EP8. The Incomplete Demon King
In contrast to the dire situation they were in, the hydra's voice carried an inexplicable strength.
"What are you?
Why are you locked up in a place like this?"
The hydra blinked its deep green eyes as it stared at Jae-jun.
[A dying spirit.]
"A spirit? But..."
Jae-jun's gaze shifted to the vampire's jewel.
"Isn't it a bit too vicious for that?"
The hydra's mouth gaped wide open, erupting into mad laughter.
Jae-jun had spotted the fake jewel on the vampire at first glance.
The chunks of corpses scattered around it and the mana emanating from the jewel were far too weak.
On the contrary,
one of the hydra's eyes emitted an unnaturally powerful surge.
[Kuhahaha! Exactly.
You saw right through the fake.]
As if trying to rise out of habit, the hydra kept lifting its head.
[After losing to the fallen black dragon Barak, I was sealed here.
My once mighty heart, brimming with power, was forcibly ripped out, and I had to watch as he tore my children to shreds.
Until just the other day, even breathing was a struggle.]
[But.]
Kuuuung!
As the hydra exhaled roughly, toxic fumes billowed up in thick clouds.
[Water began to flow through this parched desert, allowing me to regain my senses.]
"Water?"
[Yes.
I am a serpent born from water.
When water touches me, I recover my strength.
Your magic caused a flood, and the water that seeped underground filled parts of my blood and flesh.
The mana within it was like...]
The hydra's eyes grew hazy, like a girl in love.
[As sweet as the water of life.]
Barak.
It was a name he'd been hearing steadily lately, starting from Green Swallord.
Barak was the one who had dried up all the water sources here, too.
Jae-jun couldn't shake the feeling of a fated grudge.
Be that as it may.
What to do with the hydra?
Leaving it like this felt uneasy, but releasing it was unnerving too.
Even with eight heads and a shattered body, its presence was overwhelming.
If he freed it and it turned on him, things could get dangerous.
As if reading Jae-jun's thoughts, the hydra spoke up.
[I have one request for you.]
Jae-jun silently regarded the hydra.
He planned to hear it out first before deciding.
[I want revenge on that bastard Barak.
He slaughtered all my children.
But with my heart torn out and my body in this state, my power alone isn't enough.
So.]
[I want to contract with you.
No—like the demons of this land, I wish to become your familiar.
In return, give me the chance to avenge myself on Barak.]
Mythic Monster Hydra
📍 Description: The hydra has offered itself as your familiar. Accepting will grant you the mythic monster hydra, but it means inevitable battle with Barak.
🎁 Accept: Acquire familiar Hydra, battle with Barak
🎁 Decline: Hydra's death
Hmm!
Jae-jun didn't deliberate long.
He'd planned to clash with the likes of Barak anyway, if only for Hestia's sake.
I'm no coward who'd pass up a familiar out of fear of some evil dragon.
Jae-jun nodded, gathering mana in his hand to form an orb of magical power.
The orb floated to the hydra's mouth and slipped smoothly inside.
Kuuuung!
The hydra's body twitched and trembled lightly.
Jae-jun's mana orb traveled through its veins to the empty space.
The spot where its heart had been torn out.
Wuuung—
But the mana from the orb only managed to redden the veins near the heart.
Not enough, huh?
Jae-jun approached the hydra.
Up close, it was even more colossal than he'd imagined.
Just one head was larger than Hestia.
He placed his hand on top of one of the hydra's heads.
Mana poured from his hand, greedily absorbed by the hydra.
Like a dry sponge soaking up water, the hydra's body writhed.
Suuu—
Its withered veins reconstituted themselves.
Mana circulated through every corner in place of missing blood.
Wooduk!
Muscles and bones received the mana first.
Atrophied muscles swelled, and thinned bones thickened once more.
Deududuk!
The eight heads wriggled as wounds healed.
The massive nails embedded deep began to loosen.
[Incredible beyond expectations!]
The hydra had assumed Jae-jun's mana would only heal its wounds.
But she'd misjudged.
Jae-jun wasn't a mere stream—he was an endless ocean.
No matter how much it drank, the mana kept flooding in.
Kuuuung!
Finally, the nails fell away, and the hydra rose.
