Chapter 100
“Cough! Cough!” Inyuu Kogo, who had been punched, landed near Ahn Jin and started coughing.
“This guy’s nothing. He is just full of pride,” said a challenger from Tetir.
"Well, I guess you thought you could win if you got rid of the handcuffs?"
Inyuu Kogo had made a huge mistake thinking he could regain his former abilities once his mana and physical strength returned. Kogo hadn’t used his mana for several months, so he couldn’t make up instantly for those months of no practice.
As a result, Inyuu Kogo could only burn one out of his ten opponents before he was sent flying.
‘Shit… This is embarrassing.’
Besides, if it weren't for Ahn Jin's help, Kogo would have already been gravely wounded.
“Do you mind if I step in?” Ahn Jin asked Kogo.
“Yeah, please beat the hell out of them,” said Kogo.
“Well, I don’t know if that would be possible, but I’ll try my best,” Ahn Jin replied.
Ahn Jin stepped forward and seemed completely different from before, exuding a powerful aura. When they sensed the dark mana within Ahn Jin, the challengers found their muscles tightening in anticipation.
‘Is that Lee Shin’s subordinate?’
When these challengers had seen Kogo’s flame spell, they had felt afraid momentarily, but the spell was not as strong as they had expected. So, they thought that Ahn Jin’s spell would be the same.
“Let’s take care of them before Lee Shin arrives and get out of here, all right?” the leader of the challengers commanded. The rest of the challengers immediately activated their mana.
Rumble— Crack! Pizz—
Dozens of falling thunderbolts had abruptly struck the challengers. The thunderbolt baptism instantly overturned the battlefield’s flow, relieving Inyuu Kogo's tension.
"Were you struggling against these guys?" Lee Shin said, looking at Kogo.
Inyuu Kogo was surprised to find Lee Shin's emotionless voice strangely comforting.
"I went easy on them," said Kogo.
"Oh my, senior, your handcuffs are gone? Did you break them?" Kanoko asked, looking at Kogo.
"Yeah... but it wasn't any help," Kogo muttered.
Kanoko and Kohei looked at Inyuu Kogo with pity after hearing his meek reply. He was prideful even when he had been in jail, so they wondered what could humble someone like him.
"Kaaah!"
"Keuk! Kek!”
"Shit… It’s Lee Shin…!”
"Please forgive me...!"
The ten challengers from Tetir met death quickly, and Inyuu Kogo felt pathetic that he could not handle such opponents properly.
"Wow, senior, you're really not kidding, are you?" Kanoko said, looking at Kogo.
“What?” Kogo said, frowning at Kanoko.
"Aren’t you feeling ashamed after seeing Mr. Lee Shin’s magic?” Kanoko asked, looking at Kogo.
"Ha... And you are not?” Kogo replied.
"Of course not. Do you think we are on the same level as Mr. Lee Shin? It's not a fair comparison. Think conversely. Do you think he's on the same level as you?” Kanoko said, looking at Kogo.
"What nonsense! I also have eyes!" Kogo shouted.
"Exactly, so don't worry about things that don't matter. That person is a crazy human being beyond comparison," said Kanoko.
After listening to Kanoko's words, Kogo chuckled and accepted reality.
'Yes, she’s right. I just have to return to where I was before.'
Kohei approached Kogo, having just witnessed Lee Shin’s battle while gaping like a fish.
"Wow... the more I see of you, the more amazing I find you, Mr. Lee Shin," said Kohei.
"I know, right? Even when he’s facing ten challengers, he is still great.”
"Last time, he defeated 30 knights and a challenger with a Purple Pattern. So, this is nothing for Lee Shin."
"Is it because we’re in the Demon Realm? Everyone else seems to have weakened, but Lee Shin seems perfectly fine."
"I really want to know what Lee Shin is thinking."
Lee Shin heard what had happened to them from Ahn Jin and nodded.
"I plan on putting the handcuffs back on! I’m not trying to get away or anything, okay?" Kogo said, looking at Lee Shin.
Laughing at Kogo, who had said that because he felt guilty, Lee Shin smirked.
"There’s no point in cuffing someone who can't even deal with those weaklings. Just follow along since we’re almost there,” said Lee Shin.
"Huh...? All right then,” Kogo replied.
