Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Demon King Awakened
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He opened his eyes.
The darkened vision brightened, and the world came into view.
But it was a little different.
The amount of information flooding in through his eyes was incomparably vast compared to before.
There was no such thing as blind spots.
He could perceive everything in all eight directions beyond just four.
He could even vividly see the flow of mana.
With half-lidded eyes, he examined his own body.
The body that had been crushed into chunks of meat had been reborn perfectly—beyond perfect.
‘Exoskeleton?’
Due to the influence of the skill ‘Demon King Transformation,’ a black, sturdy exoskeleton covered his entire body, exuding demonic energy.
Not only that, but two horns protruded from his head, and three pairs of black wings spread wide behind his back, proclaiming his presence.
Even his hair had grown down to his shoulders.
But the most changed aspect wasn’t that superficial appearance.
Power overflowed.
No, such crude words couldn’t express it.
Omnipotence.
Seo Woo-jin realized that his current self could do anything.
Literally ‘anything.’
That meant he could crush the she-dragon before him with a single finger.
‘This is the ‘Demon King.’’
Seo Woo-jin shuddered at the power emanating from his entire body.
Suddenly, he felt someone’s gaze and turned his head toward it.
It was Mohiaddin.
He lay sprawled at the she-dragon’s feet, staring at him with a dazed expression.
It seemed he had rushed in to save the city somehow and ended up like that...
No emotions stirred.
Normally, he would have been full of admiration for that sense of responsibility and sacrificial spirit.
Though Seo Woo-jin thought it strange about himself, he didn’t dwell on it much.
There was no time to care about someone like Mohiaddin; better to deal with the she-dragon in front of him.
He turned his emotionless gaze to stare straight at the she-dragon.
[Ah...]
Countless emotions filled the she-dragon’s remaining eye.
Shock, awe, envy, and fear.
[The time has come!]
The she-dragon bellowed.
It was a roar so intense that the knights and soldiers, who had been dazed by the incomprehensible situation, clutched their heads and collapsed.
[At last, that day has arrived, and destruction descends! Bow and worship, you foolish vermin! Rejoice at the coming apocaly—]
“Shut up.”
One word.
A simple word, not even laden with a scrap of mana.
Yet the she-dragon fell silent at that single utterance.
It had no ability to defy Seo Woo-jin’s command.
He lifted his head to meet the she-dragon’s eyes, dozens of meters up.
Then he issued another command.
“On your knees, bitch.”
Kwaaaang—!
In an instant, the she-dragon’s head slammed into the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
“Arghhh!”
The knights below who couldn’t evade in time were crushed and met their deaths.
“Protect the lord! Escort the lord away!”
He heard urgent voices, but Seo Woo-jin cleanly ignored them and slowly stepped forward.
The she-dragon’s pupil trembled mercilessly.
[Apocalypse, destruction of the world.]
As if unable to comprehend Seo Woo-jin’s actions, its voice carried bewilderment.
The dignity of a transcendent being was gone; only a cowering lizard remained before absolute power.
Seo Woo-jin soared up and landed atop the she-dragon’s head.
Step—step—
As he slowly walked along the bridge of its nose, the she-dragon sensed its impending death.
[Ah, I see. You are not the apocalypse after all. You are merely...]
“Shut up and die already.”
He raised his foot and kicked it between the eyes.
Pukeok—!!
The dragon scales encasing its head shattered into powder, and the skull—known as the hardest in the world—cracked like glass.
Black blood and debris flew through the air and splattered on the ground.
That was the end.
The she-dragon, herald of the apocalypse’s prelude, perished with its head obliterated by a single kick from Seo Woo-jin.
[Level up.]
How many levels had he gained?
The reward for soloing a monster on par with Gerald and Reina was beyond imagination.
But Seo Woo-jin ignored the continuously appearing messages.
He was more interested in something else.
“Hmm...”
After glancing at the pathetic corpse for a moment, Seo Woo-jin crooked his finger.
Pusht—!
The she-dragon’s body convulsed, and something burst out from its back.
It was a massive gem the size of Seo Woo-jin’s torso.
The golden jewel seemed similar at first glance to the one spewed by the Rose Ruby, but it wasn’t.
It was a treasure of incomparable, supreme quality.
The she-dragon’s heart.
Seo Woo-jin reached out toward it.
Crack—
Cracks began to form on the she-dragon’s heart where his finger touched.
Crackle—crack—!
As if waiting for this moment, the heart shattered into pieces.
Not a single fragment remained as it was swiftly absorbed into Seo Woo-jin’s body.
Unlike when he obtained the Rose Ruby’s gem, there was no intense pain or bodily evolution.
His body, having undergone ‘Demon King Transformation,’ was already perfect—no need for such changes.
Yet Seo Woo-jin savored the satisfaction, reveling in the power overflowing within him.
‘Now, what should I do?’
He no longer needed to struggle and toil to survive.
He was far too strong for that.
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
‘Kill them.’
Starting with those who had looked down on him all this time.
Smash their mouths and rip off their heads so they could never do it again.
It was a pleasing idea.
What next?
‘Right, those guys too.’
Gerald, Reina, and their followers.
He’d kill them too.
They might be hiding, but finding them wouldn’t be hard.
Even now, demonic energy hundreds of kilometers away felt within grasp.
Following the demonic energy would quickly reveal their hiding spot.
And after that?
Wander the world, killing anyone who annoyed him or displeased him.
The world was full of vermin.
‘Like those down there.’
Seo Woo-jin’s gaze turned downward.
