NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 26
The revelation of the lavender-haired demon’s heritage filled the crow-masked demons with greed.
“Radiru?”
“The Radiru Clan?!”
The corners of their mouths stretched wide into sinister grins.
“There are still demons left from the Radiru clan?”
“Hahaha! It’s time for a feast!”
The blood of demon nobility was precious as all but one noble family had been wiped out, leaving only lesser demons in the realm.
“Make sure she doesn’t escape!”
The demons swarmed Esil, the Radiru Clan demon. Their frames expanded dramatically. Their elongated claws oozed malevolent magic as they aimed to take her life.
“How dare you lesser demons?” Esil gracefully evaded their every attack, wielding her spear without hesitation.
Nevertheless, the lesser demons relentlessly continued their assault.
“Hahaha! The world has changed too much for you to look down on us!”
“Who would have thought that we’d get to hunt demon nobility?”
“Ugh!” Outnumbered, Esil gritted her teeth fiercely.
Her stamina had long since been depleted due to years of being chased by countless demons in the demon realm. To make matters worse, she had been forcibly summoned to Earth in her true form, further limiting her strength.
The solution to break these constraints was through “possession.” The lesser demons had possessed humans by seizing their physical bodies, and their powers were then enhanced with Stardust. It was a battle between a weakened demon noble and a gang of empowered lesser demons. The outcome was clear—an inevitable victory for the latter.
“Hahaha! She’s pure-blooded! Pure-blooded!”
“We can make pure Stardust with the noble blood!”
“Young Monarch.” Suddenly, Beru’s voice quietly reached Suho’s ears.
Suho had slipped away during the sudden onset of the battle. “Very well. It’s time.” He nodded, exchanging glances with the hunters in the cart.
The hunters nodded in return, discreetly getting to their feet.
This was unexpected but it might work out in our favor, Suho thought.
Their plan was as follows:
1) Infiltration: Suho, dressed in a crow’s mask and a black robe, would infiltrate the factory by pretending to be a demon.
2) The Ruse: He would then cause a disturbance inside, attracting the demons’ attention to himself.
3) Escape: With this opportunity, the hunters, disguised as bloodied individuals, would rescue the captured people from the factory and make their escape.
However, the unexpected demon brawl unfolded before Suho had a chance to cause the disturbance.
But we move according to the plan.
The last part of the plan was boosted by the fact that Dogyoon and the hunters in the cart all possessed speed-related skills.
Suho and the hunters swiftly disappeared from their positions simultaneously. In the blink of an eye, the rescue party reached the chained humans and immediately cupped their mouths to silence them. After a quick exchange of glances, the captured understood the hunters’ intent and nodded with muted fear.
Clank.
Suho forcefully tore apart the chains that had bound them. It’s done!
Dogyoon’s heart raced with the immediate desire to escape. Now we just need to run away with them! Just as he lifted one of the civilians onto his back...
“Huh?” One of the lesser demons fighting with Esil of the Radiru Clan noticed them. “What are you doing there instead of fighting, young one?” A hint of doubt peered out of the demon’s eyes behind the crow mask.
Instead of answering, Suho shouted, “Run!”
The timing was on their side as each hunter, carrying a civilian on their backs, sprinted at maximum speed towards the exit.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
A few of the demons fighting Esil rapidly blocked the hunters’ path, and their malevolent magical energy surged toward them.
Suho shouted from behind, “Don’t stop, keep running!”
His words filled the hunters with determined resolve and intensified their speed. The faster they went, the closer they were getting to the demons.
We believe in you!
They trusted Suho and continued to run.
“Arise!”
Suho didn’t betray their faith in him. He had already placed shadow goblins near the exit. Their arms shot up from the ground and clamped onto the demons’ legs, causing them to stumble.
“What is this...?”
The demons were shocked beyond belief. However, their surprise was short-lived. Shadow goblins were vicious in nature, and they mercilessly slashed at their ankles with butcher knives.
The human bodies the demons currently inhabited were exceptionally frail. Even a minor injury to their Achilles tendon rendered them helpless. The demons collectively shrieked in agony and collapsed on the spot.
Here’s our chance!
The hunters swiftly passed by, ultimately managing to escape the factory. As they stepped outside, Dogyoon turned to look back at Suho, who remained behind. Are you really going to be okay?
Suho understood why his teaching assistant had looked back, and he simply smirked and nodded.
Bang!
The iron door closed in front of him. The escape had taken just three seconds. It took another two seconds for the demons to tear apart the shadow goblins and stand up once more. A total of five seconds had passed, and Suho was satisfied that everything had smoothly gone to plan.
Now... It’s my turn.
Suho quickly counted the number of demons that he could see, omitting the lavender-haired demon who had been summoned. A total of nine. The problem was that each of them was similar in skill to the young demon he had barely defeated earlier.
It’s doable. Suho’s eyes dropped to his own shadow. “Arise.”
Before infiltrating this place, he had summoned the shadow soldiers he had previously extracted in the Shadow Dungeon.