As its nine heads reared up high, the cavern began to crumble.
Kuuuung!
At that moment, all nine heads unleashed breaths laced with chilling frost.
Kwaaaa!
The collapsing earth blasted upward instead, carving out a massive hole to the sky.
An overwhelming power emanated from its sleek, ink-black body.
Having become Jae-jun's familiar, the hydra was thrilled by his boundless mana.
[Climb on!]
Jae-jun cut off the mana flow and climbed atop one of the hydra's heads.
A massive boulder shattered to dust under the breath of another head.
Kuuung!
The hydra had no wings and couldn't fly,
but rearing its head lifted it to the clouds—its sheer size was staggering.
...Impressive.
[I can turn this place into a swamp.]
"A swamp?"
[Yes.
This was once a swamp.
Before Barak burned everything!]
"Got it.
Make it a swamp."
Unlike Jae-jun's rain via his authority, the hydra simply walked the earth.
Water bubbled up from the ground, soaking the soil as trees sprouted.
Is this the power of a mythic monster?
The area around Demon King's Castle transformed into a lush, overgrown swamp.
All in a mere half-day.
—
Barik and Isis headed to the mine with the tribesmen who'd been imprisoned.
As Jae-jun had said, it was packed with mana stones.
Kaang!
Kaang!
But someone had arrived before them.
It was Jae-jun's lich, Merlin, directing the stone golems in mining.
With his signature dark circles, he eyed Barik and asked,
"You're Barik?"
"...Yeah?"
Barik frowned at the unpleasant undead aura.
"I am Lich Merlin, one of the Demon King's top five familiars.
His Majesty bestowed my name personally."
"Ah... I see."
"From now on, address me as Sir Merlin.
Follow me."
Without giving Barik and Isis a chance to respond, he led them inside.
Barik's expression soured, but it softened as he surveyed the mine.
It was deeper and vaster than expected—perfect for a dwarf village.
The other dwarves looked hopeful too.
After all the abuse from demons, even the Demon King had been suspect.
But Barik was right; they could trust him.
And Merlin's words strengthened that trust.
"Once the dwarves settle here, per Jae-jun's will, no demons will enter this place."
"No demons... at all?"
Isis raised his voice involuntarily under Merlin's glare.
"Exactly.
That's the great Demon King's will!
Only I, Jae-jun, and familiars under orders will come here!
So you primitive dwarves can live without worry!"
"...Understood."
It's good news, but why does it rub me the wrong way?
Barik scratched his head.
But he hadn't expected such ideal conditions.
He'd worried Jae-jun might cram them in just to exploit them.
Apparently not.
If he weren't a newbie...
Sigh.
Barik felt grateful for Jae-jun's consideration.
Then Merlin clapped, drawing the dwarves' attention.
"That's Jae-jun's will up to here.
Now listen up—this is about me and the familiars!"
He began shaping something in the air with magic.
A statue?
It was a statue of Jae-jun.
"We'll craft a statue in the likeness of His Majesty's greatness.
Size-wise...
Hmm.
50 meters should suffice."
"50 meters?"
One dwarf cried out in shock.
"That size would take years!"
"What?
What a slow race. Tsk."
Merlin swept a pitiful gaze over the dwarves.
Then, as if being generous,
"Then how about 30 meters?"
"...That might be doable."
"No!
Why is everyone accepting this like it's normal?
What the hell is this Demon King guy?"
Merlin's eyes flashed murderously at Isis.
He opened his mouth to retort, but a massive earthquake shook the ground.
The epicenter was outside the cave.
Kuuuung!
"Wh-what is it?"
Merlin and the dwarves rushed out.
There stood an unimaginably enormous hydra—and Jae-jun atop its head.
With each step, trees sprouted from the desert floor, grass grew, and it became a swamp.
Kuung!
Kuung!
The quakes came from the hydra's footsteps.
"...That's our Demon King's power!
Get it now?"
Merlin shouted, invigorated by the sight of Jae-jun.
Some dwarves knelt, trembling under the hydra's pressure.
"Incredible."
"..."
The terrain was changing in an instant.
Isis was left speechless, mouth sealed like he'd eaten honey.
—Afterword—
Thank you.