The Demon King Appears

Rummaging... rummaging...

While the three sisters of the Liu-Guan-Zhang bond shared a brief reunion, I busied myself scouring the ground beneath the surrounding trees, gathering medicinal herbs.

Yu Hyeop might already be in Dong Zhuo's clutches — so why waste time on something this pointless?

What, was I supposed to just sit there with a hole punched through my gut? Invincibility was active right now, so it didn't hurt at all — but once it wore off, the pain would hit like a freight train and my mind would start swimming all over again.

That was exactly why I'd deliberately set my specialty to Hua Tuo's Green Satchel. This might be a game, but it wasn't the kind where you clicked once and everything was done. I had to brew my own medicine.

For reference: the difference between a specialty and a special ability was active versus passive. A special ability triggered just by possessing it. A specialty only worked if I actually performed the action myself.

"What have you been doing this whole time?"

"Jesus—!"

A chill brushed the back of my neck, and before I knew it Guan Yu had already tracked me down. When I turned my head, those pure, innocent eyes were loaded with distrust and hatred — a look so full of moral outrage it was almost theatrical.

"I was looking for medicinal herbs. As you can see, I've been injured."

"You're walking around just fine. Doesn't look like it hurts much. Did you even get hurt for real? Or are you colluding with those people to lure my sister into a trap?"

"What are you even— Yu Bi already told you everything. I may not be as capable as the two of you, but I used what skill I had and got her out of there."

"..."

She. Wasn't. Buying. It. Fair enough — a guy whose whole brand was "useless in peace, useless in war" single-handedly driving off ten cavalrymen didn't exactly add up.

So of course she was wondering whether I'd drugged Yu Bi and made her hallucinate the whole thing.

"My sister may be a little naive, but she's never wrong about people. What exactly did you do to make her defend you this hard?"

"I'd like to ask that myself... But like you said, her eye for people is sharp. Maybe she saw some quality in me that doesn't show on the surface?"

Honestly, I was curious about that too. Judging by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's reactions just now, with a Charm of 1 I was the kind of person who made people uncomfortable just by existing nearby.

Granted, my Charm had been a little higher when I first met Yu Bi — but even then it was only around 20. Maybe that was why Yuan Shao had ignored me so thoroughly and only spoken to her.

And yet Yu Bi, even when she'd lied, had treated me kindly from start to finish. It wasn't just her, either — Yu Hyeop and Chosun both treated me like an actual person, far beyond what my stats deserved.

So the only conclusion was that their judgment was simply that exceptional. With the foresight of a mind that could see the future, they'd sensed value in me that no stat sheet could capture.

"You may fool my sister, but you won't fool me. I will strip that mask off your face."

"..."

Guan Yu left me with that warning and stepped back. She looked like the sweetest person alive, yet her attitude toward me was colder than Chosun's.

At least Chosun had tried to soothe me with a honey trap. This one? I was going to die of sheer intimidation.

Giddyup!

After applying the herbs, I rode west with the three Liu sisters.

Guan Yu glared daggers into the back of my head the entire way. Yu Bi, thrilled to have her reliable little sisters back, rode at the very front with pure delight.

"Whoa? Do Yeop, your horsemanship ain't half bad, yo?"

For the first time, Zhang Fei showed actual interest in me. I was still the kind of person with Charm 1 that nobody wanted near them — but her curiosity as a warrior had overtaken that instinct.

"You're far faster than I am, Zhang Fei. Back in the days of Emperor Xiaowen, Li Guang rode so swiftly against the Xiongnu they called him the Flying General. Looking at you now, that title fits you perfectly."

"Whoooa! That feels good, yo! But it's weird, yo? You seem kind and funny, but for some reason I just can't warm up to you."

"W-well, people have always said I'm a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bit gloomy. I've heard that prejudice so many times I try not to care anymore."

"Mmm... Got it, yo! Yide's gonna try not to hold prejudices like that anymore!"

Her determination to somehow break through an insurmountable wall of stats. I appreciated the thought — but since today was the first and last time I'd be traveling with them, she didn't need to bother.

"Ah—! There seem to be people gathered nearby!"

That was when it happened. Yu Bi, riding ahead, suddenly reined in her horse and pricked up her ears. Sure enough, something felt off — Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both drew their weapons.

"Who goes there!"

Guan Yu shouted. And then — thunder of hooves! Roughly thirty cavalrymen, three times the earlier force, came charging from the front.

"Guan Yu, wait — we should identify ourselves first instead of just yelling—"

"We're cutting them down. I'll take the right. Yide, you take the left—"

"Damn it!"

No good. Leaving this to two sisters who lived for a fight was a terrible idea. Better to stop them myself. I spurred my horse forward and shouted at the approaching riders.

"Halt! We are the retinue of the Prince of Chenliu!"

"...!?"

Clatter-clatter-clatter!

Fortunately, they heard me. The riders reined in one after another. From the center, a tall woman with a scar across her cheek rode forward and stopped about thirty paces in front of me.

"The Son of Heaven and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Prince of Chenliu have already joined us. Where the hell have you been, and what took you so long?"

"Th-the Prince of Chenliu has already joined Dong Zhuo's army? As you can see, I am a eunuch in the Prince's service. A great calamity struck the palace and we were briefly separated. His Highness told me to meet him in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠west, so I've been following."

"Suspicious. Who are those armed women behind you?"

"Those are, well... palace maids. The atmosphere in the palace has been so grim that I had them carry weapons at all times."

"I don't believe you. How do I know you're not spies sent by the court?"

