Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: The Abyss Opens
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A hole tore open in the empty air.
It was only about ten meters in diameter.
But inside it stretched an endless darkness.
‘Is that the “Abyss”?’
A chill ran down Sewoojin’s spine at the horrific energy emanating from the hole.
Something with a presence that didn’t fall short of Gerald’s at all was drawing closer.
‘It’s coming out!’
The moment the thought crossed Sewoojin’s mind, black shapes began emerging from the hole.
They weren’t what he’d imagined.
If anything, they were cute.
They resembled jellyfish the size of a palm.
But the problem was their numbers.
Dozens? Hundreds?
No, there were far too many to count.
They drifted slowly down to the ground.
Fluttering through the air like they were swimming underwater, they evoked the image of black eyes.
Sewoojin stared at them in a daze.
Gerald did the same.
“What the hell is this?”
Vigilance flickered in his eyes.
The leisure he’d shown so far had long vanished.
Unconsciously, Gerald turned his head toward the back.
His gaze met Sewoojin’s.
“…It’s you, isn’t it?”
From his eyes, Gerald was convinced that Sewoojin was the one who’d conjured this unknown thing.
“Tell me. What is that?”
“It’s hell, you fuckin’ bastard.”
At the same time, the black shapes began closing in on Gerald.
And then….
Pa-pa-pa-pat-!
Tendril-like appendages shot out like jellyfish tentacles, wrapping around Gerald.
“How dare you!”
Gerald’s demonic energy erupted like an explosion.
The tendrils couldn’t withstand the force and snapped one by one.
But there was only one of him, and plenty of jellyfish.
The ones surrounding Gerald extended their tendrils all at once.
No, it wasn’t just Gerald.
Every goblin in the nearby great village and every Dark Elf hiding in the forest.
The tendrils targeted everything that could be called Sewoojin’s “enemy.”
Gerald scowled and swung his axe, slicing them apart.
Pew-pew-puk-!
The jellyfish struck by demonic energy exploded in midair, vanishing.
But only Gerald could manage such a counter.
“Kraaaak-!”
“Grraaak-!”
“S-save—!”
The goblins and Dark Elves couldn’t.
They barely resisted before the tendrils ensnared them and lifted them into the air.
Then they were squeezed.
Red blood poured down like a wrung-out rag.
With fifteen hundred goblins and two hundred Dark Elves spilling blood at once, a literal lake of blood formed.
It wasn’t a metaphor.
“You bastard……!”
As his Dark Elf minions were wiped out in an instant, Gerald glared at Sewoojin with fury.
But he couldn’t take any other action.
Tendrils were still surging toward him nonstop.
At first, he’d blocked them more easily than breathing.
But as their numbers swelled, even Gerald began to struggle.
If this kept up, he’d end up a squeezed rag too.
He couldn’t just flee, though.
How much effort had he poured into today’s plan?
Sneaking that many goblins past Crusiel’s watch and infiltrating the Empire’s territory had been next to miraculous.
The Empire’s surveillance net was that absolute.
Luring them with monsters to draw out the heroes for extermination hadn’t been easy either.
But the hardest part had been erasing his own traces.
If they’d been found, the Empire never would’ve sent heroes.
He’d meticulously executed every step of the plan with care.
The fruits of it were right there.
He couldn’t return empty-handed.
“I’ll at least take your head for ruining everything.”
Gerald unleashed his power.
The tendrils were momentarily repelled, creating an opening.
Gerald seized it and charged at Sewoojin.
The axe blade, soaked in the blood of tens of thousands, came down toward his neck.
“Fuck.”
He’d used ‘Abyss’ to turn the tables somehow, but it looked like he’d still die.
He sensed Eileen nearby, desperately trying to rise.
But there was no way her power could overcome Gerald’s demonic energy.
‘Just stay put. Don’t draw attention and die pointlessly.’
After calming her with a hand on her shoulder, he glared at Gerald.
It was a resolve to die dignified, if he had to die.
“Hm?”
Gerald’s descending axe twitched.
“You……!”
For some reason, Gerald’s face twisted in shock.
It was far greater than when the ‘Abyss’ had opened.
But the axe didn’t stop.
Or rather, Gerald tried to stop but it was too late.
The axe cleaved toward Sewoojin’s neck.
Or it nearly did.
Kwaang-!
If not for the sword that suddenly appeared.
An utterly ordinary, worn iron sword.
It looked like it would snap if Sewoojin tapped it, yet it astonishingly blocked Gerald’s.
‘What the—?’
Gerald grimaced and bellowed.
“Dariel!”
“Quiet, Dark Elf.”
At the same time, an old man appeared out of nowhere beside Sewoojin and drew his sword.
‘Who……?’
Sewoojin tried to make out the old man’s face, but he couldn’t.
His vision blurred, and the consciousness he’d barely clung to faded.
