Chapter 404
Chapter 404
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 405
Chapter Title: Demonic Surge at Baekdu
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Sensing the sudden whirlwind of demonic energy, Haryeong arrived at Baekdu Mountain.
A snowfield of pure white dyed red.
Human corpses littered the ground around her, and at the center stood the King alone.
Haryeong swallowed dryly as she took in the scene.
The chaotic mana emanating from the bodies...
They were undoubtedly S-Rank Wizards renowned across the world.
And the aura emanating from the King now was slightly different from the one she knew.
She felt a more ferocious power than before, along with some mysterious energy that was hard to describe.
The King's current appearance... it was like that day he killed the previous King?
He had exuded a similar dangerous aura back then.
And instinctively, she felt that even the Child of Prophecy, bearer of the Demon-Slaying power, couldn't handle the King now.
At that moment, the King spoke.
"Haryeong?"
"...I was descending the mountain and got startled by the sudden demonic energy, so I came. My King."
Regaining her composure, Haryeong immediately dropped to one knee.
Though she had secretly harbored hostility toward the King, she had to play the role of a loyal servant in his presence.
"...Those corpses—are they from the Association?"
"That's right. I wanted to test my power, and they came as perfect test subjects."
Haryeong shut her mouth.
Judging by the lingering energy, they were definitely agents from the Special Task Force.
And the fact that the Special Task Force had come all the way here to Baekdu Mountain meant the Association had nearly succeeded in tracking the Ten Demon Society's hideout.
Haryeong subtly shifted her gaze to the footprints in the snowfield.
Unexpectedly, there were traces of two who had escaped.
The current King shouldn't have let anyone flee.
"I let two get away."
The King spoke first, reading Haryeong's mind.
"They used a Mystery. I let my guard down."
"...The Association will come soon."
"Probably."
It was a situation that warranted ample fear, but the King's voice was calm.
No, she even sensed confidence in his tone.
The basis for that confidence was likely this alien energy he was emanating now.
What on earth is it? That power? It's clearly not normal.
Lost in thought, the King spoke.
"Turn all these corpses into mana essence."
"Bloodstones?"
"Yes. We need to prepare for the Day of Prophecy."
Bloodstones were stones created from blood mana.
They were a technique designed to maximize the unique demon trait of 'Blood Drain.'
"Yes, understood."
Haryeong bowed her head again.
Then, a sudden curiosity struck her.
"...My King. The Association will find this place soon—may I ask about the next plan?"
"Han Sejin possesses numerous Mysteries. We'll use his powers to buy time."
The King continued.
"Then, our next task is to find and eliminate the Child of Prophecy... For that, we need confirmation that Kim Sun-woo is truly the Child."
"...You mean?"
"I've sent Jeonghwan to him. And to divert the Association's attention, simultaneous terrorist attacks will begin soon."
Jeonghwan. One of the few S-Rank demons left in the Ten Demon Society who had sworn absolute loyalty to the King.
Haryeong instinctively grasped the meaning.
He intended to sacrifice Jeonghwan to confirm if Kim Sun-woo was the Child of Prophecy.
But terrorist attacks?
How did I miss a plan of this scale?
As that doubt arose, the King spoke.
"Haryeong, one question."
...
"Have you leaked any information about the Ten Demon Society?"
News of the investigation incident spread, and the Wizard Association entered a state of emergency.
Out of the eight dispatched Special Task Force agents, six had died.
Given they were composed of S-Rank elite agents, the Association was plunged into great shock.
"We must gather forces and dispatch them immediately!"
In the executive conference room at the top floor of the Wizard Association building.
The Association's top executives had gathered in response to the sudden shocking incident.
The first to speak was the elderly man with the title 'Flame Emperor,' Kwak Jin-hyuk.
"We lost six agents, no less. To a single demon called the King! We must strike first before suffering greater losses!"
Next, the wizard with the title 'Overlord,' Mikhail, spoke.
"We must stay calm in times like this. It could be a trap. First, we need to figure out the source of the King's freakish strength."
According to survivor Jeong Hyun-soo's testimony from the investigation team, the King had killed six agents in an instant.
Even so, for the King of Demons to slaughter six in a blink?
That strength was unnatural.
Unless it was Kim Jin-cheol, called the strongest wizard.
"Above all, demons have the trait 'Blood Drain,' growing stronger by absorbing human blood. The King now is likely even more powerful."
"So you're saying we should just watch? And... Kim Duk-hyun."
The Flame Emperor turned his gaze to Kim Duk-hyun, who was attending as the Special Task Force representative.
"Due to the Task Force's lax response, we lost six elite agents. How do you take responsibility for this?"
Kim Duk-hyun closed his mouth.
He had nothing to say.
It was undoubtedly his fault for failing to properly train them.
"I'm sorry. I'll take responsibility and resolve this. And once it's over, I'll step down from my position."
"Tsk."
The Flame Emperor clicked his tongue briefly.
That was when.
"Enough. I'll handle it."
All eyes turned toward the source of the deep, resonant voice.
There sat an old man stroking his beard: Kim Jin-cheol.
"...Chairman?"
"No matter how many agents we send, they'll just die pointlessly against him. Better I step in than waste lives needlessly."
"...But aren't you busy monitoring the Cataclysm-class beast?"
