Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Five Days Remaining
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Five days remained until the Demonus weakening operation.
Lee Yong-un summoned Sword Tiger, the captain of the Dragon Demon Corps; Myung-su, the One Ghost Soul of Ghost Killer Soul Annihilation; and Jin-cheol, the guild master of Unwoo Guild—leaders hailed as the heads of their respective forces.
This was the main house where his parents had lived, a place he had never allowed anyone to enter while they were alive. But now, with only Yong-un and Myung-un residing there, he had invited these force leaders inside.
"This is... the place where the Supreme One resides..."
It was an ordinary family home, no different from any other.
A shabby, cramped house, just like any typical one.
Yet the eyes of Korea's top force leaders sparkled at the mere fact that Yong-un lived here.
Even the spots where the wallpaper had peeled away, revealing mold.
There must be a reason for it.
The cabinet door under the sink that dangled loosely.
There must be a reason.
The master bedroom door that banged loudly every time it closed because the frame didn't fit properly.
It's where the Supreme One resides.
Of course, there had to be a reason.
That was the instinctive thought.
But while Sword Tiger and Myung-su nodded to themselves in silent agreement, Jin-cheol was different.
"Supreme One."
"What is it?"
"I know you've amassed considerable wealth by now. So why insist on living in a place like this?"
He wasn't called a master strategist for nothing.
Jin-cheol never let mere curiosity pass without voicing it.
It was a question that could come across as rude, but he knew Yong-un's abilities meant he could own hundreds of such houses without issue, so he asked without hesitation.
And the response was straightforward.
"Too much hassle."
Because it was the house where his family had lived.
Or because the energy here was unique.
Sword Tiger and Myung-su had expected something along those lines and now stared at Yong-un with puzzled expressions.
"To you, this house must symbolize the downfall of our family, so it makes sense to discard it immediately."
"But why..."
"I already said. It's a hassle."
At Yong-un's words, the force leaders wore stunned expressions.
"Sit."
Leaving them like that, Yong-un took a seat first in the narrow living room.
"Yes, Supreme One."
Snapping to attention at his command, they sat around him one by one.
"How many personnel can you deploy for the Demonus weakening operation?"
That was the reason he'd summoned them.
The leaders exchanged glances, and Sword Tiger spoke first.
"The Dragon Demon Corps currently has 4 members."
"Ghost Killer Soul Annihilation has 7."
Dragon Demon Corps and Ghost Killer Soul Annihilation combined: 11 members.
It was the expected number, so everyone nodded.
But Jin-cheol's follow-up made their ears doubt what they heard.
"The Demon Shadow Assassination Corps has 150."
Sword Tiger and Myung-su stared at him with wide eyes.
"As you know, Unwoo Guild is no longer just a neighborhood guild. With the power you granted, we've risen to the top five guilds. Deploying 150 is more than feasible."
The scale was on another level.
They'd mentioned 4 and 7, and here came 150.
Sword Tiger and Myung-su looked at Yong-un in disbelief, waiting for his response.
"150... Guild Master, in your view, could you bring them all back without a single loss?"
"Not a single... one?"
Jin-cheol's eyebrow twitched at Yong-un's question.
The Demonus weakening operation was a rare event, occurring perhaps once every few years.
Because the Demonus didn't grow strong enough to necessitate it predictably.
However, this infrequent operation was reserved solely for so-called great powers, making its difficulty incomparably severe.
"I've reviewed the records of great powers deployed in past Demonus weakening operations. Not one returned without casualties."
Even great powers had to approach it with death in mind.
Just as low-rank hunters from weaker nations had steeled themselves for mandatory dispatches back in the day,
the operation was unavoidable for great powers, rendering death an inescapable reality.
"You are mine. The lives of those 150 in your Unwoo Guild are also mine."
But.
"I don't allow anyone to take what's mine without permission."
Once again, Yong-un defied common sense.
A feat unprecedented in history.
He was turning the impossible into possible.
Jin-cheol pondered briefly before responding.
"Zero casualties would be difficult."
"Then, assuming zero casualties, how many can you take?"
"...7."
150 reduced to 7.
A drastic cut, yet Yong-un nodded with a satisfied smile.
"That's plenty. You've already got 7 division commanders."
"Yes. Excluding myself—the founding division commander—Jang-hun, and Myung-un who left the Demon Shadow Assassination Corps, you've granted the title of division commander to 5 more."
"How do you compare to them?"
"I'm at 7th Star of Asura Demon Art, Jang-hun at 8th, then two at 3rd, two at 2nd, and one at 1st."
"The growth gap is clear."
"Yes. It must be due to differing talents."
Jin-cheol gave a wry smile.
"Regrettable?"
"No. I'm content."
As he spoke, he wiped the bitterness from his lips.
Yong-un nodded slightly.
"You judge that even at 7th Star, you could defeat Jang-hun at 8th?"
"Yes, as you know, Supreme One. Asura Demon Art paired with my magic-type hunter class is the perfect combination."
Yong-un smiled.
Magic-type hunters—mages—were a profession nonexistent in the martial world.
Thus, he'd always been curious about how Asura Demon Art would affect Jin-cheol.
But as insights into the art deepened, its synergy with a mage proved extraordinary.
Between a martial artist and a mage achieving the same insight, he'd favor the mage every time.
A mage free from the weakness of vulnerability during spellcasting... Excellent.
True to his reputation as a brilliant strategist, Jin-cheol wasn't fixated on the present.
He looked further ahead, to greater horizons.
The genuine victor's smile on his lips compelled Yong-un to acknowledge him as a true master.
"Good. Achieve full mastery soon."
"Thank you, Supreme One. It's all thanks to you."
"Enough flattery. Listen up."
