Author: Xerenity

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143. Alliance

“Whew……”

Due to my attacks continuing to rain down on him, he was torn apart.

He didn’t take any damage from my physical attacks, but now he could not stand against my magical attacks.

He did not resist in the slightest, taking the full brunt of the attacks.

Eventually, letting out a moan of pain, he sank to his knees.

His body bled nonstop.

Receiving such a fierce attack, it wouldn’t have surprised me to find that his entire body had evaporated.

Enduring all this was enough for me to praise him.

I landed the finishing blow on his body that was hanging on to life by a thread.

Praying that he would not rise again, I attacked.

A massive mountain of ice rose up from the ground, completely encasing him.

The Eye of Insight that marked him with a red dot no longer did so.

This meant that he had perished.

I did not leave this spot, but instead surveyed the surroundings.

Belkoseu had the title of Immortal Knight.

I believed that I could get rid of him using the skills that humans used, but I had a bad feeling about it still.

I had the suspicion that he would rise again once more, despite having perished.

A minute passed.

My expectations were that Jamon and Ladin had taken notice of this fight.

Despite still in the process of growing stronger, they probably couldn’t ignore the amount of magical energy BElkoseu carried.

And there was no doubt in my mind that I was under their close surveillance.

If I did not engage in combat and stood still, my exact position wouldn’t have been given away, but the situation wasn’t ideal in this case.

It wouldn’t take that long before the two of them were upon us.

‘Since he hasn’t risen again, I guess it’s surely over?’

I was relieved, but also regretful.

If he obtained a massive amount of magical energy, I wouldn’t be able to stop him no matter what I tried.

It was the right decision to shut down any chances of him growing stronger.

With his broken remains of a corpse behind me, I began to walk.

Uninvited guests were coming, after all.

However, the moment that I took a single step away, it happened.

“Hm?”

I could hear the sound of liquids bubbling.

It made sickening plopping sounds as if in a swamp.

Naturally, I turned around, praying that he wouldn’t revive.

However, the result wasn’t good.

What I hoped wouldn’t happen had occurred.

There’s a saying that an intuition expecting a sad event is never wrong.

The pile of shredded meat that was the remains of his former body began to slowly gather, regaining its form.

“I guess I was wrong…..”

“……”

The red dot from the Eye of Insight came back.

As his form recovered further, the mark became clearer.

This moment was evidence that I was completely wrong.

Belkoseu could not die from any attacks.

He was a lifeform that really was immortal.

Was there not a method to silence him forever?

I was planning on using him to help take down the Demon King and Ladin.

It was the same with my plans of obtaining loot.

This alliance would let me easily obtain loot without having to go all over the place.

However, experiencing his revival with my own eyes, I couldn’t help but rethink my plans.

What would happen if he became strong as, if not, stronger than the demon king?

I did speak with our informant of the demonic realm, Karin, about this before.

I asked him if there really wasn’t a way to defeat BElkoseu.

Even under specific hard to reach conditions, was there really not a single way to take him down?

The answer to that was none.

After recovering fully, a smug smile adorned his face as he rotated his shoulders and cracked his neck.

Looking at him, I thought to myself.

‘I cannot give up on the loot. Just for a little while…. We’ll keep this dangerous alliance for a bit.’

Drawing magical energy into his hands, he began to create his armor once more.

I had thought that his armor was made from processing bloodstones, but it seemed that he made it using his own magical energy.

Finishing repairs, he spoke to me.

“Whew…. I wasn’t wrong about you.”

“……”

“Since you had taken down Berdan, I expected you to be amazing, but to think that you were this strong. I cannot stop being flabbergasted at your strength.”

“Same here. I thought that you would never rise again from my attacks.”

“Kuhuhu. Did I not tell you so…… My power is Undying Authority. So now that we got that out of the way, are we finalizing this alliance?”

“There is one thing that bothers me, but we’ll go through with it.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll explain this as simply as I can. I can kill you.”

“That’s right.”

“However, if you become stronger through me, then you can imagine the implications.”

“…..”

“When you reach that point in strength, you break our alliance and make Earth your target, I will be helpless before your might.”

“Kuhuhu…… It’s obvious that you don’t trust me. However, that won’t happen. Where are you going with this?”

“…….”

“Are you perhaps asking me to divulge a method to eliminate me?”

“Oho? That would be great. However, I don’t think that you would divulge such information that would put you at such a disadvantage?”

“Kuhahat! You’re rather sharp. If you’re curious, I’ll tell you. There is no way. Well, there might be, but do you think I’d know such a way? I merely use my unique Authority to my advantage. I was created by the gods, but I doubt that they would let me walk the same path as them…… What is this safety mechanism that you wish for?”

“Guarantee? There’s no such thing. Just know this. Do not think of betraying me. And our alliance lasts only until Jamon is defeated.”

“Good. Then we’ll be competing to take the Demon King’s life.”

“For now, we change locations.”

“Pfft. Jamon. He’s running as fast as he can. Alright.”

“Then…….”

****

“Keruu….. Jong Ho.”

“Hm?”

“What time did Min-Cheol say he’d be back? Is it not time yet?”

“How many times are you going to ask me. Over an hour at the least.”

“Kehel…. Wouldn’t be a good idea to try detecting Min-Cheol’s magical energy?”

“Hm…. Your ability isn’t something that you can constantly use. Be patient for a bit longer. He’ll be here soon.”

“Kehmuru……”

“Instead of worrying about that, focus on the magical energies near you if you want to avoid getting done in like the last time.”

“I got it. Kel?”

“What is it? Who is coming?”

“Min-Cheol is coming! Kerururu… Keheck?”

“Why? Why are you being so surprised that Min-Cheol is coming?”

“Keh….. Be…. Bel…. Belkoseu!”

“What do you mean? Are you saying that Min-Cheol and Belkoseu are coming together?”

“Keck! Kurk! Kurk!”

Karin began to hiccup due to being so nervous.

Jong Ho could only look at him with worry filling his eyes.

A few moments later….

“I think they’re here?”

“Kuhuck! Kurk!”

“Shit…. What is that…..”

I saw Min-Cheol walking towards us from far away.

