Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Otherworldly Demon King Chronicle
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#61.
“…Otherworldly Demon King Chronicle?”
Seo Woo-jin swallowed dryly.
The title alone felt ominous.
It was as if it were pointing straight at him.
‘What the hell is this?’
He wondered if other heroes had something like this too, but he’d never heard of such a thing.
No, they hadn’t even seen this black space when leveling up.
Lee Ji-ah and Kim Da-hye had said so themselves, so it was certain.
Only Seo Woo-jin.
It was a phenomenon unique to him.
Whether it was because of his ‘Demon King’ class or the ‘Immeasurable’ rank, he didn’t know.
“Looks like this book says it’s because of the ‘Demon King’ class.”
Otherworldly Demon King Chronicle.
Seo Woo-jin reached out toward the golden letters etched clearly in Korean.
But…
“What’s wrong with this?”
His hand passed right through the book.
It was like a hologram.
No matter how many times he swiped at it, the result was the same.
As a strange sense of emptiness washed over him and he let out a hollow laugh, a voice echoed.
[Still not ■ yet■?]
A deep, heavy voice.
It was distorted with noise, but unmistakably human.
“Who’s there!”
Startled, Seo Woo-jin reached for his sword, but it was futile.
A blinding light exploded, forcing his eyes shut.
When he opened them again, he was back in reality.
“You…?”
The first thing he saw was Sung Yu-ra.
Her pristine white priestess robes were a mess from the grueling battle she’d just fought.
‘Damn it.’
Not a face he wanted to see.
But what annoyed him more was that the black space had cut off right in the middle, like he had unfinished business.
It felt so unresolved.
He was curious about the black space itself, and even more about the book.
‘And that voice.’
Everything was baffling.
But Seo Woo-jin couldn’t dwell on it long.
“Why are you coming out of there?”
Sung Yu-ra’s sharp voice snapped him back to attention.
He shot a glare at her smug face, then turned to look at Kim Da-hye.
“You okay?”
He’d finally found one of his teammates.
Using the hole the meat chunk had made had been the right call.
“I’m fine.”
Kim Da-hye nodded.
A chuckle escaped him at her usual demeanor.
“Oh, you used that, huh?”
As he checked her for injuries, Seo Woo-jin brightened up.
In her hand was the pink Ala’s Magic Wand, its warhead detached and only the launcher left dangling.
‘No wonder the monster had burn marks.’
The squad leader’s body that Seo Woo-jin had decapitated was scorched.
He’d thought it was a flamethrower, but it was an RPG-7.
Since he’d been the one to give Kim Da-hye the idea, Seo Woo-jin beamed with pride.
“See any of the others?”
He didn’t ask with much hope.
But surprisingly, Kim Da-hye nodded.
“That woman.”
“Ah…….”
Wrong question.
He should’ve specified teammates.
Seo Woo-jin gave Sung Yu-ra an awkward glance before asking again.
“What about the other teammates?”
“Didn’t see them.”
As expected, Kim Da-hye had gotten separated from the group too.
“Hey!”
Then Sung Yu-ra called out to Seo Woo-jin.
“When someone talks to you, you answer, right?”
“What are you… oh.”
He finally remembered.
She had spoken to him just before.
He hadn’t felt the need to respond, and Kim Da-hye mattered more anyway, so he’d ignored her…
It seemed to have hurt her pride.
“What did you ask?”
“Why are you coming out of there!”
“Do I have any reason to tell you?”
Seo Woo-jin replied with a scoff.
Even if she’d asked politely, he might not have answered, let alone with that attitude.
Sung Yu-ra looked flustered, not expecting his response.
But only for a moment.
Realizing she’d been dismissed, her face twisted.
“A mere D-rank daring to talk to me like…….”
“Can you move?”
Sensing her about to throw a tantrum, Seo Woo-jin cut her off and turned to Kim Da-hye.
“If you’re good, let’s go somewhere else. It’s noisy here.”
Blatant dismissal.
Knowing nothing good would come from engaging, Seo Woo-jin ignored Sung Yu-ra and prepared to leave.
“We’re going in that way.”
He pointed to the wall they’d just broken through.
“Might look creepy, but it’s not as bad as it seems.”
“I’m fine.”
Even with the pitch-black hole staring back, Kim Da-hye didn’t seem fazed.
“Good. Let’s head in there and look for the others.”
Seo Woo-jin led Kim Da-hye out through the hole.
“Y-You…!”
Left alone, Sung Yu-ra ground her teeth.
No one had ever dismissed her like this.
Not on Earth, not in this world.
Even the almighty Baek Si-woo never treated her roughly.
And this D-rank half-wit dares humiliate her?
Humiliation shook her to her core.
