Chapter 411
Chapter 411
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 412
Chapter Title: A Pitch-Black Space
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A dark space where not even a single small light could enter.
After hearing the full story from the two of them, I felt a throbbing headache.
First off, this place was apparently another hideout for demons built to honor the founding king. And I'd been asleep here for three days.
But that wasn't the problem.
"......So, the [King's Authority] has taken root in me?"
"That's correct, Your Majesty."
Haryeong bowed his head. In response, countless demons in the darkness bowed their heads as well.
It was a situation I could hardly accept, so I rubbed my forehead and spoke.
"......For now, send those people—no, those demons—outside."
Upon hearing my words, Haryeong stood up and turned around. At the same time, all the demons in the darkness vanished from sight.
Seeing them use Shadow Bloom, it seemed the demons here were ones with a certain level of ability.
"I've sent them all away as commanded."
"Haa."
I let out a deep sigh. I couldn't comprehend what was going on at all.
The [King's Authority] had been passed down to me.
Apparently, while I was rampaging and temporarily becoming a 'demon,' the king's power had settled into me along with his death.
What kind of coincidence was this?
"Your Majesty."
At Seonhwa's call, I looked at her.
That polite demeanor. No matter how I looked at it, I couldn't get used to it.
"I get the rough situation. But I'm human."
Though I'd gained the king's authority, I was definitely still human right now.
Without 'rampage transformation,' I couldn't use demonic energy, and even if I got injured, super regeneration wouldn't activate automatically.
Of course, this statement could worsen my situation.
But I didn't have a great opinion of demons, and I had no intention of becoming their king.
After all, it was a fact that demons were harmful to humans.
And I had no plans to abandon my identity as a 'human.'
Haryeong stared at me intently.
I'd thought he might react specially to me saying I was human, but he just nodded without much thought.
"I know. We've confirmed that human blood flows through you right now. But that doesn't matter much."
Haryeong continued.
"We are those who swore loyalty to the founding king...... And you killed the second king, who was the founding king's archenemy, and became the new king. That alone gives us reason to pledge loyalty to you."
It was absurd logic.
Pledging loyalty just because I'd avenged the founding king, the 'King of Prophecy.'
"And above all. You are the King of Prophecy's......"
Haryeong trailed off and shook his head.
"Never mind."
I stared at him blankly.
The firm conviction in his voice. It was clear his mind wouldn't change no matter what I said.
At that moment, Haryeong said to me.
"More importantly, there's something I need to tell you."
About two hours passed,
and Haryeong and Seonhwa left the room, leaving me alone.
Haryeong had told me many things.
The first was what had happened in the outside world while I was asleep.
A video of me using rampage transformation had leaked, and people around the world now thought I was a demon.
The Association had also put out a warrant for my arrest, deploying quite a lot of manpower to track me down.
When I heard that, I was a bit—no, quite flustered.
I'd never imagined a situation where I'd turn all of humanity against me.
It was a pretty serious issue, as this could cause everything I'd built to crumble.
Besides that, I heard about captured Han Se-jin and the other major characters.
Fortunately, Lee Seo-jun's group seemed to be fine.
—It would be best not to contact your old comrades for a while. The Association has put surveillance on them.
"......They must be pretty shocked."
When they saw me in rampage form, what did they think?
Did they feel betrayed? Or did they realize it was some kind of misunderstanding?
At that moment, faint memories from the rampage surfaced in my mind.
Yoon Ha-young's face looking at me with pity......
And Lee Seo-jun's confused eyes......
"......Whew."
Even in this situation, I couldn't distance myself from the major characters.
My power existed for them.
Helping them reach the story's end—that had been my goal from the start.
"First, let's assess my situation."
I couldn't keep wallowing in despair forever.
Though the plan had gone awry, if I used this situation well, there was surely a breakthrough.
I activated Outsider's Benefit and checked the backlog of messages.
[You've achieved the 'Demonic Energy User' feat.]
[You've obtained 3,000 points as a reward.]
[You've achieved the 'Demon King Subjugator' feat.]
[You've obtained 50,000 points as a reward.]
[You've met the upgrade conditions for 'Rampage Transformation Stage 2 (S)'.]
[You've acquired 'Rampage Transformation Stage 3 (SS)'.]
[You've won the fight against the target!]
[Thanks to the Loyal Sword's effect, all stats increase by 20%, and the grades of 'Demon Slayer' and 'Super Regeneration' rise by one step.]
Overall, demon-related abilities had improved. And all stats had risen by a whopping 20%.
Next, I examined the newly acquired ability.
[King's Authority (SSS)]
Classification: Trait
Description: The king's authority that only one demon can possess.
[Continuous Effects]
►Omnipotence
Super Regeneration's effect increases by 1,000%. You can also distinguish and detect surrounding demonic energy.
You can use demonic energy more precisely, and blood absorption's effect is amplified.
►Majesty
High chance to gain respect from demons.
Demons that respect you become your limbs.
►Inheritance
You gain the qualification to use ancient demon magic.
However, you must acquire it yourself through books and records.
"......SSS?"
I was startled the moment I saw the SSS label.
It was the first SSS-grade trait I'd ever obtained.
"Well, it's the king's authority, not some other trait, so it's only natural."
As I thought that and read the details, I felt a bit disappointed.
"What? That's it?"
The trait's contents were more sparse than I'd expected. I'd hoped for more since it was SSS-grade.