‘Not now.’
He couldn’t pass out yet.
But having poured out everything, Sewoojin had no choice but to close his eyes.
* * *
When was it?
The first time Sewoojin ever went on a trip.
He’d been twenty, probably.
Raised in an orphanage, he’d never even dreamed of travel, and his first destination was Sokcho.
He’d teamed up with coworkers from his part-time job for a two-day, one-night trip.
He saw the ocean for the first time, drank alcohol for the first time, played games for the first time.
It was fun.
Everything was a first.
Of course it was enjoyable.
Among them, what stuck in Sewoojin’s memory was the Mafia game.
Lying, persuading, suspecting each other.
The other games were fun too, but he loved this psychological warfare.
Sewoojin thought being Mafia was more thrilling than being a citizen or cop.
The tension of hiding his identity was a real rush.
Back then, he’d wished he could play games like that with friends forever.
But….
‘Being the Demon King instead of Mafia kinda kills the fun.’
Sewoojin came to.
He’d dreamed of old times after a long while.
A dream of that trip with friends.
How nice it would be to go back.
‘Then I wouldn’t have to deal with this bullshit.’
How many times was this now?
Dodging death.
If he hadn’t answered the summons.
He’d be sharing drinks with friends right now, laughing about weird dreams.
But that was just regret.
What mattered to Sewoojin now was different.
‘Time for the grilling, huh?’
When he’d unleashed ‘Abyss,’ there’d been plenty of witnesses.
Knights and heroes too.
They’d seen ‘Abyss,’ so they’d grill him on the skill and himself.
It was that alien a skill.
Sewoojin sighed and opened his eyes.
“You’re awake?”
It was Eileen.
She sat primly by the bed, watching him.
A familiar sight.
Whenever he passed out during training and woke, she’d be there.
“I’m alive.”
“Thank goodness the Sword Sage arrived in time.”
Sword Sage?
First he’d heard of it.
Then it clicked who it was.
“The white-haired old man?”
The one who’d saved him from Gerald’s axe right before he blacked out.
“Yes. One of the Empire’s Five Superhumans, hailed as the Continent’s Greatest Swordsman.”
Continent’s Greatest Swordsman.
Sewoojin let out a hollow laugh.
No way someone like that just happened by.
“The Empire must’ve known that Gerald or whatever bastard was coming.”
Eileen didn’t answer.
She thought the same.
“So we were bait?”
It wasn’t entirely accurate, but that’s how it felt from Sewoojin’s side.
“What happened after I passed out?”
“I don’t know the details. I wasn’t in my right mind once the demonic energy started corroding me.”
“Huh?”
He blinked at Eileen’s words.
“You don’t remember? At all?”
“Bits and pieces come to mind, but not exactly what happened that day.”
Sewoojin breathed a sigh of relief.
If she didn’t know, neither would the others.
‘So no one knows I used ‘Abyss’?’
It was too bizarre to pass off as a ‘Sword Soldier’ skill.
Even the caster, Sewoojin, had been shocked.
And that horrific aura—if they felt it, they’d nod if he said he was the Demon King, not a hero.
No memory of it? He could relax a bit.
“What I heard is, when the Sword Sage appeared, Gerald didn’t even fight and just retreated.”
Sewoojin was mildly surprised.
Gerald was a monster incarnate.
One who manipulated space and wielded bottomless demonic energy.
And he just retreated?
Without a fight?
“Is this Sword Sage guy strong?”
The tone held no respect, but Eileen ignored it.
“I said he’s called the Continent’s Greatest Swordsman.”
“Stronger than our lord, then?”
Ban Slane was a monster too.
He’d never seen the man’s full power, so he couldn’t gauge, but he didn’t seem weaker than Gerald.
“…Who knows.”
Eileen dodged the question.
Her respect and faith in Ban Slane were firm, but the name Sword Sage loomed even larger.
Plus, this was the Empire.
One wrong word could make enemies of many.
“You mean Ban as lord?”
Suddenly, the door opened and the white-haired old man entered.
His hair hung to his shoulders, his face austere.
It was definitely the face Sewoojin had glimpsed before blacking out.
“Sword Sage!”
Eileen shot up in surprise.
“Ban, that kid’s already shoulder-to-shoulder with me, huh.”
‘Whoa.’
If he called Ban “kid,” how old was the Sword Sage?
Ban Slane was over sixty, and thanks to body reconstruction, looked young—making the age gap seem wider.
“I misspoke.”
Eileen apologized readily.
She didn’t want needless trouble.
But Sword Sage Dariel waved it off.
“No need. Wasn’t scolding you.”
Then he strode toward Sewoojin.
Just walking felt like a sword flying at him.
Sewoojin swallowed dryly as he watched, and Dariel asked.
“So you’re the one Gerald mentioned.”
…Pardon?