filled the demonic realm’s sky, falling down towards it.

The 6 Meteors summoned by both my hands hit dead center without the slightest error.

Who could receive such an attack and still stand.

Looking at the intense flames, I casted Eye of Insight.

However.

“Shield?”

“Kuhut. I did say that it’s not an easy opponent.”

“Amusing. Something like a Kelvecore knows how to use a shield.”

“Do I have to help you out?”

“Today’s hunt is by the humans. Why don’t you take a seat back there and watch?”

“Kuhahat! Right…. I shall observe.”

After the flames cleared, his form appeared clearly once more.

Almost as if a shield used by an Awakened had cracked due to receiving damage, I saw a barrier barely holding together protecting its form.

To think that it blocked a 30% magical energy increased Transcended Meteor Call, and 6 of them to boot.

And with the Archangel’s Fall, the damage should have increased against monsters.

I couldn’t hide my shock.

However, since I saw that it damaged his barrier, I knew that magical attacks worked on this monster.

This would only increase the duration of the battle, because no matter how many times it used its shields, it would not make much of a difference in deciding the victor of this battle.

“The attack patterns are still the same. There’s no adaptation, none at all.”

Out of the 3 heads, the dragon one used a powerful breath attack.

Instead of calling it flames, the attack it spewed out was closer to magma.

The breath attack that landed on the Mana Shield kept on burning, trying to chew its way through the shield.

However, that didn’t last long, as the Mana Shield absorbed the breath attack as if it was brushing aside dust.

The poison sting attack from its tail followed suit.

However, it was far from enough to take down my Mana Shield.

Receiving all of its attacks without concern, I continued to pour down my skills.

Its shields became transparent, seeming ready to disappear at any moment.

-CRACK!

With that, the shield that was covering the Kelvecore shattered.

Since it might cast its shield again, I increased the intensity of my attacks.

Within the downpour of attacks, there wasn’t any patterns or strategies to be found.

I was spamming down spells without much thought after all.

“KWEHHH!”

“KWUHRUU. KUHUNG!”

The first to go from the fierce attacks were the wings.

The wings that were barely stuck to its body were ripped and torn apart, falling to the floor.

Being pinned down to the floor from the attacks, it was letting out its unique Fear.

“How cute.”

It was then.

I could hear Karin’s voice mixed with urgency.

“Keruk! Min-Cheol! I can sense their magical energy.”

“Human. You need to hurry. Jamon is coming.”

“Why now….. It’ll be done soon. Karin, get ready to run.”

“Kel! Got it.”

“Wait, no. Hyung-nim.”

“Yeah.”

“Take Karin with you and run. Your Warp isn’t off cooldown yet. We don’t know what’ll happen if we face them here.”

“Min-Cheol, you should give up on the Kelvecore and retreat together. We can take it down another time.”

“The Demon King is coming. Do you think he’ll leave the Kelvecore alone? There’s no next time.”

“Don’t be greedy. Just listen to hyung this time.”

“It’ll be quick. I can’t give up on it.”

“Whew…. Who can stop you. Rin, let’s go!”

“Kerut! Min-Cheol, give it up! Let’s leave together!”

“Go ahead first. I’ll catch up soon. Hey, Belkoseu.”

“Hm?”

“You’ll need to welcome them. Buy some time for me.”

“Will do.”

“KUWUHH!”

Reflecting my urgency, my attacks increased in intensity.

Jong Ho and Karin had retreated. And Belkoseu had went out to block the Demon King and Ladin.

The reason why I could take this risk was because I could use Warp.

With Jong Ho, since he did not have high strength stats, he couldn’t move quickly.

That’s why whenever the demon king’s magical energy was detected, he had to use Warp.

However, it was a different story for me.

Since I had over 3 million strength, I could escape the area fast enough even after Karin or Belkoseu detected the magical energy of the Demon King.

Of course, Belkoseu stalling them definitely helped.

Just in case, I casted Warp connecting to a location nearby Berdan’s castle ahead of time.

“Please die! Die!”

“Damn it. What kind of a monster is this!”

“KUUNG!”

Due to the insane amounts of attacks I was landing on it, its form began to crumble.

It did not have almost any flesh left on its body, leaving giant bones like that of a dinosaur at a museum.

I was incredibly annoyed at how it still held onto life.