However, he wasn’t alone.

Next to him was a man in black armor and cape walking alongside him.

Jong Ho immediately called for Karin.

“Karin. Are you sure that the person next to him is Belkoseu?”

“Kurk! That’s right. Kurk!”

“Just what is he thinking…..?”

Without any concern towards how surprised Jong Ho and Karin was, Min-Cheol walked up to the Immortal Knight Belkoseu without a care in the world.

Jong Ho followed his instincts and prepared to fight.

Monsters were akin to dolls for humans in terms of trust.

However, the aura Belkoseu carried felt bad enough for him to be on edge.

Min-Cheol spoke up.

“Did I keep you waiting for long? Thankfully it ended earlier than I thought.”

“……”

“What’s wrong?”

“Kurk! Mi… Min-Cheol. Next to you……”

“Ah, Belkoseu? He’ll be accompanying us for awhile.”

“What? Do you know how crazy you sound right now?”

“Kuhu. You also carry a lot of magical energies…”

“…..”

“There’s no need to be on guard. I have agreed to an alliance with him. It won’t be a long one though.”

“Wait a moment. Min-Cheol, let us talk for a bit.”

“Alright.”

“Keheck! Kurk! Family! Me too. Let me in too. Take me with you.”

“Kuhuuu…..”

“There’s no need to be scared. It’s going to be okay, Karin.”

“Keheck!”

Leaving the trembling Karin behind, Jong Ho and I gathered at a place far away from Belkoseu.

Perhaps Jong Ho couldn’t believe what he was witnessing, because he asked me with a flabbergasted look on his face.

“How did it come to this?”

“As I said, we’ve formed an alliance.”

“Cast Silent.”

“…….”

A thin barrier formed to surround Min-Cheol and Jong Ho.

Silent, a skill that prevented sound from traveling outside, was casted.

Even though we were far away from Belkoseu, Jong Ho couldn’t hide his anxiety.

“Are you insane?”

“…….”

“Just what reason do you have for making an alliance with that monster…..”

“I couldn’t kill him.”

“What?”

“I couldn’t defeat him with Awakened skills.”

“This just gets better….”

“That’s why I thought we might as well make an alliance.”

“You should’ve just left him be! You should’ve just ran away at that point!”

“Hyungnim. At this rate, we don’t know when we can take down the demon king and return home. What Karin said about the endeavor taking over a hundred years as a joke might come to fruition. And even if we run away right now, the situation won’t change. We can slow down his growth, but we can’t stop it. It’s a problem that we’ll have to deal with at some point in order to gain complete dominion over the demonic realm.”

“Whew…. What did he want? Let’s hear it.”

“You can already guess. It’s magical energies.”

“What can we obtain from this?”

“Artifacts and jewels.”

“Min-Cheol. You need to think this through. That guy doesn’t die. We can’t kill him no matter what we do. But you’re going to help him grow stronger? To take down Jamon and Ladin? While we try to catch a cat, we can get bitten by a tiger!”

“I also thought that as well.”

“……”

“Hyung-nim. Did I already tell you that I’m sure of this?”

“You also said that your belief that he won’t revive was wrong.”

“……”

“Min-Cheol. I believe in you. I don’t think that you made the wrong decision.”

“……”

“You must have thought this through several times. But this, I cannot understand. Are you sure that I can trust in you?”

“There must be a way to defeat him. Until we find out how, let’s use him to our convenience.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. There definitely is. And I don’t plan to let him grow strong as the Demon King.”

“Of course.”

“It’ll be brief. Until then, we need to get as much as artifacts and jewels out of him.”

Jong Ho looked into Min-Cheol’s eyes for a long time.

He could not understand what Min-Cheol was thinking in the slightest.

However, since he had never let him down before, Jong Ho decided to follow him still.

Letting out a long sigh, Jong Ho spoke.

“Whew…… Alright, let’s do as you say.”

“Thank you, hyung-nim.”

“Tell him to immediately summon Lich Kings!”

“Pfft. I got your order. Let’s go!”

“Alright! I don’t know anymore! Whatever, let’s just do it!”

---

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142. Trade with Belkoseu

“Do you know how I lasted in the demonic realm?”

“……”

“This body was not meant to become one of the demonic chiefs or the demon king. At least it was? I was a low ranking monster, similar to the Puppet Goblin that travels with you.”

“Sounds like you’re talking about a past far away?”

“However, now I have become someone that even the demon king wishes not to face. Isn’t that strange? Despite being on the lowest of the food chain in the past, now I am able to stand as equals against the demon king. All monsters have their powers determined at birth. So is the amount of magical energy they can hold……”

“Is it because of your Authority?”

“Kuhu. Guess your race are quick on the uptake. That’s right. Thanks to the Immortal’s Authority, I have made it this far. My first death and kill activated it. I wouldn’t lose to any attacks, and I was able to retaliate against my foes after reviving. However, that wasn’t enough….. Even with my undying body, if my capacity for holding magical energy was low, I would be cursed to live an eternity as one of the weakest creatures.”

“Then, perhaps…”

“That’s right. The monsters that I kill, I can take all their magical energies.”

“So why are you telling me this?”

Belkoseu was far more dangerous that I thought he’d be.

Right now, the conditions required for his growth was not met, but he had enough latent potential to take the title of demon king easily.

Not only immortal, but he had an infinite capacity for growth.

However, to become stronger, he would need strong monsters as sacrifices for him.

For example, those monsters would need to be strong as Zekill or Berdan.

From what I heard from Belkoseu, I assumed that his offensive capability was pathetic at best.

It would make sense, since if he was only able to reach this far with an ability like that, then his attacks had to be weak.

That must be the reason why he wanted to trade with me.

With immortality and a lacking offensive capability, he would be stuck as a weakling for eternity.

With his eyes glued to me, he continued to speak.

“I’ll be straightforward.”

“Yeah. No one likes being overly complicated.”

“Human, become my ally. Obtain what you wish from me.”

“What I want….. The eradication of monsters in the human realm, right?”

“Didn’t you say that’s what you were fighting for? If I become the demon king, I shall do just that.”

