Chapter 241
Chapter 241
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 241
Chapter Title: The Black Existence Strikes Again
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Is it because his growth hasn't finished yet?
Rinar held a small sword in his hand, sized perfectly for a boy's body.
A slender yet sharp blade.
Even though it hadn't been long since he started learning the sword from Ban Slaine, his stance was already quite solid.
"Why are you late today?"
Ban Slaine asked with a deliberately stern expression.
But Rinar didn't seem intimidated by his master's demeanor at all, grinning as he replied.
"I woke up earlier than usual today, so I took a little walk outside the walls."
Ban Slaine frowned at those words.
"Didn't I tell you not to wander around recklessly?"
If Rinar really made up his mind to hide, even Ban Slaine would have a hard time finding him.
So how much harder would it be for the ordinary soldiers guarding Massive Guardian's gates?
Thanks to that, Rinar came and went from the fortress without anyone noticing, and Ban Slaine had banned him from going out, worried the kid might run into big trouble.
Yet Rinar ignored that order whenever he felt like it.
"No one spots me anyway, so what's the big deal?"
Not only the soldiers, but even the monsters failed to detect Rinar.
Of course, high-ranking monsters or demonic beasts might sense him instinctively, but at least there were none like that around Massive Guardian.
That's why he wandered outside without worry.
"Don't get cocky. Your abilities are impressive, but beyond Massive Guardian lies the Demon Realm, where anything can happen."
"Yeah, yeah, got it."
Ban Slaine sighed at Rinar's half-hearted response.
'Damn kid, heh.'
He didn't bother scolding him properly.
From experience, he knew Rinar's personality only bounced back stronger the more you tried to suppress it.
In times like these, it was better to just chuckle and let it slide.
'Still, I'll make today's training a bit tougher.'
Oblivious to the fact that he'd just dug his own grave, Rinar grinned and approached Ailin.
"Sis!"
"......"
She flinched.
No one had approached her so casually in a long time.
Because she was cold to everyone, the knights and soldiers kept their distance.
Yet Rinar closed the gap with such ease.
It made Ailin a little uncomfortable.
Not that she pushed him away, though.
"The weather's kinda crappy today too."
Was it because he was from the desert city of Jinahan?
Rinar was weak to the cold.
When he first arrived at Massive Guardian, he'd marveled at the falling snow, but now he just sulked about it.
"It's getting colder and colder."
The northern chill dropped sharper each day.
Compared to when Rinar first arrived, the temperature had fallen by nearly two degrees.
"It's a sign of the Demon King's descent."
As the Descent War drew near, omens began to appear in the world.
Abnormal weather was one of them.
With the temperature plummeting this steeply, the Demon King's descent truly seemed imminent.
"The Demon King......"
Rinar pouted and snorted.
"No matter how strong that guy is, we've got a hero on our side. No need to worry at all, right?"
The kid still idolized the hero.
Even after realizing he could never become one himself, no matter what he did.
"Nah, if things go well, I might even take down the Demon King. With my skills, I could sneak up behind and slash— like this! How's that? Then I'd be the hero."
He made a sneaky face, running his finger across his throat.
"Impossible."
Ailin shook her head firmly.
Rinar's abilities were unique and exceptional, but they paled in comparison to the Demon King.
He'd get caught before he even got close and die.
"Why? I could totally......"
"Enough nonsense. Pick up your sword. Time to start training."
Ban Slaine cut Rinar off.
He worried the boy might do something reckless if fed false hopes.
"Tch-"
Rinar clicked his tongue.
But he didn't jump into training right away.
He'd overheard some interesting news while sneaking around today.
"Heard the Empire's in an uproar?"
"Hah-"
Ban Slaine sighed.
"You think there's anyone here who gets news slower than you?"
He was Massive Guardian's supreme commander and lord, while Ailin was a commander-level knight.
Of course he'd known about rumors floating among the soldiers long ago.
"Oh, really? Even about the 'Black Existence' showing up in Derhan?"
"Of course. When exactly do you think this happened?"
Ban Slaine figured the kid was stalling to avoid training.
"Weird. They said it appeared just a little while ago too."
"......Again?"
Ailin tilted her head.
Again?
Didn't that mean the 'Black Existence' had shown itself more than once?
She'd only heard about it happening once.
Ban Slaine seemed just as surprised, furrowing his brow at Rinar.
"Tell us the details."
"So, what happened was......"
"Lord!"
Just as Rinar was about to explain what he'd heard.
Testron, the knight with a massive build, came rushing up, calling urgently for Ban Slaine.
"The 'Black Existence' appeared in Derhan and stopped the Second Iyer Army's advance!"
"See?!"
Rinar shouted excitedly at Testron's words.
