Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Even Though I'm Terminal, It's Fine Because I'm a Genius
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One wing has been clipped, but it's not over.
This is just the beginning.
Even if they're staggering drunk on Blood Cloud Incense, a demon is still a demon.
As they began unleashing their demonic energy in earnest, people shot to their feet, screaming.
But there's nowhere to run.
Those guys aren't idiots either—they've naturally sealed off the entrance from the start.
The host demon, Helmut, pulled out some strange remote device and fiddled with it. With a sizzling spark, a heavy iron door engraved with a defensive magic circle came down.
"What the hell? Who dropped the security gate? Contact the control room now!"
"T-Team leader. Something's wrong over there too. They're not responding to radio."
"What?"
Fear and chaos began to consume the venue.
"Request backup first and hold off those bastards right now!"
Kraaaang.
The excited demons charging in clashed with the security guards.
At that moment, I was facing Helmut alone after he'd shed his host disguise.
"Someone betrayed us. The plan... I see. Then it's certain."
Muttering to himself as if communicating with the Sa-in Sword retrieval team, he soon glared at me.
"That act earlier—was that you too?"
"Act?"
I played dumb, but it wouldn't work.
"You've got a lot of answers to give, so I'll make sure you can open that mouth."
"Do it if you can. But you should hurry. The longer this drags on, the worse it gets for you guys."
It wasn't just talk.
The chaos would settle soon enough, and a small-scale isolated operation without hostages was doomed to self-destruct.
"We'll see who's really at a disadvantage."
He roughly shrugged off his suit jacket.
As he ripped open his cuffs like buttons and drew up his demonic energy, a sticky unease rose, like the muggy rainy season had hit.
I quickly put distance between us, activated my Manifestation Power, and inscribed a formula.
32 strokes, 1-star Fire Control Technique: Flame Bullet.
[Manifestation Completion: 86%]
Shwoooosh.
Almost simultaneously, bizarre tentacles sprouted from his palm, and the Flame Bullet fired off.
"With that weak shit...?"
He bellowed and swung his hand wide.
The writhing tentacles pierced right through the Flame Bullet and surged toward me.
As expected...
Even with high formula completion—equivalent to over 2-circle destructive power in magic terms—the Flame Bullet fell short against a blue-grade demon.
32 strokes, 1-star Wind Control Technique: Bull's Gale.
[Manifestation Completion: 85%]
Borrowing the power of my enhanced body, I rolled aside.
Leaping down from the podium, the spot where I'd stood moments ago was pulverized like tofu.
I let out a small sigh and danced my feet to dodge the tentacles flying at me one after another.
Indeed.
Fighting with sorcery alone, without Weapon Manifestation, was no easy task.
The only way to directly damage him was with attribute combination techniques, but there was no opening to inscribe one.
This was sorcery's weakness.
It hit harder after experiencing real combat once, compared to hearing about it a hundred times.
[Trait, Adversary of Demons, activates.]
But a brewer's strength isn't limited to sorcery alone.
A sudden surge of fighting spirit permeated my body, filling me with vigor.
[All stats increase by 5%.]
[Trait Nullification partially activates.]
[Tentacle speed and accuracy reduced.]
Right after the game-changing messages appeared, his tentacles dulled as if plunged into water.
"Wh-what the hell..."
He, whose trait involved extending his nerves like tentacles to whip around, would know this shift better than anyone.
This would have been a good moment to inscribe an attribute combination technique, but just then, the presence I'd expected arrived, so I casually lowered both hands.
That was when another figure intervened.
Slash—
First, a line flashed like lightning, severing his tentacles. Then someone landed in front of me, shielding me.
The familiar back view felt especially reassuring, probably because it hadn't been long since we'd fought back-to-back.
"Park Ha-yul, you okay? What the hell is going on?"
It was Baek Sa-young.
The demons hadn't noticed the crack.
Our group, sensing something fishy, had joined the fray in earnest.
"Why ask me?"
"Fair enough. But did you know? That necklace you won—the one Cheon Seo-yoon..."
"You focusing or not?"
I cut off Baek Sa-young with a warning.
"Watch out. Your opponent's a demon."
"Oh, right."
Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, Baek Sa-young soon flashed a faint smile at me.
"Don't worry. This isn't my first time dealing with demons."
He looked so composed that I couldn't help but snort.
Grown up, have we?
His skills were reliable enough, so I nodded and stepped back.
Baek Sa-young gracefully raised his sword, then charged like lightning.
Wondering where he'd gotten it from—I saw display cases scattered around the auction house, smashed open.
Given the situation, he'd probably grabbed whatever was handy.
I breathed a sigh of relief and sent a quick text to So I-hyun.
Excluding the terrorism report she'd already received, it was just to keep an eye on the Sa-in Sword's security.