“Hm…… Then what do you want in return?”

“I’m glad that we’re on the same page. I want your strength. Use your strength to bring me powerful magical energies, so that I can absorb it. If you do so, I shall defeat Ladin and Jamon that you cannot defeat.”

“I have only taken down the Lich King. You’re judging my powers based off of that?”

“Pfft. You know humility, human. However, how will you explain the magical energy flowing within you? As I said before, I can sense the magical energies of Zekill and Berdan. To put it shortly, it means that you defeated them.”

“The ability for monsters to read magical energies is quite annoying. To think that my lie would be exposed so quickly. So, you need my strength?”

“That’s right.”

“You know how you told me to gather magical energies into you?”

“……”

“What exactly do you mean by that? Do you want me to bring monsters like the Lich King to you?”

“With monsters weak as that, it’s hard to anticipate much growth for me……”

“Then?”

“What I need are monsters born into the fate of becoming the chiefs. Even now, many are being born, and I need their strength…..”

“So you’re not interested in other monsters?”

“That’s right. I think I understand what you’re trying to ask me. When I first saw you, I found one thing amusing.”

“…….”

“Something poured out from the Lich King’s defeat. And it seemed that whatever came out, it was precious enough for you to have your servant rush collecting the items in question.”

“As with your astute observations, I admit that that is one reason why I am agreeing to become allies.”

“The items that pour out only do so if monsters are killed by humans, right?”

“Ha…… You’re sharper than I thought. Seems I’ll need to keep my mouth shut.”

“I shall promise that as well. It doesn’t take much effort to summon monsters of that ranking. Whenever you want and as much as you want, you can kill them to your liking.”

“Good. However …”

“Hm…?”

“You already know how strong I am, but I don’t know how strong you are, right? I understand that you have an Authority that prevents your death. But how about you strength? Don’t you need to show me how strong you are? I can get artifacts from hunting, so there isn’t a reason to just feed you as you wish. I heard that this is how trading is supposed to work.”

“Pfft. Are you telling me to show my strength? Seems the trade is halfway done.”

“Well, you can say that, I guess.”

“Then I shall show you. Come. Give me all you got!”

“I haven’t done any practice fighting before. It could become as dangerous as real fight, ok? So make sure to not die. Don’t regret for not listening to me.”

“Kuhahat! Sure, I shall keep that in mind.”

Finishing our chat, he stopped crossing his arms and prepared to fight.

His eyes that were calm like the still surface of a lake turned into that of a prowling hunter.

It was the same with me. I didn’t have any plans of giving him leeway.

If it was possible to kill him now, I had to do so.

His offer was tempting, but helping him was akin to raising a tiger cub.

Belkoseu wanted magical energies.

Not high ranking monsters like the Lich King and such, but he wanted the magical energies of monsters with the potential of becoming leaders of their race.

I had more than enough strength to take down Berdan, so it was easily doable.

He said that he would rise to the rank of demon king and wanted to take control over the demonic realm and its monsters.

After that, he promised to get rid of monsters appearing on Earth once and for all.

However, who in their right mind would just go ahead and believe that?

I just needed him to trust me for a bit and use him as needed.

If it went as I planned, I would gain a great amount of benefits.

I would be able to obtain a vast amount of artifacts and jewels easily and without having to run around searching for monsters.

And even while I delivered him magical energies to feast on, I would be using Karin to keep tabs on his magical energy levels.

I could not stand by idly and let him grow to a point where I could no longer handle him.

Belkoseu spoke once more.

“What are you doing? Did you say that you wanted to test out my strength?”

“Rightly so……”

“Give me all you got. We don’t want to take too long and risk having the Demon King and Ladin show up to interrupt us.”

“Right. Then let’s…..”

‘Magic resistant? Physical resistance? He probably has one at least.’

I needed to find out which one he was resistant to.

I decided to open up with a physical based attack.

Casting Piercing Sword, I held tightly onto the Butcher’s Sword.

I casted Mana Shield, Reflect Shield, and Iron Skin as well.

I expected his attacks to be pathetic at best, but I needed to stay on the side of caution.

A vast amount of swords with a glowing red aura floated behind me.

Letting out great amounts of killing intent, they seemed to wait for my command.

Strong gusts of wind began to blow around Belkoseu.

I had casted Typhoon Wheel.

He was trapped within a whirlwind of razor sharp winds, spinning at an incredible speed.

With that much rotational force coupled with Piercing Sword, most monsters would instantly perish.

I was already at my limit on how many skills I could cast at once, but he would also have to take on my sword swing backed up by 3 million worth of strength stats.

Running towards him, I let forth a wave of swords behind me rush forwards.

Moving at an incredible speed, all the swords hit him directly.

Typhoon Wheel was also causing constant damage with its razor sharp winds.

While the winds were ripping him apart, I continued my assault.

-Clang!

“Damn….”

“I told you to give it your all……”

My sword was stopped by his armor.

It didn’t even pierce his body and had been stopped dead in its tracks.

Piercing Sword and Typhoon Wheel were meeting similar results.

Chipping away at his armor and cape, both attacks had failed to do any real damage to him.

Kicking him, I retreated backwards to make distant between us.

Realizing that physical attacks didn’t work, I had to make space for my next attempt.

After receiving my first attempt at attacking, he stood there with a relaxed smug grin.

It was to be expected, since he had received my first volley of flashy attacks without taking any damage.

Tossing the cape that had been shredded into a rag, he spoke to me.

“Not sure what happened there. Your attack had no effect on me. The only thing it did was to damage this cape.”

“Physical attack resistance?”

“Hm? Do humans have a lot of limitations in their attacks….”

“Are you beginning to doubt my skills?”

“Pftt. It’s too early to do so. I know you have more attacks to show.”

“You know it. It won’t end with just your cape this time, so you better be ready.”

“I look forward to it.”

My main spell, Meteor, filled the sky.

6 meteors bathed in intense black flames flew down from the sky.

I threw them at him, along with Chain Explosion and Fire Shock at the same time with my two free hands, charging at him.

That’s right. I threw my body towards him, where the meteors would land.

The meteors would deal an insane amount of damage, but as long as my Mana Shield was on, I wouldn’t take any damage from it.

