Chapter 144

Rachel Carson stared blankly at Choi Gi-woong.

What just happened?

It wasn’t that Choi Gi-woong’s movements were too fast.

He had slipped into his opponent’s embrace with razor-thin precision, and then, just like that, slash.

As if actors were performing a choreographed scene.

He took down a Demon King with a single stab?

No way.

A Demon King wasn’t some mob monster. It must have a Resurrection ability… or so she thought.

The fallen Demon King didn’t even twitch.

“…Did you just see that?”

Forgetting she was in the middle of a battle, Rachel Carson turned to her side.

Yeo Ju-kyung was staring dazedly at Choi Gi-woong.

“What?”

“I asked if you just saw that.”

“…What?”

“No. It’s nothing.”

As if replaying it in her mind, Yeo Ju-kyung committed Choi Gi-woong’s movements to memory, one by one.

She had thought he had no talent for the sword. That he just overwhelmed his opponents with his near-infinite Mana.

She had been completely mistaken.

She knew better than anyone that while his movements looked dangerously close, they were anything but.

It was a move impossible to execute without having sparred with an opponent thousands of times.

Since there was no way Choi Gi-woong had fought the Demon King thousands of times, his talent was the real deal.

“Hey. How long are you going to stand there gawking?”

It was Henry Povil.

Only then did the 50 Awakeners, who had been mere spectators, snap to their senses.

“It’s our turn now.”

Yeo Ju-kyung shook her head and drew her sword.

“If he took on two, we should at least take care of the last one for him.”

As she spoke, Yeo Ju-kyung shot forward. A moment later, a Demon King clashed with her.

A squishy sensation spread from the tip of her sword.

Simultaneously, the creature’s body spread out like jelly.

It was different from what happened with Choi Gi-woong. This one didn’t die.

Was its name Adramelech?

This was its trick. Befitting a creature that used vile poisons, plague factors scattered wantonly every time the jelly burst.

Drrrrrr-

The Demon King’s poison, which easily pierced S-Rank armor, splattered onto Yeo Ju-kyung’s face.

Bubbling blisters rose to the surface.

Excruciating pain followed.

“Healer!”

The moment Yeo Ju-kyung’s lips parted, a light burst forth. Her cheek healed faster than the poison could spread.

“I’ll take the Aggro.”

“Ranged Dealers, fall back!”

“Healers, on standby!”

The S-Rank Awakeners moved in perfect sync. They didn’t need much conversation.

As expected of the gems Choi Gi-woong had handpicked, they were faithful to their respective roles.

Kwang! Kwang!

In the front, Choi Gi-woong faced two Demon Kings, while in the back, 50 S-Rank Awakeners took on one.

The battle was going smoothly.

No, it seemed to be going smoothly.

“Healer!”

“It’s on cooldown! Just hold the Aggro!”

“My shield’s barrier is completely gone, what do you mean hold the Aggro!”

The good atmosphere was shattered in an instant.

Their Mana dwindled, and their stamina drained quickly.

It was the moment they thoroughly realized what kind of being the Demon King, which they had only seen in videos, truly was.

“Health. How much health is left?”

“I don’t know!”

The creature that endlessly spewed plague was truly no different from hell.

“Hell is over there.”

Henry Povil refuted someone’s words and pointed to one side.

Where Choi Gi-woong was.

Kwaaaaaa-!

The Hunting Ground split apart. The island rumbled as if it would break in two.

The ground was actually shaking.

The Barrier they had boasted of stacking in several layers was on the verge of becoming useless.

At this rate, the Mana would explode.

If that happened, a massive tsunami would cover the entire planet.

And yet, Choi Gi-woong, who held the upper hand against the Demon Kings even in the midst of all this, could only be described as a being beyond human.

The Elemental King of Earth was tying down two Demon Kings, Ifrit was shooting fireballs from the sky, and Durandal was relentlessly emitting Aura as he slashed at them.

And in that moment, a dark smokescreen obscured everyone’s vision.

Inhuman screams rang out chaotically.

It was impossible to tell whose they were.

In a situation where getting caught up in it could mean death, the Awakeners could only hesitate.

And right after that.

[You have succeeded in the Raid of the Demon King, Kaldrak!]

[You cannot share Experience Points.]

A message popped up in the Status Window of everyone in the Party.

