Category: I Never Run Out of Mana

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210. This Is Only the Beginning

“Swesi is the sole organization that has been allowed to perform illegal acts in Larkenta.”

“Is it the doing of the castellan? Well, it’s obvious that no one else but the castellan can give permission for something like this.”

“That’s correct. However, for what reason drove you to do something crazy as making Swesi your enemy…”

“Did you already forget your role in this? You are to only answer my questions. This is your last warning.”

“Ah… Yes. Sorry.”

This person was obedient to the point of suspicion.

Until just a few minutes ago, this officer was yelling at the guards.

However, after kneeling at the sight over brute strength, the officer was answering any question I asked like a vending machine spilling out its contents.

It seemed that this person was your stereotypical subservient to the strong, but harsh to the weak.

While it was a natural instinct of animals to obey the strong, humans could make the choice.

It was obvious that this officer having this personality would be extremely beneficial to me.

I asked about their numbers and the strength of their generals.

“That place that the guards were protecting is your headquarters, right?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“In total, how many of you are there?”

“Huh? Are you asking about how many people make up the organization? Let’s see. Around 300 or so.”

“You’re telling me that there are 300 besides the guards?”

“No. The number includes 140 guards that I am also a part of. Due to the castle being located in the center of the 7th tier hunting grounds, there are quite a lot of guards needed.”

“So you’re telling me that there are about 140 members left.”

“Huh? Why aren’t you counting the guard group?”

A quick punch.

“Ugh…”

“This time, the control on my output of strength was perfect. I’m slowly getting used to it. Since you’ve paid the price, I’ll answer you. The 140 guard regiment you mentioned. You’re the only one left.”

“Huh… That means…”

“Next question. How strong are the generals inside? My guess is that they cannot be compared to the strength of the guards.”

A blank look appeared unlike before I told this guard captain officer that every guard in his regiment had perished.

And it seemed that this officer finally understood how serious this situation was and that if my questions weren’t answered properly, the fate that befell the guards would also come.

Only after hearing the answer to the question could I finally see desperation and sincerity behind the replies, almost as if begging to be spared.

“That’s correct. When joining the Swesi organization, the first place you’d end up would be to become part of the guards. Only after hunting monsters for 2 to 3 years daily would you be recognized as a member. However, it’s not like you can quit halfway because it is too difficult. Through overseers like me, every action the guards take are reported to the higher ups, and anyone who tries anything disappears without anyone even realizing they are gone.”

“So how strong are the generals? Since you can’t describe them with numerics, make it easily understandable by explaining it in hunting terms.”

“Firstly, I, the guard captain, and the product overseers have very poor combat capabilities. We work using our heads instead of our bodies. However, that is not the case at all if you’re talking about the hunters and the highest ranking generals.”

“Product overseer… The name of that title is revolting. I assume that the products are women and Protectors, right?”

“That’s correct. To explain starting from the bottom, about 40 hunters are present. To be frank, they are the ones who take the goods and bring it back.”

“How strong are they?”

“Their strengths vary even within that grouping, but most of them have enough combat capabilities to hunt easily in the unexplored territories. They can easily gather around 30 to 40 of the monsters and take them down at once with ease.”

“Not bad. Around 1 hour ago, they would’ve been tough to deal with.”

As expected, the man who went in and out of the castle after arriving on a carriage that was made with magic was a hunter in the Swesi organization.

Sensing his presence and delaying the plan for a bit was a fantastic choice.

With how strong I was back then, I wouldn’t have been able to avoid a drawn out fight.

I say back then, but that was less than an hour ago, perhaps minutes.

I already have emphasized this a lot, but annihilating all the guards in one clean sweep was the most solid preparation I could’ve done for the next stage of my plan.

Listening to what this person was telling me, each of the hunters was as strong as me before I had wiped out the guards.

I even had the suspicion that each of them was stronger than I.

However, that was definitely no longer the case.

I had become more than two times stronger than before.

That didn’t mean that I was limited to fighting a hunter 2 versus one.

This meant that if I was able to group them up and pour attacks down on them, I would be able to cleanly wipe them out even if there are 40 or 50 of them.

It was because now I was capable of attacks that would easily shred through their defensive capabilities.

However, I did not know how it would turn out if I gave them the opportunity to retaliate.

“Good. Now how many are in the product overseer group that you mentioned before? Do they also carry a significant amount of power?”

“That is not the case. They are the same as the guards. All they do is oversee the new Protectors who just gained their powers and the maidens.”

“How many of them are there?”

“At least 60.”

“So there are 160 members left. Out of those, the weaker hunters and the product overseers consist of a 100 or so… The remaining are 60-ish. But something seems more off the more you explain though?”

“…”

“Didn’t you say that after 2 to 3 years of guard work, they become recognized and are able to take on a new position?”

“That’s correct.”

“Even if there is an error in calculation in between the process, at least 100 or so should be graduating each year, but you’re telling me that the total number of members only comes up to 300? Isn’t this too much of a difference? From what I know, this group has been doing this for over 10 years now.”

“Ah… That’s simple. It’s because they’re sold to the nobles as well. More accurately, rather than being sold, they are being chosen.”

“Hm?”

“They cannot stand a chance against you, Protector sir, but don’t you think that the guards still carry quite a lot of power? They can defeat monsters from the 7th tier hunting grounds with ease after all. That means that they really don’t need to join Swesu and can hunt in order to live a life that is more than luxurious. But why do you think people like that are trying to enter Swesi? It’s because they want to be bodyguards for the nobles or knights for the castle.”

“It sounds like Swesi serves as some kind of a training facility as well.”

“That’s correct. As you’ve mentioned before, do you think that the number of Protectors produced in over the last decade is but a few? Most of the bodyguards of the nobles are those who’ve entered Swesi at some point. It is all to obtain wealth, fame, and political power.”

“Damned bastards hailing from a damned organization into a more damned world… Enough of that. Explain to me about the remaining 60.”

“Yes. I’ve noticed that you are curious about the number of strong members in the Swesi organization…”

“Continue.”

“If my presumption is correct, the only members you have to watch out for are five of them. I do not know how much growth they’ve achieved after being chosen by the nobles, but if you disregard the castellan and any nobles above the rank of count that has ties to Swesi, then you only have to worry about the five of them currently inside the main headquarters of Swesi.”

“One must be the head of the organization, and I assume the rest must be pretty high ranking officers as well?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“How strong are they?”

“I dare not try explaining it in terms of hunting… To put it as simply as possible, I believe they are at least as strong as a marquis.”

“The strength of all five of them combined is that of a marquis… I won’t know how strong that is unless I know how strong a marquis is. Can’t you explain it in more simple terms?”

“I do not know how strong you are, Protector sir…”

“Enough to group up about 40 hunters and kill them all. Is this enough for you to get an idea?”

“Yes. Even with that much, it still won’t be enough. Maybe if you’re able to fight the 5 of them one by one.”

“This organization is a lot stronger than I had expected.”

“The castellan didn’t recognize this place just for show.”

I was able to get a rough estimate of how strong they were.

I’ve learned that the organization was huge and they were strong, but also that beating these opponents wasn’t impossible.

As long as I didn’t charge in headfirst, there was a chance that I could win.

However, I didn’t know how Swesi would react to losing more than half their members.

My next question addressed the reason why I targeted Swesi in the first place, and it was about the captured daughter of Dump, Berlette.

I asked about what they do to the people they’ve kidnapped that they refer to as products.

“Next question. What happens to all the people that are kidnapped? The people you refer to as products.”

“The young maidens and Protectors are treated differently. Firstly, the maidens…”

“Stop. I’ll change the question. Let’s keep this simple.”

“Yes, yes…”

“I have two people I need to rescue. Both of them have been captured by Swesi, with one being captured 10 years ago, and the other only 3 days ago. Tell me a way.”

“Sigh… It’s quite the difficult question.”

“Right? Don’t you think that I’ve been too nice to you this whole time?”

“Eek!”

I showed my first to this guard captain who was avoiding answering me with an expression of ‘Please not that.’

It was almost funny how this person who had even understood the intentions behind my questions and was answering well suddenly now behaving like this.

At the start, it was almost as if this guard captain was going to give everything up.

The officer took a defense stance with arms and legs raised to block any attacks, and continued to speak.

“That’s not it… Every bit of information I have told you so far is the complete truth without any falsehoods. Anything you ask from me from here on will also be answered the same. However…”

“You’re curious if I’ll let you live?”

“Yes…”

“It’ll depend on your actions, don’t you think? Listen well. My only target isn’t just Swesi. The count, marquis, and even the castellan are all Protectors that have benefited from Swesi, correct?”

“T… That’s correct.”

“My goal is that. Because my dream is so grand, don’t you think I’ll need a large amount of information to match it? I’m going to need a strategist who is talented in both intel gathering and combat tactics. So it really depends on how you.”

“I understand.”

“I’m not the type to play around with lives. If I plan to kill someone, I tell them straightforward before doing so. I’ve done so till now. So think it over carefully.”

“I understand!”

I wasn’t lying.

I’ve done so to those I’ve captured for intel, and to those who fought against me using their might.

I do not give false hope. No matter how much my enemies pleaded and begged, I still remained rooted in my principles.

With that as proof, I am stating that what I’ve said to this person is true.

Also, stating that I will be taking down the nobles wasn’t an empty statement either.

Those who stayed at the castle and held political power were also Protectors as well. That meant that I could take their lives and receive power.

Perhaps understanding what I’ve said, the expression of the guard captain’s face was calmer than before.

“First, there is no way to track down the person who had been kidnapped 10 years ago. No matter what the method is, after being sold to a noble, there is no way to even find out if they are still alive.”

“…”

“They could be living as a completely different person in both mind and identity, or are already dead.”

“Then what about the person who was kidnapped 3 days ago?”

“That person is still inside the castle. At the request of the overseers for the products, at least a span of 4 months are needed to change the products.”

“Revolting bastards. That means that we still have time for now.”

“Yes. Rarely do nobles come in person to take their products, so unless that happens, I am positive.”

“Berlette has roughly 4 months… But the time remaining for me isn’t that long…”

“Do you need more information?”

“That’s enough for now. Now, you will be planning ahead with me.”

“Yes! I’ll do everything in my power to assist you.”

“It seems that there isn’t a speck of loyalty for the organization Swesi that you served.”

“Ahem…”

---

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230. Foretelling a Meeting

-Will you accept Mars’ summoning?

-Location: Larkenta Castle. (Coordinates 850:248)

Millions thought to himself.

This summoning must be due to Mars being ambushed by Demon and so he called for backup.

Thinking about it longer or being suspicious was pointless.

Mars was close to him to begin with, and he had addressed them ahead of time in front of the castle.

Millions immediately accepted Mars’ summons.

Normally his body should’ve been sucked through a tear in the air, arriving instantly at Mars’ estate.

However, instead of the desired effect of traversing, the only response he heard was an irritating system message.

-Unable to traverse.

-Cannot find the summoner and location.

“Damn it… Was he taken down in such a short time!”

After hearing the system message, Millions let out a sigh, and his expression quickly darkened.

He was letting out a killing intent that seemed to carry all the rage in the world.

It was because he knew what that message meant.

It meant that the summoner had perished.

Either Mars had lost his life, or had been put into someone’s Mobile Storage, and therefore the location could not be found.

Since Millions believed that Mars had been ambushed by Demon, he thought that the Mobile Storage option was highly unlikely, and that Mars had been killed.

There was a higher chance that was the case.

Millions’ enraged form combusted into flames.

Cracks like that of a famine formed on his skin, covered in intense flames.

Not only that, but his form had changed from a human to something that resembled a feline predator, such as a tiger or a leopard.

This wasn’t Millions’ special ability, but a skill used for both attacking and movement.

This skill allowed the user to receive a massive boost to one’s speed, imbued bonus flame damage to attacks, and made it easier to avoid attacks using the increase in agility.

With that, Millions rushed as fast as he could to Mars’ estate.

While Min-Cheol was the one to ambush Mars, Millions did not know and assuming it was Demon who was responsible, ran as fast as he could before Demon could flee.

Like the bread crumbs left in the story of Hansel and Gretel, a trail of inferno was left behind where Millions passed by.

The flames were so intense that anyone could tell it was Millions just from looking at it.

While it did leave behind a trail, this skill allowed Millions reach his destination faster than any other skill he had.

