Chapter 49

Demonic Energy.

Crazy. Demonic Energy.

This is the first time while dreaming Ian’s Dream that I’ve so intensely wanted to forget something.

If I could, I wanted to pull the method of handling Demonic Energy out of my head and throw it away.

If I make even one mistake and reveal this in reality, it’s over.

Over, without a second thought. Death. Execution.

Damn it. Let’s forget it. Let’s forget it.

It was no use, no matter how much I chanted the words in my head. They say if you tell someone not to think of an elephant, all they can think of is an elephant, and that was exactly my situation.

This won’t do.

If I can’t forget it, then let’s just bury it. Dig a hole deep in my heart, so deep I won’t even think of opening it.

And it’s not like it’s all negative, right?

In any case, I found a way to turn a Demon back into a person.

Rotation, condensation, explosion.

None of the three steps were easy, but it was an attempt worth making.

Extremely fine control was a given, and one slip-up could seriously injure the other person, but still, this was something.

“Ian-nim!”

Ian shrugged at a horrified Sanna.

“You’re overreacting to a little joke.”

A second joke like that would get someone killed.

“So where is Saintess Casilla now?”

Around then, Ian’s intrigued voice began to fade.

My consciousness was slowly starting to return to the real world.

Honestly, there was still a lot I hadn’t sorted out, but I’d think about it later.

The situation outside was no joke either.

My neck was on the verge of snapping, and my opponent was a monster that had turned into an S-Rank, no less.

The only thing I could rely on was that I had summoned Yeo Ju-kyung right before, but I had no idea when she would respond.

It was a desperate situation.

No, it was until a moment ago.

But now, a card worth testing has been placed in my hand.

Fwoosh!

What a relief. It was hard to breathe, but I felt a sense of relief.

It was because almost no time had passed while I was over there.

Meanwhile, strength was gradually draining from my body.

Through my narrowing vision, I could see the bastard choking me.

The corners of his mouth were raised high, as if he was gauging how to kill me.

I calmly drew my Mana to the crown of my head.

In a way different from before.

Rotation, condensation, explosion.

The core blueprint for turning a Demon into a person.

Ian had said the conditions for this were quite demanding.

If Ian said it was demanding, it meant a Civilian couldn’t even dream of it.

Based on the blueprint, you had to be much stronger than the target, have exceptional control over Divinity, and even have an understanding of Demonic Energy to make it possible.

If even one of these conditions wasn’t met.

The treatment would become a poison.

That’s right. That’s what I’m aiming for right now.

Rotation, condensation, explosion.

To turn the immense Divinity required to change a Demonkin back into a person into an attack.

The bastard who had been toying with me like a plaything suddenly furrowed his brow.

“…You’re smiling?”

Yeah. I’m smiling.

The next moment, light exploded.

The Divinity that had been rotating at the crown of my head shot out mercilessly.

Fwoooosh—

Like a vortex, all the Mana in my Mana Heart was sucked in.

The whole world was dyed white.

“St, op… it.”

The bastard choked out from within the light. The force on my neck grew stronger.

I’m at my limit too.

“Then let’s, die… toge.”

“No, we can’t have that.”

Right after, I felt someone step in front of me.

A small back, white hair… Yeo Ju-kyung?

Unconsciously, my breathing eased.

I only understood why after I saw the bastard’s wrist fall to the floor.

It really is Yeo Ju-kyung.

The Association President, after briefly checking my condition, nodded.

Then she swiped her hand.

The neck of the guy who had been burning brightly fell away anticlimactically.

It was a simple thrust, containing no principle whatsoever.

The Association President turned back to me nonchalantly, as if it were nothing.

And then she said something.

I can’t hear well.

Right after, within the unextinguished halo of light, I lost consciousness.

I saw a white ceiling.

I instinctively tried to draw up my Mana, but my heart felt empty. An immense pain washed over me right after.

A classic symptom of Mana dehydration.

Even for me, this would mean being bedridden for a fortnight.

So this must be a hospital. I turned my head and saw a window. It was bright outside.

Wait a minute.

How much time has passed?

“You awake?”

Turning to my side, I saw Head of department Kim Yoon-joong standing there with his hands in his pockets.

His face was a mixture of annoyance and relief.

“How are you feeling?”

I cleared my raspy throat and nodded.

“I’m fine.”

“The doctor said so too. That you’ll be fine after a month of good rest.”

It won’t take a month.

I asked the most important thing first.

“What happened? How much time has passed?”

“That’s what you’re curious about in this situation?”

Of course, that’s the most important thing.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong clicked his tongue and said.

“All the Demons there are dead, the underpass completely collapsed, the other kids are safe, and you barely made it out alive.”

I nodded at the perfect summary.

“How much time has passed?”

“Since when? When you passed out? Or when Im Han-na called me while I was sleeping soundly, saying you were about to die, and I came rushing over in a panic?”

So that’s why this guy was being so prickly.

“…Let’s go with when I passed out.”

“About ten hours.”

That’s a relief. Not much time has passed.

“Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For rushing over in a panic while you were sleeping soundly.”

It looked like he had been watching over me all night.

Fatigue was plastered all over his face.

At my words, Head of department Kim Yoon-joong’s face crumpled.

“I think you’re misunderstanding. I did it purely because I was afraid of getting disciplined by the Association President, not because I like you or any…”

“That Im Han-na said she’d take him quietly and bring him back quietly, but she went and half-killed the kid…”

Has this man always been such a nag?

Somehow, the dignified image he had when we first met was gradually disappearing.

