You Are the Calamity of This War!
"You lot are the disaster of this war. Get out of here right now!"
Sasuri, whom they met in the Dungeon Prison, yelled that the moment he saw Pao and Seibier.
Seibier, oblivious to it all, happily licked Sasuri's face in greeting. But since it was in its true hatchling form rather than its chubby baby shape, Sasuri felt a chill run down his spine.
Pao scratched his head and asked, "Disaster? Us? Why?"
Sasuri gently pushed Seibier's tongue away with his wing and urgently worked his beak. "To be precise, Seibier could become the disaster."
"Why?"
Sasuri gazed toward the distant battlefield where war was raging. "The Ogre King copies everything it sees and turns it into its army."
"Don't know. What that mean?"
"Tell more detail, quiiiik!"
Pao and Turkan pressed Sasuri relentlessly.
He gathered his thoughts for a moment before speaking. "Suddenly, the Ogre King started copying every monster it could see, making exact duplicates. Then it used those copies to slaughter the other monsters."
"Ogre King! How do? Copy! Quiiiik!"
"When a monster catches the Ogre King's eye, something sticky oozes out from its body. And that turns into an exact copy of whatever the Ogre King saw."
At those words, Turkan tilted his head as if realizing something. "Sasuri. When I try jump into battlefield. You say go quick. Quiiiik! Maybe? Quiik!"
"Yeah. If the Ogre King sees you, it'll copy you for sure. That'd just give us another tough enemy... But it's already too late. The moment you left the battlefield, your copy appeared."
Just then, Pao shot his hand up. "Fake Turkan! Met on way. Chubby kill it!"
Sasuri's face turned pale at the news. "What? For real?"
"Yeah!"
"Did you run into the Ogre King by any chance?"
Pao and Seibier shook their heads in unison.
"Didn't see!"
Krurruk!
"Phew. Thank goodness."
If the Ogre King had made a copy of Seibier? Unthinkable catastrophe would ensue.
Sasuri kept working his beak. "That's exactly why I told you to leave this place. If the Ogre King copies Seibier, it'd be an irreversible disaster. So hurry back."
But Seibier had no intention of doing so. To Seibier, Sasuri and Pao were irreplaceable friends. It didn't grasp the full situation, but friends in crisis? No way was it leaving.
Pao felt the same—no way was he going back!
"My rice paddy! I protect!"
Sasuri frowned, glancing back and forth between the two. "You guys really don't listen."
Pao and Seibier nodded as if it were obvious.
"Even if I say stay put quietly instead of going back, you won't listen."
The two nodded vigorously again.
"There has to be some way..."
As Sasuri pondered, Pao asked, "But why it do that? Ogre King."
"No idea. It was quiet until yesterday, so why all of a sudden..."
On top of that, how could the Ogre King even create monster copies? A total mystery.
What to do with these guys?
Pao was one thing, but Seibier absolutely could not be copied.
If we could fight completely hidden...
Sasuri suddenly remembered something. "Chubby. You can't use Invisible magic by any chance?"
Invisible—the invisibility spell. Adult dragons could cast it effortlessly, but Seibier was still in its juvenile phase and hadn't mastered a wide range of magic.
Sasuri groaned at the head-tilt in response. "Urgh. If only you'd learned that spell."
Being invisible meant staying out of the Ogre King's sight. From what he'd observed, the Ogre King could only copy targets in its direct line of vision.
Seibier could've been a solid asset with Invisible, but without it, joining the fight was out of the question.
Then Turkan chimed in. "That magic. Monster use it. Quiiiik!"
"Oh, right! There is one like that."
There was a unique monster in the Dungeon Prison that could cast the advanced spell Invisible despite being a mere beast.
* * *
"...No time to be bored, huh."
Esperona muttered lazily from her bed, as usual. Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling projection.
It showed scenes from the Dungeon Prison.
"Monsters at war with each other."
Crunch. Crunch.
Unlike her usual self, Esperona watched with keen interest, munching popcorn vigorously. The massive brawl that erupted late morning felt straight out of a war movie.
Ever since learning Han Ji-woo's group could freely enter and exit the Dungeon Prison, she'd check it whenever the mood struck.
Full of anticipation each time, but always ending in disappointment.
No sign of them today either.
Usually, it was just Pao coming over. Occasionally with Han Ji-woo.
Seeing his face always boiled her blood.
Dungeon Prison was for the guilty only—Dungeon Guards like Esperona couldn't set foot there. If she could, Han Ji-woo would've been dead long ago.
Anyway, she wasn't checking for them out of longing.
Ungrateful stray cat. Living the good life there, huh.
At first, she resented Ferrofero for betraying her. But over time, that morphed into something else.
She cursed the wretch endlessly, yet checked daily with a sliver of hope.
And today, an unexpected scene appeared.
The Ogre King, looking on the verge of death, sprawled on the ground. Three other ogres gathered around, gazing at him with pity.
