EP9. Minotaur
Exiting the portal, what Jae-jun faced was a towering wall of grass stretching high into the sky.
It was trimmed into a perfect square, as if by a skilled gardener.
[Owner.
Don't touch it.]
As Jae-jun approached the grass wall, Tarasa warned him from behind.
[If you get caught by those plants, they'll drain your life force.
It's not fatal, but it's best to be cautious.]
Jae-jun nodded.
Up close, the grass wall seemed alive, its blades and branches wriggling.
They twisted together, reinforcing the wall to make it denser and more solid.
Hmm.
Should I test it out?
Jae-jun pointed his index finger toward the grass wall.
Thin branches stretched out toward his finger.
They looked like slender snakes shaped like twigs.
Whoosh!
Unlike their initial slow movements, the branches wrapped around his finger in an instant.
Entangled in the Carnivorous Tree's Stem
Life Force Decreases by -100 Per Second
Just one finger, and it's 100?
Jae-jun quickly invoked the Touch of Flame on his finger to shake off the branches.
"What a pain."
Jae-jun scanned his surroundings.
A maze stretched out in every direction.
The grass walls didn't stay still; they undulated slightly, making everything look distorted no matter where he looked.
"What if I fly over the grass walls?"
[You'd get shredded by those walls instantly?
The Demon Kings aren't that sloppy.]
"Tch."
Jae-jun smacked his lips in disappointment.
"Guess that means we have to navigate it all on foot."
[I don't think that's necessary.]
The hydra's gaze shifted to something behind Jae-jun.
Huh?
From far off behind Jae-jun, the ground began to rumble.
Thud!
Thud!
The grass walls swayed as something revealed itself.
Just as Lerajie had described, it was a monster with a bull's head and a human body.
If it looks that huge from here, how big is it really gonna be?
It was still smaller than the hydra, though.
It reminded him of Igrito, Lucifer's familiar from the cursed dungeon.
Rooooaaar!
[Food!]
The Minotaur spotted Jae-jun and Tarasa, letting out a cry of delight.
Then it charged at full speed with its massive body.
Thud!
Thud!
Just its footsteps alone made the earth quake.
―
Another Guild Guild Master's office.
Choi Sung-ho was receiving his secretary's report as usual.
"Guild Master, we've identified the hunter you asked us to look into."
"..."
Choi Sung-ho stared blankly without a word.
The secretary frowned and quietly placed the documents on the desk.
"...That hunter is the Dragon Knight."
"...Dragon Knight?"
Choi Sung-ho finally reacted, turning his head.
His eyes were strangely glazed over.
"What's that?"
"..."
The secretary hesitated for a moment, unsure how to explain.
It was hard to believe that someone didn't know one of the world's most famous hunters, let alone in Korea.
But the secretary gritted his teeth and explained carefully.
"That...
You know the hunter who took down the Death Knight and was assassinated by Japanese hunters?"
"And?"
"...The Dragon Knight had Choi Sung-woo's Frost Blade."
Even upon learning his brother's killer, Choi Sung-ho's expression remained indifferent.
"Oh?"
Lately, Choi Sung-ho had been acting strange.
He spaced out more and more, and at some point, he started spouting nonsense like a madman.
His closest aide, the chief secretary, had noticed first.
But he hadn't told anyone outside.
Damn it.
I need to grab what I can and bail before shit hits the fan.
With the guild master like this, Another Guild was done for.
Choi Sung-ho stared blankly at the chief secretary before finally speaking.
"Does that Dragon Knight have a sibling too?"
"...Yes.
He has a high school girl sister."
"Then just kill her the same way.
Don't bother me with this crap.
I'm busy."
Choi Sung-ho turned back to gazing out the window with a vacant expression.
It didn't matter who killed his brother or what happened to the guild.
His mind was filled with only one person.
Yoon Mi-kyung.
He felt like his head would explode if he didn't think of her even for a moment.
Drool trickled from Choi Sung-ho's mouth, but he didn't notice.
"Then...
I'll take my leave."
The chief secretary bowed to Choi Sung-ho and left the office.
He's definitely lost it.
Just a short while ago, Choi Sung-ho had pinned him to the floor over his brother's death.
Now he was telling him not to bother him with it.
Wrap this up and take everything back home.
The chief secretary pulled out his phone.
And immediately contacted skilled assassins.
<Call connected.>
A low, sinister voice came through the phone.
"Got a job."
<Who’s the target?>
The recipient never asked about the caller's identity.
Just the target to kill.
"Choi Hye-seon.