He could’ve used a Return Scroll, but why would a noble of such high status carry something like a Return Scroll with him?

While the use of the scroll functioned as a method of travel, it also symbolized fleeing from a fight.

It was a consumable item that was considered a symbol of dishonor amongst the nobles.

Millions didn’t even clear his Predator’s Roar skill when he pushed the doors to Mars’ estate with enough force to destroy them.

A kick with large sharp talons shattered the thick doors, and the pieces were burnt into ash.

Step by step, Millions walked into the estate.

This was definitely the location that Mars had requested Millions to be summoned to.

His estate. His lobby.

However, Millions could not sense any signs of life nearby.

As he approached the spacious lobby submerged in silence, Millions was met with two brutally mutilated corpses.

“…”

It was Mars and Leta.

After Mars had requested for summons, Millions had arrived to scene in less than 3 minutes.

However, these two had lost their lives in that short amount of time, and the one who had murdered them had disappeared without leaving a trace.

Also, the place was too intact to say a fight between the powerful counts and someone stronger than them had broken out.

It was highly likely that the counts weren’t able to resist before being cut down in a single strike.

Even though the building was created from reinforced materials, the floor should’ve been crushed from running and jumping around alone.

If spells were used, it was obvious that the building would be demolished.

Seeing as none of that happened, it raised Millions’ suspicions.

“Demon… Just how strong have you become! Argh!”

The flames that covered Millions’ body grew fiercer with his angry roar, hitting the lobby’s ceiling and becoming intense enough to swallow the entire mansion whole.

The inferno consumed the estate within moments, becoming a massive ball of flame big enough for anyone in Larkenta to see its red glow.

Even though the estate was built from reinforced materials that had quite the resistances against most elements, it was still unable to withstand Millions’ rage.

Going off the rails with rage, he walked out of the flames in his bestial form and began to scour through the nearby estates of the nobles.

The rage wasn’t from the death of the two counts.

In his heart, he carried no love for the two counts that had lost their lives and the rest of the nobles too.

To him, it was the same as if a slave he owned had perished.

His rage stemmed from Demon’s betrayal, the slave that he himself had raised, and the berserk rampage he was going on was a response to how Demon was freely causing turmoil.

His trust and faith in Demon had been destroyed in one single move, and now he had been shown as a fool enough to earn the mockery of all the nobles of Larkenta.

Those who praised him for reviving the festival now kept their distance, while the positive attention he had received from the castellan had been extinguished overnight.

Determined to kill Demon before dawn, Millions began to light up all of Larkenta with flames.

****

“This could’ve gone really badly, master.”

“You’re right about that. He seemed unhinged to say the least…”

“What a crafty old man. Trying his trickery in that short amount of time to try summoning someone to him.”

“It’s a relief that things ended quickly because I was able to kill them in a single strike. If the clones were any weaker, it would’ve caused complications.”

“I’m unsure how strong he is, but I’ve never felt such killing intent in my entire life.”

“And look what he’s doing. Does he plan to burn down the entire castle as well? He seems really pissed off… I know that Demon wouldn’t do anything insane like that…”

“Of course. Master might be able to fight against him, but Demon is probably still far too weak to fight against a marquis.”

“Hm… “

“This is just a guess, but don’t you think that’s Demon’s owner, Millions? Or maybe the castellan?”

“That could be the case. But you’re not scared, are you? Why are you shaking so much?”

“Huh? O-Of course not! Why would I be afraid when I’m here with you, master? As long as 2 or 3 marquises don’t charge you at once, there’s no way we would lose. It’s because it’s a bit chilly right now. Chilly.”

“What an excuse when it’s sweltering hot.”

“It’s because I have a weak constitution… “

“If your guessing is correct and that is Millions… We cannot allow them to meet.”

“Why is that? Isn’t the Demon the one you were guarded against? Then wouldn’t it be much more convenient for Demon to die at Millions’ hands? You don’t have to lift a finger and you get rid of a thorn in your side.”

“You could think that way. However, both Demon and Millions are currently my enemies. If they fight one another and the victor absorbs the other’s strength, then it becomes that much more of a headache for me. And there’s no 100% guarantee that Millions would win.”

“Hm…”

“Counts are the most I can allow Demon to consume. I cannot allow marquises or above to become Demon’s prey.”

Immediately after defeating Mars and Leta, Min-Cheol and Dan felt an intense killing intent heading their way and scrambled out of the estate.

Dan swiftly went into the Mobile Storage and Min-Cheol immediately tore the Return Scroll prepared in advance.

While they were unsure who was charging towards them, they had instinctively chosen to escape due to the sheer amount of pressure from the killing intent.

If considering rage alone, it was enough to convince them that whoever was coming their way was stronger than the castellan.

With a breath of relief, Min-Cheol and Dan continued their conversation.

“Master. Now there’s even a pyromaniac jumping around and setting fire to everything. It seems that the counts are out for blood as well.”

“…”

“That means that we cannot move carelessly even more so than before.”

“We’re fine. They’re aiming for Demon.”

“Even so…”

“Dan.”

“Yes, master!”

“Can you use Soul Messenger on anyone?”

“Hm… I guess you can? As long as you meet them once, and know their name, you can connect to your recipient with surprising accuracy. It’s the same with summoning.”

“Is that so? That’s welcoming news.”

“Sure… That is the case… Why am I getting goosebumps? I don’t know what you’re thinking of, but my instincts are telling me that this isn’t a good idea.”

“What are you saying! It’s because you’re cold. And you have a weak constitution.”

“Whew…”

Dan had a look of regret, as if he had fallen into a pitfall trap he dug up.

While he did not know what Min-Cheol was thinking, he could tell instinctively that it was a reckless and dangerous idea.

After a bit of good humor with Dan, Min-Cheol continued to speak.

“As you have said, the nobles are now going all out in their fight against Demon.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“That means that there is a high chance that they will be roaming in groups.”

“That would be likely, especially for the counts.”

“That’s why your role has now become a bit more important.”

“Huh? What do you mean…”

“You know all the faces of Larkenta’s nobles, right?”

“I do. All of them have at least visited Swesi once.”

“Our plan of action remains the same. We stay in the estates of the counts and wait.”

“After that?”

“Then you need to confirm their faces for me. Start with if they’re a count or a marquis, so that we know if I can handle them or not.”

“That is something that I wanted to do as well. I’m tired of only hiding.”

“That’s good.”

“However, I’m a bit concerned when you asked me about the Soul Messenger and summoning skill…”

“Ah. Don’t worry about that. You’ll find out soon enough.”

“Ha… This is making me really nervous…”

“Let’s go. Weak constitution and chilly guy.”

“Huh? Yes!”

****

Demon had so far taken down a total of 2 counts.

Using the same method that Min-Cheol used, Demon had waited at their estates and tried to keep the fights as low profile as possible.

However, Demon could not defeat the counts with ease like Min-Cheol could, leading to difficult battles.

The only reason why Demon had not yet been discovered by others was that these two kills had occurred before the nobles had mobilized with great frenzy for the search.

Despite the fights causing quite a lot of noise, this reason alone had saved Demon for now.

However, the fights to come would not be so difficult.

Because Demon had obtained the power of two counts, it would be a breeze to defeat other counts now.

However, this would only apply to fights against other counts.

Surprisingly, Demon, Min-Cheol, and Millions had not met each other yet.

Demon was really lucky, while Millions was extremely unlucky.

Like the chase between a certain cartoon cat and mouse, the battle continued.

Seeing Millions covered in flames, Demon also realized that nobles at least as strong as or stronger than marquises had mobilized.

“Kuhu! How amusing. Catch me if you can. It’s not all bad fighting with my life on the line!”

---

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231. Things Have Happened to the Point Where It Is Nearly Irreversible

A little over 20 marquises that had enjoyed the banquet at the castellan Mithrael’s castle returned back to their homes.

Unlike the counts that hesitated because they were afraid for their lives, the marquises dispersed the moment that the castellan had finished speaking.

After returning to each of their estates, they began to survey how many slaves and knights were lost.

Following that, each of them communicated with one another using the messenger spell to come to an agreement on how much they should ask Millions in terms of reparations.

However, the conversation did not stop at concluding how much reparations should cost.

The conversation then moved onto the staggering bounty that the castellan had put on Demon’s head.

The marquises had planned to not to get involved in this incident other than to bring down Millions.

Disliking change and being lazy, they did not care for much other than their own amusements.

However, it was different this time around.

Just by killing a slave that was unstoppable in the Festival of Blood, the reward they would receive would be a rise in the ranks.

This was an amazing reward that had never been given before.

The marquises were preparing to move.

There were about three to four hours before daylight.

This meant that by investing in about three hours, they could reap a massive profit from doing so.

While the marquises mobilizing was a mixed bag for Min-Cheol, it was definitely a negative for Demon.

After all, Demon had not grown strong enough to face the marquises.

All the estates that Demon had been to so far had been visited by counts out of sheer luck, but the chances of that repeating would continue to lower, and things would definitely become more difficult as the marquises got involved.

This meant that if Demon was really unlucky, the duel could end in Hell before even returning to the celestial plane.

While there was no way to determine the winner for sure, the current situation was favoring Min-Cheol as the victor.

Demon would have to at least defeat two or three more counts in order to be able to face off against a marquis.

Min-Cheol would not allow Demon to become any stronger than that.

That kind of authority was only given to those who were stronger than their prey.

This was easily possible for Min-Cheol, who currently had 5 clones under his command.

Inside the estate of a count with Dan, Min-Cheol lied in wait while under stealth for the owner to return.

Despite quite a lot of time passing though, none came back.

“It looks like this one is a bust?”

“It seems so… I was planning on taking one more down before going after the marquises.”

“Huh? Isn’t that too early, master? Even though master and master’s clones are strong, it would be difficult to fight them if they come by the numbers.”

“Is that so? Still, we can’t wait any longer. We have to move. Though I guess we still have to avoid that arsonist going around setting all of Larkenta on fire and the castellan as well, right?”

“So we’re no longer waiting for them, but going out to search for them?”

“That’s right. This could be dangerous, so hide inside the storage. I’ll call you when I have to confirm their faces.”

“Yes. Will do.”

Dan went into the storage, and Min-Cheol began the search through the estates of the counts.

It was the same thing as what Millions was doing.

Because Demon still hadn’t obtained enough power to soar, waiting was the only option.

Min-Cheol used stealth skills and began to move cautiously.

While the bet with Barub prevented the both of them from detecting each other under stealth skills, a lot of Protectors here could still see through such abilities with relative ease.

Planning to ambush the estates of the counts, Min-Cheol was crossing his fingers.

Running into counts and marquises were fine, but he was hoping to run into Demon if possible.

While suppressing Demon’s growth was good and all, but preventing any growth and ending the bet here would be best.

There were around 100 counts.

While Min-Cheol wasn’t checking all 100 places at once, it was likely that someone would be caught if he continued.

Continuing to carefully move forward, Min-Cheol found roughly 10 or so people gathered.

‘If these are marquises, this might be too much…’

Min-Cheol quickly hid his body.

Silently leaping to the roof of the building, Min-Cheol laid flat and observed.

On top of that, he opened to storage to bring out Dan.

It was to confirm their identities.

“Have you found them already?”

“Shh! I did cast Silent, but we don’t know for sure if they’ll hear, so lower your voice, Dan.”

“Huh. What is it? This is the first time I’ve seen you acting so cautiously.”

“Confirm their faces without being spotted. They’re below us at 9 o’clock.”

“Understood.”

Perhaps giving too much heed to Min-Cheol’s words, Dan moved slowly to remain quiet.

He moved slow enough to wonder if he was moving in slow motion.

While it frustrated Min-Cheol to see how slow he was moving, he barely kept to himself because he knew that Dan was making sure to do this right.

Dan peeked out just a little bit from the roof’s edge to see who they were.

Following that, Dan pulled out the accounting book and shuffled about, then returned back to Min-Cheol in slow motion after finishing his confirmation.

It almost made Min-Cheol wonder if using a Return Scroll would be faster.

After Dan returned, Min-Cheol asked.

“How is it? Can we take them on?”

“Master. It’s a bit iffy.”

“Why?”

“There are 9 counts and one marquis.”

“That’s doable.”

“While that’s true, there is one mixed in that isn’t in the accounting book.”