It didn’t last much longer though.

Finally, it collapsed onto the ground.

A massive amount of loot floated above the bones of the Kelvecore.

Most of it were bloodstones and jewels, but there were a few artifacts and a skill book here and there.

There was a reason why I couldn’t help but have high expectations for this monster’s loot drops.

And it delivered, dropping loot good enough to entice me.

“Skill beyond ranking skill book? Good.”

A skill book beyond ranking came into my sights.

Unlike the skill books so far, it was skill book that didn’t reveal its details even with the Eye of Insight.

And the requirements were completely different from before.

It happened when I moved hastily to obtain the skill book.

“Shit……”

“The hide and seek is over, human.”

“Jamon? Ladin? Which one of the two is you?”

“I shall kill you in the most brutal and painful way possible. So much so that if there is a next life for you, you’ll remember. I shall sear it into your mind. Remember. I am Jamon! Demon King Jamon!”

“Damn it.”

Unlucky for me, it was the Demon King.

However, even in this situation, my focus was on the skill book beyond ranking.

All I had to do was to grab it and throw myself into the Warp.

It would take at most 3 seconds to do so.

However, would this guy give me those 3 seconds for free?

Many thoughts raced across my mind.

The conclusion I made was of greed and danger.

‘They say even a ghost looks better if they died with a fully belly, don’t they? Even if it kills me, I have to get that.’

It would only take a moment.

I did not have the slightest of intentions to make this a long fight.

I cast all of my shields at once.

It was enough shielding to withstand all of the attacks of every single Awakened on Earth.

Even if he was a Demon King, it would be impossible to break through all of these shields.

I knew that thinking about it more would just intensify my fears.

I charged forward like lightning and picked up the skill book.

I had already succeeded halfway through.

Pushing with this momentum, it happened the moment I tried to run towards the Warp.

“Damn it!”

“I said that the hide and seek is over. Die!”

“Sorry, but I don’t like being it!”

In a split second, his attacks began to break apart my shields.

Due to his swift attacks that I could not follow with my eyes, the shields that were sturdy like castle walls popped like balloons.

However, thankfully, my Mana Shield was still holding steady, protecting me.

Due to his attacks being simple in nature, the Mana Shield held.

The Demon King was far stronger than what Jong Ho had said and what I had thought.

He was strong enough to make me doubt that I could take him down by growing stronger in due time.

Noticing that his attacks weren’t working on me, he instantly made space between us and prepared a powerful attack.

Not wasting this chance, I hurled myself as hard as I could into the Warp.

“KUACK!”

****

“Damn it! Kuhhuk!”

It could have been really bad back there.

Thanks to entering the Warp as the attack landed on me, I was able to avoid being hit by all of it.

Despite that, my arm hung limply as if it had been hit by a tank shell.

Not only did the armor break, but bits of flesh was missing as well.

It was an injury severe enough to show bone.

Thankfully it was my arm that took the hit. If I had received such an attack on my chest or other vitals….

I couldn’t help but feel despair at the Demon King’s strength, but I regained my composure and began healing myself.

Despite it being a severe injury, it wasn’t severe enough to cast Status Denial.

Even stopping the cast of Mana Shield, I used all my available free hands on Mega Cure.

It would be normal for me to recover fully soon, especially with my stamina stat and the amount that Mega Cure healed.

I was applying three healing spells on top of my stamina stat that was enough to recover on its own, after all.

However, the damage I took from Jamon’s attack didn’t recover so easily, almost as if I had received a debuff that prevented me for healing myself.

“Still, this much is a cheap price to pay for learning what Jamon’s attack is like…..”

It took a very long time before my arm recovered its form.

Only then did the pain subside, and I finally noticed the skill book being held by the hand that was once torn like rags.

The skill book was white as if it was covered in flour.

It was a skill book that I could not give up, even if it meant risking my life.

For skill books beyond ranking, even using the Eye of Insight doesn’t reveal all of its information.

Instead, it only shows the requirements needed to use it.

However, that was enough for me.

It was because the requirements was something that I’ve never seen or heard of before.

[No level requirement.]

[10,000 strength stat required.]

[10,000 mana stat required.]

[10,000 dexterity stat required.]

[10,000 stamina stat required.]

[All requirements met.]

