Demon Realm (Main Character hides his Strength Book 2)
Page 29
Elijah peeked over at Sungchul who stood tall on a plateau beyond the fog and spoke in a low voice. “What do you think about the Enemy of the World?”
“Well, he’s no different than before.” She tried to speak normally to the best of her abilities, but her eyes were trembling. Sungchul’s words and the image of the hideous High Devils were swirling in her mind. Fortunately, Elijah didn’t seem to notice in all of his excitement. He continued to speak to her in a hushed voice.
“Do you have any of the tomes?”
“Tomes?”
“I’m talking about the Tomes of the High Devils.”
“Yes. We managed to gather about six volumes. That man is probably looking to gather the final two.”
“That’s good. Can you lend me just one? That… red one. The red one looks good.”
“But if the Enemy of the World notices…” Sophia let her words trail as she lowered her head, but there was not a single hint of fear on Elijah’s face. He was making a once-in-a-lifetime gamble. Although he was filled with flaws, the blood of Martin Breggas who could calmly face death flowed in his veins.
“It’s fine. Aren’t you going to leave it all in the Soul Storage anyways? It’s enough with just one volume, so don’t worry about it. It won’t take long. I’ll finish it before that guy notices.”
“…”
Sophia felt conflicted, but she eventually relented. She covertly handed him the red Tome of the High Devils, but the moment she handed the book over, Sungchul’s words and the image of the hideous High Devils reappeared in her mind.
“Um, Brother.”
Before Elijah managed to take the book from her, Sophia’s hand gripped the tome tightly.
“What is it suddenly, Sophia?” Elijah asked in confusion.
“Do we really need to become a High Devil?”
“What are you talking about? Isn’t that the whole reason why we came here? Even at the cost of our friends’ lives?”
“But… becoming a High Devil. It doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
“I think so too… But, Sophia, we have no other options.”
It was the expected response. Sophia’s breathing grew tight as she finally managed to convey the words that had been buried deep in her heart.
“Let’s just run away. To where no one knows us. To where no one can find us.”
It was something that she had wanted to say many times but didn’t have the courage to. Unfortunately, her precious words were met with ridicule.
“What are you saying, Sophia?” Elijah wore a mocking smile on his lips as though she was speaking nonsense.
Sophia’s eyes shook, but she managed to respond with a similar smile in kind. “It was a joke. I must have lost my mind or something.”
She finally released the grip on the tome. The Tome of the High Devils fell into Elijah’s hands.
“I’ll meet you later.” Elijah who managed to get his hands on the tome placed it into his Soul Storage and began to dig the ground once again. “Hurry back. That guy might notice.”
“O…ok.” Sophia weakly nodded her head and returned to Sungchul.
“…”
Sungchul asked her nothing as she returned. Instead, he moved to the next tower. He managed to conquer the last two towers before even half of the day had passed. Forty-eight quests from the High Devils were resolved within two days in his hands.
Sungchul opened his status window as he finished all of the ordinary quests.
[Stats]
Strength 999+ Dexterity 853
Vitality 801 Magic Power 429
Intuition 422 Magic Resist 622
Resilience 502 Charisma 18
Luck 18
Magic Power and Intuition had both broken through 400. All that was left were the objectives. There were eight objectives that requested the extermination of each High Devil. Sungchul felt that it was possible to complete four of them at most at this point. It was because there was a high chance for the mission to disappear due to the death of the High Devil that created it.
Each of the rewards for the missions were different. Sungchul decided to prioritize the missions that gave Magic Power and Intuition.
I didn’t check the fine details of the missions, but I might be able to break through the 500s for both Magic Power and Intuition if I’m lucky.
If he were to surpass his initial goal and reach a level where he could learn Primordial Light, Sungchul would immediately head over to the Deep Sea Demon to test its power, and then seek the Demon King.
Finally, the resolution to the First Calamity is in sight.
It wasn’t that long ago when he had known no magic at all. But it did not even take a year to obtain enough Magic Power for him to have the right to call himself a Grand Mage. Sungchul could feel an excitement in his heart that hadn’t been felt for a long time as he turned to Sophia with an order.
“Bring out all eight Tomes of the High Devils.”
When she heard his command, her eyes shook like an earthquake.
***
Sophia laid down seven Tomes of the High Devils in order. However, the red tome couldn’t be found.
“We’re missing one?” Sungchul asked her bluntly.