Mohiaddin and the knights and soldiers.
Pitiful vermin who thought to save the city by fighting the she-dragon.
Seo Woo-jin felt laughter bubbling up.
With such meager skill, who did they think they could stop?
Weren’t they practically begging to die?
‘Fine. If you want to die that badly, I’ll grant it.’
The vermin didn’t recognize Seo Woo-jin.
Was it because his appearance had changed too much?
Or because they couldn’t believe it?
Either way, it didn’t matter.
They were going to die anyway.
Seo Woo-jin raised his hand and pointed at them.
He heard them turn pale and shout.
“Prepare for battle!”
“Escort the lord and retreat! We’ll hold off that monster with our lives!”
The knights began forming ranks, bleeding, while the soldiers gripped their spears with tears in their eyes.
Seo Woo-jin tilted his head.
“Monster?”
Were they referring to him?
“I’m not a monster.”
He was a hero.
Of course, his class was ‘Demon King,’ but that was far from monster.
He was far more human and sensible than... someone with the ridiculous class of ‘Saintess’ like Sung Yu-ra.
‘Human? Am I human?’
Confusion clouded Seo Woo-jin’s eyes.
‘Who am I?’
He didn’t know.
Demon King or hero.
Or perhaps...
“Seo Woo-jin. Right, my name is Seo Woo-jin.”
An ordinary young man from South Korea.
A poor guy who ended up in this damned place due to a drunken bad choice.
Seo Woo-jin remembered his name.
His mind cleared.
At the same time, his sanity returned.
He saw the injured Mohiaddin being evacuated and the knights and soldiers preparing a desperate last stand with terrified expressions.
Just moments ago, he had intended to kill them.
For no reason, just because they annoyed him.
‘...What the hell was I thinking?’
Recalling the thoughts he’d held until then, Seo Woo-jin let out a hollow laugh.
Chills ran down his spine.
He hadn’t expected ‘Demon King Transformation’ to truly turn him into a ‘Demon King.’
Not just in power and form, but even inwardly.
‘This isn’t me.’
It was then that Seo Woo-jin regained his sense of self.
[The skill 『Demon King Transformation』 will be released.]
[Do you agree?]
[『Demon King Transformation』 is a passive skill. Upon release, it cannot be reactivated without fulfilling the conditions again.]
Messages appeared.
‘Of course!’
Seo Woo-jin moved to release the skill but hesitated.
He became aware of the gazes glaring at him.
‘Not now.’
If ‘Demon King Transformation’ ended and they saw him revert to Seo Woo-jin, that would cause huge problems.
‘I’ll release it somewhere else.’
Conveniently, his ‘eyes’ detected a suitable spot.
Flap—
He spread his wings and soared into the sky, streaking through the air.
The speed was incomparable to using ‘Swift’ or ‘Celestial Wing.’
In an instant, he arrived at an empty field devoid of people.
The city was now too far to see.
Only then did Seo Woo-jin release the skill.
“Ah...”
Power drained away.
The omnipotent strength vanished in a moment, overwhelming fatigue dominating his body.
The exoskeleton, wings, and horns covering his body all vanished.
All that remained was a pair of torn pants.
“Haha—”
Seo Woo-jin let out a hollow laugh.
The immense power was gone, but he felt no regret.
On the contrary, he was grateful to have returned to normal before being consumed by that power and committing something irreversible.
Confirming his half-naked body, Seo Woo-jin scratched his head.
“What now?”
The she-dragon was dead.
But the situation wasn’t over yet.
Unless the Sword Sage and Shadow Duke came to dispel the ‘Decoy’ spell, its effect would persist.
“Guess I should head back to the city first.”
Pondering what excuse to give, Seo Woo-jin began trudging toward the city.
“...You’re alive?”
Upon arriving at the city, the first thing Seo Woo-jin saw were knights cleaning up the battlefield.
They spotted him and immediately reported to Mohiaddin, allowing a quick reunion.
“Yeah, well. Somehow I survived.”
Seo Woo-jin gave an awkward smile as he replied.
“I thought you were dead.”
That’s what his subordinate knights had reported.
Fortunately, they hadn’t realized the monster that killed the she-dragon was Seo Woo-jin.
“What happened?”
Seo Woo-jin feigned ignorance and asked.
“Honestly, I don’t know either. When I heard you’d fallen, I gathered the troops and set out...”
Then suddenly a ‘black entity’ appeared and killed the she-dragon.
It was a series of incomprehensible events for him.
“For now, with the cleanup urgent, that’s what we’re doing.”
Seo Woo-jin nodded gravely.
“You still haven’t figured out who killed the she-dragon?”
“Unfortunately. It vanished suddenly, no chance to investigate.”
Leaving immediately had been the right call.
“But what about you? I heard you fell in battle.”
“Ah, well, you see.”
Seo Woo-jin started spinning a tale.
During the fight, he took an unexpected blow and was sent flying far, far away.
He’d just regained consciousness and arrived now—that was his excuse.
It was a flimsy story, but Mohiaddin nodded.
The words of a hero who had risked his life fighting the she-dragon to save the city.
Doubting it was unthinkable.
“I’m relieved.”
Mohiaddin genuinely rejoiced, celebrating Seo Woo-jin’s safe return.
‘To think I tried to kill a man like this...’
Seo Woo-jin sighed in relief and resolved to refrain from using the ‘Demon King Transformation’ skill.
Of course, since he’d have to meet the conditions again, it wouldn’t be easy to use anyway.