The Demon Spear

I could feel an alien presence settling into my heart.

Just as Dantalion had said, it didn't seem as though his will was carried within the power itself.

But the sheer magnitude of it is staggering.

Such was the power of a Demon Duke. For now, I doubted I could use all of it.

So it was classified as a skill, at least.

"SSS-rank, huh."

Not quite EX-rank, but more than enough to make people gasp. Then again, I'd never even seen an SS-rank on Earth, let alone an SSS.

"Well, I'll have to try using it."

Before bringing it into real combat, I needed to test just how much of Dantalion's power I could currently wield. Fortunately, we were inside a dungeon, so I could use it freely. Like a gate, a dungeon wouldn't close until everyone inside had exited—even if the boss died.

…….

After quietly settling my mind, I drew out the black energy pulsing within my heart.

"Come forth, Dantalion."

The air before me rippled, and a pitch-black lance took form. Its power was despairing and overwhelming, as if the abyss of hell itself had been condensed into a single point.

So this is what the Demon Duke became after surrendering his soul and transforming into power.

Ding!

Information on the Demon Spear materialized.

"The Demon Duke's power, hm…."

I reached out and gripped Dantalion.

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At once, an energy emanating from the lance surged over me. Black horns sprouted near my forehead, and my nails darkened to obsidian.

"Ah, so the horns don't actually grow from my skin."

Looking closely, they were formed of black energy hovering just above my brow. When I reflected my face in the spear's blade, I saw that my eyes had changed from ordinary to inverted—black sclera and white pupils. My slit, vertically split pupils were a bonus.

"A proper devil, through and through."

Despite the ferocious transformation, the stat boost Demonification provided was staggering. My senses sharpened several times over in an instant, and an unprecedented vitality flooded my entire body.

This is… insane?

A stat enhancement of this scale in a single breath. I don't usually make predictions like this, but—

In this state, I could definitely beat Gwonwang.

Being able to defeat the Fist King meant my level had risen beyond even the World Rankers. The power held within the Demon Spear was greater than I'd imagined.

And even that was less than half of what the spear held. If I gradually increased my capacity, I would eventually be able to draw on everything within this lance.

"Something to look forward to."

One more trump card I could use. After about five minutes of experimentation—

The skill's use came to an end.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

At my current level, five minutes a day is all I get.

Absurdly short, yes. But for those five minutes, I could stand in a state that would overwhelm even a World Ranker.

"Thank you, Dantalion."

I'll put your power to good use. We both despise the Monarchs alike, so let's get along well, shall we? I will never forget your sacrifice—and I'll take your revenge in your stead.

"…Khehehek!"

Jackpot.

"O-Ohhhh! The dungeon really is closing!"

After exiting the dungeon, I received the reward I'd been promised by the head of the Slott family.

"Take anything you wish! What could I not grant the benefactor who closed our dungeon!"

"Then that spear, please."

"Th-the Shinseong Spear is… difficult… that is our family's treasure…."

"Tch. Fine, then I'll take these."

There happened to be some useful artifacts on hand, so I picked out a few without hesitation.

Boots of Spirit Stride (B)

Orb of the Windstorm (A)

One boosted speed, the other amplified wind-element magic. I wasn't planning to use them myself—I already had someone in mind as their owner.

"Rir, presents!"

"Kyaaeng?!"

When I brought the boots to Rir's front paws, they automatically resized to fit. That was the beauty of artifacts. Then I had the orb strung as a necklace around her neck—definitely an upgrade from the days when she had nothing at all.

"Good thing spirits can wear equipment too, right?"

"Woof woof woof!"

Rir spent a long while examining her reflection in a mirror. She lifted her paws to inspect the boots from every angle, jingled the orb to hear it chime, and generally had a grand time.

Once we leave, I should get her a proper equipment set.

Rir growing stronger meant my own fighting power growing in turn. There was no reason to skimp on the investment.

Anyway, that wraps up the commission.

I flatly refused the family head's request that I stay a little longer and boarded the carriage. The road ahead didn't feel like it would be a long one.

Soon, one of the two princes will become the Monarch.

There was, after all, quite a lot to think about.

"I wonder if he's doing well on the commission…."

Lunan murmured, worry lacing her voice. Lee Tae-hyun had dispatched a high-rank monster without so much as a scratch. Going forward—no, perhaps even now—the boy might be stronger than she was. Her worry might well be arrogance, but this was the highest-difficulty commission that no one in history had ever completed. As the one who had personally brought him into the Black Moon, she couldn't help but fret.

"Give it up, Captain. That guy isn't coming back."

Pone, standing beside Lunan, answered with a scowl.

"That high-rank monster subjugation was obviously rigged too. Spend your attention on the members who are actually here instead of on the likes of him."

"…Why do you hate Tae-hyun so much?"

Tae-hyun. The oddly affectionate way she said it only stoked Pone's irritation further.

"He barged in outside the regular recruitment period and muddied the knights' waters. There's nothing to like."

"What does the period matter? When someone strong appears, the Black Moon's door is always open."

"Whether he's even qualified to step through that door hasn't been properly verified."