[Will you obtain Eternal Rest?]

“Please be worth at least my life.”

---

Previous Chapter|Index|Next Chapter

Previous Chapter|Index|Next Chapter

145. Tom and Jerry

“KUHAHAK!”

“Belkoseu, it’s your turn.”

“Kuhut. Well done, human.”

We focused on killing monsters that with the magical energy pools that had the potential of becoming demon kings.

Leaving behind the monster that was barely alive, we passed the finishing touches to Belkoseu.

With a wicked smile, he landed the finishing blow and moved on.

My eyes met with Karin, and I spoke.

“Oh. Our incredibly loyal goblin Karin!”

“Keheh? Min-Cheol, did I do something wrong?”

“What do you mean you did something wrong. I heard you talking with Belkoseu before dawn.”

“Kehk! Did you wake up because of me being too loud? Sorry……”

“You don’t have to worry about it. And also, you seemed to hold your own pretty well against Belkoseu?”

“What? Something like that happened? Rin’s quite amazing, don’t you think?”

Jong Ho, who was next to me, began to call him Rin as a nickname.

Karin was overjoyed like a child.

You could tell how happy he was from the way his shoulders were outstretched and his belly was protruding outwards.

With his chin raised, he spoke.

“Kerururu. I already know that we face danger at least once a day if I travel with you two.”

“……”

“I was quite scared of him for awhile, but not anymore. Keruruk. Dying one way or another, it’s still death.”

“Pfft. Why do you conclude on death? We all need to make it out alive. Either way, good work.”

“Kel kel. It would have been better if I could’ve learned more…… Kehheck!”

“Hm? Are they coming here?”

Karin’s expression and shock meant the obvious.

It meant that someone incredibly strong was nearby.

After all, the expression he was making was the same as when he had first sensed the magical energies of the Demon King, Ladin, and Belkoseu.

Belkoseu, who had finished absorbing the magical energies, seemed to have noticed as well.

There weren’t many that would take them by surprise.

Jamon and Ladin must be nearing our location.

Belkoseu spoke with a frown on his face.

“Tsk! Human.”

“…….”

“Due to being absorbed in the task of draining magical energies, I have let down my guard. They’re rushing here…….”

“By they….. You mean the Demon King and Ladin are coming here together?”

“Keruuk! That’s right, Min-Cheol. We need to run away.”

“How long till they’re here?”

“I estimated 5 minutes. It’s unfortunate, but it seems that today’s hunting stops here.”

“5 minutes….. Hyung-nim.”

“Hm?”

“Let’s meet up at Berdan’s castle. Use your Warp skill.”

“Okay. What about you?”

“I have to escape with Karin. 5 minutes should be possible.”

“Kehel.”

“I will buy time by stopping those two.”

“Alright. I guess those two do not approve of our alliance.”

“Kuhut. They hunt with fire in their eyes. Weaklings. They fear my growth.”

“Belkoseu, we’ll group up and then find you. Stop them until you cannot detect our magical energies anymore.”

“Do not worry. Hurry and go.”

“……”

Jong Ho immediately casted Warp and went to a location near Berdan’s castle.

Holding Karin in my arms, I began to run as fast as I could.

We needed to make enough distance to make sure that they could no longer detect our magical energies.

Thanks to the Demon King’s pursuit, we found ourselves making a run for it far more often than before.

On Earth, I have never fled before.

There had been cases of my enemies fleeing due to fear of my strength before though.

That was expected, since I have not met an opponent I had to flee from until now.

My pride was a bit hurt, but that didn’t matter.

I was far from being ready to face him, and preparations weren’t finished.

It was because I had underestimated the Demon King.

I ran until Karin let out a sigh of relief.

Since I could not read magical energies myself, I had to rely on Karin to do so.

And finally…

“Keruu……. It seems that Belkoseu is doing a good job holding back the Demon King and Ladin.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Min-Cheol. Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m healing myself constantly as I run, so I’m not fatigued at all.”

“Keruk. Then let’s hurry and get to where Jong Ho is.”

“Right. Guess it’ll take about an hour to get to the castle?”

“That’s right. Once we reach there, I’ll try to detect the exact location of the Demon King.”

“Ok.”

****

“You’re here?”

“Yes. Guess you cleared the area around the Gate?”