“Hm…”

“And that person is well known in Larkenta as wise and fair. Many give recognition to this person to the point where envy and jealousy follow from the other nobles, and are also respected by the citizens.”

“I see… I’ll take care of that myself. Firstly, we wait until they go into the estate.”

“I understand. It would be difficult to fight in such a large-scale battle without making exceptions for collateral damage.”

“There is no such thing as an unavoidable sacrifice or murder. I believe that’s something that someone who is weak would say as an excuse when making a mistake. I have a plan, so wait just a bit.”

“Okay.”

Min-Cheol hopped down from the roof and carefully entered into the estate grounds through the entrance.

Perhaps because this house was one of theirs, it seemed that one of them was moving around explaining the damage the estate took from Demon’s rampage.

Min-Cheol’s focus was on the only marquis present.

He was thinking about how to effectively face him.

It was then.

He noticed that the group of nobles were moving away from the estate grounds.

Confirming that no one else was present at the estate grounds other than them, Min-Cheol appeared before them.

“Who are you?”

“Audu?”

“How dare you call a noble’s name so casually!”

“Were you looking for me?”

“…”

A neat and clean person who looked at most 40 replied with a light smile.

Quite young for a count.

Maybe due to hearing from Dan that this person was a wise and fair, each word and expression seemed kind.

Well, unlike the other nobles who threw profanities from the get go, it was a completely different reaction.

I wondered if this is how Dump felt when meeting me for the first time.

Audu did not pay much attention to the others and looked at Min-Cheol while asking.

“I am Audu. I think this is the first time we met… What is the occasion for this visit?”

“As the rumors put it, it seems you are kind to those of lower status to point where I could just address you as Sir Audu.”

“…”

“I shall get right to the point th…”

“…”

“Pffahaha!”

“Sir Audu. Kuhaha. You really are so mischievous.”

The Ice Spear that the marquis fired pierced the ground right in front of Min-Cheol’s feet.

It was an attack that would’ve landed if it was even 1 cm closer.

A warning for Min-Cheol, probably because his behavior wasn’t welcomed.

Seeing Min-Cheol stare blankly at the Ice Spear, the other counts laughed hysterically while holding onto their bellies.

They were thinking that Min-Cheol had frozen from fear due the marquis’ attack and didn’t know what to do.

In that situation, Audu was trying his best to stop the nobles.

“He’s my guest. While it was rude of him to do so, I beseech you to stop with the dangerous pranks here.”

“Oh, Count Audu. Why do you care for those of such lowly origins.”

“…”

“Sir Marquis Leon. You talk as if it’s his first day being stubborn. Hoho!”

“It can’t be helped. Everyone in Larkenta knows that person is kind. Listen well. You, who brazenly speak without knowing your place, has been saved by Audu. You arrogant fool. You can return back to your dwelling, Audu.”

“Yes. Let us be off.”

The others excluding Audu walked towards the entrance to leave the estate.

Walking close to Min-Cheol, who was standing still, he spoke in a low voice.

“Are you okay? Please forgive their impertinence.”

“I am alright. And also sorry. I cannot think of another way other than this.”

“Huh? What do you mean… More importantly, why did you look for m- Urk!”

Min-Cheol grabbed Audu by the neck and threw him into the Mobile Storage.

Because Min-Cheol was plenty strong enough to handle a marquis, Audu was tossed into the storage easily without being able to put up a struggle.

This happened in an instant.

It was so fast that not only did the nobles not have the time to stop Min-Cheol, but enough so that they didn’t even know where Audu went.

Though it seemed that one of the nobles trailing behind the rest of the group must’ve seen it, as he was rushing to report to Marquis Leon.

“S-Sir marquis!”

“What is it?”

“T-That man has taken Audu!”

“Hm? What? Where is Audu?”

“That man suppressed Audu and threw him into a Mobile Storage.”

“What?”

The doors the storage closed, and Min-Cheol spoke to the remaining 9 nobles.

“You all will regret this. Regret that you weren’t able to make it inside the Mobile Storage like Count Audu was able to.”

“You little! How dare you lay a hand on a count!”

“I am positive that he has used some devious trick. Otherwise, how could he so easily apprehend a noble…”

“All of you step back! I shall handle him.”

“As expected of Marquis Leon!”

“Do you think that because you took a single count hostage, that I wouldn’t be able to kill you?”

The counts were busy hiding behind Marquis Leon and flattering him.

None of them knew even in their wildest dreams what would occur next.

Min-Cheol gave a sinister laughter while pulling out the accounting book.

“Each of you, line up in an orderly fashion and take a page. These are your tickets to the afterlife.”

---

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228. Sharing a Meal (2)

Morse ran in a straight line towards Min-Cheol.

Swinging a large club as he pleased, he was moving at great speeds.

Min-Cheol thought that he would be a magician class Protector.

After all, he had boasted on his own about the number of clones he could create.

But instead of using magic, Morse seemed more interested in committing to close quarter combat.

“I thought you were a magician, but I guess I was wrong?”

“Do you really consider me, a count, the same as the weaklings you had faced so far?”

“Hm?”

“If you get as strong as me, then classes no longer matter. It means that restrictions on obtaining skill scrolls no longer apply to me!”

“That’s pretty amazing, you know? And it’s even better for me. I was hoping for a warrior rather than a mage to fight against.”

Was it because I thought that I may lose in this fight?

There was no way I’d have such a ridiculous worry.

It was just that fighting a warrior instead of a mage allowed the fight to be a lot less conspicuous.

It was a dark night.

The fight was taking place at the estate’s lobby. It was completely cut off from the outside.

Not only that, but it was quite spacious, and nothing stood in the way of battle.

However, it was also a night so silent that even the smallest sounds would be loud.

If a spell of such destructive force was to be used at this hour, then the sound from the blast would alert all the nobles nearby.

It’d be favorable if only the counts came, but if the castellan or any marquises came over, then it’d be quite the headache for me.

Each of Morse’s clones were equipped differently.

They held a sword, spear, and a bow. While they looked like a bunch of goons, their combined attack could cause a lot of annoyance for the opponent.

Min-Cheol easily avoided the club, spear, and sword swung at close range, and also dodged the arrows flying at me from afar.

To Min-Cheol, Morse and his clones looked like they were moving in slow motion as they attacked.

Even if the attack reached Min-Cheol’s body, the damage absorption and reduction from the artifacts would make sure that it didn’t deal any significant damage.

Also the shield spells would probably stop it first before that happened.

While avoiding the attacks, Min-Cheol leapt to where his clones were and whispered.

“We’ll take them down as quietly as we can. We can’t let anyone interfere.”

“…”

“…”

After receiving my orders, the clones immediately prepared for battle.

Out of them, the firstborn was doing something that even he hadn’t thought of.

The firstborn clone had cast Silent on the lobby where the battle was taking place.

This meant that the sound of clashing between sword and club would be blocked by Silent and Fade.

Min-Cheol gave a thumbs up and smiled at the firstborn clone.

The clone gave an elated shrug of the shoulders before casting debuff that increased damage taken.

“Ugh.”

With that, there was a wound on Morse’s neck that glowed red.

The firstborn clone had ignored Morse’s other clones and had casted the debuff only on Morse.

This was because Morse’s clones were so weak that there was no need to cast debuffs on them.

It was to be expected due to Morse’s lack of proficiency with the cloning spell.

Following up the firstborn clone’s opening attack, the third and fourth clones in charge of casting buffs casted the spells that raised attack and defensive capabilities.

Min-Cheol could feel the difference before and after the buff with how light his body become.

Morse felt around his neck to realize that he had been cursed.

His face became twisted even further with fury.

As if becoming serious, Morse and his clones started imbuing magic onto their weapons.

“Huh, a lightning spell. The target is that one, the one right in front of us. We only target the count. Kill without hesitation.”

“…”

As soon as Min-Cheol had finished speaking, five of his clones charged at Morse.

Each of them enchanted the swords that Dump had created to hold in one hand, while creating a sword made of mana, magical energies, and the power of the gods to hold in the other hand.

Min-Cheol felt the hair on the back of his neck raise as he observed what was happening.

It was because the amount of power and killing intent Morse was probably feeling from the clones were something else.

Morse’s clones positioned themselves around him in an attempt to protect him.

Here, the firstborn’s capabilities shone again.

Charging in first, the clone dispatched one of Morse’s clones in a single strike.

While Min-Cheol had designated Morse as the only target, the clone had made a move to prevent the clones from interfering with the goal.

This was only possible because these clones weren’t just simple summoned creatures that could only follow orders.

Slicing off the head with a single blow and piercing the heart, Morse’s clone disappeared like smoke.

Because it had happened in an instant, Morse could not even react.

All he could do was watch as one of his clones was killed in front of him.

However, the blades aimed at the clone weren’t the only ones.

“EEK! AGH!”

“…”

“…”

Realizing what situation he was in, Morse tried to leave the battlefield and take a defensive stance.

However, at the moment when he tried to put strength into his legs, 10 blades had already pierced his body.

“U-Urk.”

“…”

“…”

“Go on ahead and wait for me. I’ll see you in 19 days from now. The real trial will begin there.”

“…”

There was no remorse or mercy to be found in their attack.

It was a singular strike that struck the opponent’s weak point with pin point accuracy.

And almost as if the clones were sharing their thoughts with one another, each of them had executed this joint attack that aimed at different weak points.

They didn’t get in the way of each other, and none of the attack locations overlapped.

The person told to be on the receiving end of this attack would probably piss themselves from how terrifying this was.

For the master and original of these clones, Min-Cheol was very satisfied at how the clones outperformed his expectations.

And he couldn’t hold back a smile due to the massive amount of power pouring into him.

“You’ve done well. It was a display of combat prowess far beyond what I had expected.”

“…”

“…”

With the situation resolved, the clones returned to Min-Cheol’s side.

The killing intent was nowhere to be found from their neutral expressions as they wiped the blood off their bodies.

The power obtained from defeating Morse. All of it had poured into Min-Cheol.

However, it wasn’t only Min-Cheol that grew stronger.

Since a 100% of the original body’s strength was copied to the clones, all the clones also had grown stronger from this incident at an amount equal to the power Morse had possessed.

When a person who didn’t use clones grew stronger onefold, Min-Cheol, who had mastered the cloning skill, grew stronger sixfold.

“To think that I would be obtaining sixfold the amount of power for the amount of effort worth one. It’s quite a sweet deal.”

Min-Cheol used Soul Messenger to contact Dan.

It didn’t even take a single second after the message was sent for Dan to accept the request.

It was because Dan had waited anxiously for and only for Min-Cheol’s message.

“Should I go over there? Please summon me. I’ll go there right away, master.”

“Sure.”

“As expected… You’re amazing, master.”

“This takes care of a single page in the accounting book. Who’s next?”

“The next one is known as Mars.”

“Lead the way.”

“Yes. But master, this one could be a bit more troublesome to deal with than what you’ve just dealt with.”

“Why?”

“Despite being just a count still, he is very infamous for how wicked he is. There’s a chance that he won’t be alone.”

“That’s good. It was getting bothersome to visit every estate one by one. Guess I’ll gather them up and defeat them all at once.”

“…”

“Since the night is short and there are many evil people, it can’t be helped. Now let’s go.”

“Yes!”

****

After leaving the castellan Mithrael’s castle, Millions was hell bent on finding Demon.

However, he did not act foolish by doing something like searching all of Larkenta without a plan.

Instead, he decided to wait at a count’s estate.

He believed that by waiting there, Demon would find him on his own.

After leaving the castle, he saw tens of counts following him out.

The counts then spoke with one another in front of the castle.

Millions walked towards where the counts were gathered.

“Oho. Good Marquis Millions.”

“I am unable to meet your gaze with pride. As I’ve stated before, I shall pay double in reparations for any damages received. I plead an apology to you all once more.”

“No worries. It’s just a few slaves and some knights. I don’t think that such a few worthless lives should cause an end to our friendship, no? Don’t you all think so as well?”

“Of course.”

“You’re absolutely correct.”

“There’s no need to worry so much.”

“That’s right. This has actually become a great opportunity for us.”

“Thank you for seeing it that way.”

While they were displeased with Millions to say the least, the counts still spoke of words they did not mean in the slightest.

With his sudden appearance, the counts only thought of hurrying back to their estates.

However, perhaps aware or unaware of what they were thinking, Millions spoke to them.

