Chapter 82

One of the characteristics of Demons is that their command structure is extremely clear.

Just like an army.

Jung Hye-in killed the first leader, and I killed the second.

Immediately after, the third one stepped forward.

The bastard calmly looked me up and down.

“You. Are you of the clan?”

Before I could even answer, he shook his head first.

“No. You’re not. You’re just borrowing His power.”

His judgment was swift.

Soon, the bastard placed a hand on his hip and drew his sword.

“We will all die here.”

Following their leader, the ones who were once Awakeners each took out their Items.

What a ridiculous sight.

To an unknowing observer, it would look as if I were the villain of the world, and they were the heroes of a decisive battle.

Well, considering only what’s about to happen, that’s not entirely wrong.

“But do not worry. Our remaining brothers will avenge…”

Before the bastard could finish his words, my sword reached the crown of his head.

Grrrrrind—

His body splitting in half was just the beginning.

[Severing Wind]

After throwing out a single spell, I moved my body quickly.

There are a hundred of them here.

Among them, the Apostle-level ones, meaning the A-Ranks, were all just killed.

To the current me, anything B-Rank or below is nothing more than a mob.

But the restrictions placed on me are also considerable.

First, I must only use Intermediate Magic or below.

Second, if they start chanting their strange prayers and gain exponential power, things will get complicated.

Boom!

Therefore, I must end this battle as quickly as possible.

“Do not retreat…”

Slice!

Each time Durandal, covered in Demonic Energy, moved, three or four heads were severed.

Around that time, the Severing Wind, which had spun back like a boomerang, began to claim their lives from behind.

“They’re behind us!”

In an instant, a crack formed in their battle line.

Severing Wind from the back, me from the front.

I made quick work of them.

Slice— Crunch!

The harmony of magic and swordsmanship produced a far more explosive synergy than I had expected.

The number of enemies, who had been surging forward like a tidal wave, rapidly decreased.

From a hundred to fifty, thirty, twenty.

Demons feel no pain, Demons feel no fear. Demons cannot be persuaded.

That’s a lie.

At least, to me.

They too clearly have the emotion of fear and the desire to survive.

It’s just that the degree is faint, and it’s impossible to perceive it without wielding Divinity.

No.

There’s one more thing.

They also feel pain and fear from the very energy they use, Demonic Energy.

The proof is right here.

The pupils of the last five remaining ones wavered.

The way they looked at me was filled with terror.

After a moment of staring into each other’s eyes, the choice they made was to flee.

Stupid bastards.

They should have fought me with the resolve to die.

Only then would they have had even a sliver of hope.

If they show me their backs, it’s over.

I waved my hand.

The ones whose heads had been severed collapsed.

And with that, the battle was over.

The forest, once filled with brutal sounds, was now filled with silence, as if nothing had happened.

Treading on the ground slick with their blood, I went back to Jung Hye-in.

The protective barrier I had cast just in case was, as expected, useless.

Looking into her trembling eyes, as if she were desperately holding onto her consciousness, I asked.

“Did you see it?”

It was a question about Demonic Energy, of course.

No answer.

It wasn’t a question I asked expecting an answer in the first place.

I was just checking to see if she had stirred, even subconsciously.

For a fleeting moment, Jung Hye-in’s eyes wavered.

She saw it.

Well, we can talk about this again later.

“Lie down for a moment.”

I heaved her onto my back.

About three hours until sunrise. Thirty minutes to the main base in a straight line.

I spread out my senses.

Xiphos, Orcs, Lizards….

All sorts of Monsters, having caught the scent of blood, were heading this way.

Their numbers were at least five thousand.

Naturally, I have no intention of facing them.

It’s impossible for me to kill all of them while protecting Jung Hye-in by myself.

But it’s fine.

This is why I’ve only been using Intermediate Magic until now.

I know one supreme-level spell.

The Teleport that Ian obtained by sacrificing a week of his life force.

That’s why I deliberately used only Intermediate Magic in the last battle.

Just as I was about to cast Teleport.

“……!”

Something was caught by my senses.

All sorts of Items.

They were things that my senses hadn’t picked up until just now, so why could I feel them now?

It meant it was a trap, of course.

A trap set by the Demons, to lure me in deeper.

Because they are insidious.

I could just ignore such paltry Items.

But the problem was, among them was one of the things I had been searching for so desperately.

[Saint Dragorin Ian’s Advanced Magic Compendium, Volume 3.]

“……”

I don’t know how they knew I was searching for Ian’s Traces.

But what does that matter right now?

The fact is, I’m being swayed by it.

I know the cup is poisoned, but it’s just too sweet.

Furthermore, there’s another problem. If I miss this chance, there might not be a next one.

The Demons who have noticed my traces will be dead set on killing me.

I looked at Jung Hye-in, asleep on my back. Her breathing is normal.

Crunch—

I chewed and swallowed an Elixir I had in my pocket.

I spoke softly to the already unconscious Jung Hye-in.

“Since we’re already here, let’s look around a little more before we go.”

Five hours since entering the forest.

This gloomy place remains the same, but outside, the sun must be slowly rising.

In other words, people have noticed that I’ve entered the forest.

My original plan has gone awry.

The plan to drop Jung Hye-in right in front of the headquarters and pretend I knew nothing.

With that thought, I twisted my head to the side.

A Hand Axe that had narrowly grazed past Jung Hye-in and me embedded itself in a tree.

Baaang—!

It was because it was imbued with Aura. The tree the Hand Axe was stuck in tilted from its base.

“Kuuuwoooaar—!”

A Xiphos, enraged at having its comrade taken, charged at me.

With Jung Hye-in on my back, the conditions for using a sword are tricky.

