Yor thought to himself, "I've just experienced the best Frenzy yet."
Had there ever been a time he’d passed through Frenzy this smoothly? Perhaps a few times, he’d managed Frenzy A with a healthy dose of holy water, but that was nothing compared to how he felt now.
"So this is what 'Yas' can do," he thought, chuckling. "I’ve been missing out on half of life." Although he’d only ended up in that situation due to Frenzy, he had no regrets. In fact, he resolved to try it again in the future.
Now that he’d safely survived this month’s Frenzy, it was time to settle back into his usual routine. Even with a bounty on his head, Yor’s life was relatively peaceful.
At five million beris, he wasn’t exactly a big catch. Most bounty hunters realized it wasn’t worth the risk to come after him, especially with the Forbidden Forest’s natural obstacles. And even if they managed to find him, they’d still need the strength to make it back after facing the forest’s dangers.
“Honestly, five million is hardly enough to contain someone like me,” he thought smugly.
Thanks to that, he’d enjoyed a quiet week after his Frenzy. Today, however, was the day he usually received intel. This time, it was Im Hanul, not Chae-rin, who had come to deliver it.
It had been a while since he’d seen her, and as she descended from the sky, Yor greeted her casually. “Hey, it’s been a while. Did you come instead of Chae-rin?”
“Yeah, she’s been down with a bad case of exhaustion and had to take a couple of weeks off streaming. So I finally had some free time.”
Yor felt a slight pang of guilt—he knew the exact reason she’d been bedridden. It was undoubtedly due to the “event” a week ago. Even he had to admit he’d pushed her a bit hard.
“Did she tell you anything?” he wondered.
Pretending not to know, he asked, “Exhaustion? What happened?”
“I’m not sure. She said it was from some intense workout, but I didn’t ask for details.”
Yor nodded subtly, glad that Chae-rin hadn’t revealed anything. She wasn’t the type to share such personal matters. He allowed himself a brief, bitter smile, realizing the situation had turned complicated.
“Now I’ve got a secret from Chae-rin.” The thought of how he’d eventually handle this left him with a mild headache.
“Well, I’ll figure it out somehow,” he reassured himself, deciding to stay optimistic. It wasn’t as if he and Chae-rin had become romantically involved. Such a relationship would be complicated, anyway, with the unbreakable barrier between them—he, an NPC, and she, an Otherworlder.
Despite his dislike for the term “NPC,” that was what he was to the Otherworlders. They had their own world to return to, and this place was just a game to them. Even with those close to him, it was a truth that couldn’t be ignored, leaving him feeling a bit bitter.
“So, what’s the news today?” Yor swiftly shifted the topic.
“Listen carefully; don’t be shocked,” Hanul said, her tone serious, as if she had something truly significant to share.
“Dantalion has been defeated.”
Dantalion—the persistent demon who had caused Yor so much trouble—had finally been sent back to the underworld. Strangely, Yor didn’t feel as relieved as he’d expected. Instead, an inexplicable unease crept over him.
He looked up blankly at the sky, its clear blue stretching endlessly above the green leaves. It was an unusually calm, dry day, with not even the slightest breeze.
“Looks like it’s going to rain soon,” he thought, finding solace in the mundane.
The demon's capture had been a covert operation. While Dantalion himself was notoriously slow, he was always accompanied by Harold, a swift-footed lieutenant who was adept at escaping when pursued. Additionally, as a skilled sorcerer, Dantalion would’ve led an ordinary raid group to considerable casualties.
For this mission, however, the knights had prepared meticulously, led by Captain Rayleigh of the Fourth Knights Division and a small, elite team. They surrounded Dantalion and cut off every route of escape.
The clash was brutal. Dantalion’s shield shattered with a sickening crunch, leaving a gaping diagonal slash across his chest as Rayleigh’s holy water-infused sword cleaved through. His barrier was useless against the captain’s sharp swordsmanship, which rendered even Dantalion’s spells ineffective.
“At last, I’ve finally struck down a demon with my own sword,” Rayleigh declared, watching blood pour from the deep wound across Dantalion’s chest. Without any regeneration abilities, Dantalion was essentially defeated.
Meanwhile, Harold had already retreated, having quickly realized it was impossible to escape together. Though injured, he’d managed to force open a path for himself. Rayleigh chuckled, shaking his head. “Even betrayed by his own, huh?”
“Not quite. In fact, I asked him to flee alone if things got bad,” Dantalion replied, still smiling, as if he’d expected all this. Rayleigh raised his sword, questioning, “You seem unbothered by your own demise. Why?”
“Because the foundation has already been laid... I can afford to wait patiently in the underworld,” Dantalion answered cryptically, the word “foundation” lingering ominously in Rayleigh’s mind. It sounded as if a new demon might soon appear, which would be disastrous.
Maintaining his composure, Rayleigh replied, “It doesn’t matter who emerges next. Humanity’s strength remains steadfast. We will cleanse this world of all demons and return to peace.”
At this, Dantalion laughed derisively. “You really believe that?”
Dantalion dropped to the ground, taking on a casual pose as if inviting conversation. With a grievous wound in his chest, escape was impossible, even if he tried.
Rayleigh heightened his vigilance, but Dantalion merely continued talking. “Six hundred years ago, Decarabia first descended upon your world, the first demon you humans faced.”
Rayleigh was momentarily stunned, surprised to hear an ancient tale straight from a demon’s mouth. He speculated carefully. “Did the Lemegeton demons tell you?”
“No, I heard it from the underworld. Even though it wasn’t our faction, the news spread widely. Losing parts of their body in your realm, of course it’d circulate.”
Rayleigh listened intently as Dantalion continued, “Since then, until Andromalius appeared, only three demons emerged in those six hundred years. But after Andromalius, including me, four demons have surfaced within just a year.”
“Doesn’t that seem strange to you?” Dantalion grinned darkly, his bloody face forming an unsettling smile.
Rayleigh, irritated, shot back, “That’s because the Lemegeton faction has been supporting you. Even the monsters have been appearing more frequently.”
“Do you truly believe that’s all there is to it?” Dantalion’s words were laced with a sinister confidence. “Yes, Lemegeton followers have summoned us, but those actions merely added drops to an already brimming glass.”
Rayleigh’s spine tingled as he began to grasp the implications. It sounded as if the demon appearances were part of some greater, inevitable plan.
Dantalion continued, “Armageddon is coming, and no matter how hard humanity struggles, your fate is already sealed.”
New novel chapters are published on freewёbn૦νeɭ.com.
“Curse you,” Rayleigh spat, finally raising his sword, ending Dantalion’s sinister words before they could turn into a full-blown curse.
With a swift slash, Dantalion’s body disintegrated, his voice trailing off in a haunting whisper. “When the time comes, humanity will bow before my king...”
And so, with one last ear left on the ground, the demon hunt was complete. Yet, Rayleigh was left with an ominous sense of foreboding.
“If what he said is true... this could be catastrophic.”
Demons, who had appeared only three times over six centuries, now manifested one after another in his lifetime. Though this realization stung, he knew his duty: prepare for the next demon, conserve holy water, and secure the empire from future threats.
"For instance... the demon’s child the empire lost track of decades ago."
Rayleigh’s gaze drifted into the distance, a faint worry etched in his eyes.