Chapter 26: Reorganization (1)

…….

A profound silence fell.

There was no sound of the mandragora being pulverized without form from the activation of Value Proof, nor the crumbling of dungeon structures under the wind pressure.

Philip had simply collapsed in place after gently setting the end of his mace on the ground, as if in perfect peace.

Jeonghyeon let out a ragged sigh laced with blood.

“Haa……”

He could tell immediately ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠whether it had succeeded or not.

Jeonghyeon gave a subtle smile at the quest completion message flickering before his eyes.

The staff, having fulfilled its role as an Epic Weapon, crumbled into powder and scattered into the air.

***

The Tower held a strange magic.

Even if you were on the brink of death at the boundary between life and death, clearing the floor restored your body to its original state. Mental fatigue didn't recover at all, but hey, it was something.

Back in the corridor, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠group sighed in relief upon realizing they were alive.

The Yongmyeong punks were hugging each other and bawling their eyes out in gratitude for their survival.

Who the hell saved these brats, and now they're celebrating among themselves?

“Whew. Thought we were goners.”

Jeonghyeon, whose bleeding had miraculously stopped, felt the same relief. But he was in a foul mood regardless.

He had regressed, possessed a far superior body to his previous one, and gained top-tier abilities—yet climbing the Tower floor by floor was harder than expected.

Back when he first encountered those Yongmyeong punks in the field, he'd thought he'd reach the Demon King years ahead of his past life.

At this rate, I'm slower than even with Solgaleh……

Lying down, he turned his head slightly and saw Philip passed out on the floor, fast asleep.

If even Jeonghyeon was this exhausted, it must have been an ordeal for the guy who'd been a D- to E-rank hunter just recently—no matter how much training he'd done. Sure, he was aiming for B-rank now, but still.

This power thing. It's harder to handle than I thought.

Jeonghyeon reflected. A power that required him to manage the condition of those who followed him, those who went with him.

He had been overwhelmingly strong even among the Demon King subjugation squad, but had he truly been someone who could lead them? The question lodged uncomfortably in one corner of his lungs as he breathed.

It felt stifling.

“Demon King Shop.”

Jeonghyeon let out a hollow chuckle.

“What the hell. It unlocks the next Demon King Shop stage?”

Didn't it say the shop level would rise if he cleared the dungeon without casualties?

And this was the upgrade? Another paywall for the next level?

That bastard. Can't pin a shred of sincerity on him.

What pissed him off even more was something else.

The battle earlier had cost 500 points for the comprehension boost buff. From 2988, minus 500 made 2488.

“We busted our asses for that clear, and it gives less than 1000 points?”

Even those notoriously stingy dragons weren't this tightfisted.

“Not even Gapryong Alhain pulled this shit. You Demon King fucker.”

Irritated, Jeonghyeon checked the next quest just in case.

“Quest.”

Had he ever seen such a lunatic?

He thought he was beyond laughter, but it just kept getting more ridiculous.

“You joking? Pick low difficulty and pay points for it?”

Setting aside the negative points for low, medium giving just 1 point made his blood boil. What the hell could you do with that pittance?

Anyone could see it was pushing for high difficulty.

No, with no real choice, it wasn't even a selection.

“Hah.”

The silver lining was that high difficulty's rewards looked pretty damn good.

So it's called the Demon King's Eye.

Afraksas natives had sometimes called black mages' ominous eyes "demon eyes," so it must refer to this.

Anyway, skill levels up and recovering the unlock points wasn't bad, but what really caught his eye were the extras.

Attribute Domination slot……

Did that mean he could dominate one more person, including Philip? He was starting to see how the Demon King planned to raise him.

“Last time you came alone and it was boring, so bring everyone this time, huh.”

Jeonghyeon ground his teeth.

He was a hardcore individualist. Everyone followed him, but he'd never seen them as comrades. Not from distrust, but because he wanted to shoulder humanity's protection alone.

One life risked against the Demon King was enough— that was past-life Jeonghyeon.

And now, "domination" for him?

“Damn it.”

Sighing deeply and dropping his head limply, Jeonghyeon steadied his breathing and checked his status window again. Then he bought the shop unlock.

No other choice.

Oh ho.

Jeonghyeon's eyes, dulled by emptiness, lit up. His mind raced.

Epic Weapon liberation limit removal……

The first thing that jumped out was the Epic Weapon limit removal for the dominator. One-time use obviously meant for Blood Dissector.

500 points was just enough to break the limit, then grind endless liberation value.

The dominated version had no limit on uses.

It screamed the Demon King's intent: become a true dominator, wield your dominated pawns, leader against leader.

If he kept boosting Soul of the Mountain's liberation…… it'd be one hell of a weapon.

Jeonghyeon shot to his feet.

His mind whirred at full speed.

“Quest. High difficulty select.”

He chose without hesitation.

Raise hunter rank? After recruiting, now babysitting?

Suddenly turning him into a tutor, Jeonghyeon laughed in resignation.

“Haha. Fuck my life.”

***

Back in reality, Jeonghyeon and Philip spent two full days sprawled on the floor, sleeping day and night to recover completely from the exhaustion.

Testing, he activated the Demon King's Eye—mana felt fully charged, no strain.

Is there another way to recharge the Demon King's power?

That bastard never explained shit easily.

“Whew.”

Jeonghyeon sighed deeply, leaned back on the sofa, and pulled up the quest window in the air.

A few days of sleep, and time was down to 5 days. Normal methods wouldn't cut it now.

“Hm.”

Unlike when he first saw it, the now-calm Jeonghyeon stared piercingly at the window.

He pondered deeply. The Demon King's intent in giving a lone wolf like him—who'd lived bloodied and solo, scorning hunter politics and connections until death—this power.

He realized it quickly. The Demon King was shouting through the quest window, beyond the Demon King's Eye.

Borrow others' strength, wield it, and come back to him.

Sure, he could dress it up nicely, but it meant become a coward puppeteering from the shadows.

He'd craved revenge, yet Malekith wanted the blade in someone else's hand, savoring the pathetic process.

“Even if I kill you that way, since it won't be by my hand, it'd be your win.”

Jeonghyeon smirked.

The stronger he got, the weaker Malekith became—maybe he could kill him. If he found hunters stronger than himself. But no personal revenge. That was the dilemma, the Demon King's twisted game.

But realizing it didn't feel bad.

Instead, he hesitated no more. He decided to answer the call.

“Fine. I'll play your tune properly.”

Not a cowardly string-puller, but a true king leading all to charge the Demon King. He'd use the strongest power you gave without restraint—king against king, let's fight.

“Connections? Fuck it. I'll milk 'em for all they're worth.”

Jeonghyeon stood immediately.

To leverage his optimal connections for growth right now.

And smash quests nonstop to head to Afraksas first.