EP8. The Incomplete Demon King

Hye-seon clutched her chest while watching her brother Jae-jun's battle on TV.

When that massive Death Knight grabbed him by the throat, she couldn't help but scream.

But.

Her brother and Korea's hunters joined forces and defeated the colossal Death Knight.

Hye-seon and her friends cheered, and soon all of South Korea erupted in joy.

Tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of hunters risking their lives in a fierce battle and effort she'd never even heard of, let alone seen.

Waaaaah!

Park Dae-gi felt the same.

He forgot for a moment that he had a special camera attached to him and joined the crowd in celebrating their survival and victory.

And humanity's small triumph.

But by the time he started questioning what was happening, Jae-jun was already embracing Hunter Association President Jang Gil-san.

Viewers watching ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on TV finally quieted their cheers and focused on the screen.

Kurada Shingo.

It was him.

Japan's top S-rank hunter, the man who always wore a confident smile, drew a dagger and attacked Association President Jang Gil-san.

Jae-jun had noticed and saved him.

"Hero!"

But something was wrong with Jae-jun.

His face was visibly darkening, and he could barely stand.

Staggering, Jae-jun finally collapsed backward into the gate.

"What the hell just happened?"

It was the first time Hye-seon had spoken while watching TV.

"...Oppa?"

Only Kurada Shingo's laughter echoed from beyond the screen.

"Kuhuhuhuk."

"You bastard, what did you do?!"

"Kuhahahahaha!"

Jang Gil-san lunged forward, grabbing Kurada Shingo by the collar and shaking him.

After coughing and laughing for a while, Kurada looked up at Jang Gil-san with a sinister grin.

"The Dagger of Perfect Death."

"What?"

"That's the name of the dagger I just swung."

Jang Gil-san's expression darkened.

Unfortunately, some among them knew what that item was.

It was one of Japan's S-rank items.

"...An item that brings unconditional death to anyone it wounds."

"That's right.

I was aiming for you, Jang Gil-san, but that guy blocked it and died instead. Can't be helped.

Kuhuhuhuk."

"...Did Association President Shibashiki order this?"

Shibashiki, watching the footage, prayed desperately for him to shut up.

But Kurada Shingo was drunk on his sense of victory.

"They all need to die.

Anyone stronger ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠than me has to die!

Hahahahaha!"

His mad laughter filled the stunned silence.

"Wh-what's going on right now?"

The announcer muttered in bewilderment.

The cheers celebrating victory at the news desk had barely cooled.

The news of Jae-jun's death didn't just reach people on Earth.

Lucifer, the fallen angel waiting for battle in the arena, also sensed Jae-jun's death.

All connections to the three soul fragments Jae-jun held had been severed.

"..."

Lucifer squeezed his eyes shut.

He was the one warrior he'd truly believed would get him out of this place.

Even if that method involved taking over Jae-jun's body.

Now, Lucifer had no way out.

The remaining great warriors, Barik and Nariel, hadn't returned to the arena since their last team deathmatch.

Either they'd found other great warriors, or time had passed and they were sealed away—one or the other.

He no longer had the power to seek out great warriors.

Then.

Hm?

What's this?

Lucifer's eyes flashed.

A sensation like something connecting.

Was it Jae-jun? No, it wasn't.

Moments later, someone became a great warrior and entered the arena.

"Damn, it's cold.

What the hell is this place?"

A frivolous, youthful voice rang ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out.

Lucifer hurried toward it.

Inside the cave was an Eastern man who looked just like Jae-jun.

"...Who are you?"

"Me?"

He was too old to call a boy, too young to call a man.

"Name's Lee Tae-seong.

This the arena?"

Lucifer saw another glimmer of hope in Lee Tae-seong's grinning face.

The body sucked into the gate fell to the floor.

If there had been monsters, it would have been devoured helplessly.

But the Death Knights that occupied the dungeon had all exited, leaving it empty.

And.

With all the Death Knights gone, the gate rippled, and the exit vanished.

It judged no lifeforms remained inside.

Jae-jun's corpse began to slowly break down into the mana that formed the world, just like the gate.

Then.

An item slipped from Jae-jun's inventory, sparkling as it emitted light.

A palm-sized feather-shaped item.

The Resurrection Feather he'd acquired in the arena.

The Resurrection Feather activated automatically upon detecting the user's death.

It seeped into Jae-jun's body, reactivating it.

Thump.

His heart began to beat.

Blood started circulating, cells regenerating.

As blood reached his brain, brain function slowly normalized.

As Jae-jun became the Incomplete Demon King, his subordinates and legion integrated, increasing the summonable legion size to 500.

His body, now drastically changed along with the system, needed sleep to adapt.

Dark.

That was the first sensation Jae-jun felt.

Did having consciousness mean he wasn't dead?

Half-doubting, Jae-jun tried to move his body somehow, but it wouldn't budge.

It felt like he was submerged in a vast black ocean.

What the hell is this?

Time passed relentlessly.

But Jae-jun wasn't anxious.

As time went on, vitality surged through his body, and he felt like he was passing through something.

Finally.

Something rippling appeared above his head.

The sea?

No.

It was a vast expanse of gates, like an ocean.

Tens of thousands—no, hundreds of thousands—rippling gates asserted their presence.

Jae-jun's body, like a ship caught in a storm, slowly drifted toward a nearby red gate.

Slosh.

The gate's surface rippled briefly as it swallowed Jae-jun, then returned to normal.