“Yep. There wasn’t anything else to do. I did notice how good Full Heal is though?”

“I’m using it whenever I have the time. Since the summons are now receiving infinite healing, they should be able to defeat any regular monsters with ease.”

“I agree. These summons that were struggling with just handling the fights are now gathering jewels in their spare time, you know?”

“Pfft! Devil Avatar…. I’ve taught them once to gather jewels. I think it was in the Unknown Dungeon.”

“Since the summons were called forth by a human, the enemies killed drop artifacts. Thinking of using them was an amazing idea.”

“So cute of them. We’ll use the jewels later.”

“What about Belkoseu?”

“No idea. Since he won’t die no matter what, we don’t have to worry. We have other things to worry about.”

“You mean the Demon King’s movements?”

“Yes. They are trying to find us in earnest. The fact that we’re making Belkoseu stronger must have caught their attention.”

“That’s to be expected, since they do not have a way to take down Belkoseu. It’s the same with us, though.”

“Since they’re seriously searching for us now, we need to be on a higher level of alertness.”

“Hm….. Karin.”

“Keruru. What is it, Jong Ho?”

“Your ability to read magical energies and finding the location of those you are searching for, is it a common ability amongst Puppet Goblins?”

“Kerururu. No. All monsters can read the flow of magical energies around them, but my ability isn’t common. You can say that it’s a very rare ability in the demonic realm.”

“”Hm…… Min-Cheol. The reason that they headed for the location that we were at was…..”

“We can think of 3 possibilities. They could’ve have near us by chance. The Demon King, Ladin, or someone else with them has the Authority to search for targets via magical energy signatures. The last one is that they’re flipping through the entire demonic realm in search for us. I think that about sums it up.”

“I’m hoping that they don’t have anyone who can search via magical energy signatures…….”

“I’m absolutely positive that the Demon King and Ladin do not have such capabilities. It’s been many days since we started hunting, but they’ve just found us now. The problem is that someone with such an Authority has lent them his or her assistance……. The truth behind that would be revealed to us soon in due time.”

“I guess we’ll find out if we camp and wait patiently near where Belkoseu is waiting for us.”

“That’s right. No matter which one out of the three possibilities I’ve stated, we’re in a dangerous situation.”

“Hm……”

“On days where we have to run due to the appearance of the Demon King, let’s halt hunting for that day.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit too much?”

“It’s due to the cooldown of Warp. When we run from them, there are no other skills as surefire as that.”

“If the worst case scenario is true, and they can now detect us via searching for magical energy signatures…….”

“Then we have to hunt while risking our lives. Hopefully it doesn’t come down to that.”

“……”

“Let’s check on the Gate once more before we go to where Belkoseu is.”

“Let’s do so. Karin, can you search for Belkoseu’s location?”

“Kerut. Understood. But what if he’s still fighting with the Demon King?”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m sure that the Demon King tired himself out and has given up.”

“Keruru. Then…..”

Karin used his ability to find out where Belkoseu was.

It was a location that wasn’t far from where we had ran away from.

He was waiting for us there.

“Damn, we’re running all day because of the Demon King. Let’s go!”

****

The chase from the Demon King and Ladin continued.

However, the frequency of running into them weren’t that often.

It seemed that they did not have any monsters that had the same ability as Karin had.

That’s to be expected, since a monster with both intelligence and the ability to search for magical energy signatures must be incredibly rare.

Karin’s case was incredibly lucky.

For a Puppet Goblin, who is in the lowest in the ranks of the demonic realm, these abilities were far beyond what was fitting for his rank.

However, when they found us, the hunting ended for the day as Jong Ho had said.

It was because safety came first.

Belkoseu understood that as well.

He knew that without us, his growth would be halted as well.

However, this only meant that hunting for Belkoseu’s growth had stopped.

This had no effect on our growth.

Belkoseu kept calling in high ranking monsters like the Lich King to one spot.

Like how the smell of steak can lure in Karin, monsters were called and came endlessly.

This was an incredible benefit for us.

Instead of focusing on hunting that prioritized Belkoseu’s growth, which took the majority of the day, we could focus on our growth.

Even today’s hunting was purely for our benefit.

It was because the moment we started hunting for Belkoseu today, we had to lose the Demon King’s chase.