“T-That is…”
“Tell me truthfully. Where is the book?”
“…”
Sophia did not answer. Bertelgia dug herself deeper into Sungchul’s pocket. It was because she guessed what was going to happen next. Corpses of pretty girls are more unpleasant for some reason… I don’t wanna see it.
However, Sungchul did nothing to Sophia. He moved past her trembling form towards the tomes on the floor and looked over them one by one.
I think the red Tome of the High Devils rewarded with Strength and Dexterity which I don’t require.
He remembered the contents well as it was the first tome he had received. He turned toward the pale-faced Sophia and said, “Open the tomes and show the objectives to me.”
Sophia uncharacteristically jumped up and scrambled to do as he ordered.
Sungchul arranged the books so that he could see them all lined up and compared their rewards. Intuition was the priority. He could make do with less Magic Power, but without sufficient Intuition, it wasn’t possible to learn the final spell of Cosmomancy. So, he gave Intuition first priority followed by Magic Power. Then he made sure the target of the tomes and the benefactors did not conflict with each other. Through this method, he narrowed it down to the three missions that he had to complete first.
Tome of the High Devils: Volume 1 – Intuition 30, Magic Power 15, Charisma 15
Tome of the High Devils: Volume 5 – Intuition 20, Magic Power 10, Charisma 20
Tome of the High Devils: Volume 8 – Intuition 10, Magic Power 10, Luck 30
There were various items offered besides the stats, but Sungchul wasn’t concerned with that part. He remained fixated on the stats.
That’s 60 points for just Intuition. If I can complete all of them, I’ll be able to get close to my goal of 500 for Intuition.
Sungchul’s pace quickened as he ordered, “Grab the books and follow me.”
Fal Garaz appeared in his hand, and he first entered the green tower. Sungchul gave Sophia an order before the entrance to the High Devil’s room.
“Hand over the book and wait here.”
Sophia handed over the book. It was then given to Bertelgia who carried the opened tome on top of her opened pages. “Hup!”
Sungchul entered the room of the High Devil with Bertelgia while Sophia stayed behind praying for his demise. Please. Dear God, please kill that man. Only with his death can my brother and I survive.
It was her first time praying. She did not know how to draw the cross or know any prayers, but her sincerity alone was enough to reach the heavens.
Meanwhile, there was a High Devil who had disassembled himself into a troupe of forty-two wooden marionettes; one was forty-two, and all forty-two were one. The devil then spoke through the mouths o
f the dolls in chorus.
“I plainly ordered you to exterminate the scum, so why are you defying my command?”
“We should make the defiant child into a puppet!”
“Puppets listen to orders very well!”
“Are you stupid? Aren’t puppets created to follow commands?”
“Those are wise words!”
While the forty-two dolls clapped together and made a ruckus, Sungchul picked up Fal Garaz and leaped up to the ceiling where the strings connected to the dolls came from. There he could see a massive squirming brain. Sungchul rose up into the air with the hammer.
“Is it a fight?”
“If it’s a fight, we gotta get in on it!”
The marionettes chased after Sungchul and impeded his path. But from the beginning, the High Devil had not been a match for him.
WHAM! BLAM! SMASH!
With a single blow, the marionettes, each holding a piece of the High Devil’s flesh, were smashed to pieces. The marionettes continued to charge in fearlessly as if to prove that they were existences that followed commands, but all of it was meaningless. Every marionette of the High Devil’s troupe was destroyed. The High Devil finally realized that his meager existence could not compare to the human before him when only his brain remained.
“Y-you are? Just what are you?”
“I’ve always liked rag-dolls more than wooden puppets.”
Fal Garaz dealt the final blow. Sungchul read the shining message that appeared before him in the midst of a shower of brain viscera.
[You have dealt an execution befitting the objective.]
[Very Impressive! You have carried out the punishment of the serial killer obsessed with puppets, Herik Mas, in place of god.]
[High Devil Kadenburr is overjoyed.]
Basic Reward:
Intuition 30
Magic Power 10
Charisma 15
Worn-out Bone
The Tome of the High Devils that Bertelgia was clutching onto desperately began to leak an ominous light as the mysterious energies within were let loose, giving Sungchul the powers contained inside it and an item. Unfortunately, he was unable to receive everything.
[Due to an unknown curse, one of your stats, Charisma, is blocked from increasing.]
However, this was not important. Sungchul confirmed that the two stats he was concerned about had increased and then appraised the item he had received as a reward.
