Chapter 83

Thud, thud.

Seeing me emerge from the forest, the agent dropped the cigarette from his lips.

“Choi, Choi Gi-woong…ssi?”

The agent asked, as if in disbelief.

The look on his face was as if he’d seen a ghost.

No, it was more like he was looking at a homicidal maniac.

Is my expression that murderous?

Drip—

The purple liquid that had been lingering on my chin fell to the ground.

Sizzle—

The ground touched by the purple liquid bubbled and then melted, digging into the earth.

Hmm. I guess I really must be a sight.

The caked blood of a Xiphos, the venom of a Lizard, the wound left behind where an abyss ant had bitten and let go…

Even for me, facing over two thousand monsters alone must have been too much.

The biggest damage, of course, was to my Mana Heart.

It was the price for using top-tier magic without my Mana having reached S-Rank.

My heart is thrashing, begging to be saved.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Just as muscles grow by tearing, the Mana Heart also reaches its limit…

This isn’t the time for such thoughts.

With Jung Hye-in still on my back, I spoke to the agent.

“Do you have any water?”

“…Pardon?”

“Water.”

“Ah. Water, yes. Water, here…”

I chugged the canteen he fumbled to hand over.

In the meantime, people started flocking over, having heard the news.

Every one of their faces was identical to the security agent’s.

Even Im Han-na, who was always composed, was so flustered that she stammered.

“Is that really you, Choi Gi-woong-ssi? Are you okay?”

“Do I look okay to you?”

“How can you even say that…”

“I’m fine. Ms. Jung Hye-in’s condition isn’t too bad, either.”

As I showed them my back, Im Han-na let out a gasp and shrieked.

“Healer! Where’s the Healer!”

Around that time, someone descended quickly from the headquarters’ spire.

It was Branch Director Jeong Gi-hwan.

He looked at me for a moment with a face full of mixed emotions, then, as if suddenly snapping to his senses, he barked out orders.

“What are you doing! Why are you just standing there watching!”

The people, snapping out of it a moment too late, took Jung Hye-in from me.

From then on, things were handled quickly. A Healer was assigned, water was brought, and I was supported.

Even through all that, I never let go of the grimoire in my hand.

Once the people were sent away, only Jeong Gi-hwan and I remained.

I spoke quickly before he could open his mouth.

“I apologize. I should have reported before leaving, but the situation was a bit urgent.”

Having missed his timing, Jeong Gi-hwan gaped like a goldfish before finally managing to speak.

“No. It’s alright. In any case, you’ve returned safely…”

The position of Branch Director is one you can’t reach without political skill.

He pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“I’ll take care of the report. You should get some rest.”

“Thank you.”

Bwoooo—

As if on cue, a ship’s horn blared. I zoomed in my vision. In the distance, a ship was approaching.

Carrying our food, spare items, and all sorts of potions and elixirs.

Ah.

And one more thing.

“It seems Mr. Seong Yo-han has arrived.”

“Yes, it seems so.”

Jeong Gi-hwan nodded, feigning disinterest.

His gaze was still fixed on me.

I was granted a week-long vacation.

To receive such a long break on Jeju Island, where every day is a fierce battle, was said to be unprecedented.

I refused all visitors.

I had more than a few things to do.

First and foremost was this.

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

Could Ian have left a clue, a hint, or anything of the sort about his limited lifespan?

With a pounding heart, I opened the book.

Swish— Swish—

And.

As I turned the pages, my face, once filled with anticipation, gradually hardened.

“I already know all of this.”

To summarize Volume 3, it was about how to use Advanced Magic well.

This magic for this situation, that magic for that situation.

It recorded, in great detail, methods that could be used in actual combat.

Of course, for someone learning Advanced Magic for the first time, it would be useful information.

Someone like the Master of the Oracle, for example.

But this was all stuff I already knew.

What was the point of reading this when I had just met Saint Ajadun himself in a Past Life Lucid Dream?

“This is disappointing.”

But that feeling was short-lived.

As soon as the book passed its midpoint, my hand, which had been turning the pages, paused.

-The Characteristics and Habits of Demons.

From that point on, completely different content began to appear.

-The Reason the Demon Realm Forest Causes Topographical Changes and How to Solve It.

-Maximizing Divinity and Using Demonic Energy Efficiently.

-The Existence of the Seven Demon Kings and How to Raid Them.

As the chapters changed, content I had never seen before appeared.

“……”

Traces remained of Ian’s dedicated research into Demons and related subjects.

The research on the demons of that world was already superior to modern research.

But this.

This was on a level where Ian had thrown himself into it with grim determination.

Especially the part labeled the Seven Demon Kings.

Demon King?

It was a concept I’d never heard of.

But the faces of the beings Ian had drawn himself were ones I knew well.

I didn’t have to look far.

Even now, whenever I dream, they are destroying the world.

This is a world where monsters cross over from a place called another dimension.

Why wouldn’t they cross over too?

That anxiety had finally manifested as a dream recently.

The scene of them changing locations and turning Seoul into a sea of fire is still seared into my mind like trauma.

And those very beings were described in the contents of the book Ian wrote.

-The following describes how to raid the Demon Kings from the 7th in rank, Entesto, to the 4th in rank, Kaldrak.

The skills they used, the legions they commanded.

It was all written down, even their attack patterns, showing just how obsessively he had studied them.

I didn’t know how to take this.

And I hadn’t achieved my desired goal. This alone wasn’t enough to know if Ian had escaped his limited lifespan.

However, in another sense, the book had more than proven its worth.

It had made me stare at nothing but its pages for two whole days.

According to this information, the Demon Realm Forest isn’t the problem.

This is just a very small step…

It was then.

I hurriedly got up and opened the window.

Outwardly, not a sound could be heard.

