Chapter 122

Thump!

The Mana Heart that had been dormant inside my body pumped with all its might.

Mana filled my body, right down to my blood vessels.

My fingertips tingled as if static electricity had passed through them.

Thump!

-You have achieved EX-Rank!

-The Dragon Heart is evolving!

-Your Mana circulation has reached its peak.

-Your Mana conversion has reached its peak! You can now freely convert Mana into other energies!

-You have successfully mastered Supreme Magic!

I can’t even fathom how strong I am right now.

The Level written on my Status Window is 490.

I gained almost 50 Levels just by catching one Demon King.

What’s certain is that there are probably only a few beings stronger than me in all the dimensions.

However, it’s also far from enough to reach Level 1,000.

That part kept me from smiling freely.

Still, I got a huge hint.

That in the end, I have to hunt the Demon King.

And one more thing.

-Amazing! You have reached the realm of a transcendent!

-The System sends its congratulations on reaching a state of wonder!

I stared at the message floating before my eyes.

So this is the god-like being they believe in here, Lu.

What’s certain is that the System is happy that I’m getting stronger.

I guess it can’t be helped.

If I were it, I’d be happy too, seeing its pawn fighting so hard for it.

Besides catching the Demon King.

I think I need to have a conversation with this thing, too.

For now, I’ll put that thought aside.

I glanced over at Peter.

With a thoughtful expression, he was staring intently at the already dead Modres.

Then his eyes met mine. He flinched in surprise.

“Uh, um. Is it my turn already?”

He scratched the back of his head. He didn’t seem to have any lingering regrets.

“Well, I’ll die cleanly. Please kill me in one blow.”

I gestured with my chin toward Peter, who had closed his eyes and spread his arms wide.

“You’re going to have to become a Demon.”

“……”

He slowly opened his eyes.

He tilted his head as if he had misheard.

“…Pardon?”

“I said you’re going to have to become a Demon.”

Yeah. You didn’t mishear.

Peter’s face immediately soured.

“Why me?”

“Like a spy.”

“A spy…?”

“Yeah, a spy. To get some useful information from their side, and,”

“Ian-nim. No, Isaac-nim. No. I don’t know what I should call you. Reincarnator-nim.”

Peter’s words quickened.

“I may look like this, but I’m a clergyman. A Priest who serves God. And you’re telling me to become what?”

“A Demon.”

“I can’t.”

“You can’t?”

“No. I can’t. I can accept anything else, but I can’t accept becoming a Demon.”

So he has some pride, is that it?

“If you don’t want to, then die.”

“Yes. I’ll die. No matter how pathetic I am, to be told to become a Demon. I can’t do that. I’d rather die.”

“Alright. You’ve worked hard until now.”

I showed him the Crystal Orb. If I put my power into this, Peter would be dragged into the Dungeon.

And he would meet the same fate as Modres.

A fate of wandering the Dungeon forever, begging to be killed.

Peter’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.

“…Uh. That’s.”

“What are you doing? You asked me to kill you.”

“No, I mean, why am I going there…”

“Did you think a bad guy like you would get to die peacefully?”

“…Didn’t you promise last time that you’d kill me in a single stroke?”

“I changed my mind.”

“……”

Bad guys are usually quick-witted.

Peter was no exception.

Peter, who had been staring at me, lowered his gaze again.

Down to the limp body of Modres.

Then he gulped.

Peter’s gaze returned to me.

“…On second thought, becoming a Demon isn’t so bad. Isn’t this all for the Almighty Lu?”

That’s right. That’s more like it.

“I heard you have the ability to turn Demons into humans. That you even turned the Saintess back into a human from a long, long time ago.”

“I think I might have.”

“After the job is done. Can you turn me back into a human, too?”

“If you want.”

“But can I do it well? Ian… nim?”

“I’ve seen few people as cunning as you. You’ll definitely be able to do it well.”