“But why did only all of you come out?”

“That’s… It’s because the counts that couldn’t face off against Demon have decided to stay inside the castle.”

“I see. Will you all be alright?”

“Yes…”

“We’re fine. How could counts be afraid of just a slave?”

“I’d like to request one thing from you all.”

“Huh? What request…”

“If Demon is present at any of your residences, please let me know using Soul Messenger.”

“…”

“…”

The counts could not reply with enthusiasm.

The bounty reward for the slave Demon was a promotion of status.

This was the only chance that a count could realistically become a marquis.

This was not an easy feat.

Depending on your background, the power you wielded was set in stone. The position you obtained was based on your strength. This stayed the same and absolute.

To put it simply, unless a position opened above, it was impossible to rise in status.

Roughly 20 marquises were about to move out soon.

For what reason would they participate in such a bothersome task of hunting down a slave.

The reason was the same for them.

However, Millions asking the counts to report where Demon was the equivalent of stating that he’d be taking all the glory to himself.

And so that was the reason why no one could answer with conviction.

Millions could tell how they felt in their hearts.

He knew that they could not easily resist the sweetness of the reward obtained by taking Demon’s life.

However, Millions’ real goal was not about rising up the ranks.

It was simply his rage boiling over from being betrayed by the slave Demon that he had once thought of as an ally.

To Millions, it felt like his rage would only quell by catching and tearing Demon apart bit by bit.

Some time had passed before the extremely quiet responses of the counts were heard.

“Yes…”

“Of course we need to do so.”

“I understand.”

“…”

After squeaking out some half-hearted responses, the counts scattered one by one.

However, the 5 counts that had been close to Millions even before the incident couldn’t leave and remained by his side.

“Good marquis.”

“I do not blame them. I know that they are worried about their own chance at climbing the ranks being stolen away.”

“…”

“I am most grateful that at least you all have remained.”

“We shall absolutely send you the message.”

“Thank you. The honor of defeating Demon shall not be mine, but be all of yours instead. I promise.”

“If you could, we’d be most grateful…”

“Please trust me and ask me to come. Then…”

Millions quietly left the small group.

Then he headed for an estate that one of the counts that hadn’t left the castle possessed.

While this method had a low chance, he had bet on his chances while waiting for a message to arrive.

“Demon… I shall teach you your place…”

---

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229. Crossing Paths

With Dan’s guidance, Min-Cheol headed for Mars’ estate.

It wasn’t that far away, but the two of them did not forget to use Mass Stealth Jutsu.

The nobles of Larkenta did not know what Min-Cheol and Dan’s faces looked like.

It was true that they didn’t know exactly how Swesi fell and that Morse had died, as well as what these two individuals were up to.

The nobles who had received orders from the castellan were only focused on Demon, who was famous for being the king of the festival.

However, the reason why the two of them were going under stealth while traveling was because of Demon.

Min-Cheol and Demon had an overlapping goal.

There was a chance that Min-Cheol and Dan could be ambushed on the way to Mars’ estate, or it could be that Demon was already hidden inside the estate, ready to pounce.

After arriving at the estate, Min-Cheol swung the door open.

The massive doors opened, and the two of them headed inside.

As expected, a dreadful scene similar to Morse’s estate they just came from greeted them.

A corpse that could no longer be recognized as such and artifacts such as armor were strewn all over the floor.

Only destruction lay in the wake of Demon’s passing.

Shifting their attention away from such a scene, Min-Cheol and Dan began to search the rest of the estate from top to bottom.

However, they could not find any traces of Demon or the nobles.

“Dan. You should return now.”

“Yes, I understand. Master. Please remember what I’ve said before. Mars is an old crafty bastard.”

“Yeah, got it.”

“And here is the accounting book page. Then I shall be off…”

Unlike before, Dan did not stick around and immediately headed for the inn that Min-Cheol was staying at.

Following Dan’s departure, Min-Cheol summoned the 5 clones and began his wait for the owner of the estate to return.

Even if Demon entered through that door instead of Mars right now, Min-Cheol had no reason to fear.

Even though Demon had consumed many of the slaves’ power, there was no way that the festival’s king could face off against Min-Cheol and his 5 clones.

Not only that, but while Min-Cheol was defeating the nobles that had traded with Swesi before, he was hoping to run into Demon by chance along the way.

Since Min-Cheol was almost fully positive that Demon was Barub, what would be the point of waiting until arriving at the celestial plane to finish up business.

Instead, it could be settled here.

The reason for Min-Cheol to push the plan earlier than intended after seeing Demon stir up a ruckus was simple.

Min-Cheol was currently far stronger Demon was.

While being nearly even in a one to one fight, considering the cloning skill, the difference was incomparable.

Right now, as long as Min-Cheol could keep up with the rate that Demon was obtaining strength, there was no way he could lose.

There was no need to get greedy or overexert myself.

The plan for Min-Cheol was to stay as safe as possible and not let the status quo change for the next 19 days.

Min-Cheol also needed to keep up with Demon’s growth, preventing a gap in strength from appearing being the main goal.

To put it simply, as long as Demon didn’t steal the power of all the Larkenta’s nobles, Min-Cheol’s victory was guaranteed.

While I was lost in thought for a brief moment, there was the sound of movement outside.

The one to notice that wasn’t me, but the firstborn clone.

The firstborn clone quietly walked close and tapped my shoulder.

It was to let me know that he had detected movement outside.

After that, I thought that he was returning back to his original spot, but instead did something that I could not even think of.

“Here.”

“Hm? Yeah. Thanks. Huh? Did you just speak?”

“Alone. Not. Two.”

“I-I see…”

Despite having only communicated using body language before, he had spoken.

While it was very curt, it was definitely major progress.

Even though only a few hours had passed, the first clone was now able to communicate using speech instead of just body language.

However, the fact that a clone was able to speak wasn’t important right now.

The enemy had just arrived.

And it wasn’t just the footsteps of one, but two.

The firstborn was able to notice that perfectly and give me notice.

Min-Cheol’s eyes had went wide after witnessing an unexpected behavior from the firstborn clone.

While there were many things he wanted to ask, he instead readied his battle stance and paid close attention to the entrance.

In his hand was a half written scroll just in case, with King’s Marble, Status Denial, and Warp at the ready.

All things needed for escape and survival were on his mind.

Their footsteps came closer, arriving at the estate’s doors, then the door knobs were pulled.

Min-Cheol and the clones. Mars and another count.

With their eyes meeting, each of them held a great amount of caution.

For Min-Cheol, he wasn’t sure if they were the owners of this estate, and for the counts, this was the first time they’ve met Min-Cheol and his clones.

The surprise of the nobles was to be expected, since they expected the king of the festival, Demon, to be present at the estate, if any.

The first one to break the silence and speak was Min-Cheol.

“Mars?”

With the short noble with the height of a pair of pants asking a question to his compatriot, the two of them started to talk amongst themselves.

While ignoring Min-Cheol completely, they continued the conversation between them.

“Count Mars. Did you ask for backup from the castle’s elite knights or something?”

“No. Even if I did ask the castellan for assistance, do you think he’d oblige? He does not care for my wellbeing.”

“Hm… I was hoping for Demon… Some crazy person showed up instead, waiting for us.”

“It seems so.”

Both counts had an expression filled with disappointment.

Since the reward for catching Demon was quite high, they had hoped that the intruder was Demon.

Their expressions and actions showed that they did not care much for Min-Cheol.

Rather, they were treating him as if he didn’t exist.

They instead thought that there was no way they could lose.

It was to be expected, because counts weren’t weak enough to be defeated easily by some nobody.

The opposite was true, as regular citizens and even decent Protectors feared them.

But that type of outcome depended on who they were facing.

Unaware of what their futures would be, the two of them continued their lax conversation.

“I think I’m right when calling you Mars. Who is the one standing next to you?”

“I am Leta. But pray tell, who are you so brazen to blabber without a shred of fear?”

“Leta. Leta… Was there someone by the name of Leta? Ugh… I don’t remember.”

“You little! Why aren’t you responding to my inquiry?”

“Wait a bit. Whether you die here or live is based on the messenger spell.”

“I should beat you to death myself! Hey, Count Mars. I’ll take him down immediately…”

“No need to lose your temper. Aren’t those with a death wish pretty common? Let’s not get blood on our coats and send him off his way with a chiding.”

Min-Cheol ignored what Leta and Mars said and contacted Dan.

As expected, the worried Dan was on standby and immediately received my messenger spell, welcoming the call with a surprised tone.

“Huh? Master. Is it over already?”

“No. Check for me if there is someone by the name of Leta in the accounting book.”

“Yes! As I had expected, Mars has brought another noble, right? Give me just a moment. Leta… Leta…”

“…”

“Here it is. His rank is that of a noble, and there are roughly 30 instances of trading with Swesi.”

“Is that so? Guess I can take them down together. Good. Please be on standby until I contact you again.”

“Yes! Please take care!”

“Will do.”

-ding.

“I thought it was going to get bothersome, but thankfully similar people stick together, I guess?”

“You little! Seems you’re too stupid to be afraid.”

“I was going to let you go because you had lost your mind. You really are asking to die an early death.”

“Take this first.”

Min-Cheol tossed a page of the accounting book to Mars.

Confirming the contents, he snickered while looking at Min-Cheol.

It was the same for Leta.

Since it wasn’t an unfamiliar page to them, they were able to recognize it right away.

“Right. Are you asking us what this is?”

“Can’t you tell? It’s a page from an accounting book. The accounting book that had information written on it each time you traded with Swesi. I wasn’t able to prepare one for Leta, since I had no idea he was coming. I’ll be showing it to you in the afterlife, so no need to fret.”

“Huhaha! You really are off your rocker. Hey Mars, it looks like that’s the one who obliterated Swesi… What do you think?”

“Kuha. It seems so. How fortunate of us. Even though it isn’t Demon, if we can catch him and offer him to the castellan, we may be able to receive quite the reward from the castellan. We have the page from the accounting book as proof, and if we can bring him there without killing him, we should be able to obtain a confession.”

“Don’t you think we should contact Marquis Millions first?”

“Hey, Leta. Can’t you read the situation still?”

“Hm?”

“Millions is finished. A star that has shone and is now burnt out. If we can defeat the cause behind this predicament, Demon, then not only would we be able to take Millions’ position, but his fame as well. And if we can catch that man over there, then it would solidify that even further.”

“Oho… I see. So we wouldn’t have to put up a fake smile for his disgusting mug anymore.”

“Millions… Are you talking about Demon’s owner?”

Min-Cheol’s focus was on the name Millions from the conversation between the two of them.

It was because Min-Cheol had heard the name Millions from the announcer back when he had attended the festival of blood.

As they had said, Min-Cheol also knew that Millions was a marquis.

While Min-Cheol could defeat a count with his eyes closed, it would be different when dealing with a marquis.

While he could technically defeat one, he would have to take quite the risk.

Thankfully for him, it seemed that they had no intentions of summoning Marquis Millions here.

For Min-Cheol, it really was most fortunate.

“I guess you could summon him here using Soul Messenger and Summon.”

“Are you talking about Millions? Pff. That won’t happen. You will be begging for your life not under Millions’ feet, but under ours instead. We can’t let him steal the glory.”

“Good. I hope that you won’t change your mind. The targets this time are two. Just another target added this time. As with before, kill them without mercy.”

“Understood.”

“…”

“…”

“Oh wow. Surprised me.”

Min-Cheol was surprised once more after giving the order to attack.

How could he not, when the clone he had expected to just nod was responding instead.

It seemed that he was still not quite used to it yet.

The clones each prepared themselves for battle and awaited Min-Cheol’s command.

A sword in each hand like the previous fight, many buffs and shields were protecting their bodies.

Min-Cheol did not plan to partake in the fight again.

After all, the clones would be able to take care of the two without Min-Cheol’s help at all.

To the clones taking in the surroundings and staring at their targets, Min-Cheol gave the command.

“Kill them in a single strike to make sure they do not get a chance to pull any tricks. It’ll be annoying if additional backup arrives.”

“Sure.”

“…”

“…”

“Y-Yeah. Go.”

The clones dashed forward like bullets.

****

“Hm? A summon request has arrived from Mars. But it’s not a message, but a request for summons… How strange.”

As this was happening, Millions was at a location where many estates of counts were concentrated at, awaiting a Soul Messenger message.