Yong-un rose from his seat.
The force leaders stood as well.
"Yes, Supreme One."
"The reason I called you is simple. For the next five days, train so that not a single one of you dies."
The leaders shouted in unison.
"We obey your command, Supreme One!"
"You know why I'm saying this after summoning you."
At Yong-un's meaningful words, they clenched their fists.
"Do not die."
"Yes! Supreme One!"
The force leaders had all departed.
Yong-un climbed onto the roof, a spot he frequented whenever deep in thought.
Swoosh.
"You've done something unnecessary."
Mu-hee emerged from Yong-un's shadow.
"One Ghost Soul told me to check on you..."
"No need. Return."
Despite his refusal, Mu-hee ignored the order and sat beside him.
Mu-hee was the supreme spirit sorceress, having spent her life in the Night Slaughter Society amid schemes and assassinations.
She had risen to its throne after witnessing countless assassins and elite killers through a spirit sorceress's eyes.
Even Yong-un, whose expressions were hard to read, couldn't hide his aura from her discerning gaze.
"This is the first time I'll disobey an order."
Yong-un turned to see Mu-hee leaning close.
She stuck out her tongue playfully with a cute expression—one that would have earned her the moniker "seductive fox demon" in the martial world, captivating men's hearts.
The Supreme One's commands were to be followed at the cost of one's life.
But this wasn't wartime, and with no repercussions for defiance, Yong-un wasn't one to draw a blade over a subordinate's whim.
"Do as you please."
"Thank you, Supreme One."
Boldened by his permission, Mu-hee pressed right up against him.
Then she asked,
"You seem lost in thought."
"Inevitably."
"Is it because of what Sung-min said after becoming Six Ghost Souls?"
Yong-un didn't answer.
Because she was right.
The others might have dismissed it as ravings from a mad subordinate possessed by a god, but the presence Sung-min exuded then had widened even Yong-un's eyes.
An immense aura unlike any he'd witnessed before.
It conveyed a sensation beyond mere "powerful."
To avoid losing everything, one must sacrifice something precious...
Sung-min's vision: snowflake petals fluttering in a five-meter radius around him, invisible to all others.
Staring at the sky, Yong-un mulled it over.
Normally, he'd trust them to handle it and move on without comment.
Yet he'd given the capable force leaders an unusual warning because of those words.
Eccentric and bizarre.
That otherworldly utterance deepened his worries layer by layer.
Something precious...
Why?
Why this unease?
Even as a Demon Commander of the Heavenly Demon Cult, amid life-or-death battles in the Upright-Demon War, he'd never felt this.
Always the strongest, smashing all obstacles, facing any peril fearlessly.
Yet never this anxiety.
Just his instincts signaling "danger," nothing more.
"I've never seen you brood this long, Supreme One."
Mu-hee spoke amid this enigmatic emotion.
Glancing at her briefly, realizing he couldn't resolve it alone, Yong-un softly asked,
"When does one feel anxiety?"
"Hm..."
Pondering, Mu-hee smiled.
"Usually when facing major loss. Like life, money, honor, and so on."
Money, honor?
To Yong-un, who had achieved his old world's goals, they meant nothing now.
Things he could lose without care.
But pairing "life" with "loss" unlocked his prolonged dilemma.
That's it. The source of my unease.
Why now, when he'd never felt it even in the Heavenly Demon Cult?
I've changed.
His mindset as Sword Demon versus Yong-un in this reality.
They differed entirely.
Unlike then, he now had things—people—to protect.
The massive loss of his own death.
His family, finally pursuing their desires after his suffering, left without his aid.
And being absent when they faced danger.
"Thank you. You've helped me pinpoint why I'm anxious."
Yong-un smiled.
Identifying the cause lightened his heavy heart.
The anxiety itself seemed to vanish.
"Even the Supreme One is human after all."
Mu-hee beamed brightly at his genuine smile.
"What do you mean?"
"You know? Dragon Demon Corps, Ghost Killer Soul Annihilation, Unwoo Guild—they all think the same. That not a drop of blood would spill if you were stabbed."
"What does that signify?"
"Many things. Like your skin is so tough blood wouldn't flow, or you're an emotionless robot. But now I know."
The fox demon was scattering her allure again.
Leaning in, wetting her lips with her tongue, Mu-hee said,
"You're human like us, capable of feelings."
Yong-un averted his gaze to the sky.
Mu-hee shrugged regretfully.
"Though it's true no blood would come if stabbed."
The sight of Yong-un bleeding was unimaginable to anyone in his forces.
Yong-un bleeding?
And another existence drawing his blood?
It would make his forces contemplate humanity's end.
"Enough idle talk."
Unaware of their sentiments, Yong-un rose with a click of his tongue.
Stirring demonic energy lightly, Mu-hee reached out hastily.
"Where are you going?"
"With my anxiety resolved, now to satisfy my curiosity."
"Curiosity?"
"Yes. How strong is the Demonus we're heading to?"
"The stats are well-documented..."
"Stats aren't reliable. What matters is this."
Yong-un grinned, pointing to his eyes.
"Seeing is believing, as they say. Nothing's more accurate than your own eyes."
"No way..."
An uneasy thought struck Mu-hee.
"You're going there...?"
Her unease was never wrong.
"I'll be back."
"S-Supreme One!?"
Just as Mu-hee rose,
Yong-un vanished before her.
"D-Demonus isn't a stroll in the park... and you're just heading there...?"
As expected, Yong-un defied all common sense.
It seemed complete... What a shame.
In power, thought, and heart.
Her worry was fleeting; with "it's the Supreme One," she brushed it off.
Then, with a deep sigh and a shake of her head,
"Idiot."