"No way he got beat by someone, so must be his time to go."
Monsters placed in dungeons didn't age. Even if killed, they revived on reset.
But Dungeon Prison monsters aged and could reproduce to increase numbers.
In short, the Ogre King had simply reached the end of its lifespan.
It designated one of the three ogres as successor.
But the ritual failed spectacularly, sparking an unimaginable event.
That ignited the war.
Esperona, having watched it all unfold, wondered how it would end.
So far, the Ogre King's copy monster legion held the advantage.
But now, variables: Pao and Seibier.
Yet they weren't joining the fray—instead, following Sasuri somewhere.
Esperona pulled up a new window beside the Dungeon Prison feed.
It showed the heroes conquering the dungeon, mowing down popping monsters like weeds.
Reaping the benefits of the powerful gear from Han Ji-woo and Irene's teamwork.
Mitchell, backed by constellation power, unleashed terrifying up-to-4th-circle flame magic, turning the dungeon into the heroes' playground.
Esperona slurped her drink.
Slurp—gulp.
"Balance patch incoming over there."
She considered meddling more but decided to watch.
Andra Marshall, whom she'd turned into a monster, had appeared only once.
If the heroes breezed through his legion too, then she'd act.
Until then, observe.
Too much hassle otherwise.
* * *
The place where Han Ji-woo was dragged by Befar and Gaf was inside some unknown cave.
They emerged from a hot spring pool on one side.
"You've returned safely."
Before the captured Han Ji-woo stood a golden-haired beauty astride a silver horse. A griffin wing on his back, and above his head: Third-Rank High Official Demon Seir.
Unlike his soft smile, Seir's eyes coldly appraised Han Ji-woo.
"This the human hanging with the half-assed prince?"
Befar nodded.
"What about Lord Amon?"
"He'll arrive soon."
Speak of the devil?
"Ooooh. You brought him."
A booming voice echoed through the cave, followed by immense energy washing over Han Ji-woo like a tidal wave.
Amid the suffocating pressure, the First-Rank High Official Demon—and 7th in hierarchy—Amon appeared.
His grotesque face: crow's head with dog's fangs.
Gulp!
Han Ji-woo swallowed dryly. The overwhelming presence of his first First-Rank encounter was no joke.
Yet, strangely, not scary.
Why?
In this contradictory moment, Han Ji-woo easily figured it out.
This pressure is child's play compared to the Creator.
He'd already faced the Creator who made the Mid-Realm.
Thus, Amon's aura was bearable.
Amon found Han Ji-woo's reaction amusing.
"Oh ho. No fear in those eyes staring at me. Impressive guts. But."
Amon suddenly gripped Han Ji-woo's chin. His hand was ice-cold.
"How long can you keep up that bravado?"
Amon smirked at Gaf. "The Demon King arrives soon. Go wait outside and escort him properly."
"Understood."
Gaf moved with a glance, Befar and Seir following.
Leaving only Han Ji-woo and Amon in the cave.
"You'll die soon. But don't feel too hard done by. Your death will leave a great legacy in this Demon Realm."
Han Ji-woo already knew Amon's scheme.
Azid's guess was spot on.
Azid had relayed his talks with Astaroth verbatim.
Events unfolded as they predicted.
So Han Ji-woo devised a plan.
Initially, once Toryong enriched 100 pyeong of land, back to Hidden Space.
But he always repaid grudges tenfold—and favors twofold!
—Azid. I'm captured in some unknown cave. Can you find me?
—Caves everywhere. Takes time.
—Hot spring here.
—Every cave has one.
—Oh, damn it. Amon's summoning the Demon King here.
—Hiding to lure the Demon King personally, fearing I'd snatch you en route to Demon King Castle.
—Wouldn't the Demon King moving draw more eyes?
—I can block Amon going to the Demon King, but not the Demon King coming to Amon.
—Smart bastard.
—That worm really make field fertile? 100 pyeong done, you safe go?
—Yeah. Then I can leave Demon Realm anytime. Even if not, I can still go. Minor personal loss. So don't worry 'bout me—think how to screw Amon. What if Demon King comes and I'm gone?
—That lunatic blew it up too big. Word of prince playing with human reached Demon King. Captured you as proof, lured him personally—if nothing there? Insulted the Demon King. Big punishment.
—Worst case?
—Head lopped off.
Han Ji-woo's lips curled into a grin.
—Music to my ears.
Amon tilted his head at the smile. "Grinning before death? Ahahaha! Such spirit—what a shame to kill."
Then, an odd proposal.
"You."
Amon's hand slid from chin to cheek, stroking it.
"Wanna come under me?"
"What?"
"Not impossible to spare you."
Amon licked his lips.
Why's it turning like this all sudden?
Charming everyone he met—now even turning enemies who wanted him dead.
Han Ji-woo, 24 years old: peak golden era.