19 years old.
Dragon Knight's sister.
Make it quick."
<...Understood.>
Click―
They're pros, so they'll finish in a few days.
The chief secretary walked down the hall with a satisfied look.
―
Bzzz―
Choi Sung-ho's phone buzzed wildly.
He glanced at the caller and hurriedly answered.
"Yes.
This is Choi Sung-ho."
<Come to the Eclipse Guild building right now.>
Click.
She hung up after saying her piece, but Choi Sung-ho wasn't offended.
Instead, he grinned broadly and jumped to his feet.
"Prepare the car. I'm heading to Eclipse Guild right now."
Choi Sung-ho drove to the building he'd visited several times before.
A man he vaguely remembered checked him formally.
The man's eyes gleamed red.
Not just him.
Everyone in the building had eyes bloodshot like they'd been dyed in blood.
Hurry up!
But Choi Sung-ho didn't find it odd; he just quickened his pace to see Yoon Mi-kyung.
Grrrrrind!
"Gah!
H-Help... me!"
Through a slightly ajar door, someone was surrounded by people, covered in blood.
A Hunter Association badge hung from their neck.
But Choi Sung-ho's gaze was cold.
No time for that crap.
Finally, Choi Sung-ho arrived at the Eclipse Guild's basement.
It was a massive space, big enough for a plane to fit with room to spare.
"You're here?"
Yoon Mi-kyung, wearing a revealing dress that accentuated her voluptuous figure, approached him.
Choi Sung-ho nodded like a dog at her strikingly red lips and seductive smile.
"Did you miss me?"
"...Like crazy!"
Gulp.
Choi Sung-ho swallowed dryly.
Meeting her gaze made his heart race wildly, driving him mad.
"How about...
Something a little different today?"
"Different?"
Choi Sung-ho's eyes flashed with lust.
"Yeah.
Something different."
Yoon Mi-kyung lightly kissed his earlobe.
Choi Sung-ho squeezed his eyes shut, savoring the lingering echo of her voice.
"Lie down here."
Choi Sung-ho lay on the altar-like platform in the center of the basement.
Then
Something odd caught his eye.
A wave of mana covering the ceiling.
"G-Gate...?"
His glazed eyes sharpened momentarily at the enormous gate.
It resembled the massive gate that had appeared in North Korea.
"Don't worry about it."
Yoon Mi-kyung whispered in his ear as she stripped his clothes.
Slither―
Her red lips softly brushed his neck.
Choi Sung-ho's eyes glazed over again.
Whatever. It's just a gate.
"Close your eyes."
Choi Sung-ho shut his eyes tightly with eager anticipation.
Vampires swarmed around the altar.
Every one of them had glowing red eyes.
"Don't open your eyes no matter what.
Absolutely."
The words echoed in Choi Sung-ho's mind.
Don't open them. Absolutely not.
Yoon Mi-kyung drew a dagger from her bosom.
And lightly slashed Choi Sung-ho's chest.
Drip drip―
Choi Sung-ho flinched at the sudden sharp pain but kept his eyes shut.
Can't open them. Absolutely not.
Yoon Mi-kyung smiled in satisfaction.
"Good boy."
She stabbed the dagger into his wrists and ankles, pinning him firmly to the altar.
Blood from the wounds dyed the altar red.
Yet Choi Sung-ho still didn't open his eyes.
From excessive blood loss, he fell into shock.
"...It's time."
Yoon Mi-kyung stepped back and scattered her preparations around the altar.
The blood of 1,000 humans, shattered souls, and tempered flesh.
A red energy slowly poured from the gate.
The energy swirling in the basement space was drawn into Choi Sung-ho's wounds.
Swoooosh!
Choi Sung-ho's body trembled violently.
The daggers binding his limbs slowly pulled out and clattered to the floor.
Surprisingly, the wounds were already healed.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The altar cracked as the space shook.
The gate filling the ceiling contracted and vanished.
Flash!
Choi Sung-ho's eyes snapped open, gleaming with the same red light as the others.
No more vacant stare.
A thick, red mist-like aura billowed from him.
"...Perfect."
Choi Sung-ho—no, Mammon the Demon King—looked down at his new body and spoke.
Mammon's body floated lightly into the air.
He bellowed to all the gathered vampires like a proclamation.
"From now on, hold a festival of blood!
Quench your throats with human blood and proclaim that Demon King Mammon has arrived!
And build my new stronghold here!"
The vampires bowed their heads to the ground, worshiping their Demon King.
―Author's Note―
Thank you.