“Wow, the master is also free of handcuffs now. What about me? I want to take these off too…!” Kohei said.
Clang— Thump.
Lee Shin, who had been walking ahead, threw a bunch of keys behind.
"Figure it out on your own," Lee Shin said.
The three Japanese challengers were in disbelief, finding it hard to accept that Lee Shin would give them the keys so easily. They suspected that this might be a trap, but that thought did not last long. Kohei picked up the keys and unlocked the handcuffs on his hands and feet.
"Wow..! It feels so nice!" Kohei exclaimed.
"It was just a few days of wearing handcuffs, so don’t overreact."
"It was like being in hell for a few days. Anyway, we're all free from our restraints now, right?" said Kohei.
And the trio abruptly stopped walking with that. They had entered the Demon Realm because Lee Shin had forced them to come along to prove that he was right. All of this was done to make Lantan ally with Merteng.
The Japanese challengers were now certain that Lee Shin’s words were not lies. Merteng already had a solid stepping stone because Lee Shin was with it. He was like a springboard to take off from.
‘No, not just a springboard. It's almost like getting wings.’
Inyuu Kogo's mindset had completely flipped compared to before.
‘We have to cooperate with Merteng no matter what.’
Kanoko and Kohei were also thinking the same.
‘If things continue like this, Mr. Lee Shin might also end up destroying Tetir.’
‘Lee Shin is as strong as a country—no, stronger.’?
The idea of allying with Lee Shin had taken root in the minds of all the Japanese challengers, just as he had intended.
***
Jaden Compton, the Castellan of Eltse, sat in the Telecommunications Room, tapping his fingers on the desk, looking tense.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound echoed throughout the Telecommunications Room, showing how nervous he was.
"It's time," said David Eden.
Tap.
At the words of the Foreign Minister, Jaden’s stopped his incessant tapping.
"I will start the communication channel." As the Minister of Magic infused mana into the crystal ball, the faces of the ministers of Wildes appeared on the wall.
"Long time no see, Alan," said Jaden.
Alan received Jaden's greeting with a stiff face.
"Yeah, I don't think we're here to exchange pleasantries," Alan replied.
"That's right. Did our message get through? Your expression tells me it did," said Jaden.
Jaden's nervousness and tension from before starting the communication had disappeared; he now seemed relaxed.
"There's no need for a long talk. We want our qualified individuals returned. We'll provide 200,000 merit points for each of the five qualified individuals. With one million units, Merteng would be ab—”
"Haha!" Jaden started laughing, interrupting Alan.
Alan’s face crumpled instantly.
"Hahaha! Oh… sorry, I heard something funny," said Jaden.
"Do you even want to have this conversation, Jaden? Or are you out of your mind because you just came back to life?" Alan said.
"I don't know how the previous guy named Jaden acted… but I'm not an idiot, Alan," Jaden replied.
"Two hundred thousand merit points per captive is not a small amount—"
"One million," Jaden said, interrupting Alan again.
“What?" Alan could not believe what he had just heard.
"One million per captive, and as for the person with the Purple Pattern, the team leader, it's two million," said Jaden.
"Are you kidding me right now?" Alan was shocked.
Alan, looking like he had just heard something extraordinarily absurd, laughed and gestured to the surrounding ministers.
"I guess there will be no negotiation,” said Alan.
Despite Alan’s strong response, Jaden’s smile didn’t drop.
"All right. We’ll say there was no negotiation and just kill all the captives," said Jaden.
"Are you trying to threaten the entire country with just a few damn qualified individuals?!" Alan shouted.
"Did you just say a few damn qualified individuals? If you really think so, why are we still talking? It wouldn't have been strange with your personality if you had already closed the communication channel," said Jaden.
Seeing Jaden maintain his composure throughout, Alan felt something was off. It felt like Jaden had all the aces.
When one sat at a negotiation table, one could sense the atmosphere. And the atmosphere around Jaden’s party suggested they were ahead of the game. And they weren’t even trying to hide it.
"I see. I should have noticed this when you suggested we negotiate. Then let's start again. One million... don’t you think it’s a bit too much?" Alan asked.
Alan's face conveyed that it was indeed a troubling amount. It was the perfect performance that no stranger could deem an act. However, Alan's performance was a joke for Jaden, who had heard all the facts from Lee Shin.