The moment that Meteor struck him, Fire shock followed suit.

And Chain Explosion caused explosions of various elements to come forth from my body towards him.

With my best combination of an attack hitting him, he began to croak out a pained moan.

With these attacking working on him, it confirmed that he only had resistances against physical attacks.

“Kuhack! KUWA!”

“I told you. Told you to prepare yourself.”

“Kuughk….”

---

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140. His Loot Drops

The sound of jewels spilling out was music to my ears.

It brought me joy far beyond that of obtaining bloodstones.

Within the pile were jewels, accessories and skill books as well as weapons and armors.

Now, if those artifacts were equal or greater in stats than the equipment I was wearing, I would be able to taste the bitterness of the incredibly low success rate the jewels have for enhancement.

What was important right now was to decide which of us got what equipment.

Jong Ho and I had the same expression as we looked at the pile of loot.

It was the equivalent of children looking at their own cotton candies being made in front of them.

Hoping for my expectations to become a reality, I used Eye of Insight.

The information on the artifacts were revealed to me, but the thing that I was completely enthralled by were the jewels.

It was important to use them up first.

I urgently called Karin.

“Karin.”

“Kel?”

“Jong Ho hyung and I cannot touch these items yet, you know?”

“Keru.”

“So can you organize them?”

“Keru. I’m doing this only because we’re family.”

“But why is this goblin constantly going on about family all of a sudden?”

“Dunno. Aren’t we family though? We share meals together.”

“I mean, that’s true….. Still, it bothers me. I’m aware, but calling us his family? I don’t think he needs to keep saying that.”

“Just let him be. It’s cute.”

“Well…. Okay.”

“Kerurururu. As I had hoped for, family understands one another. Right, family?”

“Okay. I understand, so could you hurry. You can see it in Jong Ho hyung-nim’s eyes. See how impatient he is?”

“Keheh. I get it. I’ll be done quick.”

Karin moved quickly, as if he was very excited.

His small hands easily hefted up the giant artifacts.

The Awakened cannot lift weapons or armor if they lack the stats to equip them in the first place.

Forget equipping them, as this meant they couldn’t even pick up the loot.

However, it seemed that for a monster like Karin, that rule did not apply.

This meant that he could lift equipments regardless of what stat requirements they carried with ease.

I began to carefully look through the equipment that Karin was sorting out.

As I did, I made sure to note those that would be particularly useful on Jong Ho.

There were a few items in view that made me grin with anticipation.

Jong Ho merely watched my expression.

He must be predicting what the results were from my expressions.

From how pleased I was, he probably guessed that at least a few useful items did drop.

Karin, who wiped his sweat away after finishing the sorting process, spoke.

“Kehel. All done. Is this what you wanted?”

“Yep. Good work, Karin. I’ll get the fire started so that you can have your steak.”

“Kerut. No, family eats together. That’s what I saw at Min-Cheol’s house.”

“…..”

“See, I told you? Despite being annoying at times, he’s really hard to dislike.”

“I see now. Please wait for just a bit, Karin.”

“Kel. Don’t worry about me and check the drops. I noticed that Jong Ho was drooling at them before.”

“Ahem… Did anything good drop, Min-Cheol?”

“Yes, though it seems you already expected it so?”

“I got it all from staring at your expressions.”

“Firstly, I’ll identify the items that I think would be useful to you.”

“This identifying procedure always makes me tense….”

“You weren’t like this back on Earth though.”

“Back then…. The situation wasn’t this dire back then.”

“True. First, the ring over there.”

“This?”

“Yes.”

Jong Ho only picked up the items I pointed out with the utmost caution.

After all, if he accidentally picked up the wrong items, it would bind to him and become useless to me.

Jong Ho’s weapons and armor were sufficient enough already, but it was true that I neglected on getting him decent accessories.

It was because of a lack of time to prepare due to the deadline that required us to go into the demonic realm.

“Hyung-nim, what are the attributes on the accessories you have equipped at the moment?”

“Balrock’s ring…… The ring of revival that mother gave me is gone…… Other than that, nothing much of note, really.”

“I should’ve also taken better care of you in that department as well.”

“I really didn’t think much of it too, so don’t worry. But what are the attributes on this new ring?”

“It doesn’t have special effects like the Balrock’s ring, but it does raise your stats up, so try it on first.”

“Ok.”

Jong Ho took off the ring that he was wearing and replaced it with the new ring that I had pointed out.

To check out his status window, he stared into thin air.

I wished that I could see his status window as well, but this was something that you couldn’t show to others.

Only the Awakened could see their own status windows.

Jong Ho’s expression changed to that of a small smirk.

The ring that I had given him was one that raised the mana stat.

“It’s a mana ring?”

“Yes. There’s nothing as important as defense. And to keep your defenses up, you need to keep casting defensive spells. You know firsthand from fighting against the Demon King and Ladin.”

“Wew. Thanks for calling it a fight. It was more of a one-sided defeat though.”

“Well, it won’t be like that anymore. For now, I think you should be equipping that.”

“Hm… Right. It’s true that I do need mana.”

“You don’t seem that happy with it though? Did you want something specifically? Seems I’m on right on the money. Tell me what you want.”

“No. It’s true that you need mana to use shields and defensive skills.”

“Hey, why are you acting like that? Both of us can’t lie to save our hides. I can tell right now that you aren’t being honest, so go ahead and tell me what’s up.”

I could tell from just looking at his expression that he wanted something else.

Was it because the ring had no special effect attached to it?

Or perhaps he wanted a different stat on his ring?

My query didn’t last long, as Jong Ho stuttered before speaking up.

“No. I really like this ring. However…..”

“I knew it. There really was something.”

“I want to… change my weapon.”

“Your weapon?”

“Yeah. It is a weapon that gives me the most amount of mana stats, but…..”

“You’re saying that you lack physical attack skills, and the staff or wand have a short reach and isn’t suited for melee combat, right?”

“Yep…. That’s right.”

“I think I understand what you mean. For now though, we have to get your accessories sorted out. I think those bracelets in front of Karin will suit you as well.”