But Ban Slaine and Ailin had no attention to spare for him.
Testron's follow-up was too shocking.
"The routed Iyer Army is now heading toward the homeland!"
* * *
"It should be fine now."
The priest stood, wiping away cold sweat.
In front of him, Kim Da-hye lay still, deep in sleep.
Her peaceful expression suggested she'd indeed passed the crisis, as the priest said.
"When will she wake?"
Seo Woo-jin asked.
"She's healed, but she'll need time to replenish her mana. Tonight at the earliest, tomorrow morning at the latest."
Seo Woo-jin nodded at the priest's words.
"Good work."
"N-no, not at all."
The priest paled and waved his hands frantically.
Now that his job was done, he feared they might silence him.
"You seem worried."
"Gasp!"
The priest knew Seo Woo-jin's secret.
That the true identity of the 'Black Existence' was one of the heroes.
A fact unknown to anyone except the emperor and a handful from Crusiel.
The priest had been stunned when Seo Woo-jin first undid his Demon King Transformation.
But he couldn't show it.
This was the being who'd turned ten thousand soldiers to ash in an instant.
Provoke him, and he'd die without even a proper corpse.
Of course, Seo Woo-jin had no intention of killing him—not even a speck.
Massacring the soldiers had been a necessity, not the act of some psycho who enjoyed killing.
As long as the priest kept the secret.
"You haven't forgotten our deal, right?"
"O-of course! I'll take it to my grave! No, even beyond!"
He didn't beg for his life outright.
He saw Seo Woo-jin nodding with satisfaction.
"That'll do."
It was a threat backed by full Chaos energy.
The priest wasn't likely to spill the secret after surviving that terror.
"Go rest, then tend to the other wounded. We'll send you back after."
"Thank you! Truly, thank you!"
He bowed repeatedly in genuine gratitude.
Probably the first time in his life he'd meant it so deeply, aside from thanking his god.
Seo Woo-jin sent the priest out of the tent and looked at Kim Da-hye.
"Hah-"
A sigh escaped him.
Kim Da-hye had nearly died.
'If only I'd gotten here a little faster.'
She wouldn't have had to push herself so hard to protect the knights.
Was it because Kang Byung-gyu had nearly died just recently?
Gazing at Kim Da-hye's face, Seo Woo-jin's anger began to boil.
'The Apostles......'
His raging fury turned toward them.
'What should I do?'
Until now, he'd only dealt with those who appeared before him.
He didn't know where the Apostles were and hadn't considered hunting them down.
But that needed to change from now on.
'Find them.'
Then kill them.
To prevent this from happening again, he had to track them down and eliminate them preemptively for any peace of mind.
"That'll help during the Descent War later too."
Before the Demon King descended, he'd whittle down their forces as much as possible.
There was no rule saying Seo Woo-jin couldn't use the same tactics as the Apostles.
'I'll ask Benoin.'
Seo Woo-jin had a deal with Benoin.
Pinpointing the other Apostles' locations wouldn't be hard.
Seo Woo-jin resolved to take the initiative and hunt the Apostles.
"Mmm-"
As he built up his killing intent toward them.
A faint groan slipped from Kim Da-hye's lips.
Seo Woo-jin quickly suppressed his aura and checked on her.
'Her breathing's steady.'
Thanks to the priest's dedicated treatment, Kim Da-hye's condition looked good.
"Take care of yourself too."
He knew why she'd done it, but he couldn't help worrying.
"Byung-gyu, this girl, all of them."
His comrades kept falling into danger.
They were growing at an incredible pace even now, but......
'Not enough.'
Faster.
Stronger.
At least strong enough not to die helplessly without him.
"Level 100."
Reaching the Transcendent realm would achieve that goal to some extent.
"They're all in the 70s......"
Excluding Kim Woo-ram, who'd started late, everyone was between early and late 70s.
Just twenty levels to 100.
It'd be tough, of course, but Seo Woo-jin made their growth his top priority.
'Then take out the Apostles.'
Six months at the latest.
He'd get them all to Transcendent within that time.
'Where to make that happen?'
The academy wouldn't cut it.
The knights supplied monsters and demonic beasts, but it was far from enough.
He couldn't rely on Summon Stones indefinitely either.
Hunting directly in the field was best.
"The Demon Realms."
And the prime hunting grounds were the Demon Realms.
Seo Woo-jin recalled the Demon Realms scattered across the continent.
Excluding the ruined Heldein, six remained.
Each one a hellhole teeming with monsters and demonic beasts.
"That seems like the best spot."
He picked one.
The Demon Realm most familiar to him.
"The North."
He had to stop by there anyway to station the Iyer Army in Sion, so he could bring them along then.
"We'll hit level 100 there."