Normally, she’d turn and walk away without hesitation.
But not now.
Over ten days.
She’d wandered these endless corridors alone.
She’d acted tough in front of Kim Da-hye, but it was an experience she never wanted to repeat.
No matter how much she disliked him, she couldn’t let him go like that.
She didn’t want to be alone anymore.
Grit—
With her teeth grinding, Sung Yu-ra stepped forward.
Toward the hole where Seo Woo-jin and Kim Da-hye had gone.
* * *
“Group up!”
At Ludein’s shout, Lee Ji-ah, Kang Byung-gyu, and Yoo Hong-seol huddled behind him.
“Hell Frame!”
Jin Tae-seong’s spell activated simultaneously, sweeping the corridor in massive flames.
“Hah—hah—!”
“Moving in!”
Ludein shouted again.
Swords and fists flew, pulverizing the monsters ahead.
Those hit by Jin Tae-seong’s magic couldn’t recover, reduced to mere chunks of meat.
They’d taken down about thirty monsters.
Not a small number, but no threat to three heroes and Ludein’s group.
Or so it should have been.
Yet exhaustion was plain on their faces.
“You’re… too strong.”
Even Lee Ji-ah had gone quiet, abandoning her usual chatter.
At first, it had been easy.
Even Kang Byung-gyu, no combat class, could fell them in one slash.
But as time passed, the monsters grew exponentially stronger.
They weren’t in mortal danger yet, but no one knew when they’d hit their limit.
“How many days has it been?”
Yoo Hong-seol asked wearily.
“Day five.”
Kang Byung-gyu checked his watch and replied.
“…Already five days.”
When they’d first entered the ruins and she’d been left alone, how panicked she’d been.
Fortunately, they’d regrouped one by one, but some were still missing.
“I wonder how Woo-jin and Da-hye are doing.”
Kang Byung-gyu muttered worriedly.
“The old man’s strong, so he’s probably fine, but Da-hye…….”
Lee Ji-ah worried about Kim Da-hye.
She knew better than anyone that her friend wasn’t normal.
That’s why she’d stuck close to look after her.
Getting separated like this was inevitable cause for concern.
“The other knights too.”
Thankfully, they’d found Ludein.
But none of the other knights.
That weighed heavily on Ludein’s grim expression.
Uncertain fates for the subordinates he’d trained so carefully.
“Let’s rest a bit, then move.”
Sensing the mood drop, Ludein forced cheer into his voice.
Lee Ji-ah nodded.
She wanted more rest, but staying put would only sap morale further.
Already fatigued, a sinking mood would make it worse.
With Lee Ji-ah and Ludein leading, the others prepared to move.
Kang Byung-gyu glanced at the battlefield and remarked.
“Good thing we’re getting tons of EXP at least.”
“Yeah. Without level-ups, we’d be…….”
Yoo Hong-seol nodded in agreement.
Obvious, but even heroes had limits to stamina and mana.
Before entering the ruins, hadn’t they all collapsed from the monster waves?
Same here.
No water or food made it worse.
Yet they’d survived five days thanks to the insane EXP from the monsters.
Leveling up right at their limits restored their bodies to peak condition.
Otherwise, they might’ve been monster chow already.
Mental fatigue kept piling up, though.
“We need to find the others and figure out how to escape before we can’t hold out.”
If that was even possible……
“Ah, time’s up.”
Kang Byung-gyu, tracking the clock, spoke, and everyone rushed to cluster.
The surroundings shifted in an instant.
“A forest path this time.”
Ceiling and walls enclosed it, but it looked like a woodland trail.
“Better than last time’s guts road, at least.”
That one had been so nauseating they could barely move.
“Nice easy path for once—let’s cover as much ground as we can.”
Kang Byung-gyu took the lead.
Low combat power, but perfect for ruin exploration.
They walked the faintly grassy path for a while before Kang Byung-gyu halted abruptly.
“Hold.”
The group behind readied for battle.
“Monster?”
Lee Ji-ah asked.
“Not… sure.”
Kang Byung-gyu shook his head.
His ‘Search’ skill had pinged something.
But the location was off.
Not straight ahead in the straight corridor, but to the side.
“Right side, three, ten meters.”
Ludein drew his sword at the concise report.
“Through the wall?”
A first in their experience.
The unknown bred fear.
Tension peaked as they awaited the unidentified presence.
“Six meters, five… it’s coming.”
Aura flared from Ludein and Yoo Hong-seol’s swords; Lee Ji-ah channeled mana into her fists.
Fully prepared, the bushes beside them rustled.
“Charge—huh?”
Ludein, lunging first sword raised, froze wide-eyed.
“Old man!”
What emerged, astonishingly, was Seo Woo-jin.