Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Safe Awakening
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"Ugh..."
Cheonil, who had lost his memories, opened his eyes with his usual mild headache.
"Huh?!"
With a voice mixed with a scream, he bolted upright.
He was always supposed to wake up surrounded by blood and corpses whenever he lost his memories.
So why was he seeing the familiar room from before?
"Brother!"
Caught off guard by this unprecedented phenomenon, Cheonil hurriedly climbed out of bed and began searching for Yong-un.
He quickly crossed the room and grabbed the doorknob leading outside.
When he yanked it open with all his might, Yong-un—the one he'd been so worried about—greeted him with a smile.
"You're awake."
"Brother!"
Cheonil rushed over and threw himself into Yong-un's arms.
"What happened? Are you hurt? Did we get out of the Gate?"
A barrage of questions followed.
Yong-un smiled and replied.
"As you can see, I'm perfectly fine. And I met the demon contracted to you."
"...Huh?"
At the mention of meeting the contracted demon, Cheonil pulled back from the embrace with a shocked expression.
He scanned Yong-un up and down.
"I told you it'd be okay."
"B-But it's the first time..."
Cheonil stared at Yong-un in disbelief, unable to wipe the shock from his face.
"The first time for what?"
"Waking up in a room instead of inside a Gate. Waking up somewhere without all the blood and corpses from terrifying monsters... And..."
Cheonil broke into a smile.
"Meeting someone who's perfectly fine after facing the curse inside me!"
For Yong-un, who entered Gates and waged war against the strong every single day, encountering a demon was no big deal.
But for Cheonil, it was different.
It must have felt like rain falling on parched earth during a drought.
Like finding the one escape route in a sealed room.
"Brother!"
How could he not be overjoyed?
As Cheonil buried himself in his arms again, Yong-un smiled warmly.
"This isn't just talk. You're mine now. From here on, I'll change everything about you."
"Yeah! Brother! I'll trust you! Whatever you do, I'll follow you from now on!"
"Good. Just trust me and come along."
Leaving behind Cheonil, who had fallen asleep with the happiest smile on his face, Yong-un stepped out of the Ghost Killer Annihilation House.
Myung-su, who had been waiting, approached him.
"I heard you cleared a Gate. With that kid?"
"You would've already investigated him by now."
"Cheonil, right?"
"Yeah. And that he's cursed."
Myung-su bowed his head silently.
"It's called a curse only because you don't know. The truth is, he's contracted with a demon."
"...?!"
Myung-su's eyes widened.
"A contract... with a demon?"
Myung-su's gaze toward the Ghost Killer Annihilation House turned icy.
But Yong-un reined him in.
"Hold off."
"You might not know, but..."
Sensing Yong-un's demeanor, Myung-su cautiously broached the topic of demon contracts.
But his words were cut short by Yong-un's voice, laced with intimate knowledge.
"I know. I know that if left as is, the demon could descend upon Korea."
Myung-su bowed his head once more in silence.
"I've already met the demon bound to that kid."
"That's why you cleared the Gate..."
"To confront the demon he's contracted with."
Myung-su nodded emphatically.
As expected of Yong-un.
He was doing something no one else could even dream of, so casually.
Taking on a Hunter contracted with a demon and drawing out the demon inside—something impossible without multiple extra lives.
'Truly my master.'
But Yong-un spoke as if it were nothing.
Like an old lady chatting about her market stroll.
With eyes full of admiration, Myung-su asked.
"How was it?"
"Impressively formidable. Unlike other demons, it couldn't speak."
"It couldn't speak...?"
"I hear rankless common demons can't speak."
Myung-su let out a sigh of relief.
Rankless common demons were scattered all over the world.
Stronger than regular boss monsters, but manageable.
The real problems were barons, viscounts, counts, marquises—demons with ranks.
Their power could devastate cities and even nations.
"Still, that's a relief."
"But its aura felt too potent for a mere common demon."
"You mean...?"
"Judging solely by its demonic energy, it was the strongest I've faced so far."
Myung-su's expression hardened.
"It couldn't speak."
Yong-un looked up at the night sky.
And murmured softly.
"If speech determines rank, it's a common demon. But if power does... then with the highest demonic energy I've encountered, it'd be around count-level."
Words like a catastrophe slipped from his lips for Myung-su.
The next morning, as the sun rose.
Yong-un's morning schedule was in full swing.
'Ghost Generals are Ghost Generals, alright.'
It had been two days since he taught them the Enemy-Slaying Demonic Art.
Yet their swords, shields, and skills already faintly shimmered with demonic energy—they were assimilating it as their own.
Ghost Generals was a title given only to the most talented among the many children.
True to their name as leaders of ghosts, their aptitude satisfied even Yong-un.
'Curious how the guild tournament will turn out.'
He compared them to the thug Hanbit Guild members he'd seen before and the Unwoo Guild recruits.
Mostly B-Rank Hanbit members versus C-Rank Myung-un and Jang-han, excluding B-Rank Jin-cheol.