Our last resort method to escape, Warp, had more than 11 hours before the skill would be off cooldown.

We couldn’t move recklessly right now.

Regrouping with Belkoseu, I spoke.

“Sorry it turned out this way.”

“Kuhu. The demon king’s pursuit intensifies.”

“Well, it’s good for us. Not sure about how you feel about this.”

“Doesn’t matter. I have been waiting for hundreds of years. Do you think I’d be disappointed in waiting a few more days?”

“You have a good mindset. Then I’ll be counting on you today as well. Bring us some decent ones please.”

“Kuhut. Will do.”

Belkoseu lifted up both his arms up to the height of his shoulders.

At first, I had thought that he merely commanded monsters weaker than him, but now I had the suspicion that it was one of his Authorities.

There was a possibility that he had the Authority to read the magical energies nearby and choose monsters to be brought over at will.

It happened when 3 monsters had been brought here at his will.

At his command, the monsters stood still without any resistance.

“Giving up their lives as if it was nothing…… The demonic realm is an interesting place.”

“Kuhaha. Go ahead and reap as you wish.”

“I’ll accept your offer and do so.”

They all stood in a line.

I swung the Butcher’s Sword at the monster’s weaknesses, revealed to me by Eye of Insight.

Perhaps they did not have any physical resistances, because they fell bleeding with a single strike.

An incredible amount of artifacts poured out.

Seeing that, Karin automatically moved.

It was because he knew that we couldn’t touch the drops carelessly.

Perhaps because this wasn’t the first few times he did this, he quickly organized them into clean neat piles.

Looking at that, Belkoseu spoke with a surprised expression.

“Oho. Perhaps today is your lucky day, human.”

“……”

“A monsters strong enough that you’d be satisfied by is coming.”

“KURURU! KUNG!”

“Oho….. Kelvecore? But I could see a monster at that level pretty easily on Earth though?”

“Kuhat. I wonder if you can say the same thing after confirming just how strong he is. With his level of power, that is the strongest monster I can gather. That means that I can’t suppress that monster.”

“Then I’ll have to show you the dignity of humans after surviving the hellish Earth your monsters turned it to be as it is now.”

---

Looking for the next chapter?

Current schedule: Once a week.

Current Queue: 24 Chapters

Previous Chapter|Index|Next Chapter

Previous Chapter|Index|Next Chapter

144. Give and Take

Jamon and Ladin were gathered at the Demon King’s castle.

Their expressions were filled with worry unlike anything before.

A few days ago, the two of them noticed that the human who had crossed over from Earth engaged in combat against Belkoseu.

The results should have been either the death of one of them or the two of them putting distance between one another due to either being evenly matched or one fleeing the other.

However, as if to mock his expectations, whenever Belkoseu and the human were outputting energy to take out monsters, the magical energies he sensed were at the same location.

This meant that Belkoseu and the human were moving together.

“Ladin.”

“Yes, Demon King.”

“Their movements are very concerning.”

“……”

“I can sense the magical energies of the human and Belkoseu in the same place!”

“To think it would come down to this….”

“When Belkoseu and the human fought, you must’ve also sensed that Belkoseu’s magical energy signature was snuffed out.”

“……”

“That meant that he would have lost his life. However, due to his Authority, he regained his life. This means that even with the power of that human, he still cannot be defeated.”

“It is as you say, Demon King.”

“Confirming that he cannot kill Belkoseu, he should’ve ran. But look at the current situation. The two of them have allied with one another!”

Unable to keep his anger in check, Jamon destroyed a corner of his castle.

When Min-Cheol and Jong Ho fought against Berdan, this was the same building material that wasn’t even scratched despite all the spells they fired.

The construction material used in the demonic realm boasted sturdiness, if anything else.

However, the Demon King easily turned it to dust.

It was obvious that his destructive capabilities were far beyond that of Min-Cheol’s.

Currently, Ladin was the second highest rank in the demonic realm.

He possessed a great amount of power, but right now, he was before the Demon King.

Misspeaking a single word and the Demon King could easily take his life away.

Trying his best to avoid upsetting him, he carefully spoke to the Demon King.

“Demon King.”

“Kuhu……”

“When the human and Belkoseu first clashed with one another, I was hopeful for one thing.”

“…….”

