Chapter 80. First Visit to Afraksas (2)
After the conversation ended, Jeonghyeon gave Jeonghu, Philip, and Nus some time to process what he'd just said.
"If you want to back out now, speak up. The path I'm taking leads straight to the Demon King."
He'd gone that far, so they were probably mulling it over seriously.
"No way. I'll follow you no matter what."
Philip responded simply and clearly.
"They're the bastards attacking our dimension anyway—hell yeah!"
He was even more fired up about it.
On top of that, the fact that Jeonghyeon—the man he'd been following—was humanity's last hunter in his previous life? That just made him like it even more.
"Good. Thanks."
"I'm your servant who serves the Demon King and your familiar. I'll follow you too."
Nus gave the same response, pledging loyalty to Jeonghyeon.
'Tch.'
An Ethereal Slime as a familiar would definitely be a huge help.
The one he was most worried about was Jeonghu.
'It's not like I'm regretting the Epic Weapon or anything...'
That was partly because he'd shared Jeonghu's backstory.
The memory of losing his precious first comrade because of it, and how that had led him to seek out Jeonghu.
He said he'd moved past those feelings now, but Jeonghu might still harbor some unease.
If so, he'd be losing a valuable asset.
'Seriously, it's not about the Epic Weapon.'
"Me too... I was just gonna die a pathetic death anyway. No better options, right?"
Fortunately, though, Jeonghu decided to follow Jeonghyeon.
"Thanks. Truly."
In his past life, most of Jeonghyeon's comrades had been drawn to his power and charisma, following him in pursuit of strength.
Looking back, Jeonghyeon hadn't truly trusted anyone but himself.
For a man like that, the day had come when he felt genuine gratitude for someone's sincere companionship.
It hit him differently.
"So, what about the others? Can they be left out of the loop?"
Philip fiddled with the cylinder containing his armor as he asked.
He meant the Wakin sisters, Hwang Dooman, and the Jo family folks—what to do with them?
"They... don't need to know yet."
They probably never would, for the rest of their lives—that Jeonghyeon had regressed.
That was how it had to be.
To alter the flow of fixed history, they couldn't know that history.
Only the truly trustworthy ones who'd stick with him to the end.
"Got it. Then we gotta step up our game."
Jeonghu gripped his gauntlet tightly.
Yeah. They needed to grow.
Jeonghyeon recalled the main quest.
Growth of the Demon King's Kin
With two subordinates each equipped with one Epic Weapon, climb to the 30th floor of the Tower using only the subordinates.
Reward: Next Main Quest. Demon King Shop level up, movement to Afraksas.
'Perfect timing.'
The reward of moving to Afraksas still held value.
He couldn't keep bothering Horakti every time, and the dragon had plenty of other tasks anyway.
"Alright. Then here's your next order."
Jeonghyeon gathered mana at his forehead.
The mana Horakti had left resonated, and in an instant, the dragon appeared in midair, wings flapping.
"Can you send them back where they came from?"
"Of course."
"You guys head back. And clear the Tower up to the 30th floor."
Jeonghyeon shared his Demon King power with Jeonghu and Philip.
With the dual-subordination effect boosting their operational abilities, it couldn't hurt.
Whether that power worked the same across dimensions was questionable, but they'd see.
They'd grown enough by now to handle the 30th floor on their own anyway.
"Yes sir! We'll smash it!"
"What do we do once it's done?"
At Jeonghu's question, Jeonghyeon grinned.
"I know a way. Knight, let's roll."
Jeonghyeon patted Horakti's back like he was signaling a truck driver to depart.
"Don't order me around like that."
Horakti grumbled but obeyed Jeonghyeon meekly.
Pop.
Flash.
Just twice,
It took mere seconds before Horakti reappeared.
"They're safely back."
"Good work. Five stars for you."
"What's that?"
"Never mind. Human joke."
"I see."
Horakti nodded.
"So, what's your next goal?"
"We find you a place to live first. Let's take some plains."
They were allies now. Nothing else pressing, so why not?
Jeonghyeon figured he'd scout the current state of Afraksas while he was at it—time to get started.
"R-right... Sure, works for me."
Horakti even seemed surprised by Jeonghyeon's momentum.
"Let's go."
Horakti activated Guide of Spirits.
***
Jeonghyeon arrived in a vast forest.
A massive mountain range loomed behind him, and a faint, briny sea scent lingered amid the trees.
The mana emanating from the unusually red soil was thick and potent.
"Yeah. Knew you'd bring us here."
Jeonghyeon recognized the place just from the smell.
Elaha's Garden, as it was nicknamed.
Mountains to the rear, dense jungle in the center, desert to the west, plains to the east. Head south, and you'd hit the sea—a natural fortress.
Perfect for beastkin, with their mix of animal traits.
"Is that so? Familiar spot, huh."