Seeing as Mars had contacted him, Millions accepted the summon.

---

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227. Sharing a Meal

I had used the clones for combat before when taking down Swei, but I had never formed a battle plan to use them against a single powerful foe before.

The most complex command I had given them was to nonstop fire spells.

The clones assembled up in a line really inspired confidence in me.

While they each had the same strength as I, they also had different special abilities.

Curses and healing, buffing and even revival.

If I gave them tasks suited to their special abilities, I was positive that it would increase our chances of victory in battle.

“Firstborn, I need you to keep up your curse that amplifies damage taken on the enemy. We’re not fighting a large number of opponents like before. Instead, the enemy is now a single person and we’re the ones with the numerical advantage. Your debuff should be able to shine 100%.”

“…”

As expected, the clone was without a word. However, I was confident that the clone had understood.

The curse ability that the firstborn possessed displayed greater efficacy the less enemies were present.

The debuff’s power was set, and it worked in a way where it split that power output amongst the opponents after all.

So when fighting against the counts or the marquises, and the fight with Barub in the future, it will prove to be very powerful.

Replying to my command with a thump on his chest instead of words, he even nodded.

“Next, the second oldest. Pay attention to the surroundings even in the midst of battle. While your brothers and I are able to cast healing spells, they do not come close in comparison to your healing capabilities.”

“…”

“Ah. And this could sound extremely selfish, but when all of us take damage, the number one healing priority is me. Understand?”

“…”

“Hm?”

After I finished my sentence, he also thumped his chest and nodded.

However, maybe it was my imagination, but I could swear that the corner of his mouth curled up a bit.

It was almost as if he was mocking an opponent.

There was no way that he would do such a thing when he didn’t show any emotions or communicate for that matter, but I felt that something was strange.

While it might seem selfish, it was obvious that healing me first should be a priority.

The main body of the clones was I.

If I perish, then all the clones also perish forever.

Of course, they could stay alive for 30 minutes after I die.

They’d be holding on with what little strength they’ll have remaining.

However, if they do not receive power from me after that timespan, they will perish.

If they died instead of being recalled by me, then they do receive a penalty where I can’t summon them for some time.

However, compared to perishing forever, the penalty was more than generous.

After looking at the second oldest’s face, I spoke with an awkward smile.

“I’m just imagining things, right?”

“…”

“Regardless, remember it well. Even if you’re attacking less, focus on healing instead.”

For the third and fourth oldest who handled the buffs, they didn’t need any specific instructions.

All they had to do was to make sure that buffs were kept up for the clones and I.

And because the duration of the buffs were very long, they really didn’t need to put too much thought into it.

Unless the fight became drawn out that is.

Because they didn’t need to focus so much on using their special abilities, that also meant that they would be playing the biggest role in offense and defense in combat.

They would purely focus on combat, becoming the main damage dealer and main tank.

“In combat, the roles the two of you will play is very important. While the other clone siblings have to focus on many things, that isn’t the case for you two, right? So make sure to destroy the enemies that I mark, understand?”

-cling. clang.

“Good. Lastly, the youngest. Dearest youngest! Out of everyone here, you have the most powerful and important special ability. The other four are very important to the point where we also can’t do without of course, but…”

“…”

“Firstly, as I have told the second oldest, I want you to revive me if the worst case scenario occurs. Until then, save your special ability. The other clones can be summoned again with time after all.”

“…”

-cling.

“Hm? What’s this?”

The youngest clone reached out his hand.

As if wanting a handshake with me, he had his hand out with all of his fingers stretched out.

It seemed that as I continued speaking with them, their intelligence needed to communicate seemed to grow.

I naturally grabbed his hand and shook it.

When I did so, he pulled his hand away then did the same motion again.

Since I couldn’t understand what he was doing, I ignored it and paid attention to the entrance of the estate.

It happened as the waiting for the count’s return continued.

-cling.

“Youngest. Why are you continuing to ask for a handshake? Are you trying to appeal to me because you’re the youngest? I did what you wanted. Since I played with you a bit already, shouldn’t you stop?”

“…”

“This is the last time, okay?”

Like soothing a child, I chided him and shook his hand once more.

Despite his combat abilities and combat instincts being similar to mine, his actions seemed very childlike.

It reminded me of how the summoned creatures Avatar and King Suwoo acted.

However, it seemed that he didn’t know when to quit with his pranks.

He now raised his hand up instead.

“Oh… Are you saying that the cooldown time is 5 minutes long?”

“…”

The youngest nodded his head.

It seemed that the one acting foolish was not the youngest clone, but me instead.

To understand his special ability a bit better, I continued to question him.

“So you’re saying that you can revive someone every 5 minutes, right?”

“…”

The youngest shook his head this time.

Was there something like a cast time?

Unable to remain patient, I opened the Mobile Storage to take out some parchment and charcoal.

These items were dropped by all the monsters of Larkenta and were essential items to the people living here.

I didn’t have any desire to play 20 questions, and since asking him one by one like this could take longer than this entire night, I had decided to find a workaround.

Passing the items to him, I spoke.

“Write it down. And in Korean please. Since you’re a perfect copy of me, it should be possible, right? Write a description of your ability here.”

“…”

Because he was amazing at understanding my words, he immediately received the parchment and charcoal to write.

Watching him cutting the charcoal with his sword like sharpening a pencil and putting in great effort to write, it made me proud.

I didn’t know when the count would come busting through the door, but since I could easily defeat him with the 5 clones present, I wasn’t nervous in the slightest.

A little bit of time passed before he handed back the parchment to me.

Seeing his poor penmanship made me realize that even his writing skills were similar to mine.

“You didn’t have to be this similar to me. Now let’s see…”

-Resurrection.

*Cooldown 5 minutes.

*Casting time 5 minutes.

*Resurrects a dead target. (Usable on all lifeforms.)

*Can only be cast on targets that have died in the last 24 hours.

*The resurrection is canceled if attacked while casting.

*I like being called the youngest.

“So you’re saying that it’ll take 10 minutes. This includes me as well.”

“…”

“Pff! What is this? I was reading this seriously and you made me laugh. You really liked being called the youngest?”

“…”

“Then I’ll continue to call you that. Hm…”

The skill Resurrection that the youngest clone wrote in the parchment to explain was an amazing ability.

After all, it was capable of resurrecting someone every 10 minutes.

Also the youngest clone’s charming appeal was something else too.

However, there was one weakness to this spell.

If attacked in the middle of the cast, the resurrection spell would be interrupted.

This was quite the risk.

Not only was this a skill that wasn’t an instant cast, but it became interrupted upon being attacked.

I had 3 King’s Marbles remaining. And I could also cast Status Denial as well.

Unless it was a very powerful attack, there was no chance that I would lose my life.

However, if the amount of damage I received in an instant was beyond my healing capabilities, then I couldn’t avoid death like anyone else.

That would be the moment that I would desperately need his special Resurrection ability.

However, if this powerful attack was strong enough to defeat me in a single hit, then it would be the same for the clones.

It seemed impossible that these clones would be able to hold off such an opponent for 5 minutes while the youngest stood still casting this spell.

“It feels like this isn’t a spell for me, you know?”

“…”

“Even if the remaining clones try to guard you, it’ll be difficult to hold out for 5 minutes…”

“…”

“Youngest. It seems that you’ll have to cast your Resurrect on your siblings. I’ll do what I can to survive, so do that instead.”

While I was a little disappointed at the youngest clone’s special ability that I had high hopes for, this ended the dividing up of responsibilities and roles in combat the clones would be undertaking.

With the strategy meeting over, now the only thing left was the real fight.

Almost as if waiting for my conversation with the youngest clone to be over, the massive doors to the estate opened.

It was an old man with a rugged beard.

The clothing he wore was expensive to the point where most people would never even see it, and I could tell just how pricey it was just from looking at it.

While it may not be Morse that Dan had mentioned, I was positive that it was at least one of the nobles.

Thankfully there were no soldiers backing him up.

He had come to the estate on his own.

Seeing me and my clones standing casually in the lobby, the count yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Who are you!”

“Are you Morse?”

“What? You seem like a knight that has survived. How dare such a lowly fool dare speak of my title with no regard to his status? You arrogant bastard.”

“Guess I’m right. Morse.”

“Are you also trying to start up a rebellion while a slave named Demon is causing a ruckus?”

“Well, it’s a bit similar. But I’m a bit different from Demon.”

I tossed a part of the accounting book that Dan had torn up before leaving.

Written in there were detailed accounts of Morse trading with Swesi.

A total of 76 trades. Thus, it meant that he had 76 accounts of human trafficking violations.

Despite doing such a thing, he was talking as if nothing was wrong.

“Hm? What is this?”

“Seems you’ve purchased quite a lot of maidens and young Protectors from Swesi. I assume it was to give them as tribute to the castellan?”

“How is that a big deal? You’re asking such a boring question. But… Are you the one who single handedly destroyed Swesi?”

“Finished confirming who you are. You’ve admitted to your crimes. Now the only thing left is your punishment, right?”

“You little… Does the power of a count of Larkenta look so laughable to you!”

“Since this is my first proper fight while using the clones, it may be a little bit of an overkill. It seems that they might be a little bit too eager to destroy you. If you really can’t handle it, feel free to try running away. To the afterlife that is.”

“Your jokes aren’t funny at all. You think that because you have numbers, things are to your advantage? Now! Fight me!”

“Oh? Clones? If that’s the case, I won’t be outdone.”

“Pfft! I am able to summon up to 3 clones! Out of all the counts, I have the highest mastery of this skill.”

“Is that so. How unfortunate. Even though I’m no noble, I have 5.” ¹

“Your jokes go too far. How dare you try scaring me when you all are just wearing matching artifacts! I shall take all the glory of taking down not only Demon, but also taking down the one who defeated Swesi. Argh!”

---

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226. Pandemonium

Late into the night.

A night without as much as a single speck of moonlight fell, and so did that darkness fall upon Larkenta’s castle.

It was the same for the arena for the Festival of Blood, where not even a mouse squeaked despite it being filled to the brim with traffic throughout the entire day.

Even the many stores lined up near it closed early.

As if the night was not aware of what Demon had done, it was dead quiet.

Of course, other than the nobles and some of the citizens within the castle walls, no one was aware.

Demon had snuck through the entrance of the shabbiest looking store out of them all and was in hiding.

Demon knew that taking out at least a count was possible right now.

Breaking into the estates of both marquises and counts to butcher countless slave warriors, Demon had obtained a massive amount of power.

Everything had gone according to plan up until that point.

It was going so well to the point of worry.

However, the information was leaked by a knight who had survived somehow.

With that, Demon’s plan was now slightly off course.

According to the original plan, all of the nobles needed to stay oblivious to Demon’s actions until the banquet was over.

Only then would they return back to their estates with their guard down.

However, the situation was made aware already through the Messenger spell with Millions.

That meant that the counts, which was Demon’s next planned target, could go into hiding.

This also meant that the castellan and marquises that Demon couldn’t handle right now could be on the move.

Since Demon wasn’t on the top of the food chain, this meant that while on the hunt, the hunter could also become the hunted.

19 days remained until Demon had to return to the celestial plane.

Until then, Demon had to obtain as much power as possible while staying safe.

If Demon acted with only obtaining power in mind and not stay safe, there was a chance of dying before even being summoned back to the celestial plane.

After all, the world that came from Karupedan’s mind was filled with those who were strong to the point of absurdity.

While hiding in the store, Demon took a moment to think about how to proceed.

“It’s become troublesome.”

-ding!

-Will you accept “Millions’” summons?

-Location. Larkenta Castle. (Coordinates 110:448)

“Kuhu! He’s insane. Even though I have much to consider, even this little fly is serving as an annoyance.”

Millions’ summon messages continued to arrive.

Demon concluded that the marquis was searching all of Larkenta with everything he had.

However, what kind of an idiot would accept this summon.

Demon did not accept the summon, but also didn’t delete the message.

The reason for that was simple.

After defeating enough counts to be able to fight a marquis, Demon would accept that summon to defeat Millions and obtain his power.

“Seems I need to stay safe for now. Until dawn breaks that is.”

Demon’s plan was as follows.

Firstly, Demon would observe Larkenta’s response.

Since Demon had caused quite the stir, there wouldn’t be a chance to act for some time.

However, while searching for slaves to kill in the estates, Demon had memorized all of the estates that belonged to the counts.