Since reports of the Cataclysm-class beast Cruas's appearance, the Association had poured many personnel into dragon surveillance.
And Kim Jin-cheol was at the center of it.
"Well, a day or two should be fine. You think that lizard will cause trouble while I'm away?"
"...We can't know that."
At the Overlord's words, Kim Jin-cheol stood up.
"Fine. I can't stand by while you get bitten by a mosquito over watching one lizard. You all stay here on standby."
[...With this, the Professional Wizard Certification Ceremony is concluded.]
In the grand auditorium near the Wizard Association.
The long-awaited Professional Wizard Certification Ceremony had finally ended.
Now, key figures like Lee Seo-jun and his peers had officially become professional wizards.
It was worth celebrating, but they couldn't simply rejoice.
As their scope of activity widened, life-threatening incidents would follow.
"Congratulations!"
"Son~ You finally achieved your dream?"
Looking around, she saw people receiving bouquets and celebrations.
Families sharing happy moments with bright smiles.
Glancing aside, major characters like Shin Young-jun, Lee Hyun-joo, and Yoon Ha-young were also receiving bouquets from their families.
"Congratulations, Young-jun~ Don't get hurt showing off!"
"...Mom, really."
"Ha-young~ Congratulations~"
"Grandma... sniff."
Watching them, I searched for Lee Seo-jun.
"...As expected."
Just as anticipated, Lee Seo-jun was receiving bouquets from various people here and there.
Judging by their suits, they seemed to be from the Association.
Likely people sent on orders from Kim Jin-cheol, his only family.
And...
"Isn't that the Witch of Flames?"
"Witch of Flames?"
Turning at the sudden commotion, there was Yoo Ah-yeon in sunglasses, with Yoo Ah-ra beside her.
She seemed to be hiding her identity due to the surrounding gazes, but her aura gave her away instantly.
"First time seeing Yoo Ah-yeon and Yoo Ah-ra together."
"Their vibes really match."
Reporters quickly began snapping photos of Yoo Ah-yeon and Yoo Ah-ra.
Yoo Ah-ra, unaccustomed to such situations, looked around in flustered panic.
In contrast, Yoo Ah-yeon showed no change in expression.
Up close, they look similar on the outside but subtly different.
While observing them, my eyes met Yoo Ah-yeon's by chance.
She gave me a small smile, and I nodded lightly in greeting.
"Everyone looks happy."
Having family to celebrate with is always nice.
I gave a wry smile and stood up.
As I exited the auditorium alone, something suddenly popped out in front of me.
A massive bouquet.
"...Huh?"
"Congratulations on your pro debut!"
A familiar voice came from behind the bouquet.
"Choi Seo-yoon?"
Whoosh!
At my call, she swept the bouquet aside, revealing Choi Seo-yoon's smiling face with a ta-da!
"What... when did you get here? Classes?"
"I rushed over right after homeroom. It was tight after stopping by the flower shop."
Choi Seo-yoon smiled softly and placed the bouquet in my arms.
Caught off guard, I accepted it and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
What is this? It's surprisingly touching.
"Thanks."
"Huh? That's it?"
"No. Really. Thank you so much."
My joking remark got a serious response, making Choi Seo-yoon's expression awkward for a moment.
Right then, someone else appeared before me.
A man in a black suit.
"Kim Sun-woo?"
"...Ah, yes."
"Here you go."
The man handed me a small bouquet and a paper bag.
"...What's this?"
"A gift. There's a letter inside, so please check it."
With that, the man vanished somewhere.
I stared blankly at his retreating figure, then checked the letter hidden among the flowers.
[Congratulations on your pro debut. I wanted to give it to you in person, but I've been too busy to visit. Sorry. -Han Se-yeon]
It was from Han Se-yeon.
Receiving such a gift as Kim Sun-woo, not Kim Jin-woo, felt a bit disorienting.
"...Who is it?"
At Choi Seo-yoon's question, I pocketed the letter.
"Han Se-yeon."
"...Han Se-yeon? From Hanseong Pharmaceuticals?"
Her eyes widened hugely.
"Why would she give you flowers, sunbae?"
"Probably because of the Rich Island incident."
As Kim Sun-woo, the only deep connection with Han Se-yeon was back then.
She had even said she'd repay the favor.
"Ah... I heard about it."
Choi Seo-yoon nodded thoughtfully.
"Right. We planned a celebration party together today, remember?"
I do. Though with everyone with family, not sure if it'll happen.
"Yeah. In three hours?"
"Yes. Reserved a restaurant too. Look forward to it."
Saying that, Choi Seo-yoon started walking. I followed slowly behind.
"But everyone else was with family. Think they'll come to the party?"
"Then it'll just be us two."
Choi Seo-yoon turned and grinned mischievously.
Some hidden motive there made me chuckle awkwardly.
It was during this leisurely, peaceful time.
WEE-OOO-WEE-OOO-WEE-OOO-
A massive alarm blared from somewhere.
Choi Seo-yoon and I stopped in our tracks.
[Unidentified mana flow detected. Unidentified mana flow detected.]
"...What?"
Unidentified mana flow?
The alarm rang again soon after.
[Citizens, please evacuate immediately.]
And simultaneously.
KABOOM!
"Kyaaack!"
Massive mana explosions erupted from all directions.