“Well, I don’t know what to say to you if you think this is too much,” Jaden said.
“What do you mean?” Alan asked.
"That amount… I have already lowered it because of my next condition," said Jaden.
"There are more conditions? Are you crazy?" Alan shouted.
"Yeah, I'm crazy. I was crazy to think that Merteng was dangerous before," said Alan.
"You're really going crazy. People say someone named Lee Shin has come up… But, well, what can one person change?" Alan said.
When Jaden heard that, his smile grew even brighter.
"Actually, Alan, one is enough to change a lot. And a lot has changed recently, won’t you say, Alan?" Jaden asked.
Your opponent's ease was directly proportional to your anxiety. Alan still hoped for the best, but when he heard Alan’s condition, he could say for sure that Jaden indeed had all the cards.
"What's the next condition?" Alan asked Jaden.
"The military forces attacking Narden will have to retreat. And all soldiers currently stationed in Tetir will return to their home country." Jaden demanded.
Crunch—
Alan gritted his teeth at the ridiculous condition. The fact that he could not immediately ignore Jaden’s proposal and end the communication irritated him.
‘So, Lee Shin was right.’
Alan could tell that Lee Shin’s words were true when he saw Alan's reaction. And despite his ridiculous proposal, the negotiation was still on.
"Alan, that’s just our first condition," said Jaden.
"What do you mean it’s the first condition? There are more?" Alan asked.
"Yes. I, personally, hope that you accept our second condition," said Jaden with a meaningful smile.
***
As the black fog dissipated, Lee Shin and his party were welcomed by the bright sky and warm sunlight.
"Ah... it's blinding."
"I can't even open my eyes."
How many days had they spent in the Demon Realm? The sunlight now seemed unfamiliar to them.
"Hmm?"
A strange voice reached their ears. They turned toward the voice’s source and saw a soldier wearing armor engraved with Tetir's emblem standing on top of the wall, looking at them.
Lee Shin, who had activated the transcendent class, straight off used Psychokinesis to pull the soldier down from the wall, killing him.
Thump—
“What the hell… He didn’t even have the time to react…”
“What a monster…”
“Holy cow…”
When the Japanese challengers heard the gruesome sound, they turned to see the soldier’s corpse splayed before them. It was an awe-inspiring skill, and these challengers just couldn’t get used to it even after seeing it in action numerous times.
“Luckily, it seems like only one soldier was patrolling here. Let's enter quickly before we get caught," Lee Shin ordered.
Lee Shin jumped to get on top of the wall. And the trio just watched him, startled for the nth time. The wall was at least 15 meters high and made the walls at Merteng look insignificant by comparison.
"How are we going to get past this... Ugh!"
"Argh!"
Lee Shin seemed to have read their minds as he used Psychokinesis to lift them up onto the wall.
"They would never have imagined that someone would invade by breaking through the Demon Realm,” said Lee Shin.
As Lee Shin jumped down from the wall, Lilian fluttered her wings and landed on Lee Shin’s shoulder.
"But didn’t these kiddos invade Merteng that way?” Lilian asked Lee Shin.
"I'm not sure about the vampires, but humans tend to overestimate themselves," Lee Shin replied.
"Hmm... So, you think you can do this, but others can’t?” Lilian asked.
"Well, it's similar," Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin used Psychokinesis again to bring the trio down and quickly scanned the area. His mana wave detected fewer soldiers than he had anticipated.
‘Even if there's no need to pour resources into the border, there are still too few soldiers here.’
Lee Shin felt that there must be a reason why the Tetir soldiers had been moved somewhere else.
"Let's enter quickly," Lee Shin ordered.
“Are we really going to Delbet Castle?”
"Yes," Lee Shin replied.
They were about to start an infiltration mission in the enemy's citadel. Although Kogo had previously infiltrated Merteng’s castle, that was only when it was already in ruins. Infiltrating an actively functioning enemy castle was an entirely different matter.
Gulp.
The three individuals nervously stood next to Lee Shin, gulping. They saw the vast field spread beneath the hill and occasionally saw Tetir soldiers.
With determination and interest, Lee Shin proclaimed, "We will destroy Delbet."
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