Demon hadn’t discovered where all 100 counts live. However, Demon had at least memorized those that were putting in a decent effort in raising warrior slaves.

The plan was to go after them after the banquet had ended.

While not aiming for all of them, the first attacks would be aimed at the pre-selected counts as they returned back to their estates.

Demon knew that the number of counts returning wouldn’t be many due to their fear of Demon’s might causing many of them to stay within the castle walls.

However, a single count’s life was worth hundreds of slaves in terms of the power obtained from killing them.

Even with that much, Demon would grow exponentially stronger.

This plan had to be executed swiftly and smoothly.

If it didn’t go as such, then there was a risk of being caught out in the middle of it and perishing.

Demon was not able to obtain any useful spells so far.

Millions had his eyes on Demon from the moment of arrival, and was immediately entered into the festival and then held prisoner in his estate.

The only things Demon was allowed to learn were Soul Messenger and Summon.

The skill that caused opponents to be blended like being thrown into a mixer from the tip of Demon’s hand and the skill that dealt damage after passing through your opponent used against Jurassic were both the result of brute strength after strengthening the body.

Before heading to Hell, Demon had agreed upon setting one’s power to roughly around Min-Cheol’s power level at the start of the bet.

However, unlike Min-Cheol’s special trait or skills, Demon’s were different.

Demon currently did not even have the basic skills to warp or go into stealth if the situation of running into the castellan or marquises presented itself.

Not only that, but Demon didn’t even know the existence of or how to use a simple return scroll.

You could say that Demon’s head was blank regarding information of this world, like a white sheet of paper.

Demon was a monster that had focused only on increasing one’s power rather than one’s intelligence.

While Demon had fought against other Protectors in the festival, the contestants were murdered before they were given enough time to tear open a scroll to escape.

Since Demon knew nothing about skills, the want or need also weren’t present.

“The little insects will come swarming at the break of dawn… Kuhu. Looks like I’ll have to rely on luck.”

Demon picked up a robe from the store for cover.

While Demon did not carry any weapons, armors, or artifacts that would stand out, the bloodied body and face needed to be hidden.

With that, Demon left the store and headed for a count’s estate.

Despite having turned many places into rubble, there was no hesitation in Demon’s footsteps.

It was the place where Demon saw the most number of slaves being trained.

And it was also the place where there was a lack of guards in comparison to the size of the estate.

Demon’s choice here was superb.

The counts that still decided to return even after hearing a wild beast is on the loose must be strong compared to their peers.

The size of the estate and the number of slaves would attest to that, and the lack of knights would be proof of their confidence in their own ability to defend themselves.

Cloaked in complete darkness due to the lack of moonlight, Demon moved towards the estate with haste.

It didn’t take long to return to the estate, still lacking any presence of living beings.

It was certain that the count had not returned yet.

Barub carried a sinister smile while heading into the estate.

Inhaling the smell of blood permeating the lobby, Demon pulled out a chair to the center and sat down, waiting for the count’s return.

Demon had memorized most of the faces of the nobles that had taken part in the festival.

Since the festival was for the nobles, most of the nobles including barons, viscounts, counts, and marquises came to observe.

Not only that, but Demon knew the handful of marquises by face so well that it would be possible to draw them eyes closed.

Seeing a marquis or a new face meant that Demon would have to run immediately.

After all, since that new face could be the castellan.

An unknown amount of time passed.

The sound of footsteps could be heard from the entrance.

“Kuhu.”

“…”

****

“Here?”

“Yes. That’s the one, master. It’s the estate of a count named Morse, and a bastard who was one of the most active in their trade with Swesi. He is truly the most evil amongst evil doers.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! Don’t you think that I’ve said enough when I told you Morse has defaulted on a huge payment for trading slaves with Swesi?”

“They really are the scummiest.”

“Yes!”

Flipping the pages of the accounting book, Dan nodded and answered by questions.

Even though I had came here to defeat nobles, I could not stoop down to murdering without a just cause.

The death penalty existed back on Earth, and there were laws that brought judgment upon the guilty.

While I didn’t know that I was crossing a line by acting as the judge, I could not stop.

This was to make myself stronger.

However, there were plenty of evildoers that would make people considering reinstating the death penalty.

It was the same here as it was back on Earth.

Perhaps by targeting them, I would be able to reconcile with myself by reducing the guilt of murder, even by a little bit.

“Demon really did a number here.”

“Whew… Even though it hasn’t been long, the smell of blood is thick here.”

“Since Demon has grinded the people here like how a meat blender would, it’s that much worse. Dan, your work ends here. Return back to the inn first.”

“Huh? Why don’t you open the storage for me? It’s more comfortable being in there.”

“From here on out, I cannot guarantee that I can win these fights. If I die, the storage ceases to exist. That includes you if you’re inside of it.”

“…”

“Remember the inn where we first met?”

“Yes, I remember it.”

“I shall contact you using Soul Messenger after taking care of Morse. Stay there for now.”

“Hm… Master. Even though I’m a spineless coward, don’t you think I should at least help out a little? I am aware that my fighting capabilities are next to none and useless. But if I just run away like this because of that reason… At least let me stay as a lookout to warn you if anyone is approaching.”

“Do you remember the old lady that vendored the skill scrolls?”

“Yes, of course. How could I forget that old woman when she called me a dried out dead cricket?”

“Have you seen anyone else with the same ability as her?”

“Which ability? Did you mean an ability that gives true sight?”

“Yes. An ability to detect what someone’s abilities are, or to detect stealth.”

“Hm… I’ve never seen that old woman’s ability before. However, someone on par with a marquis in terms of strength would probably at least have the ability to detect someone who is stealthed.”

“Then you can’t come with me. You have to turn back.”

“…”

“It’s a command. A command for your well being. So please don’t argue with me and do as I tell you to.”

“I understand. Then please contact me once the fight is over!”

“Of course. You’re the guide for my next target.”

“Take care. And you must win. Off I go then!”

“Yeah.”

Dan ripped a scroll to retreat to a safe location.

After confirming that Dan had left, I prepared myself for battle.

First, I summoned my 5 clones.

With Dan’s help to obtain the shoes, the 5 clones looked perfectly identical to me.

Before giving the clones instructions, I opened up the Mobile Storage to pull out a return scroll.

Then I tore it roughly around halfway and held it in my hand.

No matter what happened, surviving was the priority here.

Depending on my opponent, there was a chance that I wouldn’t even have time to cast Warp and throw myself through the portal.

Just like how it was when Jong Ho was done in by the demon king’s overwhelming power and the resurrection ring activated.

So that was why I made preparations by thinking of a location ahead of time and making it so that the return scroll would activate with the slightest bit of force applied to it.

After that, I spoke to the clones.

“Now, I didn’t even name you guys yet. I’m sorry about that. For now, let’s make this easy and call you firstborn. You can be second… So on and so forth, with you being the youngest. Understood?”

Since they were unable to speak, they lightly struck their chest in reply instead.

“Good. Now, let’s begin the planning for the battle ahead. Firstborn.”

---

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224. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2)

Demon headed to the underground training center while holding the knight by the collar.

The way Demon walked was full of confidence, as if familiar to this kind of attitude.

How could a cat who had tasted fish just pass by the fish market without doing anything?

And Demon wasn’t a cat, but more akin to a tiger.

And so it wouldn’t be strange for Demon to consume humans, not fish.

In Millions’ perspective, he had raised a baby tiger.

Demon, who had become as strong as possible, was planning to tear apart the master.

Because Demon had already tasted the sweetness of consuming the slaves of the training center, it would be difficult to resist the temptation to do so again.

Not only that, but the only person who could stop Demon, Millions, was absent.

This was a chance for Demon that may not come again before the summon back to the celestial plane.

The crushing killing intent that was felt back in the fight with Jurassic.

Demon was positive that Min-Cheol was there at the festival.

That’s why Demon was not satisfied with butchering the slaves from before.

Coming down the long spiraling staircase, Demon arrived at the entrance of the underground training center.

At the entrance were guards who oversaw the slaves.

After meeting the gaze of Demon, the guards were quite startled.

Marquis Millions had commanded the training center be accessible before.

However, the marquis was absent at this time, and they hadn’t received any new orders regarding it since.

Not only that, but the knight that was supposed to guard Demon’s residence having his collar grabbed while flailing about had made this all the more suspicious.

The guards pointed their spears and spoke.

“Demon. Why are you here at the training grounds at this time!”

“Kuhu. This isn’t the first time.”

“We didn’t receive any new orders from the marquis. Return at once!”

“You do not need to open the door for me. What’s the point of the lock on such a flimsy steel door?”

“You little… Do you dare go against the marquis’ order?”

“R-Run…”

“Kuhu!”

The knight who was forced to take on the role of a guide spoke with a labored breath.

He was asking them to flee.

However, that wasn’t possible.

Even if this was an open field, they would be caught by the difference in speed, but the only exit that existed here was back up through the spiraling staircase.

The one blocking the way to said staircase was Demon.

Demon had become a greedy murderer who didn’t want to miss out even the small power the guards carried.

Perhaps aware or unaware of what was going on, the sound of explosions occurred beyond the door within the training center.

The sound of an explosion caused by one of the slaves acted like a signal for Demon to move from the starting line.

With the explosion announcing the start of the hunt, Demon charged at the guards.

The hands that Demon stretched out forward absorbed the guards like how it was with the butchering of the slave in the past.

With the weapons and helmets being torn off and split, the ten guards were sucked in without leaving anything behind, meeting a horrific death.

This was only the beginning.

Behind this door were around 100 slaves.

As the Festival of Blood became heated, so did the number of people willing to become slaves increased, and this was a great chance for Barub.

Not to keep hold of the title of king in the festival, but for being supplied prey.

“Eeek!”

“Now, let’s get this party started. I hope that I’ll be satisfied.”

“Kuhu. There are far more people than before. It really is tempting…”

“D, Demon!”

“What? Huh? Why is the king of the festival here in a place like this…”

“I shall give you all the chance to become king… Kuhaha!”

****

Demon, having left Millions’ estate, was covered in blood.

It was expected, as Demon had slaughtered roughly a hundred slaves.

It was also obvious the slaves in the underground training center were just prey.

After all, they had all perished without leaving even a small cut, much less a small wound.

Unlike their weak attempt at resisting, the power that Demon gained was massive.

However, this wasn’t even close to satisfying Demon’s greed.

The reason why Demon had kept one of the knights alive came into play here.

As stated before, today was an opportune day that would not come again.

The small group of the top nobles were absent in order to accept the invitation of the castellan’s banquet.

The plan was to attack the residences of the nobles where slaves were being trained to become warriors, and to steal all the power of the Protectors.

After that, the nobles.

By killing all of the slaves, Demon would be able to obtain enough power to face off against a count or marquis.

Min-Cheol’s planned targets and Demon’s targets were now overlapping.

They didn’t follow through with their plans at the same time, but this would bring a great change in the playing field.

Demon took in a deep breath before speaking in an excited tone.

“Guide me. Do as you value your life.”

“Where did you want me to guide you to?”

“Kuhu. Must I tell you it myself? The counts and the marquises. From them, guide me to the residences of the ones raising warrior slaves.”

“Yes, yes! I understand.”

Because there wasn’t much time, Demon moved quickly to the location the hostage pointed out.

Before the nobles returned after the banquet’s end, Demon had to obtain enough power to be stronger than them.

To do so, Demon had to kill as many slaves as possible.

Following the guide, the first place that Demon arrived at was Count Eind’s estate.

It wasn’t as grand as Millions’, but it was still a large estate and the amount of slaves being trained weren’t little.

As expected, the knights serving Eind weren’t letting their guards down and were patrolling around the estate.

“Seems I’ll be needing a new guide.”

“Huh?”

“Your role ends here. You don’t know the estate inside and out, right?”

“L-Let me live! Please let me live!”

“Kuhuhu! How could I miss out on such a scrumptious snack?”

“P-Please!”

-crunch!

Taking the knight’s life, Demon charged into Count Eind’s estate.

There were many guards on alert, but they were taken down in an instant, and it didn’t prove much of a challenge for Demon to locate the training facility of the slaves.

This location did not fare better, as expected.

After taking down the knights, guards, and of course the slaves, Demon muttered while wiping the blood off.

“Yes… This is it! I wanted to get stronger at this pace!”