"What is there not to believe? Do you really think the ministers of the court would send a eunuch and a handful of girls to stop Lord Dong Zhuo, the man who commands Liang Province? Anyone can see my story makes sense."

"Hmm... True, your story holds together. But for some reason, I just don't want to believe it."

"..."

You just don't like me, do you? I gave you a perfectly reasonable explanation with every detail accounted for, and you still flat-out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠refuse?

"Attack!"

Negotiations collapsed. The woman immediately ordered her soldiers to charge. Left with no choice, I wheeled my horse back toward Yu Bi and shouted.

"Looks like we have to fight!"

"What did I tell you?"

Guan Yu shot me a look that said what kind of idiot is this, then charged out with her blade drawn. Zhang Fei was already ahead of her, whirling her spear as she barreled forward.

"Yu Bi! Stay behind me and don't move!"

"Ah... protecting me again? I shall place my full trust in you, Do Yeop."

Yu Bi had completely stopped worrying about dying now that her sisters were here. Cheeks faintly flushed, she rode behind me as if this were a pleasant outing.

Crack! Crack!

And then the slaughter began. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei unhorsed their enemies the way you'd pluck flower petals in a park.

I kept an eye on the situation myself, occasionally batting away anyone who tried to approach Yu Bi.

"Th-this can't be..."

The enemy commander was visibly shaken by how tough we were. Realizing this wasn't working, she shoved past Guan Yu and Zhang Fei and charged straight at me.

"Yu Bi! Fall back!"

I pushed Yu Bi out of the way and rode out to meet her. Wait — was this my first time fighting a woman?

I'd blocked Zhang Fei's spear before, but that had been a sudden ambush. Sweet or not, as a modern man, the idea of beating up a woman still sat wrong with me.

No choice. The power gap was overwhelming anyway — I'd just play along for a bit and then...

Clang! Clang!

Except — what the hell? After just two exchanges, her attacks hit harder than expected. All I could manage was defense.

She looked just as shocked that I'd caught her spear, eyes going wide.

"Y-you're no ordinary eunuch, are you? Who the hell are you?"

"Who are you? There's no way Dong Zhuo's army has someone this strong—"

"You bastard!!! You've never even heard the name of Commandant Hua Xiong?!!!"

"...?"

Hua Xiong? Of all the people I could have run into, how was my luck this catastrophically bad that I'd drawn the strongest one?

Clang! Clang!

Spear crossed spear another two times. My raw power was still well ahead of hers, so protecting Yu Bi wasn't hard.

But she was a woman. Every time I steeled myself to stab for her stomach, those full, rounded breasts threw off my concentration!

"Th-this shouldn't be possible..."

Separately from that, Hua Xiong was growing frantic — ten exchanges in and she still couldn't put me down.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were tied up with nearly thirty opponents and had no room to join this fight. But for Hua Xiong, to challenge a eunuch to a fair one-on-one duel and fail to finish it was the ultimate humiliation.

Clang! Clang!

Her hands moved faster. But haste only opened more gaps.

I could feel the momentum tipping my way. I waited for the moment she'd slip.

Whoosh—

At last I deflected her attack cleanly. A strike to the gut with the spear shaft would put her down without killing her...

"HALT!!!!!"

But then a roar that nearly ruptured my eardrums shook the entire forest. I forgot even the thought of stabbing Hua Xiong and turned toward the sound without meaning to.

"G-General!!!"

Hua Xiong let out a scream the instant she saw him. Instinctively sensing who he was, I pulled up his status window.

A demon king, plain and simple. He stood just under eight chi tall, but his bulk looked like two ordinary men fused together.

His frame seemed soft at a glance, yet it was solidly packed — the body of a man who'd trained hard. He'd ridden a long way and was soaked in sweat, sleeves rolled up, revealing arms so densely covered in tattoos that bare skin barely showed through.

Walk into a tavern looking like that and order nothing but meat stew, and you'd be the living embodiment of a tattooed pork-belly thug summoned straight out of the late Han. Stroking his bushy sideburns, he barked at me.

"Who are you?"

"I-I am a eunuch in service to His Highness the Prince of Chenliu. I was trying to catch up belatedly when this person blocked my path—"

"A mere eunuch, and you can trade blows with Hua Xiong like that? And who are these young women?"

"I am Guan Yunj—"

"They are palace maids His Highness the Prince of Chenliu trained to protect himself."

I cut in before Guan Yu could say something useless. She whipped her head around and glared at me — but what was she going to do about it?

"Fascinating. I never imagined anyone in the Central Plains could harass my men this thoroughly — and that it would be a mere eunuch and some palace maids makes it all the more astonishing. But what was that just now? Why would the Prince of Chenliu need to protect himself?"

"Pardon? Well, that is..."

I let the sentence trail off. Yu Hyeop genuinely did need protection — but there was no reason to spell out why in front of Dong Zhuo.

"Heh heh... Could it be that arrogant little wench?"

Dong Zhuo was far smarter than I'd given him credit for. Right — once he entered Traitor mode, his Intelligence went up.

Did that mean he'd already harbored rebellious intent the moment he met the Emperor and Yu Hyeop?

"What should we do with these people?"

That was Hua Xiong. Having just failed to beat a mere eunuch in front of her own troops, she was silently demanding some kind of punishment.

"Did you not say they were the Prince of Chenliu's eunuch and palace maids? Bring them."

"..."

But Hua Xiong had no idea that Dong Zhuo was already drafting the blueprints of rebellion in his head. She clenched her jaw and stepped back.

And so Yu Bi, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and I followed Hua Xiong toward Dong Zhuo's main camp.