Chapter 74. Regime Change (3)
Jeonghyeon pointed first at Jo Yoon, gesturing toward the ordinary civilians on his far left.
"Alright then, Jo Yoon. Distribute the money piled up in the vault as compensation to those people on the far left."
"Yes."
As Jo Yoon nodded, the civilians stared at each other in stunned silence, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"W-Wait, really...?"
"For real?!"
Jeonghyeon smirked inwardly at their reactions, then pointed Jo Jeonghu toward the gladiators from the arena and the awakeners forced into dungeons right next to them.
"Jeonghu, persuade the people next to them and ask if they'll join me."
"Yes."
Next, he indicated the awakeners who had collaborated with the Jo family, speaking to Philip, who had handed over the dungeon map earlier.
"Philip, send those awakener bastards all into the dungeons. Until they've cleared them completely."
"Yes, sir!!"
"And finally, Nus. Kill all the bastards on the far right."
"You got it~!"
"What...? What did you say?! Hold on!!"
Before the mana stone merchants could even flee, Nus expanded its body massively, engulfing them.
Kwachak. Kwajik!
As if proving its true nature as a monster despite traveling with Jeonghyeon, it crushed them one by one.
"Now, shall we talk negotiations?"
After Philip assigned the humans loyal to the Jo family to the dungeons, Jeonghyeon gathered the remaining people and spoke.
"You all are innocent, so you can stay here or leave. But if you leave, don't think about coming back."
"Why... why is that?"
"Because I'm planning to rule this place."
Jeonghyeon's demeanor facing the innocent civilians was utterly serious.
The people beside him—even the collateral branches of the Jo family who had pledged loyalty—couldn't bring themselves to leave, listening intently to his words.
"Philip, Jeonghu. You listen well too."
Jeonghyeon paused, pondering where to begin, then opened his mouth.
"Beyond the Tower lies a hidden world entirely different from this one: Afraksas."
His words froze the already quiet room in an instant silence, like ice cracking.
"In Afraksas, the Demon King Malekith's influence reigns supreme, opposed only by a handful of other races. I plan to help them and stop the Demon King."
Jeonghyeon's resolute determination shone paradoxically red through his Demon King's Eye.
"To do that, I can't manage alone."
Jeonghyeon alone couldn't defeat the Demon King. And this time, he didn't even have Solgaleh's power.
To face the Demon King, he desperately needed the strength of subordinates or allies—no choice about it.
"That's why I chose Seoul's Western District as my first base to gather those allies."
"Soon, this place will draw awakeners and hunters, but they won't belong to the Hunter Association."
"Why...?"
One person in the crowd asked cautiously.
Jeonghyeon's answer was simple.
"Because I don't trust the Hunter Association."
The Hunter Association consolidated all awakeners. No one objected to hunters automatically affiliating with it upon awakening.
And that wouldn't change.
But that's exactly why Jeonghyeon couldn't endure its incompetence twice more.
"We'll be the third force. Neither on the Demon King's side nor humanity's."
"Guilds that shatter the moment we stop the Demon King—we'll create one where humans and other races unite."
"We'll operate between Afraksas and this world. So if the Demon King's forces come, the West will be their first target."
Jeonghyeon paused.
"Being here then means facing death head-on."
His words left everyone speechless.
The civilians exploited their whole lives, the awakeners who vaguely imagined some great enemy, even Philip who had followed Jeonghyeon without a single doubt.
"I'm not justice or good. Just another human on humanity's side."
Jeonghyeon extended his hand.
Nus climbed up his arm to his shoulder.
The monster that, moments ago, had drained the humans' life force to recharge mana and killed them. Nus.
"So even if it's hypocrisy, I don't care. If you ask what makes me different from the Demon King, I have no answer. If another human betrays and sides with the Demon King, I'll kill them without mercy. Just like the Jo family."
To fight the Demon King, even monsters are fine.
Conversely, siding with the Demon King means no mercy, even for humans. That was why Jeonghyeon had executed the Jo family without forgiveness.
"Compared to the trash who betrayed humanity that you've suffered under, this compensation is meager—I know. So please leave the West."
Jeonghyeon bowed politely, sincerely.