'Familiar? You could say that. Great starting point.'
Elaha's Garden was, true to its name, home to a high elf named Elaha.
"This is high elf territory. If you're listening somewhere nearby—which you probably are."
High elves were extremely sensitive to mana.
Newborn infants could handle it better than most adult F-rank hunters.
So attuned to it, they would've sensed Jeonghyeon and Horakti's arrival immediately.
'In the future, they'd already been overrun by dark elves and necromancers, stripped of their mana and barely surviving.'
By the time Jeonghyeon had reached Elaha's Garden, Elaha was long dead.
Malekith's minions had taken over—mostly beastkin and zombies.
"I helped them out big time back in the day."
Jeonghyeon grinned smugly.
He'd driven out those zombies and beastkin, restoring the high elves' land.
They had a great relationship—maybe they could even negotiate territory peacefully.
'Finally, some talking before fighting.'
That was the moment it happened.
"What business brings you to this garden?"
A translucent veil in the air parted, revealing elves who'd been hidden within.
White hair gleaming with radiance, white pupils, porcelain skin, and nails.
Nobler and stronger than ordinary elves.
The high elves had emerged.
"Ah. I wanted to talk with you all."
The handsome elf at the front stepped forward.
A familiar face.
'Romanell, huh. Good to see you.'
True to a long-lived race, he looked exactly as he had when Jeonghyeon met him in his past life.
Slender build, skin so pale he was often mistaken for a woman—a full-fledged male elf.
He'd been Jeonghyeon's comrade in the fight against the Demon King, one of the rare high elves who wielded a sword as a proper knight.
His swordsmanship was fluid and swift; Jeonghyeon had learned much from him.
But unlike Jeonghyeon's friendly demeanor, Romanell was outright hostile.
"Talk? With that filthy mana pouring off you? We will never yield our territory."
Jeonghyeon poked Horakti's side.
"Hey. He's on our side—don't show that much hostility."
"What? I'm not even using mana."
"Huh?"
Whoosh—!
An arrow whistled past Jeonghyeon's cheek as he tried to continue.
A gust brushed his face, and blood trailed in its wake.
Jeonghyeon slowly turned to see an elf behind Romanell, bow drawn, glaring daggers.
The elf's eyes burned with hostility—and a hint of fear.
"Ah."
Right. I'm the Demon King now.
Not just an awakened hunter anymore, but a full-fledged new Demon King.
A race that hated Demon Kings meant a race that hated him.
"Ha. This is gonna suck."
Which meant he had to fight these powerful high elves.
"Fucking great."
Jeonghyeon sighed deeply. No rest for the weary.
Reluctantly, he drew the Blood Dissector from his inventory.
"Demon King invasion! Repel them all!"
At Romanell's shout, more elves emerged from the forest.
"Hey, Horakti..."
Horakti had vanished, leaving Jeonghyeon alone.
"Son of a bitch. Can't count on that birdbrain for shit...!"
Guess he had to handle this solo again.
Still, he didn't want to kill high elves who'd once been comrades.
Subdue them first, talk later.
With that in mind, Jeonghyeon turned his blade on his old allies.
***
"W-what the...?!"
Romanell's pupils trembled violently.
It was bewildering.
Over their long history, he'd witnessed the sword arts of countless races.
Most combat styles and counters in Afraksas had been passed down.
Clang!
But this swordsmanship— so concise, so precise—was unlike anything.
"Hup!"
Jeonghyeon expended barely enough effort to catch his breath, yet his form vanished and reappeared in an instant.
Several high elves crumpled, bleeding, in his wake.
No weaknesses to exploit.
His sword's trajectory devoured them like a predator.
Blades positioned to sever limbs, heads from torsos.
The high elves began to tremble as his crimson-black mana-laced sword aura whipped through the air.
'This won't kill them.'
But he wasn't dismembering them like they feared.
He aimed, sure, but...
"Hup!"
Shallow wounds, treatable.
Blood sprayed dramatically for maximum intimidation.
No fatal blows.
Mid-tier recovery skills would save them all.
'High elves are synonymous with healers—they'll patch each other up.'
As Jeonghyeon predicted, some elves dragged the fallen away into hiding.
Their numbers dwindled sharply.
That's when Jeonghyeon lowered his sword to sue for peace, extending a hand instead.
Leader Romanell eased his hostility, lowering his stance.
"Look, I don't want your territory or anything..."
But Jeonghyeon hadn't accounted for one variable.
"This is the Demon King's pact! Die, you elf scum!!"
Horakti didn't know the high elves like Jeonghyeon did.
The dragon popped out from hiding, aiming Guide of Spirits straight at Romanell. The tiny blade—barely bigger than Horakti's funny bone—flashed menacingly.
No time for a sigh.
Jeonghyeon hurled himself at Horakti to protect Romanell.
"Can't you just chill for once, you asshole?!"
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