It should be fine per the original plot, but better safe than sorry.
I turned my gaze back to the auction house.
Thanks to the Blood Cloud Incense and the protagonists' efforts, things were stabilizing fast.
Joo A-rin was protecting the civilians with her summoned divine beast, while Lee Dae-ho, the security team, and some other awakeners present were suppressing the demons.
And Cheon Seo-yoon...
She was swinging her sword more ferociously than ever.
Even so, she'd glance back at the podium...
"Hey, you..."
"......"
When our eyes met briefly, she turned away like she hadn't seen me.
Not the time for chit-chat anyway.
Things were overwhelmingly in control—no need for backup.
"But it was this easy?"
That's when I sensed something off.
Even with the Blood Cloud Incense's help, this was an incident with nearly a dozen casualties...
Wait.
The thought hit me, and something clicked. I scanned the venue again.
Then I was sure.
"...Gone."
The bomb demon...
In the original, besides planting the bomb in the necklace, she joined the fight for fire support.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say most casualties came from her.
But she's nowhere now.
"...Why?"
My spine chilled. As I retraced what I'd missed, Helmut's offhand mutter from earlier resurfaced.
"Heh heh, we'll see who's really screwed."
Was there really something?
I was about to head that way for more details.
"Better if the bomb in the necklace had gone off."
"What?"
Helmut's voice rang out amid his fight with Baek Sa-young.
I sharpened my hearing to catch his words.
"Oh, you don't know? Then just die. No—let's all die together."
"No, wait..."
"Don't be surprised by the hell about to unfold."
Baek Sa-young dismissed it as mere provocation and swung his sword without flinching.
But to me, who'd been suspicious all along, it rang different.
The absent bomb demon and hell...
All die together?
Stringing the key phrases together simply led to one conclusion.
"...There might be another plan."
A Plan B prepared in case the original failed...
But why wasn't it used in the original?
The original failed too.
My thoughts looped back—and soon yielded an answer.
"The process was different."
If they'd pivoted to Plan B from the start after setting up the failure plug too quickly...
Then blocking the explosion and deploying the Blood Cloud Incense had backfired.
...
If this was true, real hell might unfold.
He's the type to follow through, and his trait specialized in this.
He might even try to bring down the entire building.
"Fuck."
The necklace didn't matter anymore.
I had to find the bomb demon before anything happened.
But how?
All I knew was that the bomb demon was plotting something.
That's when it hit.
['Greed' asks if you want to find the demon.]
The quiet one finally spoke, and I shot back like I'd found a lifeline.
"Possible?"
['Greed' brags that it's sensitive to demonic energy.]
['Greed' says it wants to sniff the demonic energy scent on the necklace again.]
Hold on.
I rushed back to the podium and brought my hand to the necklace.
['Greed' memorizes the burning scent mixed with demonic energy.]
['Greed' gestures for you to follow its guidance.]
Suddenly, a path lit up ahead. I grabbed the case and followed.
Behind the podium was a staff door.
Not a security gate—just an iron door. I summoned a dagger and smashed down hard.
Clunk—
I yanked the broken handle roughly.
['Greed' points to the end of the corridor.]
"Wait."
I left a short message for So I-hyun, then sprinted at max speed.
* * *
Not all demons are like this, but most suffer mental instability.
A symptom from demonic energy affecting the brain, prominent after childhood when they start handling it seriously.
But the bomb demon is an exception.
Kali, was it?
Born with antisocial personality disorder.
Near-total lack of emotions, obsessed only with the euphoria and thrill of explosions.
So, if her plan was a massive terrorist act...
Even something anti-humanitarian enough to claim hundreds of lives, she'd execute without hesitation.
She's a maniac who's never felt guilt.
['Greed' says you're almost there.]
With Greed's help, I'd reached basement level 2.
Sprinting down the long corridor, I spotted the likely spot.
"Facility Control Room."
The lock was already broken, thick demonic energy seeping from the gap.
I charged in without hesitation.
['Greed' yells to stop.]
I froze mid-step, just as it warned.
"What the...?"
The bizarre, chilling sight left me staring blankly.
A low-ceilinged, dim underground space.
Long, cylindrical tubes twisted like a maze, red energy seeping in like blood droplets.
And at the center—she was there.
Hand on the floor, eyes closed as if savoring, lips twisted in a grin...
[Trait, Manifestation Power, activates.]
I gritted my teeth and manifested a single blade.
Limit at 40%, manifestation time: just 5 seconds.
Aiming for the source of her demonic energy—her heart—I hurled it with Absolute Accuracy.
Shreeeeek.
I'd struck during her unguarded moment—no way it'd miss.
Kwarrr rumble rumble.
That's when the anomaly struck.