"Still, if used well, it could be decent......"
Being able to command demons as limbs was clearly a huge advantage.
I didn't know exactly what kind of magic it was, but being able to use ancient demon magic was a big plus too.
"......The genius trait looks lackluster on paper too. So it should be fine. Oh, right."
Then I remembered one more thing to check.
►Blessing of the Demon Tree
Automatically activates the moment it detects mana and judges it as a lethal crisis.
*Cooldown: 365 days
"Hmm."
It hasn't activated yet. I'd wondered if it had this time, but thankfully not.
"So I've still got one life left."
I'd thought this incident was the karmic reckoning the prophets warned me about, but fortunately, I was alive.
"But was this really the karma?"
It had certainly brought big changes for me.
Gaining the identity of the demon king and turning the whole world against me was the worst possible situation.
But one question remained.
"......According to the prophecy, there's still time until the karmic reckoning."
Around the time of the Wizard Academy's graduation ceremony.
That was the day the prophets said my karma would be cleared. But there was still about a month until graduation.
"Guess it's come earlier?"
I rubbed my chin and sank into thought.
"Oh, right."
Then something I'd briefly forgotten came to mind.
I immediately spread my palm and injected mana into the floor.
Soon, a summoning magic circle manifested on the floor.
"Ung-ae!"
"Gretel!"
Gretel saw me and came running over on her short legs.
Perhaps because she'd vanished without a word for three days, her eyes were full of worry.
"Ung-ae-ae......"
I lightly patted Gretel's back as she whimpered sadly in my arms. After soothing her, I said.
"Oh, right. Gretel. Did anyone come to the house or anything?"
Gretel shook her head at my question.
I'd thought with the demon stigma, people might come to the dorm, but it seemed they hadn't reached there yet.
"......Man, Kim Sunwoo's the talk everywhere you go."
At the same time, in Jaun's office.
Baek Eun-seong was sighing as he watched the news on TV.
He'd thought of watching some variety show out of boredom, but every channel was talking about Kim Sunwoo.
Natasha, who had been watching TV with a stiff expression beside him, replied.
"It's that shocking of an incident. We didn't expect it at all."
"True, but...... What's with this guy? Like an onion, peeling layers and more keeps coming. And now he's a demon. Wow~"
It had gone beyond hostility to a level of respect.
How could such a guy exist in the world?
Then Sca, munching on snacks, spoke up.
"So, is that Kim Sunwoo really a demon?"
"He used demonic energy, so he's a demon!"
At Baek Eun-seong's shout, Jin interjected.
"I don't think he's a demon."
"Hmm? If he's not a demon, what is he?"
"No idea. But I've had a theory about Kim Sunwoo for a while, and it feels like it's lining up more and more."
Everyone's gazes turned to Jin at his mutter.
Then Natasha said.
"I think I know what you're getting at."
"Me too."
The usually taciturn Lee Cheong raised his hand.
Bert stayed silent, but she seemed to agree.
Baek Eun-seong narrowed his brows, feeling left out.
"What is it? Why am I the only one who doesn't know? And how can he not be a demon if he rampaged?"
Baek Eun-seong looked at Jin with puzzled eyes.
Jin glanced at Baek Eun-seong and chuckled.
"Then let me ask you this. How could a demon use the Rune Clan's magic?"
"......Huh?"
It felt like getting hit on the back of the head.
"R-Really......?"
Demons could use human magic, sure.
But magic of a 'rare clan' was different.
If Kim Sunwoo were really a demon, using 'Rune Binding' would be impossible.
Not like he was half demon, half rare clan blood.
"Kim Sunwoo seems able to use their magic without being from the clan or a demon."
"......Is that possible?"
At Baek Eun-seong's mutter, Jin looked at Kim Sunwoo's huge photo plastered on the news.
"......We'll find out eventually. Maybe he's a test subject that person was secretly working on."
After finishing my alone time for maintenance, I stepped outside. At the same time, Haryeong approached and bowed.
"Your Majesty. Do you need anything?"
King. It was about time to get used to it, but it still didn't sit right.
"I'm going out because it's stuffy."
"......Going out is dangerous."
"Don't worry. I'm confident in hiding my presence."
I needed to check on the major characters from afar.
I'd feel more at ease once I confirmed they were doing well.
"Oh. And I'll take the 'king' position as you said. But I'm not interested in politics or anything, so handle it yourself as my proxy or whatever."
Haryeong bowed instead of answering.
As I tried to pass by him, I stopped.
"Oh, right. Take this."
I tossed him the red gem I'd pulled out in advance from my pocket.
Haryeong caught it and widened his eyes.
"Th-This is......?"
"Blood Crystal."
It was the medical miracle I'd taken from a demon during the Wizard Academy's Jeju Island field trip.
It had the effect of infinitely duplicating human blood, so it could also serve to supply demons' food.
"I won't tell you not to survive by drinking human blood. But from now on, don't attack humans."
"......I shall obey your command."
Haryeong bowed his head.
"Oh. And......"
As I spoke as if something had come to mind, Haryeong looked at me with puzzled eyes again.
"You said you'd follow all my commands?"
"Yes."
"Have you ever done any childcare?"
"......"
Question marks filled Haryeong's eyes.
I pointed to the room I'd just come out of.
"There's a kid in there. Play with it while I'm gone. Take it for walks periodically too."