“Urgh!”

“Lead the way.”

****

An alarm through Soul Messenger appeared for Min-Cheol, who was in the middle of focusing on his hunt in the unexplored territories.

“What’s this?”

Because he had never used the skill since obtaining it, it was bothering him quite a lot to see the number appearing on his status window.

It almost made him wonder if there were free points he had forgotten to put into his stats.

After opening up the status window to check, he could confirm that it was Dan trying to contact him.

Unlike before, Dan didn’t reside in Min-Cheol’s storage and was living independently.

Because Min-Cheol was lacking information due to only focusing on the hunt, it was to obtain rumors regarding the castle and Larkenta as a whole, and also to see what the nobles were up to.

Min-Cheol accepted Dan’s request for communication sent through the Soul Messenger.

“Master!”

“Oh wow. This is quite an amazing feature, you know? It feels like I’m receiving a phone call for the first time in a while.”

“It’s a huge issue!”

“Hm? A huge issue? What happened?”

“There’s chaos within the castle walls!”

“What do you mean? Calm down and explain to me slowly.”

“You know of Demon, right? The king of the festival!”

“…”

After hearing Demon’s name being mentioned, Min-Cheol’s expression soured.

He had expected Demon to cause trouble eventually.

This confirmed that his suspicion that Demon was Barub wasn’t wrong.

Since not many days remained before having to return to the celestial plane, Demon was most likely beginning to act seriously.

With a heavy frown on his face, he asked Dan.

“Right. So is Demon on the move?”

“Yes! Demon is on a wild rampage!”

“Are you saying that Demon already obtained power greater than that of Marquis Millions’? That’s impossible! I’ve been keeping track of all those that faced the king of the festival. Even if Demon did butcher all of Millions’ slaves…”

“I also do not know how Demon had grown stronger so rapidly. However, Demon has now grown strong enough to fight with the nobles!”

“Damn it! If this is the case, then I have to take action… Dan.”

“Yes!”

“Since Demon is on the move, we cannot leave this be.”

“Of course! Master cannot lose the prey that he has already set his eyes upon!”

“Where are you currently?”

“I am at the castle. Should I head over to where you are?”

“No. Summon me instead. Since it is an essential skill, I’m sure you have it too?”

“Of course. Just like Soul Messenger, all you have to do is accept.”

“Good.”

-Do you accept Dan’s summon?

-Location. Larkenta castle. (Coordinates 335:533)

The system message rang again.

This was a sound that Min-Cheol hadn’t heard since living as Protector here.

However, this notification sound was something that he had heard back on Earth to the point of annoyance whenever he leveled up or obtained a new skill.

Considering the massive amount of experience points obtained when taking out a group of monsters at once, the sound was enough to get stuck in his head.

Min-Cheol immediately agreed to Dan’s summon.

At the same time that Min-Cheol accepted, Min-Cheol was sucked into the air space in front of him, as if using Warp to travel to another space.

Surprisingly afters, in Min-Cheol’s field of view was Dan.

Min-Cheol’s astonishment at experiencing the summon for the first time was brief.

Demon’s doings cause the hair on the back of his neck to rise.

“Where is Demon headed right now?”

“My guess is that Demon is headed for the palace of the castellan. I’m sure that Demon plans to slay all the nobles gathered due to Friday’s banquet.”

“Did you confirm it with your own eyes?”

“N-No. It’s merely a guess. Demon has already raided all the estates without the counts and marquises presence there clean. I wonder if Demon had grown stronger by killing all the slaves meant for the festival. There’s no better place left for Demon to go on a rampage after all.”

“No. Demon wouldn’t go there.”

“Huh? Then where?”

“Demon has no guarantees. And lacks information, even more than I.”

“…”

“Dan, do you know how strong the castellan is?”

“No… That, I do not have any information on. It’s because no one had dared to fight against the castellan before. Since there is no one to compare it to, I can’t even begin to fathom. All I know is that since power is set depending on your status, the castellan would be unreasonably strong.”

“Of course. I am aware of that as well. So would Demon just go to the castellan’s palace and fight the nobles? Let’s say that Demon can face off against counts and marquises. But what against the castellan?”

“That’s… Don’t you think that Demon is just recklessly charging forward?”

“No. Demon wouldn’t take a fight without a chance at winning.”

“Then where do you think Demon disappeared off to?”

“If I was Demon, I would’ve picked out two choices. Either hide in the castle and ambush the nobles, or go after the ranker Protectors outside the castle.”

“Oho… Then what will you do?”

“Move as planned. Only the time to act has been rushed forward.”

“Will it be okay? Because of Demon rampaging through the castle, the situation isn’t all that great right now.”

“It can’t be helped, right? Rather than let it be stolen, I have to take on some risks.”

“I understand.”

“Now let us go. Make sure to not make any mistakes reading the names off the accounting books and stay close.”

“Yes!”

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225. Competition

“Honorable Castellan Mithrael!”

“Hm?”

As the banquet was well underway.

An urgent call for the castellan thrilled by Millions’ surprise gift sounded.

Every noble directed their attention to the interruption.

The one to burst through the door with haste was a member of the castellan’s elite knights.

The elite knights of the castellan were on a completely different level than that of the nobles.

A simple way to explain it would be that the knight captains of the nobles were slightly weaker than a member of the castellan’s knights.

The castellan’s elite knights were truly made up of the strongest fighters.

The knight in question got down on one knee and looked at the ground while addressing the castellan.

“Honorable castellan. It’s a disaster.”

“How dare a mere knight barge into a banquet. What’s the commotion?”

What could possibly be a big enough of an issue for a member of the knights charged with guarding the perimeter to barge into the banquet without a word?

Even if this was an elite knight member that could not be easily messed with, there still was the matter of social class differences.

Mithrael showed the displeasure on his face without holding anything back.

After all, this kind of behavior was definitely considered rude in front of a large gathering of nobles.

This was also the same for the nobles.

However, what the knight member had to say was enough to make them forget their ire.

Instead, shock and fear would take its place.

It especially shocked Millions’, who had curried a great amount of favor with the castellan via a surprise gift.

“It has been reported that Demon has ambushed the residencies of the nobles and caused a massive amount of damage.”

“What? Demon?”

“Yes! According to the testimonials of the survivors, the witnesses were absolutely positive.”

With the name of Demon being mentioned, the castellan’s eyes now rested on Millions’.

The marquis chided the messenger knight with a rattled expression.

“You insolent knight! What are you saying! Demon?”

“I was informed that Demon has slaughtered not only the gathering of slaves set to participate in the festival, but all the knights and guards of each of the nobles.”

“The Demon you speak of… It can’t be that you’re referring to the king of the festival?”

“That’s correct, Marquis Millions. I am positive that it’s your slave, Demon.”

“That can’t be…”

The chaotic banquet was now filled with the whispers of nobles.

Millions was now busy putting on a forced smile and seeing how Castellan Mithrael would react.

That only lasted for a bit though.

“Actually, my knight captain had tried to contact me using Soul Messenger a moment ago. I declined it due to the banquet taking precedence, but I wonder if it was to deliver me the news of Demon’s sudden ambush…”

“It is also the same with me.”

“Huh? I also have a message request pending from Soul Messenger. It also was sent by my knight captain.”

The reality that Millions wanted to deny was now slowly being confirmed bit by bit.

Having been unable to foresee that his slave Demon would do something like this, cold sweat dripped down the marquis’ forehead.

However, since it wasn’t confirmed in person, there still was a chance this wasn’t 100% accurate.

The castellan spoke with a frown.

“Marquis Millions.”

“Yes… Honorable castellan.”

“What is the meaning of this?”

“I am unsure of it as well. It is true that Demon is my slave. However, even as I was leaving the estate in order to participate in the banquet…”

“If what that messenger says is true, then you are aware that this isn’t some trivial incident? What will you do?”

“I am sure that something fishy is definitely going on. There is no way that Demon would do something like that.”

“Hm…”

“I shall confirm it myself.”

Millions hastily tried to contact Demon through Soul Messenger.

Since Demon had contributed the most to increasing his fame, he had thought of Demon as a comrade rather than a slave.

After all, even though Demon was arrogant at times, the slave never crossed the line and even played dead when commanded to do so.

Millions waited anxiously for Demon to accept the message request.

It didn’t take long for Demon’s voice to come through.

“Marquis Millions. What is the issue?”

“Whew…”

Demon’s voice was the same as usual, and the Soul Messenger request wasn’t avoided either.

It wasn’t often that he communicated with Demon, but since there was no difference in tone from the usual, Millions relaxed.

He now believed that what the knight messenger had said wasn’t true.

Now calm, the marquis took in a deep breath and spoke.

“Demon. I’m currently attending the banquet. I trust you’re aware of this?”

“Of course. I heard of it from the knight members.”

“I see. But I’ve heard of a strange report while in the middle of livening up the banquet.”

“What is it?”

“The messenger has told us that you have ambushed the residencies of the nobles and were butchering both the slaves that were to be used in the festival and the knights guarding them. It’s quite the absurd report. I feel as though someone did this in order to try sabotaging me.”

“Who did you hear this from?”

“I’ve heard it from the castellan’s elite knight. Said that it was the eyewitness account of a survivor.”

“…”

“Of course it can’t be true, but wouldn’t it be right to confirm it so that the castellan and the nobles wouldn’t worry? I want to hear your answer. Now, where are you?”

“I see. Looks like the one that got lucky and survived had spread the word.”

“What? This isn’t the time for jokes. Demon, tell me the truth.”

Millions, who was chiding Demon with a lowered voice, felt as though he was going back and forth between Heaven and Hell in front of the castellan.

After all, his attempt to try denying the allegations while everyone’s focus was on him had now backfired into only proving the accusations.

The sound of a sinister laughter was heard over the messenger spell.

“Kuhu. Kuhahahaha! Millions.”

“…”

“You took in someone that you shouldn’t have. You’ve dug your own grave.”

“What?”

“I was planning to give the nobles a surprise present upon their return, but it seems that plan is no longer possible.”

“You little…”

“Are you upset? You want to catch me and tear me apart? Do come. Come find your little loyal pup.”

“Demon!”

Millions let out a yell and raged.

His reaction was observed by all those present.

With this, it was confirmed.

Millions’ slave, Demon, had murdered the slaves, knights, and guards.

Ending the messenger spell, Millions looked around.

It felt as though everyone was mocking and sneering at him.

He turned last to see how the castellan was reacting.

“Millions…”

“Honorable castellan! It is my mistake. I shall make up for the damage that was caused.”

“…”

“Please give me a chance. I shall compensate two fold monetarily for the lives of the slaves and knights lost. Please allow me to catch and execute this slave before all to see.”

“Hm… What does everyone else think?”

The castellan’s eyes shifted over to the nobles.

However, he wasn’t really asking for their opinions.

Since he believed that Millions’ was someone of use, the look in his eyes was that of forcing the nobles to agree with him.

It was so obvious that anyone could tell at a glance.

The hesitant nobles reluctantly muttered one by one.

“T-That sounds good.”

“Well, I could always get more slaves….”

“There are more than enough knight applicants. As long as you are able to repay me back…”

“Y-Yeah. It’s true that Marquis Millions had worked hard to revamp the Festival of Blood…”

“I believe that should be.”

“I also agree.”

The nobles were agreeing, but unlike what they were saying, their expressions were filled with disappointment.

After all, they wanted to execute Millions on the spot if they could, since he was receiving the full interest of the castellan.

With that settled, the castellan addressed everyone in the banquet.

“It seems that today’s banquet will end with this. I shall give Marquis Millions a chance. I shall also be giving everyone a chance as well.”

“Thank you. I won’t disappoint you again.”

“First, compensation for all nobles affected. Second, dealing with the slave Demon.”

“Yes!”

“Lastly, I will be putting a bounty on Demon.”

“Honorable castellan! Please allow me to kill Demon with my own hands!”

“Millions. Don’t you think that there should be compensation for something that cannot be repaid with money? And this is the first incident in decades. Don’t you think this will turn out to be something amusing?”

“But…”

“I shall give the one who takes down Demon an increase in status.”

“I understand.”

With a powerful, short and concise reply, Millions immediately left to find Demon.

With that, the other nobles started to turn in order to return back to their estates.

It was then. Castellan Mithrael continued when everyone had thought he had finished.

“All those with the title of marquis may return.”

