Morning of the Demon and the Inspector
It was morning for the demon and the inspector. Light seeped through the gap in the curtains. Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep. The alarm blared.
Whoosh. The blanket slid off as a man sat up. With a cold expression, he silenced the alarm. It was a tidy one-room apartment. Minimal furniture, like a model home devoid of any lived-in feel. The man closed his eyes and stretched.
"Mmm."
Crack. An uncomfortable sound came from his shoulder.
'Still not fully healed.' The original owner of this body had shoulder issues. He'd gotten injured in a gate some time ago, or so he'd said.
"......"
No, that wasn't it. The injury wasn't the problem. His body was starting to reach its limit. A human body couldn't hold an upper demon's mana for long. This one would last at most a year or two.
The man rolled his shoulders a few times and headed to the bathroom. Click. His face reflected in the mirror above the sink. Straight nose. Sharp jawline. Well-groomed eyebrows. A decently handsome face.
The man stared intently into his reflection. He opened his mouth. Closed it. Widened his eyes. Shut them. Slowly turned his head left, then right. Like inspecting a new object for the first time.
'No issues.'
Satisfied with the mirror, he began washing his face. Splash. Whoosh—. Cold water soaked his face. A refreshing temperature.
'Nice.'
He savored the sensation. Cold. Warm. Hungry. Full. Hell had none of that. It was either scorching or agonizing. Water was poison, air was ash, and the only edible thing was other demons' flesh—and even that required risking your life for a bite.
'Hell.' He thought as he dried his face with a towel. A tiresome place. Where the strong devoured the weak, only for even stronger ones to devour them in turn. And there, he had been at the very bottom. No strength, no wings, no flames, no poison. A true bottom-tier demon with nothing to his name. His only asset was the skill to burrow into others' bodies.
'Well, that was enough.'
With a smirk, the man opened the closet. Neatly hung shirts and ties caught his eye. He picked one out and dressed. White shirt, navy tie. As he knotted the tie, he reflected.
His first host had been a low-tier demon. Slightly stronger than him, with horns and claws. He'd burrowed in and devoured it over a month. Its memories and mana became his.
The second was a stronger low-tier. Took three months. But worth it. Third. Fourth. With each host change, power, memories, and experience accumulated. All became his own. Never fading. Once digested, they were eternally part of him.
Tatos. That was his name. No longer low or mid-tier. An upper demon now. S-rank by human standards. But still not enough. Too many beings stronger than him.
'I need more power. Higher status. More memories.'
This world differed from hell. Strength didn't mean constant invasions. There were ranks, affiliations, laws. Exploited right, they were shields far stronger than fists.
He tightened the tie knot. Snap. The man in the mirror stood impeccably dressed. The corner of his mouth twitched up. Human skin was so convenient. Stretchy, durable, and above all, unquestioned. Among the hides he'd worn and discarded over centuries of hiding, this one pleased him most.
S-rank summoner with the Management Bureau. Inspector Woo Hyun-ho. That was this body's name. No—now his name.
Hyun-ho moved to the kitchen and started the coffee machine. The grinding beans echoed in the quiet room. While it brewed, he picked up the documents spread on the table. Internal Management Bureau files.
'Investigator Kang Seoyeun. S-rank. Summoner.'
Alleyway dismemberment murder, Hellhound escape, Iron Claw Guild annihilation. Three unsolved cases under investigation. Report submission deadline missed twice. Content lacking. Suspect identification failed. Further investigation needed.
'Even with an S-rank investigator on it, no real progress.'
He snorted. Incompetent, or hiding something? Either way, irrelevant to him. What mattered wasn't this case.
He flipped a page. Target school: Seoul International Hunter Academy. Where Seoyeun had infiltrated as a temporary teacher. His eyes scanned the student list.
Slide. His finger stopped on one name.
Yu Seha. First year. Ability type: Summoning (Demon). Summon①: Dahong (Demon type presumed). Details unknown. Summon②: Ruby. Behemoth fluid. Contract complete. Notes: Multiple summoning failures. Recent growth observed.
'Demon summoner.'
His eyes narrowed. Rare type. Humans summoning demons. One of the scarcest in the human world. And especially meaningful to him. This body's original owner had been a demon summoner too. A body attuned to demonic mana. Lasted longer than most humans. Held it deeper.
And one more thing. Behemoth fluid.
'A failing summoner with a history of flops gets a Behemoth.'
Curiosity stirred.
'Interesting.'
The corner of his mouth rose. Hyun-ho set down the documents and picked up his coffee. Slurp. He took a sip. Bitter taste coated his tongue. Good. He loved this flavor. No coffee in hell. These petty joys made this world paradise.