[Chain Thunderbolt]

Pow!

The monster’s body exploded.

I didn’t bother to count, but the number of Monsters I’ve killed on the way here already exceeds 1,500.

And that’s only because I’ve been using Stealth as much as possible. If I hadn’t, I would have given up long ago.

And, being careful had its effect.

Just ten steps away, I saw what I was looking for.

Ian’s Advanced Magic, Volume 3, was lying on the ground, glowing.

I took another step forward.

The next moment, a mound of earth shot up right in front of me.

A centipede-type Monster that had been waiting for me to pass by writhed, its antennae twitching.

From the side, an arrow-shaped projectile tried to pierce my body.

From behind, a Lizard sprayed poison, aiming for my neck.

At this point, I have to admit it cleanly.

I won’t be able to survive using only Intermediate Magic.

[Absolute Sense]

As time slowed down, I used another spell.

[Crimson Flame Aura]

I swung it in all directions like a whip.

Cra-cra-cra-crack—

Not only the projectiles flying toward me, but also the bastards blocking my way were erased in an instant.

But I can’t smile.

Since I’ve emitted Mana from Advanced Magic or higher, the High Priest-level bastards must have caught the scent.

From now on, it’s a battle of speed.

I ran quickly, pelted by the blood of Monsters raining down.

Three steps, two steps, one step.

It was when I finally picked up the Grimoire.

And at that moment.

Kwwaaaaaaaang—!

As if on cue, they rose.

A warning siren blared furiously in my head.

It’s not just one or two.

At least five.

Rank is S-Rank. Time to arrival, 30 seconds.

As expected, it was a trap.

In the meantime, one of the bastards presumed to be a High Priest came into view.

My eyes met with the thing with long, flowing hair.

An eerie feeling came first, and a sense of relief followed.

Because the chances of surviving a head-on fight with that thing are zero.

Amidst the pouring mounds of earth, I unleashed the magic I had been holding back.

[Teleport]

With the thought, my body moved.

Carrying both Jung Hye-in and the Grimoire.

At the words of the agent in charge of surveillance, Jeong Gi-hwan flinched.

“What? Who went where?”

The agent who had pulled up the CCTV footage barely managed to speak.

“At 23:00 last night, Mr. Choi Gi-woong went into the forest.”

Jeong Gi-hwan pushed the agent aside and stared at the monitor screen.

Trudge. Trudge.

It was real.

Choi Gi-woong was walking into the forest of his own free will.

“H-His location?”

“I-I don’t know. He didn’t take any communication equipment.”

It was driving him mad.

Going in there without a report, without any communication equipment?

And he’s someone who knows nothing about the forest?

“How many times has the terrain shifted?”

“It has shifted twice since Mr. Choi Gi-woong went in.”

It’s over.

There’s no need to even look for him.

If finding Jung Hye-in was like finding a needle in a haystack, finding Choi Gi-woong is like finding Earth in the middle of the universe.

No, he’s probably already dead.

“Why did he go in?”

“He must have gone to find Jung Hye-in, right?”

“…Circumstantially, yes.”

The media was hyping him up, and the Association was pushing him hard, so he lost his mind.

It was bound to happen.

They said he was only thirty, so where would that youthful vigor go?

Jeong Gi-hwan felt more bewilderment than sadness.

There was no death more pointless than this.

“What should we do…?”

Oh Jeong-hun, who had been watching the situation from the side, asked cautiously.

“…I have to report it.”

And with that report, Jeong Gi-hwan would be relieved of his position.

Because he got Jung Hye-in killed, and now Choi Gi-woong as well.

His 30 years at the Association flashed before his eyes like a panorama.

“So this is how my head rolls.”

It was regrettable and unfair.

He was a shoo-in for a promotion to an executive position when he returned to the Mainland this time.

“No. The promotion was already out the window the moment Jung Hye-in died. Haha.”

Jeong Gi-hwan muttered and slumped into his chair.

He picked up the phone with a hotline to the Association headquarters.

-Yes. Branch Director. This is Association headquarters.

Over the receiver, Head of department Kim Yoon-joong’s voice was subdued. He had said that headquarters was also in an uproar over Jung Hye-in’s death.

-What is it?

What is it?

The Choi Gi-woong you cherish so much has died a dog’s death.

And because of that idiot, I’m about to get fired.

Jeong Gi-hwan took a breath.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he slowly opened his mouth.

“…I’m calling to make a report.”

-A report?

His tone was suspicious, as if asking what other trouble he’d caused.

What kind of reaction would he get if he said Choi Gi-woong was dead?

Damn it. I can’t predict it at all.

Maybe the Association President will kill me himself…

-It’s noisy outside. Is something going on?

Of course it’s noisy.

Because the great Choi Gi-woong is dead. Because that moron got swept up in his emotions and made a choice he shouldn’t have.

It was then.

Bang, the Branch Director’s office door flew open.

It was Kang Min-jeong.

“He’s here! He’s here, Branch Director!”

She had run in such a hurry that she couldn’t even catch her breath properly.

After barely calming down, Kang Min-jeong shouted as if screaming.

“Choi Gi-woong came back with Jung Hye-in! Right now!”

“What?”

For a moment, he thought he had misheard.

But he hadn’t.

Outside the window, several people were running about chaotically.

In front of the entrance to the forest.

Choi Gi-woong was walking, carrying Jung Hye-in on his back.

-Hello? Branch Director? Hello?

Over the phone, Head of department Kim Yoon-joong’s voice sounded like a phantom.

-You said you had something to report. What is it?

Jeong Gi-hwan said with a grimace.

“Choi Gi-woong… has returned with Jung Hye-in.”