Chapter 148

“A guest just came and went.”

Ruiche said with a bewildered look on her face.

As if he already knew, Peter nodded.

“Gor’s side sent them, right?”

“They said Gor sent them… Huh? How did you know?”

“It’s obvious.”

Gor and Verno.

The fact that a war between giants was about to break out was something even a passing Lower Demon knew.

Peter sank into the back of his chair with a relaxed expression.

“So, they asked for some help?”

“Uh… Yes. That’s right. They were asking for some support.”

“Tell them to wait.”

“Tell them to wait? Is that okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

They were the ones in a hurry, not Peter.

The more leisurely he observed the situation, the more advantageous Peter’s position would become.

“I’m the only proper Demon King left. What are they going to do? They’ll have to bow their heads and come to me.”

No matter how much Peter was the weakest in the hierarchy, he had a sufficient number of Demons under his command. Moreover, Demons who had grasped the advantages and disadvantages of the situation were flocking to Peter one after another.

Peter’s forces grew stronger by the day.

It was a completely different situation from not long ago when he had to walk with his head bowed.

“The other side should have been here by now, too.”

“H-how did you know? House Verno sent 50 carts of Essence. They asked us to forget the past and join the war.”

“Tell them to wait, too.”

“Uh, should I send the Essence back then?”

“Why would you send back something they gave us to make up? Distribute them one by one, starting with the higher-ranking Demons. Set aside a few of the highest-grade ones.”

Ruiche’s expression turned strange.

“Um, you know. Is this really okay?”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“What if they strike first? Do you think a handful of forces like ours can hold out?”

“Then they’ll die too. Don’t be so scared. You come and sit down, too.”

Peter’s expression was the most at ease Ruiche had ever seen on him.

Thanks to that, Ruiche dazedly took a seat next to him.

A strange silence filled the room.

After clearing her throat, Ruiche looked at Peter. Peter was also staring intently at her.

“How do you feel?”

“I’m flustered. The chair feels a bit uncomfortable, too. You’re not planning on confessing, are you?”

Peter chuckled and shook his head.

“Not that. Your revenge is almost at hand.”

“Ah.”

Her face turning bright red, she rubbed her cheeks.

“Well, it still doesn’t feel real. So, if what you’re saying is true…”

“It will be soon. House Verno will be annihilated.”

Probably along with Gor.

Peter swallowed the rest of his words and closed his eyes.

A picture formed in his mind.

A picture of Choi Gi-woong running rampant on the stage he had set. At the end of it, he would sweep everything up.

That would ultimately lead to peace in Elsland.

Yes, that would be enough.

It hadn’t happened yet, but the mere thought of it was exhilarating.

“What about you?”

Peter opened his eyes. Feverish pupils were staring at him.

“You, you really are…”

Peter shook his head.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not as great as you think I am.”

“That doesn’t sound like a Demon at all.”

“It’s the truth. And I’m not the protagonist. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to kill Verno myself, either.”

“I don’t care about any of that. As long as that bastard dies, I don’t care about anything else. I can do anything.”

“Passion is good, but there’s no need to do anything more. We just have to wait.”

Ruiche tilted her head.

“For what?”

“The Reincarnator.”

“…Huh?”

“He is coming over here himself. Get ready to welcome him.”

I temporarily stopped looking into the more than 200 million futures.

There were more urgent matters piled up.

“I’ll be busy for a while.”

“When are you ever not busy… Will it take as long as last time?”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong asked in an anxious voice.

“Perhaps.”

Time might flow differently over there and over here.

“How long. Perhaps how long.”

“Well. I don’t know for sure either.”

“You have to give me a hint.”

He wasn’t some patient with separation anxiety. An old man clinging to me was quite uncomfortable.

I pushed away the clingy Head of department Kim Yoon-joong and spoke.

“Still, the situation is better than last time, isn’t it?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong smacked his lips, displeased.

Im Han-na, who was next to him, looked utterly fed up, muttering about how he was fawning all over me.

“Don’t worry for the time being. There’s never been a time as peaceful as now.”

Unable to watch any longer, Im Han-na finally dragged Head of department Kim Yoon-joong away.

That’s right.

There was nothing to worry about. Things were much better than last time when I crossed over to Elsland.

Monsters no longer crossed over to this side, and there were no fights among S-Ranks over who was superior or stronger.

Because I was overwhelmingly stronger.

Well, if I was gone for too long, another strange situation might arise, but still.

After that, I met a few people, including Lee Seok-jae and Rachel Carson.

I didn’t need much preparation.

This world was no longer at a point where it would face a sudden crisis just because I was gone.

If anything, it felt like the other side had prepared more than I had.

Peter, needless to say.

[Protect Polymorph]

[Provides a perfect Polymorph for 500 hours. However, the Polymorph will break if a power of Level 900 or higher is Cast for more than 3 minutes. Please use with caution.]

For some reason, the System was more serious about this than I was.

Not just a Dimensional Travel key, but even a Polymorph.

Was it telling me to go play an active role?

[Upon acquiring the Polymorph Item, 30% of the Experience Points gained after entering the Demon Realm will be shared with the System.]

[Do you accept?]

I knew it.

There was no such thing as a free lunch.

“I accept.”

It was annoying, but there was no reason to refuse.

Even if I gave up 30%, I just had to earn more Experience Points.

Besides, opportunities to gain Experience Points like this were rare.

This was a deal where I came out ahead.

[Casting Protect Polymorph.]

[Please select a target.]

“Arm me as one Lower Demon.”