But my ears could hear it very clearly.

Crack—

The sound of the protective barrier Yeo Ju-kyung had wrapped around the entire island breaking.

Kwoong—! Kwoong!

And the sound of beings, presumed to be High Priests, breaking the barrier from within the forest.

Haha.

This damn island never gives you a moment’s rest.

Kwoong! Kwoong!

They were pounding on the barrier with clear intent.

The reason was obvious.

They were frustrated and angry at having lost me when I was right in front of them.

And very, very angry at that.

This is no time to be resting.

I quickly headed for the headquarters.

Branch Director Jeong Gi-hwan and a few other executives were staring at the monitors with tense expressions.

“The energy level is 30% higher than normal. We’re detecting the movements of High Priest-rank Demons.”

“The topographical change pattern is also accelerating.”

All sorts of graphs on the monitors were fluctuating wildly.

They were celebrating finding Jung Hye-in just two days ago, but now their faces were even grimmer than before.

“Have they suddenly gone mad? Why are they raising such a fuss?”

Jeong Gi-hwan let out a sigh with parched lips.

“Solve one problem, another one pops up. Solve one, another one pops up. A handover in this situation? Not a chance.”

“Branch Director! A call just came in from the main headquarters!”

Kang Min-jeong, hanging up the phone, said with a tearful face.

“They’re telling us to stay here until the situation is restored…”

Sighs of despair rippled through the room.

They thought they’d be going home in a week, but a bolt had just struck from a clear blue sky.

“What do we tell the kids downstairs? They don’t know anything right now.”

Jeong Gi-hwan frowned.

“Hey. Is going home the problem right now? We’re all about to die. More importantly, when is the Association President coming?”

“There’s an S-Rank Gate in Seoul right now! They said she’s gone inside, so it’ll probably take at least a week!”

“This is driving me crazy. If the barrier breaks, all of those things will pour out…”

Jeong Gi-hwan trailed off as he spotted me.

“Looks like a bit of a problem has come up.”

His lips moved silently for a moment before he admitted it.

“The situation is a bit, well, not good right now. That’s how this line of work is. You solve one problem, another one pops up. You solve two, three more pop up.”

He scratched the back of his head.

“But it’s gotten a bit worse recently.”

He asks hesitantly.

“By any chance, when you went into the forest.”

“You mean the High Priests? Yes. I saw them.”

“Ah.”

So that was it.

“They must be seriously pissed off. Originally.”

Jeong Gi-hwan gestured for me to come closer.

As I approached, he showed me a diagram on the monitor.

A diagram with five dots.

“There are five High Priests here. Thirty years ago, they made a promise with the Association President.”

“I’ve heard.”

A promise that they would be given the Demon Realm Forest and in return, they would never leave a certain area.

It was the price Yeo Ju-kyung had extracted in exchange for sparing their lives.

“But a few years ago, they started to sneakily cross the line. Have they lost their minds? Now they’re just…”

Kwoong!

The barrier shook once more.

The number on the monitor, which had read 24, ticked down by one.

When that number hits 0, they will pour out.

“It’s a maddening situation.”

“Branch Director! What do we do?”

“What solution could I possibly have?”

“Pardon?”

“Our S-Ranks are Seong Yo-han and Jung Hye-in. How are the two of them supposed to stop five High Priests?”

“……”

Kwoong!

The number 23 became 22.

“Looking at them, it seems they’re dead serious this time. We just have to pray the Association President gets here before they break through.”

Jeong Gi-hwan slumps down with a dejected face.

“Or, Mr. Choi Gi-woong, do you happen to have any ideas?”

His voice was laced with a tiny sliver of hope and a great deal of despair.

“I do have an idea.”

The barrier, and that Demon Realm Forest.

I know a way to get rid of them completely.

It’s in the data Ian left behind.

However, the reason my expression is stiff right now isn’t because of those High Priests.

It’s because of the timing.

How, just how, does the necessary power, or the necessary information, always appear at the most opportune moment?

A coincidence can happen once or twice.

At this point, you’d have to be an idiot not to notice.

That someone’s will is strongly at play here.

I organized my thoughts and opened my mouth.

“By any chance, where is Ms. Jung Hye-in right now?”

I tossed an Elixir to Durandal.

The fellow, who had been silent, offended that I had dared to cover his sacred body with Demonic Energy, readily accepted and ate the Elixir.

I ate one too. My Mana Heart thrashed.

Begging me to use it to my heart’s content.

I took more Elixirs from the case.

This time, I chewed and swallowed two.

The number of remaining Elixirs was four.

-This is dangerous. You. If you consume any more Essence, your body won’t be able to handle it.

Durandal, now in a better mood, even sent me a warning.

“As if the world will leave me alone.”

Originally, the day I was supposed to reach S-Rank was a week from now.

Even that was an incredible speed.

But it looked like the barrier would break before then.

This time, I chewed and swallowed three.

If Wi Jeong-rak had seen me, he probably would have fainted.

Even Durandal, right beside me, trembled his blade and blocked my path.

-Hey. I told you it’s dangerous…

“I know.”

Even now that my Mana Pathways have widened, chugging six S-Rank Elixirs at once is a recipe for disaster.

And indeed, Mana was raging like a storm inside my body.

My Mana Heart screamed.

It shrieked that this was too much, struggling to make me stop.

What’s wrong with you?

Weren’t you just begging me to use you?

Around that time, I arrived at the Training Arena in the spire’s basement.

Just as Jeong Gi-hwan had said, Jung Hye-in was there.

Sitting still with her eyes closed.

Sensing my presence, Jung Hye-in slowly opened her eyes.

Her pupils wavered when she saw me.

I spoke before she could open her mouth.

“Please help me with my training.”

I need to become an S-Rank by tomorrow, at the latest.