“I had hoped that Belkoseu would perish from the human’s attacks. However, unlike what I had hoped for, the human was unable to stop him from reviving.”

“What are you trying to say!”

“Belkoseu cannot be stopped. This means that the human who is helping him grow stronger must be taken out.”

“Continue.”

“As you know, Belkoseu has a pathetic offensive capability. Without the help of that human, he wouldn’t be able to gather enough magical energy to be considered a threat even if hundreds of years passed. That’s why we need to strike them now. What we need now isn’t power or Authority. What we need is to know where they’re at and where they plan to move. So…. It’s probably best that you unseal it…..”

“Undo the seals….. Do you mean the Chimera?”

“Yes, Demon King.”

“Ladin…..”

“Yes.”

“It was a brief moment, but you did hold the title of Demon King before.”

“That…. Hm….”

“Have I touched upon a sensitive topic?”

“N… No…..”

Ladin instantly became pale.

As if he had remembered a past he did not wish to remember, his eyes lost their focus, and his lips trembled in fear.

That’s right. As expected, Ladin once was the Demon King.

At least until Jamon was born.

The demonic realm was like this. The ranks would be organized under how powerful your Authority was.

After Jamon’s first appearance, it only took 10 years before Ladin had to step down from the seat of the Demon King.

In a world where the Demon King would be chosen based on having the most magical energy, this instance was common.

The unsealing of the Chimera was something that only the Demon King had the authority to do so.

While the Demon King continued to speak, Ladin wiped the cold sweat off himself.

“Don’t you know what it means to unseal the Chimera?”

“However, there is no other way at this moment. Monsters that can track magical energies are rare. The pathetic goblin that travels with the… the one that we ignored who goes by the name of Karin has that ability.”

“Is there really no other way?”

“Yes, Demon King. Right now, it is the only way.”

“The Chimera….. Might be more than I can handle. You are aware of this, right?”

“I am well aware. Their ferocity is something that even you cannot suppress… However, they are a much better alternative to Belkoseu’s growth.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but I will not summon the Chimera now.”

“…..”

“It will be used as a last resort. That’s just how much destructive force the Chimera will bring to all sides, collateral damage or not.”

“Then….”

“That’s right. We move, starting now.”

“We don’t have a way of finding out their exact location…..”

“Even if we have to look under every nook and cranny of the demonic realm, we must find them!”

“I understand your will, Demon King.”

Finishing their talk, the Demon King and Ladin immediately stood up.

It was to begin their search in honest for Belkoseu and the human.

Their first target was the human named Min-Cheol.

Belkoseu was an opponent that, even if found, they could not kill.

This meant that they had to kill the human who is helping him grow stronger, putting a halt to his growth that not only threatened his claim to the throne, but to the rest of the demonic realm as well.

One could see the determination radiating from the two of them as they left the demon king’s castle.

Their resolute appearance showed that they would do whatever it took to take down the human, even if they would incur major losses.

****

The hunt with Belkoseu went rapidly enough to make the day feel short.

It was pointless to consider time in terms of human civilization in a world where the sun did not rise or set, but we could still tell the time thanks to Jong Ho’s wristwatch.

15 to 16 hours a day were spent on hunting, with 14 purely focused on hunting if one subtracted the time it took for meals and maintaining gear.

Most of the time was spent on getting Belkoseu stronger.

With Karin and Belkoseu in the lead, we searched for monsters with powerful magical energies as if we were checking for a pulse, and the two of us had the role of beating down the monsters to an inch of their lives.

It was Belkoseu’s role to be the executioner.

After all, the requirement for absorbing magical energy was to be the one to execute the monster.

We didn’t spend that much obtaining artifacts, the reason for the alliance in my part.

All that happened was that Belkoseu would call in monsters that stood out to me while we searched for the monsters Belkoseu wanted.

Since he had magical energy similar to that of the chiefs of the demonic realm, the monsters could not resist his commands and followed his will.

Before going to bed each night, I checked the jewels and artifacts obtained for that day, growing stronger in a way that the Demon King and Belkoseu could not understand.

Since they only knew how to read magical energies, there was no way they could tell if I was growing stronger.

Days had passed, but Karin still was still fearful of Belkoseu.

During the time Jong Ho and I slept, he had to spend time with Belkoseu by himself.