[Casting Polymorph into Lower Demon 1.]

[Time remaining: 499 : 59 : 59]

Crack- C-crack-

As my bones transformed, the flow of Mana changed with them. The Mana that had been filled to the brim, about to overflow inside my body, changed into Demonic Energy.

Even that shriveled and shriveled until it felt like all the strength had been drained from my body.

To use a metaphor, it was like being paralyzed in my sleep.

Not bad.

It might look like I’ve lost my power, but I’m just hiding it. For the crucial moment.

I was about to use the Dimensional Travel key next.

My phone vibrated.

“What is it?”

[A Demon has been spotted in downtown Seoul.]

Lee Seok-jae said in an urgent voice.

“Ah.”

It meant the wide-range Demon radar was working correctly.

I made it, but damn, it works well.

[After capturing it alive, I will report back…]

“No. I caught it.”

[You… caught it?]

“Yeah.”

I hung up around there.

And I took out the key from my pocket again.

[Traveling between dimensions.

Destination Dimension: Demon Realm]

Fwoosh!

The moment the Coordinates for the Demon Realm were imprinted in my mind.

When I opened my eyes, the place had changed.

A crimson sky. Stifling air and humidity.

It was definitely the Demon Realm I had seen through Ian’s body.

The location was also perfect.

A huge castle was teeming with Demons and Monsters.

The same symbol was engraved on all of their armor and Items.

A three-headed viper.

According to the information I received from Peter, these were the soldiers of House Verno.

If I had my way, I’d want to grind them all to dust right here and now.

But I have to endure.

To catch a bigger fish.

Grind-

With a simple spell, I layered the armor they were wearing over my clothes.

This was a perfect disguise.

It was then.

“Hey! What are you doing over there!”

A Demon who looked like an officer, having spotted me, strode over.

Then he abruptly grabbed me by the collar.

“What, you trying to desert too? Are you going to go suck up to that bastard Peter?”

“……”

“State your unit and name. Or I’ll tear you to shreds right here.”

When I just stared at him without opening my mouth, the officer glared.

By then, other Demons were also slowly gathering around.

A horned Demon, who seemed to be a non-commissioned officer, hurriedly tried to stop the officer.

“Lord Castano. If you kill any more here, you’ll be disciplined by the higher-ups. Please stop.”

The NCO whispered.

“At this point, the soldiers’ morale will become a serious problem, too. The front line is right before us.”

“……Tsk.”

The officer reluctantly let go of my collar.

“You, return to your unit. What unit are you from?”

I didn’t have a unit, but it wasn’t hard to make one.

The pupils of the NCO staring into my eyes momentarily hazed over.

Immediately after, he continued speaking naturally.

“So you’re from the 17th Division. No wonder you had no manners. Hurry back.”

“Yes. Understood.”

From entering the area where the 17th Division was, to finding my unit.

There were no obstacles.

Neither Chaos nor any Demon King-level beings found me.

The Polymorph had worked perfectly.

Right. The System might be a pain in the ass, but I have to acknowledge its power.

“Who’s that guy?”

“A new recruit, they say. Just leave him be. He’s gonna die soon anyway.”

That’s how easy it was to blend into Demon society.

“Fuck. So it’s starting tomorrow.”

“It’s been five hours since our side declared war. They say Chaos gave his permission, too.”

“This is driving me crazy. What are we doing here when we should be out catching the Reincarnator?”

“Think of it as being part of a moment in history. Well, guys like us will probably die in a flash.”

Just as the NCO said, the front line was right before us.

I could feel the tension rise sharply.

After marching for about a day, a great plain unfolded.

The number of Demons gathered there was enough to make even me feel pressured.

So a great battle is going to happen here.

How many are there?

Leaving aside the Lower Demons, even counting from the mid-tier ones, the number was so large it was meaningless to count.

And if you included the Monsters? It was suffocating.

And this wasn’t even the full extent of both their forces.

Suddenly, a scene from a dream came to mind.

If this many of them fell upon Earth.

It would be the end in that instant.

Fortunately, that was now one of the futures that would not happen.

“Hey, new recruit. Don’t be nervous and stand at the front.”

“Yes.”

It was after I gave a perfunctory reply to one of my superiors.

I expanded my senses.

I could see the very front. Gor and Verno.

The two Demon Kings who had started this great war were in the middle of a conversation.

-So it has come to this.

-Yes. It has come to this.

-No matter who wins, we must catch the Reincarnator above all else.

-Don’t worry, leave it to me.

-If I had known you would be like this, I should have eliminated you sooner.

-If you had, Lord Gor’s demise would have been brought forward a little.

-We shall see.

The conversation ended there.

“First rank, on standby. The moment I give the signal, you charge. Do not worry. Your deaths will not be in vain.”

Look at this.

They don’t even treat a Lower Demon like me as a meat shield.

Despite that, the Demons showed no complaints.

This was their nature. A race that knows no fear when it comes to battle.

While I was thinking, the NCO raised his hand.

Waaaaaaaaah-!

It came with a deafening roar that struck my ears.

At the same time, I also charged forward. The distance closed in an instant.

A Demon with a black widow spider emblem spotted me and came running. He raised his sword.

The moment the bastard gave a foul grin, my sword slashed his neck faster than his.

-This is insane. To think I’d become a Demon Sword.

It was Durandal, who had become a Demon Sword along with the Polymorph, grumbling.

-Experience Points Acquired!

-1,997 exp!

-30% of Experience Points are shared with the System!

This is just the beginning.