It wasn't entirely wrong. No one had actually seen Tae-hyun slay that demon. But if she had attached conditions just to verify his judgment for its own sake, Chadwick would surely have snatched Tae-hyun away. So she'd brought him in first. Whether he was truly strong or not could be determined afterward.

"Just get along with him~ You'll be eating from the same pot soon enough."

"There'll be nothing to see anyway. He must be dead in that dungeon by now."

"You keep saying things like that—!"

The moment Lunan, having held back and held back, finally opened her mouth to snap—

"Captain!"

A knight came sprinting breathlessly toward her.

"This fool! What happened to decorum in front of the Captain—"

"Th-that's not important right now!"

Pone's brow furrowed at being talked over by a mere rank-and-file knight.

"What is it?"

"He's returned!"

"Returned? Who?"

"The new member who just joined! He's back from the commission!"

"…Really?"

Lunan's eyes went round. It had barely been three days since he'd left for the commission. If he was already back, then that meant…

"Kwahahahaha! So that's how it is!"

Pone's face split into a triumphant grin.

"He clearly fled from the commission! All that big talk, and it was too much for him after all!"

"W-well, actually…."

The knight glanced nervously between them and spoke carefully.

"It seems he… succeeded."

"Kwahahahah—! …What?"

"The Slott family is escorting him here in tremendous style."

Both heads snapped toward the window at once.

At the entrance to the Shadow Garden, a carriage laden with rewards stood parked. The escort detail had grown even larger than before, and the family's guardian knights had been attached as well. No matter how one looked at it, this was not the retinue of someone who had abandoned the commission and fled.

Click.

The door of the most luxurious carriage, right in the center, opened. A familiar face stepped down.

"Th-that guy…!"

"Tae-hyun!"

Lee Tae-hyun had returned from his commission. The first to leap into action was, of course, Lunan. She vaulted down in a single bound and raced toward him.

"Tae-hyun! The commission's already done?"

"Ah, Captain."

Tae-hyun rolled his neck casually.

"Yes. It wrapped up easier than expected."

"What on earth was it?"

"Nothing much. There was a Demon Duke."

"Ah, I see, so that's—wait, a Demon Duke?!"

Lunan's shock lasted only a moment.

"Then I'll head straight to the Dark Palace."

"Straight away? You could rest a bit first."

"No. When a commission ends, one reports immediately."

Inwardly, she marveled. Truthfully, until now she hadn't been certain whether Tae-hyun was a genuine powerhouse or not.

This commission settled it.

Lee Tae-hyun was strong. Perhaps the strongest in this entire Shadow Garden. If things continued this way, he was a powerhouse who could raise the Black Moon to the very top.

"Lee Tae-hyun!"

Following on Lunan's heels, an enraged voice called out to him. Pone was glaring at Tae-hyun with a face twisted in pure spite.

"What can I do for you, Vice-Captain?"

"Be honest with me. What kind of stunt did you pull this time?"

"A stunt? Whatever do you mean?"

"An unmeasurable-rank commission that no one has ever survived—and you cleared it in three days? While claiming you fought a Demon Duke?"

"That's correct."

Laid out in a list, it did sound absurd—but it was the plain truth.

"You've clearly pulled some bizarre trick to deceive us…!"

"Deceive you? This isn't deception, Vice-Captain Pone. This is what we call skill."

Tae-hyun's lips curled into a smirk.

"I've wondered from the start why you're so worked up over me. Could it be you feel inferior to a mere rank-and-file knight?"

"Why you…!"

"Or… could it be jealousy? Because I've got the Captain's attention all to myself?"

Bullseye. Pone faltered and took an involuntary step back. Seeing it, Tae-hyun snickered and whispered, low enough for only Pone to hear.

"If you've got no skill, then fold. You attention-starved brat with nothing but size going for you."

The instant those words landed, Pone's reason snapped.

"You goddamn bastard!"

Drawing his sword in the same breath, he lunged at Tae-hyun. The movement of a near-top-tier swordsman.

"Danger—!"

A speed even Lunan couldn't intercept. The blade was a hair's breadth from burying itself in Tae-hyun—

Thud.

The hand swinging the sword stopped dead.

Wh… what?! He couldn't comprehend it for a moment. His body had frozen rigid, as if turned to stone, refusing to move.

"What is this…."

"Vice-Captain Pone."

Pone shifted his eyes and met Tae-hyun's gaze. And then he saw it.

The colossal silhouette of a demon, looming behind Lee Tae-hyun.

"What are you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠doing? Weren't you about to run me through with that?"

"Kkh… kkuuuuh…!"

"Why are you just standing there?"

"Go on. Why not stab me and kill me already?"

"Hnngh…! Hnnnngh…!"

Utter terror raked through Pone's very soul.

"Kehk…."

In the end, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed. Foam bubbled from his mouth, and a dark stain spread across his crotch.

"Oh, so the Demon Spear's energy can do this too. This will be quite useful for negotiations back home."

Lee Tae-hyun gazed down at the unconscious Pone, murmuring words no one else could make sense of.