“D-Did we get him?”

“Looks like it?”

Everyone’s gaze shot toward Choi Gi-woong. Even Adramelech, who had been spewing poison until just a moment ago. Everyone.

The dark smokescreen cleared. Choi Gi-woong was standing precariously.

There was nothing else nearby.

A shiver ran down Henry Povil’s spine.

He had never felt this way before. Thud, thud. Choi Gi-woong walked toward them, his eyes glazed over.

He didn’t know why, but he felt like he was about to cry.

“Heok. Heok.”

Even breathing seemed difficult as Choi Gi-woong’s steps slowed.

Thud, thud.

Covered in blood, Choi Gi-woong took a step.

The last remaining Demon King, Adramelech, staggered backward.

For every step Choi Gi-woong took, the Demon King took one back.

The 50 Awakeners had become an audience. Finally, when Choi Gi-woong arrived in front of the last Demon King.

Durandal swung down vertically.

Hwaak!

[You have succeeded in the Raid of the Demon King, Adramelech!]

[You cannot share Experience Points!]

That was the end.

A victory so hollow it made them wonder what their own battle had even been.

Choi Gi-woong looked around at the crowd. A suffocating Silence cut through the air.

Choi Gi-woong’s lips slowly parted.

“…Anyone dead?”

“Uh, no, sir.”

Someone answered.

Choi Gi-woong nodded. As if everything had gone according to his expectations.

That was it.

Thud.

Choi Gi-woong collapsed.

Only then did the Healers rush over to Choi Gi-woong in a flurry.

As if a blackout curtain was flung open. Or a powered-off computer turned on.

My dark consciousness brightened in an instant.

I shot up.

Instinctively summoning Durandal first.

-Summoner. Calm down.

Before Durandal could even finish, I simultaneously called Oried as well.

-Master. Your orders.

Durandal’s voice, telling me to calm down and assess the situation, was secondary.

Calm down? How could I, when an attack could fly in from anywhere at any time?

It was a damn shitty situation. A situation where I was out of Mana and couldn’t use any magic…

“Huh?”

My confused pupils quickly scanned my surroundings.

A white ceiling, an IV drip stuck in my forearm, loose patient clothes.

Only then did my jumbled memories fall into place.

-Calm down. The battle is over. Master. Calm down. Calm down.

Durandal’s voice, echoing like a mantra, finally became clear.

I slumped back down on the spot.

“…Right.”

A metallic rasp scraped my throat. That meant quite some time had passed since then.

How long had it been?

Was my last memory collapsing with the flood of Experience Points?

Those were dream-like times. The feeling when everything falls into place exactly as planned.

I savored that dazed feeling for a moment before coming to my senses.

I hurriedly opened my Status Window.

No need to look at anything else.

Level. What’s my Level?

Current Level: 800

Level with Buffs: 900

Level with Buffs has reached its limit.

The number 800 and the number 900.

I stared at the two side by side.

It was a meager reward for all the hardship I’d been through.

I should have at least reached Level 850 without Buffs. According to my calculations, that is.

What was the reason? What else could it be?

Nothing but the System’s meddling.

“Are you controlling my Experience Points now, too?”

Just as I was about to pour out my complaints.

The door burst open.

“You’re finally awake.”

It was Han Seung-hoon. He was blinking as he looked at me.

“How much time has passed?”

“Is that the first thing you’re curious about?”

Han Seung-hoon held up five fingers.

Five days.

Only then did I see the D-day counter in the top left corner. D-day, right, there was that too.

D-100

It must have been ticking away nonstop even while I was asleep.

A damn unfair contract.

“Your body seems… fine. Though you look a little upset for some reason.”

“I am. How are things outside?”

“Crazy as always. This time, a bomb went off.”

“A bomb?”

“The Raid video.”

“Ah.”

The Raid videos of the Demon Kings had always been released to the public.

Of course, this time was no different.

But.

“Why is that…”

The scene on the TV was strange.

I could see myself collapsing.

“That, you didn’t edit it out?”

“Lee Seok-jae wanted to cut it, but I kept it in.”

“Why?”

“It’s more dramatic this way.”

What?

Dramatic?

“Have you never watched a drama or a movie, or even a comic book?”

“No.”

In the past, even if I was interested, I was too buried in work to have time, and nowadays, with the world on the brink of ending, I had no room for such leisure.