“That compliment sounds strangely peculiar.”

Peter’s voice trembled with anxiety.

“What if I get caught as a spy?”

Then you die. Or do you want to wander inside this Dungeon for the rest of your life?

…I really don’t know who the Demon King is. Are you really a Reincarnator?

It’s for the greater good. The greater good you love so much.

Just think of it as punishment for the sin of not distributing supplies to people, citing selection and concentration.

What can you do?

His shoulders slumped.

In my opinion, Peter won’t get caught easily.

I think he’ll be quite good at it.

This guy should have been born a Demon, not a human.

I patted his shoulder.

“Become a Demon.”

No grand procedure was necessary.

Just by uttering the words, the Divinity that filled his body changed into Demonic Energy.

It was because my Dragon Language Magic had reached its peak.

I was surprised, too.

I didn’t know Dragon Language Magic would be this good.

That’s why I’m not used to this power.

Like a reckless child who just became a Knight and got his hands on a weapon that’s too good for him.

Crack-

A haze slowly spread out from around Peter’s body.

I plan to send Peter to the other side as a spy.

And over there, he’ll have to climb to a very high position.

For example, to the point where he could earn the title of Demon King.

There was a lot to do in the meantime.

First, I need to see how Ian utilized Supreme Magic.

That’s right.

I plan to use the past life lucid dream once again.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong checked the calendar in front of him.

A number was written on it.

It was the exact number of days since Choi Gi-woong had vanished.

“It’s getting difficult to hide this, Head of department.”

One of the employees in front of him tapped a pen.

“The media is starting to pick at it, too. Asking if Choi Gi-woong isn’t actually dead.”

“Who said he’s dead!”

Kim Yoon-joong, who had shouted, sank back into his chair.

“I told you, he’s just on a business trip.”

“That works for a day or two. It’s about to become completely unbelievable.”

Im Han-na let out a deep sigh and slumped over her desk.

“A message came from China.”

“What did it say.”

“Should I read it all? Or summarize it.”

“Summarize. My head will explode if I read all that.”

“They said they know Choi Gi-woong is dead, so if we don’t supply Buff Stones, there will be trouble. We heard similar things from the US, Japan, the UK, France, and Germany.”

No matter how much international relations are based on the logic of power, this was so blatant it was unpleasant.

It also meant that Buff Stones and Hunting Grounds held an enormous value.

“I told you he’s not dead. Choi Gi-woong isn’t dead! He just went on vacation!”

“I think China has already caught on. That he’s not around. According to data from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they’ve tentatively concluded that Mr. Choi Gi-woong died in an S-Rank Gate.”

Silence filled the conference room.

A sigh, for what must have been the umpteenth time, cleared the air again.

“So the money. How much are they offering?”

“Don’t even mention it. This is exploitation. It’s not like we’re offering tribute, it’s basically them asking for it for free.”

Sighs leaked out.

“We can’t just say we won’t give it to them, can we?”

“Have you heard of blood diamonds? It’ll be just like that.”

Im Han-na muttered with a cynical face.

“It might be different if Mr. Choi Gi-woong were here. But right now, it’s out of the question. We have to offer it up.”

“What about the Association President?”

“He went into seclusion. No sign of him coming out yet.”

“So. You’re saying there’s no way out?”

“There is one.”

Im Han-na tapped her monitor.

When Head of department Kim Yoon-joong turned his gaze, he saw the monitor screen.

-Level Three Review) This is insane. Completely insane!

-Why the hell won’t the Association approve it?

-It’s insane! It’s a revolution!

The Level 3, D-Rank Skill Book that Lee Seok-jae had recently released on a massive scale was a worldwide hit.

However, while Levels 1 and 2 were released for free to everyone, Level 3 was different.

It was because of the appearance of an organization that Lee Seok-jae and Rachel Carson had joined forces to create.

The International Awakener Association.

If you wanted to get a Skill Book, you had to join the International Awakener Association.