He set down the cup.
'A tasty meal has rolled in after so long.'
Hyun-ho packed the documents into his bag, donned his coat, and stood before the mirror once more. He adjusted his tie slightly. Perfect. To anyone, a competent, neat Management Bureau inspector.
'A bit more, and I won't need to hide anymore.'
He opened the front door. Crisp outside air greeted him. A March morning. A satisfying one.
"Ughhh…"
Seha fumbled putting on his shoes at the front door, staggering awkwardly. His arm wouldn't lift properly. It did, but every time, his muscles screamed in protest. Aftereffects of the weekend training.
The S-rank hunter named Oh Dae-hyun was far more Spartan than he looked.
'He laughed the whole time and never let me stop…'
Bending to tie his sneakers—crack.
"Aaack!"
Something popped in his back.
"Hee hee, like an earthworm crawling out of the dirt."
Dahong's voice came from behind.
"Excuse me. Whose fault is this?"
"Yours, right? You're training 'cause you got failing grades?"
"......Yeah."
Seha sighed and bent down again to put on his shoes. Dahong poked his back with a finger.
"Eek!"
Right on the sorest spot.
"Here?"
"It hurts!"
Poke.
"Here too."
"Aaagh… Stop, stop!"
Seha twisted away. Dahong giggled like it was hilarious. Ruby, watching from below, wagged her tail. Then she leaped onto Seha's shoulder.
"Eek, Ruby…!"
"Nya."
Seha couldn't breathe for a moment from the sudden impact.
"Let's go. You'll be late."
"......"
Seha dragged his creaking body and opened the door. Clunk. Thud. Thud. His awkward footsteps echoed down the hall. The short weekend was over. Time to head back to the academy.
Thud. Seha slung his bag beside the desk and flopped face-down on his seat.
"Ugh. Coming to the academy is this painful now."
Ruby perched atop Seha's head, looking like she'd conquered a low hill. No dignity for her master in sight.
A girl in the women's uniform stood by the desk.
"Hey. Seha."
"...Hey, Isol."
Seha rolled his eyes to look at her.
"You okay?"
Isol leaned down to peer at him.
"Oh, no. Just muscle soreness."
"Muscle soreness? What'd you do over the weekend?"
"Just… some exercise."
Seha mumbled vaguely. He couldn't detail Seoyeun's training.
"I see."
Isol didn't pry. She waved at Ruby on Seha's head.
"Hey, Ruby."
"Nya."
Ruby raised a paw, swishing it toward Isol's hand. Isol petted her and looked at Dahong.
"Dahong-unnie."
"Yeah."
Isol bowed her head politely.
"Thank you for saving my sister."
"......"
Seha was the flustered one.
"Saved your sister?"
"Nyaak!"
As Seha lifted his head, Ruby tumbled off. Roll. She sprang up immediately, furiously attacking Seha's tie in revenge. You punk, you punk.
But Seha ignored it.
"Yeah, we ran into a field boss in a gate over the weekend. She says Dahong-unnie saved her."
"I didn't do anything. Ruby did."
Dahong replied indifferently to Isol's explanation.
"......Hee hee, right."
Isol covered her mouth, laughing amusedly. Seha looked down at Ruby gnawing his tie.
'Saving people even without me around.'
What a beast. Even without her summoner.
Seha petted Ruby's head.
"I see… Should I get you a treat or something."
"What does Ruby like? I'll buy her a gift."
"Hmm… Not sure yet. She likes everything except feed, this one."
"Haha."
In the staff room, Seoyeun sat organizing lesson materials. Fifteen minutes until first period. A short break, then class—perfect timing.
As she reached for her coffee—ding. Her phone buzzed. She checked the screen. A junior from the bureau.
Seoyeun glanced around the staff room. Two other teachers at their desks.
A reply came immediately.
Seoyeun's eyes narrowed. She'd deliberately omitted key facts, but it shouldn't have been rejected.
"......"
Seoyeun stared at her phone until the screen dimmed. She picked up her coffee. Took a sip. No taste.
'An inspector.'
The rejection was understandable—she'd left gaps on purpose. But an inspector too…
'Overkill.'
She needed time. Enough to prove Dahong's danger level.
Seoyeun thought of Dahong. Slaying a demilich in under ten minutes. Grinning ear-to-ear at a great angel. If she'd reported that verbatim? S-ranks mobilized, academy locked down, battle ensuing. And deaths. Many.
'Or they might just eliminate Seha.'
Killing the summoner forces reverse summoning. Easier, safer. But would Dahong sit idly? Never.
Seoyeun closed her eyes. Either way, disaster.
She set down her coffee and gazed out the window. Students rushing in as class time neared.