“Imagine the main character taking down the villain anticlimactically. Where’s the fun in that?”

“…I think it would be fun.”

“It is fun. It’s fun, but there’s no emotional impact.”

What emotional impact?

“See that now? The way you collapse. That, right there.”

“Yes. I see it clearly.”

It was replaying endlessly on the broadcast screen.

Even I had to admit, I collapsed quite spectacularly.

The expressions on the Healers’ faces as they rushed over were also realistic. Like someone said, it was like a scene from a drama.

The kind of drama that ends with the main character dying.

“That’s what’s causing all the fuss.”

“I’m sure it caused a fuss.”

The perfect image I had painstakingly built must have been shattered.

But it was strange. For that to be the case, Han Seung-hoon’s expression was far too positive.

Sure enough.

“Association application rate increased by 300%.”

Han Seung-hoon held up three fingers. His face was full of pride.

It felt a bit weird to say this about an old man, but he looked a bit like a puppy waiting to be praised…

I must be losing my mind for a moment.

I shook my head and said.

“So you’re saying it turned out well?”

“More than well. People were on pins and needles. Worried you might have died. Some people even showed up with their military uniforms packed.”

Right. That dramatic effect from whatever drama he was talking about, which I knew nothing about, must have worked.

If that’s the case, then fine.

Honestly, it doesn’t really matter whether my image is good or not. As long as as many people as possible learn the Skill Books and can protect themselves, that’s all that matters.

Though, thinking about it again, I still didn’t see the connection between me collapsing and the Association’s application rate going up.

Just as Han Seung-hoon, who had been chuckling for a while, said he was about to leave.

I said what had just occurred to me.

“Please make some time for me soon.”

Inwardly, I watched for the System’s reaction.

“Time? For what?”

“To see what kind of structure the future you see has.”

“Didn’t we fail at that last time?”

“We have to try as much as we can.”

This is it.

The System was definitely watching me right now.

A warning should have popped up by now.

Something like, don’t learn Chilyanggong, or don’t try any funny business. That kind of thing.

And yet, it was silent.

It was one of two things.

Either it was challenging me to ‘go ahead and try,’ or it hadn’t noticed the trick I was pulling.

I forced myself to suppress my pounding heart.

If my plan succeeded, it wasn’t just a matter of catching one or two more Demon Kings.

The Level displayed on my Status Window could instantly reach 1,000.

The atmosphere in the conference room was worse than usual.

“…They’re all dead.”

“Yes.”

The four Demon Kings they had painstakingly raised were killed at the hands of the Reincarnator.

Four. A whopping four.

In this atmosphere, they couldn’t even pick a new candidate.

It was obvious they would just become sacrificial lambs for Choi Gi-woong’s Experience Points.

Gor stroked his beard.

“How did he catch them?”

That was what he was curious about.

He had gathered all the information on the Reincarnator. So he knew.

The man could never have caught three Demon Kings.

No matter what trick he used. Not even with the System’s help.

The System wasn’t in a position to afford Choi Gi-woong that much convenience, and even if it was, there was no reason to pour that much power into a Reincarnator.

Then how on earth?

An uncomfortable air filled the conference room.

Suddenly, two hands went up.

They belonged to Peter and Verno.

“I will step forward myself.”

“I will handle it.”

The two’s gazes clashed.

Verno openly scowled.

“We lost three comrades because of your strategy, what gives you the audacity to step forward?”

“It was an opportunity to gain that much information.”

“What?”

“If it weren’t for me, would we have known that the Reincarnator could face three Demon Kings at once?”

“That’s sophistry.”

“If you, Lord Verno, know more about the Reincarnator than I do, then I suppose so.”

“That’s why I’m saying I’ll step forward.”

“Enough.”

Gor raised his hand. The two Demon Kings clamped their mouths shut and awaited his choice.

The answer was already decided. There was no reason to fatten up the Reincarnator any further.

“Peter has already been given a chance, so Verno.”

“Yes.”

“You will go forth with me.”

Verno knelt down, his face filled with emotion.

“The Demon God is Great.”

At the same time, he shot Peter a victor’s glance. How do you like that? A fledgling like you can’t do anything.

But right after, Verno couldn’t help but tilt his head.

‘Is he smiling?’