He had to make sure that Belkoseu wasn’t up to anything and keep checking if the Demon King and Ladin were nearby.

The sleepless monsters had to spend their time waiting.

His fear continued.

It was 4 am in Earth time.

Waking up from my slumber, I silently observed the two of them some distance away.

Karin did not allow Belkoseu to get any closer than a certain distance.

I heard the sound of them talking.

“You’re quite easily scared, goblin.”

“Keh… Kel. I’m not afraid…. Kel? Not afraid!”

“Kuhuhu. Yeah, sure. You said your name is Karin?”

“Kehel…. That’s right!”

“Let me ask you one thing. Why did a servant of Berdan switch sides to be with the humans?”

“Kuhm…….. I like these two humans. It’s not only because Berdan perished. Even if he didn’t perish, I still would’ve followed them.

“Oho. That’s rather amusing. You liked them enough to betray your master that you served for centuries?”

“Kehruruk! This is not a betrayal!”

“Not a betrayal….. Then what is it?”

“You wouldn’t understand the odd powers they carry.”

“Powers? Are you talking about their attacks from another dimension that does not require magical energies?”

“Keru. That’s part of it. However, you cannot judge them with that alone.”

“Then?”

“I cannot explain it with words. Even though I’m not of the same race, they still welcomed my monster self.”

“Kuhut. Isn’t it because you’re a weak foolish monster?”

“Kehek! Shut up! You know nothing!”

“Kuhat! You guys sure are amusing.”

That little guy was holding his own pretty well against that guy.

Mustering up what fierceness he could, he stood his ground.

With this, Karin’s trust in us was proven to be absolute.

I wasn’t satisfied from learning just this information, and wanted Karin to question Belkoseu.

I hoped that he would ask what Belkoseu really wanted.

Almost as if reading my mind, Karin opened his mouth to speak.

“Keruu. This time, I’ll ask the questions.”

“……”

“Jamon…. After you and the humans defeat the Demon King, what will you do?”

“Everyone wants to obtain great power. I am the same. Just as you do, I do not break promises. If the Demon King is defeated…. I will spend my life ruling over the demonic realm. I want nothing more and nothing less than that.”

“Kehheh. I asked a pointless question. I will keep reading your magical energy at all times.”

“Kuhu. You are quite doubtful.”

“If you’re up to anything, just go be a parasite to a monster instead, and not this human. You cannot fool the great Karin.”

“Kuha. I will keep that in mind.”

“One more thing! Your Authority!”

“…….”

“Min-Cheol and Jong Ho knows about two of your Authorities. One is the Undying Authority. And then there is the limitless capacity to store magical energies. However, that’s not all there is, is there?”

“Of course.”

“How many do you have? And what are the Authorities?”

“Kuhut. Let’s get to know each other as we go along.”

“Tsk!”

It seemed that Karin was doing his best.

As I listened in on the conversation, I realized what a mistake it was to think that he only had two Authorities.

I did not know how many Authorities he had nor did I know what they all did.

It seemed as though another reason to be cautious with him and keep track of his moves had popped up.

I prayed that I would be able to obtain the upper hand in this dangerous deal.

****

So far, the hunting hasn’t yielded anything significant.

The one positive outcome was that the Louver’s Ring obtained a 10% magical energy bonus.

There was a chance that the ring would have been destroyed by attempting to enhance it with the jewels.

On top of that, the success rate of jewels in the demonic realm was absolutely abysmal.

However, the set bonus effect from the Louver armaments, which gave a shield, was something that I didn’t need that badly right now.

I had more than enough shields, all very high level and with insane absorption numbers.

Without much care for the destruction of the ring, I had recklessly applied an enhancement jewel for the heck of it, succeeding in the process.

However, I wasn’t that happy.

To be honest, the real enemy wasn’t the Demon King, but Belkoseu.

The Demon King could be beaten at some point.

Even if it took a long time, it could be done.

However, it wasn’t the same case with Belkoseu.

His potential for growth was near limitless, so he needed to be taken down as soon as possible.

That’s why I wanted artifacts with special abilities or skill books.

I was searching for something that could get rid of his undying status.

“It’s a short alliance. Before it ends… please, drop already.”

---

Looking for the next chapter?

Current schedule: Once a week.

Current Queue: 24 Chapters

Previous Chapter|Index|Next Chapter