“Broki.”
At that moment, a massive shadow emerged in front of Suho.
Roar!
[Broki - Level 1 - Knight Grade]
The colossal hyena beast stood before him, his entire body covered with boiling black steam. Suho had initially planned for this creature to be the disturbance but now was an even better situation for hunting demons.
Broki’s fierce roar shook the factory violently.
“Wh-what is this?”
The demons who had been relentlessly attacking Esil were greatly bewildered.
“Why is Broki here?!”
“No, something seems different...”
The demons were already familiar with Broki, the former secret leader of the Hyena Guild. The notorious guild had been their primary supplier responsible for kidnapping and delivering people as raw material for Stardust.
While the shadow beast’s entrance had significantly improved the situation, there was still a problem. Based on Suho’s experiences fighting Broki, then later, a demon, it was clear that the hyena was stronger than a lesser demon in a one-on-one scenario. But considering they were up against nine demons, it seemed like the odds were stacked against them.
“Beru!” Suho shouted, calling his trusted ant beast. A malevolent energy radiated from all parts of Beru’s small body.
[Beru activated: “Ruthless Command”.]
[Skill: “Ruthless Command” increases Broki’s stats by 50%.]
[Skill: “Ruthless Command” has a side effect that causes Broki to be afflicted by a curse of madness.]
Broki lunged at the demons without hesitation.
“What?!”
Thwack!
The hyena beast’s massive front paw swung like a baseball bat, sending the demons flying mercilessly. Then with a triumphant twirl, Suho’s swords descended upon the demons now impaled on the concrete wall.
Storm Slash!
[Skill: “Storm Slash” has activated.]
Suho’s body whirled like a hurricane as he relentlessly attacked the demons.
[Lesser Demon has been defeated.]
[Lesser Demon has been...]
“Huff, huff...” Suho’s intervention allowed Esil, who had been enduring a fierce battle alone, to finally catch her breath. But instead of feeling relieved, her eyes widened as she witnessed Broki’s presence. “Could that beast be...?” Her eyes focused on the monstrous shadow beast as he drove the demons away with the weight of a tank.
As far as Esil knew, there was only one being that could summon a creature like that—the same being that single-handedly annihilated the demon realm. The human had slayed every demon that stood in his way, eventually toppling even Baran the Demon King. The terrifying and illustrious name...
“Is Sir Jinwoo really here?!” Having exuded a fierce determination for so long, her face suddenly brightened. She frantically scanned her surroundings, searching for Sung Jinwoo. “Where are you? Sir Jin...” But the person she found wasn’t the one she expected. “...woo?”
He wasn’t the man she knew but the new face bore a striking resemblance to a younger Sung Jinwoo.
“Huh?” Esil tilted her head in confusion.
“Long time no see,” Beru said as he subtly revealed himself in front of her.
“Who... Beru?!” The daughter of Radiru was surprised by Beru’s appearance. “Why are you so small?”
The ant beast she remembered was more terrifying than any demon. He was always at the forefront alongside Sung Jinwoo, slaughtering his enemies. She was perplexed as the ant she knew had now transformed into a cute little figure no bigger than a fist.
But she wasn’t the only curious party. “It seems like you’ve become considerably weaker. What happened?” Beru asked.
“Hehe. I’ve been through quite a lot actually,” Even as blood dripped from her, Esil laughed softly through her pain.
Beru chuckled at her pitiful appearance, “Your calm personality in the face of death hasn’t changed.”
“It’s got me this far.”
“What on earth has happened in the demon realm?”
Before Beru could finish his sentence, Esil collapsed right on the spot. All the tension left her the moment she saw him. She lay sprawled on the ground, whimpering as she called out his name. “Beru, I really feel like I’m about to die. Do you think you can heal me?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“It’s a waste of mana.” Beru’s swift rejection was all too obvious.
“I see. You’ve grown weaker too, huh?”
“Not at all! Nope, that’s not it!” Beru retorted indignantly.
As the two began to argue, Suho continued to fight the demons head-on.
[Lesser Demon has been defeated.]
[Lesser Demon has been defeated.]
[Volkan’s Horn devoured the demon’s soul.]
[Volkan’s Horn devoured the demon’s soul.]
The battle had completely shifted in Suho’s favor. Beru’s “Ruthless Command” had boosted Broki’s stats by a staggering 50 percent, a much higher amplification rate than Stardust’s. Moreover, Suho grew stronger with every demon slayed.
[Devoured Demon Souls: 3]
[Devoured Demon Souls: 4]
[Effect “Destructive Desire”: Increases physical damage by [33%]]
[Effect “Destructive Desire”: Increases physical damage by [34%]]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
“Gah!”
As Suho’s blade decapitated the last demon, he reached level 20.
Ding!
[Your level has exceeded 20. The “Shop: Purchase” feature is now available.]
“Huh?” Suho cocked his head, perplexed by the message. “There’s a shop system too?”