“Huh? Then what about the rest of us…”

“What is the reasoning behind putting up a reward of increasing our ranking and then sending only the marquises away?”

“Isn’t there a wild beast called Demon hiding within Larkenta? If Demon had absorbed all the powers of the slaves and knights, then that slave is now strong enough to overpower you all. Until all of the marquises including Millions had caught Demon, it won’t be safe outside.”

“That’s…”

“Even so, we’re not ones to be done in by a mere slave.”

“Is that so? Those with the confidence are free to do so. However, do not forget that those who do so are solely to blame for the outcome.”

“…”

“…”

Around 20 marquises immediately returned to their estates at once.

It was to check the damages they received and to request for the appropriate compensations.

It was also to kill Demon in order to obtain the bounty.

However, the counts were unable to do so.

They were hesitating from what the castellan said.

While it was true that combat strength was divided according to their ranks of barons, viscounts, counts, and marquises, it was true that they just stayed still.

While their rankings were low, there were some with a lot of power.

Some of them actually grew a lot stronger since obtaining their ranks.

However, those that didn’t couldn’t even consider leaving the castle.

As the castellan had said, there was a wild beast hiding outside the castle walls.

Out of the 100 counts, roughly 60 returned back their estates, and 40 remained at the castle.

Of course, not all 60 of the counts that left had enough strength to defeat Demon.

If repayment for the damages was the only thing to gain, they would’ve stayed at the castle.

There was nothing more important than staying alive.

However, they were blinded by the promise of political power.

Even if they were overstepping their bounds, they were trying to defeat Demon in order to raise their rankings.

With this, a huge problem had arisen in Min-Cheol’s plan that he had thought up of.

The plan was to quietly defeat the counts, then the marquises, and finally the castellan.

However, with Demon’s attack, the number of counts that could be attacked were cut in half, and those who should’ve been unaware were now armed to the teeth and readying for battle.

Not only that, but 20 marquises that were difficult to deal with were now hunting down Demon with great speeds.

While the target wasn’t Min-Cheol, it was only a matter of time for him to become a target as well if he was planning on doing similar things that Demon was doing.

Considering the current situation only, it meant that the showdown could be concluded even before returning back to the celestial plane.

After leaving the castle, Millions moved quickly with fury boiling in his eyes.

“Demon…”

---

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223. A Midsummer Night’s Dream

A night blanketed in pitch black darkness.

A banquet hosted by the castellan of Larkenta, Mithrael was held.

The banquet was filled to the point that it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that every noble that resided within the castle partook.

It was just a simple dinner feast without any meaning behind it.

It was such a luxurious feast that the average person outside the castle couldn’t even dream of it.

It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that the nobles were putting on a show to get in the good graces of Castellan Mithrael, who held absolute power.

After all, their objective wasn’t to fill their bellies with delicious foodstuffs, but to be noticed by the castellan.

Also present was the master of Demon, Marquis Millions.

Since he was receiving all the attention alone for reforming the Festival of Blood, he was together with the castellan at the center of the banquet.

Even as the banquet went underway, the focus of the conversation was on the Festival of Blood.

After the festival was altered to allow Protectors to participate, the majority of the nobles had been training slaves into warriors, and thus were asking each other’s fighting force and reading the atmosphere as best they could.

All the talks were about the secrets to raising a strong warrior, predictions on who will be winning in the next match, and other such small talk.

The Festival of Blood was a form of entertainment for the nobles, but it also played a huge role in increasing their political power.

To put it simply, it was the easiest way to gain a lot of fame in order to become noticed by the castellan.

However, Castellan Mithrael did not pay much heed to talks of the nobles.

It was because the castellan did not feel much amusement from the Festival of Blood.

The only things on Mithrael’s mind were young maidens and freshly awakened Protectors.

After all, the castellan saw the nobles only as a means of getting a steady supply of said two things.

With the banquet nearly at its end, those drunk on wine dispersed into their own familiar groups.

It would be more accurate to say that they formed groups with those of the same power rankings.

Roughly 10 nobles were gathered around Mithrael, putting up fake smiles.

The one to break the mood was the castellan.

With a cold look, Mithrael asked the the nobles.

“It seems that I can see the end of all of your loyalty towards me. It is perhaps due to the Festival of Blood?”

“…”

“…”

Everyone knew that the castellan was referring to the cut in the supply of tributes.

However, no one was willing to tell the castellan about the swift disappearance of Swesi.

It happened as everyone was staying quiet while trying to read each other.

With 2 half filled glasses of wine carefully held in his hands, Millions moved towards the castellan.

Arriving in front of Mithrael and lowering his head, he offered up a glass and spoke in a low voice.

The other nobles nervously gave Millions a sideways glance, worried that he would sour the castellan’s mood or earn the displeasure of the castellan.

“Oh great Castellan Mithrael. I am Marquis Millions. Dare I speak to you.”

“Right… Marquis Millions. Speak.”

“I am unsure if you have heard this already, but there is a strange rumor going around in Larkenta.”

“A rumor… What is it?”

“Since this is the place to speak only the truth, I shall inform you with everything bare.”

“Go on. I am pleased with your current attitude.”

“I am most grateful. The rumor is that Swesi, a supplier of goods, has been completely wiped out.”

“Continue.”

‘How does Millions plan to handle things after saying such a thing…’

‘He’s digging his own grave… He should’ve been content with holding the king’s seat of the festival…’

The nobles thought such things to themselves.

And they mocked Millions.

They expected his arrogance to receive the ire of the castellan.

However, Millions continued without hesitation.

“Up to here has been confirmed as the truth. The rumor I am trying to convey to you is… They weren’t taken down by an organization or a group, but by a single individual.”

“A single individual crushed Swesi?”

“That seems to be the case. I am aware that this part only amounts to a rumor, but isn’t there a saying that where there is smoke, there is a fire?”

“I expected the fall of Swesi to a certain degree. And I wasn’t worried about it. There are plenty more to take the place of that organization, right?”

“…”

“However, I feel a flash of anger after hearing your words, marquis. Yeah…”

“I also feel the same way.”

Seeing Mithrael stare with great intensity into Millions’ eyes, the nobles sneered.

Each of them reacted a little bit differently from each other, but it was obvious that all of them thought that the arrogant Millions has finally made a huge misstep.

After all, everyone could agree that this could only be only interpreted as Marquis Millions daring to challenge the castellan.

However, the events that followed were more than enough to shock them all.

The castellan gulped down the wine that Millions offered in one go and threw the glass down.

Wiping the wine off his mouth, the castellan spoke.

“Count Eind.”

“Yes! Lord Mithrael.”

“Do you know why I am upset?”

“That’s… I believe that it is due to Marquis Millions’ thoughtless rudeness.”

“Marquis Crixie. What are your thoughts?”

“I also agree with the count.”

“Kuhahaha! Amusing. Lastly, Marquis Millions. What do you think? Do you believe it is your fault?”

“If I am allowed to speak my mind, I dare say it is the arrogance of them trying to cover your eyes and ears.”

Mithrael pointed at the shattered glass coated in wine and asked.

“What is that?”

“…”

“…”

“I asked what that was.”

“It is a glass.”

“It is glass that is broken.”

“No. That is trust.”

“…”

“It is my trust towards the lot of you, pathetically broken.”

“What…”

“I shall also speak bluntly. Do you think Marquis Millions has brought young maidens and Protectors as tribute to me before?”

“…”

“…”

“No. Not even once. You must think of him as someone extremely arrogant. How dare he not show gratitude towards me, the castellan. However, why am I hearing the truth from him!”

“That’s…”

“It was because it was just a floating rumor…”

“Was Swesi’s destruction also a rumor? Furthermore, if the rumor is true, that means it was done by someone who is at least strong as a count, if not a marquis. Doesn’t this means that everyone gathered here at this banquet could be a suspect for having attacked Swesi in order to interrupt the tributes towards me?”

“…”

“…”

Due to the aura of killing intent that the castellan was letting out, the entire banquet was halted immediately.

The banquet area had become silent to the point where you couldn’t even hear the sound of breathing.

The one to break the silence and speak was Millions.

“Bring them in!”

With a single sentence, the door opened, and everyone’s attention turned towards the gates.

Millions’ armed knights were positioned in the front and the back of the group, with 20 young maidens or so between them.

They were young maidens captured in order to give tribute to the castellan.

It was timed as if he had expected this exact moment to occur.

With his head bowed to the castellan once more, Millions spoke.

“Shouldn’t we avoid stopping the merriment of the banquet with such things like this? Please show mercy and recind your anger, Lord Mithrael.”

“Kuha! Kuhahahaha!”

“…”

“An amazing display of foresight. Millions! I had the wrong idea about you. Now! A toast to you!”

Millions earned the envy of every noble gathered at the banquet at once with this move.

The castellan’s attention was on Millions and only him alone.

It was almost as if Swesi’s demise and the identity of the one who attacked them was no longer a concern.

The mood had already been soured, but because the castellan was pleased, the nobles were unable to leave the banquet and were busy raising a toast as well.

The owner of the strongest slave in the Festival of Blood.

On top of that, he had now become the noble who the castellan most favored.

It all happened within a single day. And he had done so in front of every noble to serve as witnesses, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he was effectively second in command of Larkenta.

However, Millions’ happiness wouldn’t last long.

The misfortune that would come his way would be hundreds of times more brutal than the happiness he had experienced today.

****

A luxurious estate befitting the king of the festival.

Booze and food were in a surplus, and there were more than enough whores and slaves to satisfy the carnal desires of the flesh.

The master of this place was the king of the festival and Millions’ loyal dog. Demon.

If you took out the constant surveillance of the knights, then Demon was living a life without lacking.

Demon heard the news that a banquet would be held by the castellan.

Until Millions left, Demon had been drinking alcohol like water, as if having all the time in the world.

With only 20 days before being summoned back to the celestial plane, Demon was planning something grand.

“Kuhu… Is now the time…”

“Hm? Did you run out of alcohol? Do you need a whore?”

Hearing Demon mutter, one of the knights looked through the bars on the door at Demon and asked.

However, instead of a reply, Demon carried a sinister smile.

Thinking that he misheard, the knight moved his attention elsewhere and returned to focusing on the conversation between other knights.

It was only then that Demon walked towards the door.

“Hm? What is it? Do you need something?”

“My master. I wish to meet Marquis Millions.”

“Didn’t you know this already? That the marquis has left to partake in Friday’s banquet. He will return at midnight at the earliest.”

“Is that so…”

“If there’s nothing else, you should go back to resting quietly.”

“That would mean that Millions isn’t here right now.”

“What? Millions? Is the marquis your friend or something? You insolent slave.”

“And it’s a situation where all the nobles have left their homes to boot…”

“What are you saying? Stop distracting me and go finish your booze.”

“Kuhu!”

“Huh! Urgh! W-Why are you doing this, Demon! C-Calm down!”

“With just one of you, it’s plenty. I don’t need the rest.”

“Stop Demon! Restrain the slave!”

“Oraa!”

“You bastard!”

“Uwaaa! D-Demon…”

Stationed to guard the door were Millions’ knights.

There were 10 of them, but after Demon broke down the door, only one remained.

All 9 had their heads torn from their bodies before even having the chance to scream.

Weapons and skills weren’t used.

Demon had just punched them at a speed that was hard to believe.

With a single flurry of attacks, Demon had subdued some of the more decently powerful Protectors.

Of course, these knights weren’t placed in order to stop Demon.

It would be ridiculous to expect a group of knights to stop Demon, who had risen to the seat of king in the festival.

All they had to do were to keep up surveillance and to have even one survive in order to report to Millions if anything went awry.

It had been 80 days since Barub had obtained the name of Demon and worked as Millions’ dog.

Demon hadn’t caused any troubles that entire time, and had never disobeyed Millions even once.

That was why the marquis must’ve let down his guard and attended the banquet.

The only surviving knight had his armor crumple like paper as Demon grabbed him by the collar.

Demon spoke to the man who seemed on the verge of foaming at the mouth and fainting.

“What I need from you is to serve as a guide.”

“Urk!”

“The only things you need to serve as a guide are eyes, ears, and your mouth.”

“L-Let me live… Please!”

“I don’t need you to have arms or legs. Do you understand what I mean by that?”

“Eek! Just say the word! Where would you like me to guide you to?”

“Kuhaha!”

---

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