“Does this also raise my mana?”

“Yes. If you want to change your weapon, you’ll have to find a way to make up for all the mana stats you’ll be losing out due to the change, right?”

“That’s right.”

“If you wear these two and the necklace over there, you should be able to obtain more magic stat points than what you were getting from your wand.”

“Oho…. Okay. I’m hoping for a warrior class type weapon with the stats of a magic weapon……”

“Should I summon the blacksmith? It’s the demonic realm here, hyung-nim.”

“No, I’m just saying.”

Just like that, Jong Ho put on the accessories on his hands and neck.

Due to the equipment being merely of decent quality, he didn’t get that much of a stat gain.

The mana stat he gained from the accessories were better than the wand, but it wasn’t as good as the staff.

After equipping the accessory, his eyes lit up with life.

His expression seemed to ask for his new weapon.

“Since the accessories don’t have special abilities attached to them, it doesn’t seem like something that you should keep. But you should still use it until something better drops.”

“Yep, yep. So about the weapon? The sword?”

“It’s not a sword you’d like…..”

“Don’t play it down and hurry up!”

“It’s over there. Pijan’s Lightning Sword.”

There were 3 swords at the location where Karin had gathered the weapons together.

Each varied in size and shape, and their attributes matched their variety.

Since they were all weapons that bound on touch, the attributes on the swords were far beyond what the average Awakened could even dream of.

Jong Ho headed to the sky blue sword that I pointed out.

“Is this it?”

“Yes. That thin sword is the one.”

Jong Ho picked up Pijan’s Lightning Sword as soon as I told him.

It was a sky blue sword with the cutting edge of the sword being only 5cm.

The shape was simple, but because it had a special effect attached to it, it seemed quite useful.

Checking the attributes of the weapon, he became lively once more.

-Pijan’s Lightning Sword-

*Strength +1000

*7% of total strength increased.

*One-handed.

*Deals electric based damage.

*After absorbing a certain amount of magical energy, deals an empowered double damage attack. (30 second duration.)

“I can deal electric based attacks……”

“Yes. Looks like a type of enchantment?”

“Enchant? Can I use it, even if I’m a warrior class?”

“Why not try giving it a swing? It seems that the electric enchant is inherently built into the weapon.”

“Hm……”

“Oho?”

Swinging his sword at thin air, an effect that seemed as if an electric spell was casted followed.

Enchants were a way to add in magical attacks onto a physical damage based weapons.

It wasn’t used in high level dungeons where the mobs had high resistance against magical attacks, but it was used commonly in low level dungeons.

However, this was the demonic realm.

Almost all the monsters here have resistances.

That’s why the effect wasn’t that useful.

“Looks pretty. Not very practical though.”

“I really like the attributes on it though? I can think of it as worth half your Butcher’s Sword.”

“Yes. I was somewhat surprised as well. Must be quite the high ranking weapon.”

“Yeah. However, what about the special effect on it.….”

“I know it well, since I’ve used that special effect lots before.”

“Hm? You’ve used this sword before?”

“No. However…..”

I quietly touched the Louver’s Bracelet on my wrist.

It was one of the three items that completed a set, and could only be obtained by defeating reaper Louver.

No attributes were attached to it, but the one special effect on it was identical to Jong Ho’s sword.

It was a special effect that changed absorbed magical energy into an offensive capability.

However, that sword’s special ability was far superior to that of my bracelet.

Unlike the bracelet, which empowered one magical spell cast, the special ability on the sword lasted for 30 seconds and empowered any attack that was made with the sword.

It was a weapon that served well in filling the lack of strength stats that Jong Ho had.

And this was the demonic realm.

The magical energy that the sword wanted was found everywhere in the demonic realm, and the monsters that were found commonplace around this realm were saturated with the magical energies.

There wasn’t a better place than here for the conditions requiring the item to activate its special ability.

Jong Ho, who had been staring at the sword intensely, spoke.

“An enhanced attack….”

“It won’t affect the skills from the Balrock’s ring, but it will work on the skills and attacks you use.”

“Okay. I’ll confirm the effects in a bit. Is there anything you get from this?”

“Yes. There really isn’t an artifact that I could use.”

“What…. It doesn’t match the expression you had when you looked at the loot though? I thought something amazing had dropped and had my hopes up.”

“There isn’t any artifacts for me…… but there is something else.”

“Oh! Really? What is it?”

“You’ll know when you see it.”

---

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141. Eternal Jewel Master

As soon as I finished talking, I walked towards where the skill books were.

The skill books’ ranking were low for a Lich King’s drop.

However, there was a skill book in that pile that we desperately needed right now.

It was a skill that we’ve never seen or heard of back on Earth.

Jong Ho stared at me, unable to hold back his curiosity.

“Did any good skill books drop?”

“Yes.”

“Oh? Offensive spells? Shields? Perhaps a skill beyond ranking?”

“No, it’s not that good. It’s recovery. However, it’s not something specifically for us.”

“Huh? Who’s going to use it?”

“Over there, on the ones guarding the place outside.”

“Hm? That doesn’t make sense? You can’t use recovery spells on monsters. It doesn’t affect them.”

“Not on monsters, summoned creatures. It looks like a healing spell for summoned creatures dropped.”

“Is it a summoner class skill? As I said before, I don’t know that much about the summoner class.”

“Yes. Thankfully it’s not class restricted. It looks like as long as you have the mana, any class can use it.”

“Do you think that it would be effective?”

“…..”

“Think about it. The Devil Avatars and King Suwoo have grown to their limits already. This includes both their health and their offensive abilities.”

“Of course, they’ve reached level 200.”

“Right. However, the skill that they’re learning is only level 1. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it will help a little. But we shouldn’t expect much. I guess it’s like trying to fill a massive pool using a bucket.”

“As expected from you, but what if the skill recovers as much as the amount of mana I have?”

“What?”

“That’s why I was smirking before.”

“…..”

Without any hesitation, I put the skill book on my chest.

The skill book made a sound as if it was burning away before being absorbed into my chest.

The skill was obtained and the skill window had a new skill called Full Heal.

