Invisible Threat

As soon as the usage time ended, the dark energy that had coalesced into a black sphere vanished in an instant.

'Ugh, what a waste of my Luck...'

Seeing my Luck, which was always maxed at 999, drop like that made my chest ache.

Back when I tried to acquire Conclave in the main temple's basement, the system had popped up a message saying my level was too low and that if I really wanted it, it'd deduct my Luck instead.

Even for a temporary loan, the deduction had ballooned massively.

'This is all because that guy showed up early.'

I glared at Baldr with axe-like eyes, my boiling rage pouring out, and he flinched.

The quest completion message arrived right on cue, lifting my mood a bit.

The next quest didn't look too tough, so I hit Y without hesitation.

I steadied my breathing, confirmed the spirits helping the slave spirit into the ruins, then beckoned Baldr to rise.

The pure white dragon, exiled from the heavens for his excessive righteousness, stood hesitantly at my single gesture.

"...Alright, let me ask once more. Why were you tracking me through the Black Sheep Cult?"

"The dark energy emanating from Your Majesty's true form grew weaker day by day, then suddenly cut off entirely. It seemed tied to the awakening of this world's king, so I came to investigate."

I furrowed my brow, eyeing Baldr suspiciously.

"This world's king... That's odd. Even if I awakened, you demon world folk wouldn't know until much later. How could you pinpoint the human realm—Earth, no less?"

"That is..."

Baldr hesitated a moment before speaking.

"I heard about an entity called the 'Black Sheep' from a demon in the 1st Legion dispatched to Earth. If such a being truly existed..."

"You'd confirm it and drag it back to the demon world, right."

"I beg your forgiveness, Demon King!"

As Baldr bowed deeply, I examined him closely, a sudden question popping into my head.

"Suppose... I wasn't the real Demon King or even a seed. What then? Dragging me to the demon world, I'd lack the power to replace the previous king."

"The 1st Legion Commander confirmed it."

"1st Legion Commander? Bal... Podori, was it?"

"Balpador, Your Majesty."

"Right. He confirmed a Demon King seed appeared on Earth?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

This was bizarre.

From what I'd heard, that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠guy had been bound to the demon world by the unbreakable Existence Oath even longer than Baldr.

How could someone like that confirm something on distant Earth?

The Demon King usurper who appeared without fail in every regression loop.

Baldr had been trapped by the Black Sheep Cult, draining his dark energy, but before that—for over a decade—he'd ruled the demon world as second-in-command until the mounting energy drain destroyed him.

Originally a heavenly being overseeing agriculture, he was said to handle 'seeds' well...

"Ah!"

Thinking of Balpador reminded me of something urgent.

"Baldr, loyal servant of the demon world. Obey my command."

"Yes! Your Majesty, what is your will?"

"You will return to the demon world immediately and..."

The quest completion and arrival messages chimed in rapid succession.

But what the hell was this?

'Telling me to stop the demon world's number two from usurping the throne?'

After burning through my precious hoarded Luck to barely recruit Baldr, now it throws an impossible mission at me.

'Gaon of Light'. Truly crossing the line.

A massive lava zone was forming in northern Seoul.

"What in the world is happening?"

"The sewer entrance is a sea of fire!"

Paladins were holding it back with divine power, but it wasn't enough—the lava kept expanding.

Then, suddenly.

BOOM!

The sewer lid melted like a volcano erupting, and lava surged up.

"Aaaagh!"

"Get back!"

The demon who'd entered the sewer and the hero were both swallowed by the lava zone, their whereabouts unknown.

If the hero died like this? Who'd slay the Demon King? Who'd save the world?

"Iron-Blood Pope!"

"Knight Commander Jung Hyun-seop!"

"Say something! What happened to the hero?"

Reporters and citizens had swarmed in on the rumors, causing chaos.

Everyone demanded answers from the pope, but...

"......"

He had no idea what was happening inside.

He could only assume the demon and hero were locked in a desperate battle.

The only certainty: not even the demon had emerged yet.

"Even if the hero died in there, we've got the Pope!"

"R-right! We still have hope."

Hope? Did they expect him to fight the Demon King?

The pope's lips twisted involuntarily.

He lacked confidence to defeat even a demon spewing this much darkness without the saintess or hero's help—let alone the Demon King.

Yet.

Before the crowd's fervent hopes, his frailty faded.

It pulled him back to that brave day he'd reawakened as an inquisitor.

Old and frail, he vowed to die as God's messenger if need be, exhaling slowly.

He knew better than anyone: if the pope retreated, this world had nowhere left to fall back to.

He stepped toward the lava blazing with heat that could incinerate his body.

His lips parched. And then.

As he faced the surging lava and gathered his divine power, the pope noticed the eruption halt.

"The lava stopped!"

"What happened?"

"It's the hero! The hero's alive!"

As everyone cried out desperately for the hero's return...

All the lava vanished in an instant, as if in response.

Whoosh

Only the nearby pope glimpsed the lava being sucked into the sewer.

"!!"

What was that?

The boiling heat that had gripped the area like a demon's trickery faded,

and a chilling backlash raised goosebumps.

Rumble

Now the earth shook like an earthquake.

"Earthquake! Evacuate!"

"Aaaah!"

As he directed the evacuation, a sense of déjà vu washed over the pope.

'This feels just like... the day the hero awakened...'

Before the quake stopped and silence returned,

the pope glanced at the sewer several times.

In the end, I hit accept on the quest again.

I had no idea what the Eternal Deadly Door reward was, but accepting just for that felt excessive for such an overkill quest.

Still, I accepted because the follow-up sub-quest caught my eye.

Did it know I'd struggled with levels? The rewards were massive EXP and Galette de Rua.

Massive EXP for power-leveling, obviously. And Galette de Rua—that was the item said to massively boost Luck.

In past loops, I hadn't needed or considered it.

A Demon King with Luck? It didn't fit. Misfortune, maybe.

But this loop, as a hero too, who could complain about a Luck item?

Especially since it was reimbursing my depleted Luck. Pretty conscientious quest.

I nodded firmly and accepted.

Turning back after accepting, Baldr was blinking at me, mid-instruction.

"Ahem, so, Baldr—you're coming with me to the demon world to stop the 1st Legion Commander's throne grab."

"What?! That Balpador dares eye Your Majesty's throne?!"

"Yeah, hard to believe, but..."

"He'd totally do it!"

"Hm?"

I'd worried a fellow legion commander might trust his word over mine, but it was unfounded.

"Over the 300 years Your Majesty slumbered, he tried infiltrating your chambers so often I had to layer 50 barriers to stop him."

Baldr's long nostrils flared with excitement, puffing smoke.

"I'm not certain, but I suspect he had a hand in Your Majesty's sleep!"

"...I see. Quite the guy."

The demon world's affairs were more complicated than I'd thought.

Well, a world where the Demon King just slept for ages wouldn't be problem-free.

But as past loops showed, Balpador's usurpation failed anyway.

Thanks to this very guy standing before me, Baldr.

"So how'd you end up here, listening ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to that guy?"

"To find Your Majesty, of course..."

"Who's guarding my chambers in the meantime?"

"Your Majesty's faithful servant, Barbatoss."

"...Did you just say Barbatoss?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Baldr puffed his chest, eyes gleaming like he'd earned praise.

I barely suppressed the urge to smack his snow-white head, growling instead.

"Baldr, you fool... you left the cat to guard the fish!"