“Anyway, get some good rest for a while. Dungeons, missions, whatever. This is mandatory, so don’t talk back.”

“I understand.”

“Shut… You understand?”

“I can’t move like this anyway.”

My Mana Heart needs about a fortnight to rest, too.

It’s different from my plan, but I might as well take this chance to rest well.

Whether he was relieved that I said I’d stay put, Kim Yoon-joong plopped down onto the guardian’s chair.

Come to think of it, the hospital room is spacious, like some kind of VIP suite.

A room like this must cost at least a million won a day.

Noticing my gaze, Head of department Kim Yoon-joong frowned and said.

“Chairman Lee Jeong-hwan booked this room for you as soon as he heard you were hurt.”

“I’ll thank him separately.”

“Don’t get me wrong. Even if it wasn’t for that old man, we would have done it for you. What can’t we do for a guy who took down four A-Ranks and one S-Rank Demon.”

Hmm?

Something in the middle of that bothers me.

Achievements and contributions are important, but it’s better to be honest.

“The S-Rank wasn’t me.”

If one of us had to die, it would have definitely been me.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong chuckled as he poured me some water.

“The Association President said you might say that, so she told us beforehand. She said all she did was the finishing touch, so to put it down as your achievement.”

Ah.

This was definitely a favor. I’ll have to thank her properly next time I see her.

“Oh, right. You were also the one who revealed that the Demons there weren’t from the Black Market.”

“Have the results come out?”

“No. They will soon. If you’re right about this too…”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong continued with a strange look on his face.

“There’s been a lot of talk about whether you’ll be the first person in history to be promoted to 3rd Grade in less than a year. How do you feel?”

“Good.”

“You seem pretty calm about it.”

My goal is 1st Grade, after all.

I gave a vague nod and forced my disobedient body to sit up.

My whole body screamed in protest.

“Wh-what.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong followed me in a panic.

“Where are you going now!”

Then he blocked the door like a bolt of lightning.

“Lie down! Lie down! Who are you trying to kill by crawling out of bed?”

“…The bathroom.”

“Ah.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong smoothly stepped aside.

“You… You brat, you’re moving even before your department head is done talking?! Where are your manners! Go pee and come right back, you punk!”

“Pro Choi. Are you okay?”

“I’m holding up, Pro Baek In-ho.”

“You heard this mission is all going down as your achievement, right?”

“We did it together, let’s split it.”

“No, no! What are you talking about! What did we even do? Get some good rest. I have to head over to Daehu now, so let’s grab a drink when I get back.”

Baek In-ho.

“How is it? Did you get what you wanted? Are you satisfied now that you’ve overcome a near-death experience? Why aren’t you answering?”

Im Han-na.

Yeah, well.

I can understand up to this point.

But I have no idea where the rumors started, because all sorts of people were making a fuss.

“I heard you overcame a near-death experience.”

“It wasn’t that serious.”

“If you were under me, you wouldn’t have ended up like this. Even now…”

“I’m fine.”

“S-Secretary Officer-nim. Are you okay? Oh my. You’re half the man you used to be.”

“Ms. Soyoung. That thing in your hand is…”

“I heard webfoot octopus is good when you’re low on energy, so I tried making some!”

This is driving me crazy.

I barely managed to stop my team members from taking turns standing guard in front of my hospital room.

After that, I even turned off my phone, which was flooded with missed calls and texts.

Only then could I finally catch my breath and look straight ahead.

“You said you wanted to see me?”

There stood Hong Gyeong-pyo, holding a box of orange juice.

“Looks like I’m the first, huh? The first person you asked to see.”

“Yes.”

He looks very pleased. Good. It seems the conversation will go smoothly.

“I figured you’d be sick of people asking about your condition. Shall we get straight to the point?”

I’d felt it before, but he’s incredibly quick-witted. I nodded and got to the point.

“The one my team was originally scheduled to enter has been canceled.”

The D-Rank Xiphos Dungeon.

If things had gone as planned, we were supposed to enter in three days, but Head of department Kim Yoon-joong forcibly canceled it because of my condition.

“So?”

“I heard you’re entering a C-Rank Dungeon on the same day?”

“Yes. I was planning to raid it with my team members…”

Hong Gyeong-pyo asked, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Uh, no way. You want me to take your team members with me too?”

“I’m asking for a favor. It’s fine if you can’t.”

Hong Gyeong-pyo, who would normally have grinned and said “of course,” now had a troubled expression.

“How much experience do they have? I mean, experience entering a C-Rank Dungeon.”

“They’re kids who have only entered a D-Rank Dungeon once.”

He looked even more troubled.

He scratched his cheek and said.

“It’s fine for them to come along. It’s fine, but I’m worried they’ll get hurt.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Ah. Just to observe, like a field trip?”

A field trip?

Not at all.

“If you take them, they’ll pull their own weight, at the very least.”

“Don’t worry about us, Oppa! We’ll, we’ll do well! Of course, it’s our first C-Rank Dungeon, and we might die, and I’m a little mad at you because this was so sudden! But we’ll do well!”

Over the phone, Choi Gi-woong laughed leisurely.

-Don’t worry and go have fun.

After exchanging a few more words, Choi Soo-jung hung up the phone.

Looking at Choi Soo-jung’s reluctant face, Kim Soo-gyeom asked.

“What did he say? To fight for our lives?”

“No way. He probably told us to just watch from the sidelines. Honestly, what are we going to do there?”

Choi Soo-jung shook her head at the grumbling Lee Won-sik.

“He said we’ll realize something.”

“Realize what?”

“Just how much we’ve grown.”