Chapter 124: Contract (1)
Chapter 124: Contract (1)
The black spire erected by the vanguard sent to Earth was connected to the black spire in Nippur, serving to gradually widen the holes in the dimensional barrier.
In a district of Nippur where the planet's surface had been gnawed away like a piece of worm-eaten fruit, a black spire stood tall upon a land of dark stone.
It was even more massive than the one built on Earth.
It was only natural, considering its purpose: it gathered arcane mana in Nippur and emitted waves designed to pierce and expand the gaps in the dimensional barrier.
Countless demons clung to the base of the spire, busily extracting energy from the planet's core, converting it into arcane mana, and channeling it into the black spire to keep it operational.
A heavy humming sound resonated loudly, but not a single demon found the noise bothersome.
The demons had rejoiced upon hearing that the vanguard had successfully crossed over to Earth, erected a black spire, and constructed a fortress. They had been worried that the vanguard might be intercepted and wiped out before they could establish a base.
Since they had seen the log of Laysia, a follower of Tiamat, appearing in a dungeon, they had surmised that the forces of the Benevolent Gods were present on Earth.
Of course, since only Laysia had been confirmed, they assumed the opposing force wasn't large, making their chances of success high. Still, this was an opportunity thirty years in the making, and the demons were desperate.
By nature, demons were malevolent beings who thrived on destroying others. No matter how ageless they were, they still felt the sting of boredom.
Now that the moment to escape that boredom had finally arrived, they were itching for action. The demons wanted to tear a larger hole in the dimensional barrier as quickly as possible so they could pour into Earth without hindrance.
But then, the signal transmitting from Earth cut out, and the black spire ground to a halt.
"What?"
"How did this happen?!"
It had been a mere day since the black fortress and the spire were completed. The demons were thrown into a panic by the fact that the spire on Earth had been destroyed in just twenty-four hours.
They had maintained brief communications with the demons on Earth; the last check-in was only a few hours ago, and they had reported that everything was proceeding perfectly.
Yet, in that short interval, the black spire had been destroyed without a single distress signal.
The demons were seething with rage.
Of course, since they had already poked some holes in the dimensional barrier, they could still send demons into dungeons to be transmitted to Earth, just as they had with the vanguard.
The problem was that it wouldn't be as easy to emerge onto Earth this time.
The demons would have to remain trapped inside the dungeon for a week, and now that the humans were aware of their presence, making a clean exit would be difficult.
The demons put their heads together, deliberating on how to escape Nippur and reach Earth. However, because the black spire had collapsed sooner than expected, the hole in the dimensional barrier hadn't widened. Nothing had changed from before.
Stuck in a stalemate, the demons were unable to find a new breakthrough.
★ ★ ★
Park Min-woo, the Korean Branch Manager of the Awakener Association, flew to Japan immediately.
Upon hearing that two more Awakeners had joined Wolyeong and Knight, he suspected they were also Otherworlders, just like Knight.
I have to help Lady Wolyeong settle this.
He had come immediately out of concern that Wolyeong might be in a difficult position. For Wolyeong, it was actually a relief to speak with Park Min-woo, as it made things easier to manage.
Since she had already told Park Min-woo that Knight was from another world, it was convenient to explain Grace and Laysia in the same way.
Kang Yujin, in the guise of Wolyeong, was conversing with Park Min-woo.
"So they really were from another world."
Park Min-woo nodded immediately at Wolyeong’s explanation, which confirmed his suspicions. The sudden appearance of such powerful Awakeners would usually require them to literally fall from the sky; being from another world was essentially the same thing.
"Then, how should I address the two of them...?"
"The knight is Grace, and the martial artist is Laysia."
Park Min-woo felt a brief moment of curiosity, noting that Wolyeong was providing their names this time, unlike with Knight. However, he didn't press the issue, as it was better for him anyway.
"And there's something I need to tell you about the demons we faced this time."
"Ah... yes."
Kang Yujin then explained to Park Min-woo that behind the creation of the portals was a scheme by demons serving Evil Gods from another world, seeking to invade Earth.
She added that these demons were subordinates of those Evil Gods, which made them far more organized and powerful than typical monsters.
Park Min-woo’s eyes widened as he processed this shocking truth. She explained that if a portal isn't cleared, the barrier between Earth and the demons' world develops a hole, allowing even stronger demons to cross over.
"Wait... then the appearance of these demons in Japan..."
"It's likely because the failure to clear dungeons reached a tipping point, creating the conditions for the demons to cross over."
As someone who worked for the Association out of a sense of duty, Park Min-woo could not take this lightly.
I must hold Japan accountable for this.
"And the demons we saw this time were the weak ones."
"Then we must clear the portals to prevent this at all costs."
"Yes. We can't let something like this happen again."
"Phew... the situation was more dire than I thought. Did you hear this from the Otherworlders you contracted with?"
"Yes. I learned it from them, as they've been fighting demons in their own world."
Until now, there had been many theories regarding why portals appeared, but no established fact. Wolyeong’s revelation that the demons were behind it solved the mystery while simultaneously warning that portals were not merely a source of income.
Park Min-woo had immense trust in Wolyeong, and she didn't seem to be lying. In fact, he saw no reason for her to fabricate such a story. Hearing her explanation felt like the final piece of a puzzle clicking into place.
"Lady Wolyeong. I apologize, but may I share this information with others immediately?"
"Of course. I heard this when I first contracted with Knight, but I didn't think anyone would listen back then. That's why I'm only mentioning it now."
"Thank you."
After obtaining Wolyeong’s consent, Park Min-woo hurried to inform other nations of the truth.
The news spread across the globe in an instant.
Everyone was shocked to learn that the force behind the portals was an army of demons intent on invading Earth. This served as a wake-up call for those who had begun to view portals as nothing more than commercial ventures.
It was unavoidable, given how devastating Japan's initial defeat against the demons had been. Although they had managed to salvage the situation with a crushing victory in the second battle, everyone knew that was largely thanks to the help of Wolyeong and the three Otherworlders.
The reality was clear: without their help, no nation could easily handle the demons.
The fact that these demons were considered "weak" only amplified the gravity of the situation. It meant that even more powerful demons were lurking in another world, watching for any opportunity to invade Earth.
Recently, clearing portals had become a lucrative business, leading to subtle competition between nations. However, this revelation shifted public opinion toward the necessity of global cooperation.
Awakeners like Park Min-woo, who worked out of a sense of duty but previously lacked influence, now had the leverage to push for active international collaboration.
Naturally, attention focused even more intensely on Wolyeong and the three Otherworlders.
They had fought magnificently against a horde of demons. Those who witnessed the battle firsthand praised them as being at least A-rank, though most believed they were S-rank or higher.
The story that they had fought demons in another world and had come to help Earth defend itself was bound to capture everyone's imagination. To civilians and Awakeners alike, they were a new kind of existence, distinct from the Awakeners they knew.
However, no further information was forthcoming.
The only known facts were that they had come to Earth through a contract with Wolyeong via an artifact and what kind of weapons they used in battle. Beyond that, there was nothing.
Han Shin and his party had no desire to share more, and since Wolyeong operated solely through requests from the Korean Branch of the Awakener Association, there was only one channel of communication, leaving no other source for information.
Park Min-woo, feeling grateful toward Wolyeong and those who had come to help Earth, responded to outside inquiries with strict silence to ensure they weren't bothered.