This was a skill that only healed summoned creatures, not Awakened, and its ability was healing as much as the amount of mana the caster had.

This meant that if someone like me who has infinite mana casts it, the summoned creatures would never run out of health.

The one thing that disappointed me was that it needed to be channeled.

Thanks to the dual casting passive, I can cast up to 3 spells at once. This meant that I had to invest one of the three slots.

Similar to my mana shield, that is.

However, this wasn’t an issue for us.

While we left the Gate for 6 hours at a time, if I healed them once in between that time, the summoned creatures would have no problem defending this place.

After absorbing the skill book, I spoke to Jong Ho.

“Hyung-nim, grab one of the two swords left.”

“Yup.”

“And then enhance it.”

“Enhance?”

“Yes. Just grab it to bind it to you. And all you have to do is put it next to the sword you’re going to use.”

“…..”

“Attributes of weapons will naturally be absorbed into the Pijan’s Lightning Sword.”

“But what if the Lightning Sword’s attribute gets transferred to another sword?”

“That won’t happen. Attributes only move from weaker weapons to stronger weapons. All the swords that I’ve seen had lower attributes than the Lightning Sword.”

“Is that so…..? What about the other sword?”

“I’ll just pick up random equipment and we’ll be applying jewels on them. So hyung-nim should focus on enhancing them.”

“Okay, I got it.”

“Karin, what do you want to do now?”

“Hm….. Just watch, goblins can’t use jewels. Kel….. I’m going to make a meal for my family!”

“Oh. That’s great.”

“Kerurururu.”

****

“Man, I’ve burned through the night oil…..”

“Min-Cheol, how did you succeed twice before?”

“I’m wondering the same thing. I didn’t know it was that bad…..”

“In the middle of it, I felt like killing something.”

“Me too…..”

“Keruk? Are you guys done? Hurry up and eat the steak.”

“It’ll be a gloomy dinner.”

There were countless jewels that dropped from the Lich King.

We spent two hours applying them on various artifacts.

However, the results were pathetic at best.

We did not gain anything of worth.

A lot of jewels that boosted magic energy dropped, but none of them succeeded in enhancing the gear.

Instead, it destroyed the gears.

Perhaps it has to do with how the demonic realm has a lower drop rate than Earth?

Also, the success rate of using the jewels were incredibly low.

The Eye of Insight showed that it had a 10% chance of succeeding, just like the jewels we obtained on Earth.

However, it felt like the success rate was 0.0001%.

The only thing we gained from taking down the Lich King was the Lightning Sword and one skill book.

It felt like we should collect the jewels from now on and use it when we return to Earth.

I asked Karin who was viciously tearing into the steak.

“Karin.”

“Keruru?”

“This is something that just occurred to me…..”

“What is it?”

“Can’t we just go through the Gate back to Earth? Kind of like how we’d go back home after a long day’s work?”

“Kel…..”

“Now that I think about it, that’s right. This Gate is connected to Yangpyeong.”

“I know, right? Why are we two dudes and a monster eating shabby food like this?”

“You can’t do that!”

“Why? The monsters seem to go through just fine?”

“Look at the number of monsters, aren’t there a lot?”

“Of course, this is the demonic realm after all…..”

“Not all of them are heading for Earth.”

“…..”

“There is a low chance that you can fall off the path.”

“What do you mean ‘fall off’? Are you saying that we can fall into another dimension?”

“You can get trapped in the cracks in the dimensions. It’s not the overworld, afterworld, Earth, or demonic realm. You can get isolated in another dimension.”

“…..”

“Why are you only telling us this now? What if we entered it without a thought?”

“Kel…..”

“So you’re telling me that the only way we can return is to kill the demon king?”

“That’s right. If it was any other human, I would have told them to go through it….. However, I can’t let the two of you do that.”

“I understand.”

“I was hoping for something good to drop. Now I’m frustrated.”

“Oh well, we can’t help it. I guess we’ll have to stake our hopes on Belkoseu.”

“You said that you’ll visit him in a few days?”

“Yes. Karin remembers his magical signature, so it should not be that difficult to meet up with him.”

“That’s right. I remember! Belkoseu’s magical signature!”

“Min-Cheol, are you sure about this?”

“Yes….. I’m as positive as when hyung-nim charged Berdan. We won’t be able to defeat him with magical energy, but I’m sure that we can bring him to his knees using Awakened attacks.”

“…..”

“You don’t have to worry about a thing. If something goes wrong, you can run away.”

“Even so…..”

“For now, let us rest near the Gate. We’ll leave tomorrow.”

“Got it.”

“Ah. And since we need guidance from Karin, follow me partway.”

“What. Are you planning to go alone?”

“Yes. I think that would be for the best.”

“…….”

“It’s easier for a single person to escape rather than two or three. And we can only use Status Denial once every 24 hours.”

“Hm…..”

“Chances. I’m betting on better chances like you always talked about. You understand, right?”

“Yeah, do as you see fit. So I just need to stay near here with Karin, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Keruu…. Human, he is not your average monsters. If it gets dangerous, escape immediately.”

“Got it.”

****

I had hoped that we would speed up on growing stronger after defeating the Lich King, but the results were less than satisfactory.

With the Gate as the anchor, we continued to hunt.

The area covered wasn’t large, but there were plenty of monsters about.

The effect of Full Heal that I’ve obtained was far greater than what I had expected.

An aura appeared around the creatures I’ve summoned, rapidly healing them.

As expected, it did not heal the monsters.

It only worked on the creatures that I’ve summoned.

If I get used to using this spell, I should be able to lessen my worries about holding the Gate.

And if it becomes so, I should be able to hunt further away from the Gate.

Instead of just staying tethered near the Gate, I should be able to visit all the good locations in the demonic realm for farming monsters with the guidance of Karin.

With the Devil Avatars and King Suwoo confidently holding their ground, it should be possible.

“What about the Warp cooldown?”

“Haven’t used it in the last two days. It’s good to go.”

“Haven’t forgotten anything?”

“Telling me that you love me?”

“Get bent. And don’t get hurt. Take the Warp right away if you sense anything that’s off.”

“Love you too.”

“Get outta here. Go.”