That was the beginning of all the problems.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong asked dubiously.

“Is that thing, that Skill Book, really something to make such a fuss about?”

“Hasn’t the fuss over that died down yet?”

“The problem is that it’s not a fuss.”

“…Is it that serious? Hey. From what I see, Buff Stones seem better. Without Buff Stones, won’t their growth be slow anyway?”

“That’s right. That’s why other countries are making an even bigger fuss about the Buff Stones.”

The synergy between Buff Stones and Civilian Skill Books.

What was first considered a blessing had now returned as a disaster for South Korea.

“So, what’s our way to survive?”

“Groveling to Lee Seok-jae.”

“Will that give us a solution?”

“It should. Right now, Lee Seok-jae has an influence similar to Mr. Choi Gi-woong in his prime.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong frowned.

“Hey, that’s not it.”

“Why not? Everyone’s clinging to Lee Seok-jae, begging him for just one next-level Skill Book.”

“……”

The appearance of Skill Books didn’t just affect Civilians.

It brought about a great upheaval for Awakeners as well.

Because of the difference between simply using a Skill and using it with knowledge.

“Threats don’t work on Lee Seok-jae either. He’s stuck himself right to the US.”

That’s right.

The United States was protecting Lee Seok-jae and Rachel Carson.

No, they were protecting the International Awakener Association they had created.

“Can’t we get help from the American Awakeners too? They have the Oracle, don’t they?”

“That was a contract with Mr. Choi Gi-woong. If it’s not Mr. Choi Gi-woong’s word, they won’t listen to a thing. Those guys.”

“Damn it, those cruel bastards.”

“There’s even a joke going around that the person with the most power after the US President is Lee Seok-jae.”

Im Han-na shrugged and swiped across the monitor.

Lee Seok-jae shaking hands with the leaders of various countries, and Rachel Carson beside him.

“Joining them is the best option.”

“…The International Awakener Association?”

“Yes.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong knew it well.

That Japan and China were also scrambling to join the International Awakener Association.

Because only by joining could they acquire the next level of Skill Books.

Because of that, even the leaders of countries with some power were rushing to offer up their databases and resources to the International Awakener Association.

Begging to be included.

And Lee Seok-jae and Rachel Carson sat on their thrones, not bowing their stiff necks.

Telling them to offer more, to give more.

“Head of department. I heard both Japan and China were rejected from joining the association. You know what that means, right?”

“Why put it so difficultly. You’re just saying we have to kiss Lee Seok-jae’s ass.”

“Exactly. That’s all we can count on right now.”

“Lee Seok-jae… Lee Seok-jae.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong tilted his neck from side to side.

“A Korean premium, is there anything like that?”

“Dream on. Right now, Lee Seok-jae isn’t a Korean, he’s a Celestial Dragon.”

“Celestial Dragon? What’s that.”

“Something like a noble.”

“Damn it. How did a guy who was pushed out of the Daehu succession…”

“So, should I arrange a meeting? Or not.”

“What are you asking for? Get ready to cling to Lee Seok-jae.”

Im Han-na tapped her pen and nodded.

“I just hope Lee Seok-jae looks upon us favorably.”

“Joining? No problem. Of course, we should let you.”

Lee Seok-jae nods.

Conversely, Im Han-na tilted her head.

“…Pardon?”

“What was it you needed? Joining the association and… other countries are causing trouble over Buff Stones? I’ll take care of that as well.”

Lee Seok-jae, sitting opposite them, spread his arms.

He looked ready to give them anything.

It was different from what Im Han-na had heard.

She’d heard his neck was so stiff he might as well be wearing a neck brace.

That he hadn’t even pretended to listen when Japan offered an S-Rank artifact.

“Is there anything else you need?”

Faced with a completely unexpected reaction, Im Han-na and Kim Yoon-joong looked at each other.

They couldn’t understand what was happening at all.