On paper, an unbridgeable gap in power.
But simply because they could wield demonic energy, Yong-un deemed them capable of matching the Hanbit Guild.
With four days left.
Convinced these Ghost Generals would be the key to the guild tournament, Yong-un rose, satisfied with their progress.
Humans thrive on stimulation.
The rest, still slumped over, would surely awaken, see the Ghost Generals' growth, and feel spurred on.
Then even those at the Demon Infant Squad level would taste the joy of training and gradually catch up.
The Demon Spirit Killing Ghost Corps was taking shape, piece by piece.
Having taught them the Enemy-Slaying Demonic Art, there was little more Yong-un could do for now.
He could teach sword forms to those wielding blades later, but that would come after the tournament.
With nothing left to teach for the moment, Yong-un turned away from their training as he watched.
"You weren't summoned. Why are you here?"
He stomped lightly at the familiar presence behind him.
"What's the matter?"
At the entrance to the clearing in the back mountains, designated as the Ghost Generals' training ground.
Myung-su stood alone, waiting for Yong-un.
At Yong-un's voice, Myung-su bowed deeply.
"Greetings, Supreme One. I came because I have questions about that child."
"Couldn't sleep, huh?"
Seeing Myung-su's worried expression, Yong-un chuckled and headed toward the Unwoo Guild office.
Myung-su followed cautiously in step.
"Honestly, I'm still worried."
"I've never seen a count-level demon. It was just the strongest I'd encountered, so I figured it might be the next tier up."
"That's not the worry. You've already met and assessed it, so I'm past fretting over that."
"Then what is it?"
"With a marquis-level demon possibly still lurking in Korea, a new one appearing—even for you, Master, doesn't it feel dangerous?"
At the mention of a potential marquis-level demon in Korea, Yong-un chuckled.
"Heh, that's what was bothering you?"
A supreme demon that hadn't appeared anywhere in the world.
Even handling count-level demons required six royal-class Hunters worldwide—the only ones of their caliber—plus six S-Ranks.
If both a marquis- and count-level demon emerged in little Korea simultaneously?
The country would be erased from Earth the moment it happened.
His voice thick with worry, as if he hadn't slept, Myung-su pleaded.
"Instead of raising that kid, Cheonil... wouldn't it be better to hunt the marquis-level demon first?"
But.
"Hahahahaha!"
Contrasting Myung-su's concern, Yong-un burst into laughter.
Startled, Myung-su looked at him quizzically.
"Ah, I haven't told anyone, so even GHO doesn't know yet."
"Pardon? What do you mean...?"
Why bring up GHO out of nowhere?
As questions piled up.
Yong-un stopped walking and lightly tapped Myung-su's chest with his fist.
"No marquis-level demon exists. Don't worry."
Cold, hard numbers and data.
Even GHO's researchers had thrown up their hands at the possibility of one roaming Korea.
They'd sent high-rank Hunters in exchange for the marquis-level demon's weapon, after all.
The existence of a marquis-level demon, acknowledged by all.
Yet Yong-un crushed it with a single sentence.
Myung-su thought.
'Is he joking?'
With so much evidence.
Unless it was a prank or joke, he couldn't comprehend.
But Yong-un wasn't one for jests.
Myung-su's mind was on the verge of overload, rejecting the joke label.
Lost in thought, wrinkles forming between his brows unnoticed.
Yong-un smiled and flicked Myung-su's forehead.
Snap!
"Ow..."
"You're mine now. Don't let it fester trying to figure it out alone—ask again."
Rubbing his reddened forehead, Myung-su looked at Yong-un.
If he didn't understand, just ask more.
A simple solution.
"Asking isn't hard. Better than misunderstanding and botching things. If you don't get it, ask again."
"Ah... Yes, understood."
Too jaded by office life.
In a world where multiple questions to a superior branded you worthless, he'd adapted too well.
Halting his overheating brain, Myung-su asked.
"Why do you say there's no marquis-level demon?"
"During the recent rankings push, I encountered the marquis-level demon's weapon Korea sent."
Myung-su's eyes widened.
He'd met the Demon-Slaying Sword, the marquis-level demon's weapon!
"And that's when I realized."
Myung-su, who had felt its vast power when GHO shipped the weapon, gazed at Yong-un expectantly.
Then came the unexpected answer.
"The marquis-level demon you spoke of... was me."
"...Pardon...?"
A response beyond imagination.
"The Demon-Slaying Sword is my weapon, so of course the marquis-level demon is me."
A secret massive enough to shock the world spilled casually from Yong-un's lips.
And he walked off nonchalantly.
'I'm definitely doomed to a short life.'
Since meeting Yong-un, heart-stopping revelations had hammered his chest too casually.
Perhaps that's why.
Even at this world-shaking bombshell, Myung-su blanked out briefly before snapping to and hurrying after Yong-un.
"You're falling behind."
"No, sir! Coming now!"