“Human….. I’ll be waiting with Jong Ho. Please come back safe. Lov…..”

“Stop! Go ahead and ration the steak. I’ll be back before the watch on Jong Ho’s wrist points 12, okay?”

“Kerut. I got it.”

I ran towards the direction that Karin pointed me towards.

At the end should be Belkoseu.

Thankfully, both Ladin and Jamon were far away from here.

However, despite the massive distance, with their speeds it shouldn’t take that long for them to get here.

That’s why it was important for my fight with Belkoseu to be as short as possible and equally decisive in victory.

In the plains where not a single rock could be found stood Belkoseu.

As if he had been waiting for me, he turned to face me, holding his ground.

I walked towards where he was.

“Kuhu. Humans are amusing creatures. To think that you’d come on your own volition to your own death.”

“You saw, right? Karin. He keeps his promises, even if it kills him. It seems I’m becoming like him.”

“What is the reason behind your confidence to be able to come? Do you think that your different types of attacks can take me down?”

“Yep. It seemed to me that the chances were high.”

“You’re a reckless fool.”

“I hear that a lot. Shall we start then? Don’t worry about the demon king. He’s quite far away.”

“Hm….”

Belkoseu hesitated for a bit.

It seemed that he was thinking about something.

I was a bit taken back by what he said next.

“What is it that you want?”

“……”

“For what reason is it that you take down monsters such as I is what I ask.”

“That’s simple. If we don’t kill you, our homeworld gets destroyed.”

“You’re not trying to become the demon king that rules the demonic realm? You do not wish to rule over all the monsters?”

“Not really interested. I’m just tired of seeing you monsters invading Earth.”

“…..”

“Now, enough pointless chatter. Let’s begin.”

“Wait. Let me make an offer.”

“Oh? Trying to trade when you’re nothing but a monster? Let me hear you out.”

“You definitely said that you have no interest in being the demon king, right?”

“Yep.”

“You just want monsters to stop invading the human realm.”

“Yep. You’re a lot smarter than I thought.”

“If that’s the case……”

Belkoseu began to make an offer that I didn’t even consider.

To think that a deal between a monster and a human would form.

It was a shocking development, but it felt as though I could use him.

Since I did not have a 100% guarantee that I could defeat him, this offer had me intrigued as well.

Is this how I would get another friend in the demonic realm?

---

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139. The Lich King of the Demonic Realm

Carrying Karin and the duffel bag with our food inside, I ran as fast as I could towards the location that Jong Ho and I had agreed to rendezvous at.

Not much time had passed since I left Belkoseu behind me that the sounds of a massive explosion rang out.

Noticing the intensity of the tremor and sound, it definitely wasn’t the result of fighting between any regular monsters.

Since the Demon King Jamon and Belkoseu had met one another, I assumed that Belkoseu was getting in the way of the Demon King tracking me.

Is this what it’s like to solve a problem with another? Using my enemy to fight against another enemy, like so.

This saying fits the situation perfectly.

I was using a monster to hold off another monster after all.

Belkoseu was confident in his strength and his body that was impervious to death.

That was why he believes that I won’t be able to defeat him.

His arrogance was working in my favor.

It was possible that he was right.

It was my conclusion that I could defeat him with skills used by humans.

However, right now, the answer to that question was not that important.

Despite being unkillable, it was obvious that Belkoseu was in a lower position than the Demon King.

That’s why he was afraid and made a temporary alliance, because the Demon King would kill me and take the magical energy I possessed.

Assisting my escape, he planned to meet with me later on.

All I have to do is to use his plan to my advantage.

“Karin? How is it? Are we getting away from their magical energy signatures?”

“Kehruu. Correct. I can faintly sense their magical energies now. I’m sure that we’ve gotten very far away from them.”

“Guess Belkoseu is stopping them in their tracks pretty well.”

“Kehheh. It seems so.”

Karin’s expression softened away from a fearful look, and his face returned back to his usual look.

As I continued my run, Karin spoke.

“Human. Min-Cheol!”

“Hm?”

“I believe that sticking with you and Jong Ho is the path to staying alive.”

“Of course. The demonic realm is far too dangerous for a Puppet Goblin to survive, no?”

“Kel. Kel. You’re right. However……”

“Hm?”

“Do we have to continue encountering near death situations like these?”

“Pfft. Why? Isn’t it fun and thrilling?”

“Keruk….  For me, who lived a peaceful life, these events are beyond my ability to adapt to. We’ve met the Demon King. Then we meet with Belkoseu and the Lich King…… At this rate, it feels like we’re going to meet a god!”

“Hey. No matter how dangerous it gets, we’ll protect you.”

“Keheheh…. I’m…. touched….”

“What will we eat if you’re gone? I can’t put that rotten monster meat anywhere near my mouth.”

“Kehruu…. You really do think of me as a food storage…..”

Immediately did Karin’s wrinkles increase severely.

It was a look of great sadness and depression.

It seemed that he thought of himself as a mere luggage carrier.

However, he was far more important than just a luggage carrier.

Without him, we would be in the dark in the demonic realm.

If we didn’t have Karin, we might have been done in by the Demon King and Ladin by now.

After all, the ability to read the flow of magical energy was a skill that we desperately needed.

And the most important thing.

Despite his appearance, he was actually very cute.

“You’re someone I can talk to, you serve as a guide, and you’re a goblin that can read the flow of magical energies….. On top of that, you keep store of our food supply. How can we hate you? At this point, we’re family. Don’t you think so?”

“Keruk. Keruruk. Right? Kelkelkel! Family…. Family…..”

“Don’t be sad. Just as you care for us, we care for you too.”

“Karin isn’t sad. I was never sad.”

“Look at how quickly his mood changed. I’m glad. Hold onto the duffel bag filled with the artifacts tightly so that they don’t make contact with me. I’m going to start running faster.”

“Kel! Do not worry! Family!”

“Pfft. Yeah. We just have to go this way, right?”

“That’s right. Family! Let’s go. Family!”

“Yep, family. Here we go!”

****

Jong Ho, who had parted ways with Min-Cheol , arrived near the Gate safely using Warp.

Despite only being gone for 6 hours, many monsters were gathered.