Even though it wasn't his doing.
"B-But... to maintain a village, don't you need shops and managers?"
But the voice that piped up had intentions entirely different from Jeonghyeon's expectations.
A civilian named Kim Hyeonsu, who ran a restaurant in the West, revealed his sturdy arms scarred from burns and spoke.
"If it's such a good cause, I'd love to help! I need to make a living too, so not for free, but aiding active awakeners would be great!"
"Yeah, exactly. Honestly, we ended up like this because of that Demon King or whatever! I'll join the revenge! I can't fight, but I'll help!"
Junhyeon, the blacksmith producing weapons in the West, chimed in.
"Haha~ I can't miss out on such an exciting party~! I'll fight alongside you anytime!"
Matarador, who thought he'd lost his life to Jeonghu but miraculously survived and received treatment, also raised his hand for Jeonghyeon.
It was unexpected.
Jeonghyeon had figured he'd start with just Jeonghu, Philip, and maybe Jo Yoon at most. He knew about Demon King territories later, but planned his own guild from the start, recruiting pre-scouted Hwang Dooman to form a small one.
But his sincere speech drew more people.
"Alright! We're all in!"
"Yeah! Let's do this! I never liked the Jo bastards or those Association collaborators anyway!!"
"Let's make our own good place!"
Soon, everyone gathered hoped to join Jeonghyeon.
"Can you include us too?"
Even those fully loyal to the Jo family approached Jeonghyeon first.
"We know our sins are many, but that's why following our leader to the end is the last shred of our humanity."
The first to step forward was a Chinese man speaking halting Korean.
"We know it's hypocrisy. But we're convinced. Whatever you command, even death—we won't refuse."
The man bowed his head and knelt on one knee.
"Jo Weirin of the Jo family collaterals. I wish to become your limb."
Having gained nearly 200 allies in an instant, Jeonghyeon smiled faintly.
Geung-!
As if a massive portal opened before Jeonghyeon, red light poured down, followed by the quest clear rewards.
He had secured the Western branch.
True to the title Newborn Demon King, it was the moment Jeonghyeon first set foot as a Demon King.
About a week passed in a whirlwind of busyness.
Jeonghyeon and his kin swiftly rebuilt the West, breached the dungeons, and purified them all.
Fortunately or not, the long-existing dungeons had left F-rank and D-rank fields.
The awakeners who had slaved under the Jo family in the arena and dungeons trained there to grow stronger.
"Storm Dragon Fist!! One Strike!!"
True to the Jo family style, most used martial arts, training diligently.
"Hahaha! Party time~! Die, you monster bastards! This is my bloodbath!"
Of course, outliers like Matarador stood out.
"Humans supplying resources, combat-ready awakeners, and two prime fields perfect for reaching C-rank with all these dungeons... Did you feed money to the ground or what?"
On the 13th floor of what was once the Jo family's guild building.
A man reading reports at what was now Jeonghyeon's desk sighed, forehead in hand, utterly incredulous.
Jeonghyeon lounged in his chair, basking in the sunlight with a grin.
"The best blacksmiths will join soon too. Not bad, right? Hwang Dooman?"
The man in Jeonghyeon's room was none other than the porter manager, Hwang Dooman.
He'd rushed to the West on Jeonghyeon's sudden call promising something good, half-suspicious, but the scenes unfolding were beyond imagination.
To the point he questioned if what he saw was reality.
As if entranced, Dooman backed away slowly.
Below the horizon in the distance, endless buildings stretched, massive fields visible between them.
People moved there with vibrant energy.
Just like the dream he'd once cherished for his son.
"The Hunter Association must know by now. Friction's inevitable—got a plan?"
"Dunno. It'll work out somehow."
Jeonghyeon replied like a cheeky teen, reclining the chair back and forth with a grin. Hard to believe this innocence from the man who'd just mercilessly executed the traitorous Jo family.
"What do you want me to do?"
"No one teaches better than you."
Jeonghyeon slid out of the chair, extending a hand toward Dooman.
"Looking forward to working with you. Instructor Hwang Dooman."
"...Instructor, huh."
Dooman let out a reluctant chuckle, accepting the handshake.
"Fine, I'll play along."