The Devil Avatars and King Suwoo that Min-Cheol had summoned were in quite the state.

Their embers of life were barely there, guarding as no more than symbols.

They were barely holding onto their lives.

If he arrived any later, the summoned creatures would perish and countless monsters would have entered through the Gate.

Jong Ho immediately casted skills into the charging horde.

“KUWEHEH!”

“KUAHAH!”

With Min-Cheol’s skill level and 20% increase in magical power, as well as the Archangel’s Fall effect, magic fell upon these creatures.

Almost as if using a strainer, all the monsters without magical resistances immediately perished.

It appeared as though a meteor had fallen on a planet, with half the horde being annihilated without a trace left.

The rest of the horde must have magical resistances.

The ones left were the ones that ignored magical attacks and were only vulnerable to physical attacks.

Jong Ho casted Piercing Sword.

Nearly a thousand weapons appeared behind him.

They would move to his will, piercing through the monsters before returning.

However, the weapons summoned were staves and wands.

Due to the skill adapted to the class of the caster, the weapons summoned weren’t meant to cut, but were magician class weapons consisting of staves and wands.

However, since this skill was backed by Min-Cheol’s strength stat, it would be more than enough to annihilate these creatures.

“Hm…..”

However, he was lacking in the physical attack skill department.

The Formless Sword Aura had to strike an enemy once before the effect of the target not being able to sense the second strike activating.

Staves and wands, due to their size and their intended purposes, weren’t suited to use physical attacks with.

That’s why Jong Ho was disappointed.

He wanted a way to get two birds with one stone.

Even if he had put his stats similar to how a regular warrior put their stats, it wouldn’t cause much of a difference to his current situation.

The only difference would be that the fate of those monsters before him and those that perished would have changed somewhat.

With that in mind, Jong Ho continued his attack.

At his will, staves and wands flew towards the horde.

The weapons weren’t sharp as swords, but they pierced their targets without issue.

The damage they dealt weren’t as strong as the magic that they could discharge, but for this situation, it was more than enough.

Like a knife to tofu, the monsters were being cut apart.

“KUUEK! KWUH……”

“Despite not looking like much, the damage they deal is still noteworthy.”

“KUWEK!”

It happened a little after he had taken care of the monsters nearby.

All he had to do was head for the location they had agreed to meet up at.

The summoned creatures would recover their health, and they would be able to hold their own against the waves of monsters.

By cycling every 6 hours, it was a perfect method to defend the Gate.

It was then.

Jong Ho instinctively lowered his body to the ground and looked around.

He could hear sounds of massive explosions getting closer.

He knew that he could not avoid the eyes of the Demon King and Ladin using Mass Stealth Jutsu, so he quickly hid in the part of the terrain that would give him cover.

At this speed, he knew that no matter how fast he tried to run, he would be caught up to soon.

He quietly stayed crouched.

“Damn it…. Who is coming this way….”

Since he was already done in by the Demon King and Ladin once, his uncertainty amplified.

Min-Cheol must be far away from here.

And on top of that, there wasn’t any reason for him to come here.

There was a chance that the Demon King was near Min-Cheol, but he had Karin who could sense the Demon King.

Holding his breath, he surveyed the scene.

A breath of relief washed over him.

“Ha……..”

Karin and Min-Cheol had arrived.

They looked like a beginner dad carrying his son and a bunch of childcare supplies on his back.

Jong Ho calmed himself before approaching Min-Cheol.

“Hey. Min-Cheol. Why did you suddenly come back here?”

“I guess you’re done cleaning up the place?”

“Uh….. Is the Demon King near or something?”

“Yes. Well, the Demon King and Ladin are nearby. Also there is the matter with Belkoseu.”

“Belkoseu? I can’t understand what you’re saying.”

“I’ll explain slowly. First, let’s go to Berdan’s castle. We have things to check up on inside.”

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

****

“Keheh…. Jong Ho family! It was very dangerous. Family!”

“Is that so? What happened out there that you’re acting like this? And what is this about family?”

“Kel. Family is family.”

“What is he saying…. Min-Cheol, please explain to me.”

“Family is family.”

“Hey damn it!”

“Pfft. We met a guy named Belkoseu. Apparently he is known as the Immortal Knight in the demonic realm.”

“Belkoseu……”

“Yes. Thankfully, we joined forces in a way that really wasn’t, so it won’t last long.”

“Joined forces? So you didn’t run away because of him is what you’re saying.”

“Yes. Belkoseu and the Lich King were together. And on top of that, the Demon King and Ladin were coming to our location.”

“The Lich King? The one that I’m thinking of?”

“Yes. Only that he shrunk in size, but he was the same as the one back on Earth.”

“So, what happened after?”

“I took down the Lich King and as you can see…..”

I pointed at the duffel bag that Karin was holding onto.

The duffel bag was far bigger than his body.

The entire bag was filled with artifacts and jewels.

After all, we had ignored the bloodstones and brought the real treasures.

“Oho…. All of that? Even Berdan didn’t drop anything, so to think that we’ve obtained this much.”

“Yes. It’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth.”

“Wow……. Well that’s that. What about this alliance?”

“From where we just left, Belkoseu and the Demon King must be going at it right now.”

“There is someone who can stand against him?”

“To be precise, he isn’t able to keep up in offensive capabilities, but I heard that he has a special Authority.”

“Kerut. That’s right. He cannot die. Family!”

“Cannot die……”

“Yes. It seemed that he wasn’t welcoming the idea of my magical energy being taken by the Demon King, so he helped me escape.”

“Oho. That’s quite fortunate.”

“Yes. And we’ll be visiting him soon.”

“Hm? Us? Are you talking about us?”

“That’s right.”

“So we’re going to go find this guy who cannot die…. Did I hear that correctly?”

“Yes. That’s also correct.”

“It’s happening again… Happening again.”

“People don’t change easily. For now, let’s check the loot. I’m not sure what’s in it, since Karin was the one who put them in. At least there are a ton of jewels that dropped.”

“I’m worried. Worried.”

“Karin, can you pour them out here?”

“Kelkel. Understood, family!”

---

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