[Worn-out Bone]
Grade: Legendary
Type: Inheritance of Power
Effect: Upon usage, one’s soul and flesh are used as a sacrifice to receive the power of the High Devil.
Note: Even the corpse of a great Devil contains great power.
Restriction: None
It was as expected. It was an item that granted the power of a High Devil simply upon its use. For now, Sungchul put away the Worn-out Bone into his Soul Storage before leaving the room of the High Devil. Outside, Sophia was kneeling in prayer.
“What are you praying so hard for?” Sungchul asked as he gazed at her with indifference.
Sophia looked at him with frantic eyes.
He came out so quickly without a single injury? No way. Even if the man is the Enemy of the World, his opponent was a High Devil…
She knew that Sungchul was powerful, but she didn’t know how powerful. This was because the man named Sungchul was not someone she was capable of gauging the strength of.
He spoke bluntly to the blankly staring Sophia. “What are you spacing out for?”
Sungchul began to descend the stairs first.
As he was walking down, Bertelgia fluttered behind him and asked a question, “Why don't you kill that woman? You would have normally killed her several times over by now.”
“…”
“Could it be… she’s your type?”
“Don’t joke around. I only let her live because I don’t have any reason to kill her.”
Fate shall take her life. Sungchul did not have the ability to look into the future, but he had a strong premonition with regards to Sophia. Those that treasured another’s life before their own never lived for long.
When they left the green tower, a different scene appeared before them. The bases of the towers that had been completely desolate were filled with devil worshippers looking towards the green tower.
“The High Devil Troupe was killed. Who do you think is the new High Devil?”
“I hope a REALLY insane High Devil appears this time.”
“The Troupe’s hobby was childish. He was needlessly cruel too.”
When Sungchul exited the tower, the devil worshippers gathered like flies.
“Could that human be the one who took care of the High Devil?”
“Couldn’t be. If he had killed the High Devil, then he would have become one by now.”
Sungchul lightly swung his hammer to scatter the devil worshippers.
“Get lost.”
Most of them retreated, but one of them was filled with bravado and continued to approach Sungchul. He appeared to be daring Sungchul to strike him. When their eyes met, the devil worshipper allowed himself a smirk.
Sungchul pulled out a rope he liked from his Soul Storage. He grabbed the smirking devil worshipper’s neck and quickly wrapped the rope around it, then hung him on a dried-out tree nearby. The foolhardy devil worshipper reverted to a maggot and struggled violently, but he soon fell limp.
“…”
The crowd of devil worshippers now parted to form a path wherever Sungchul walked.
Sungchul looked toward the gray tower which was his next target. The gray tower was quite different from the green. Half-human and half-demon monsters who looked like guards blocked his path on the first floor.
“Reveal your identity, Human!”
They hadn’t been there on Sungchul’s previous visit and looked to be numbered in the hundreds. It looked as though all the High Devils were raising their defenses in response to the death of their kin.
Sophia’s face grew stiff as she drew her blade. She had come to the conclusion that the number of enemies would prove difficult, even for Sungchul. However, Fal Garaz moved quickly and…
WHAM! BAM! WHAM!
The monsters standing before them became blood stains. There was no forgiveness or mercy in Sungchul’s blows. Only the fact that the hammer left behind a result each time it moved remained. The monsters tried to escape in a panic as they lost half their numbers. Sungchul gave chase, and Sophia stood awkwardly with her sword half-drawn before sheathing it once again.
Crazy. This is complete madness! She had felt that she had grown since she had arrived in this place, but Sophia realized now that she was less than a speck of dirt in relation to the man standing before her.
Sungchul continued to move forward again. He destroyed everything blocking his path until he found himself on the top floor of the gray tower where he took care of the High Devil.
In contrast to the last battle, Sungchul did not even give him a chance to speak this time. He entered the High Devil’s room as though it was his own living room, beat the devil down with a single blow, then took the rewards before heading to the next tower.
The same process was utilized again except this High Devil seemed to be rather wiser than the previous two because it assumed a timid form and begged for its life. “Shall we make a bargain?”
Sungchul’s response was a single blow of the hammer.
WHAM!
Bertelgia who looked at the High Devil’s corpse that had been crushed with a single blow spoke as though she had been waiting for it all along. “Beep! You aren’t good enough to trade!”
“…”
Sungchul again felt the ominous light spilling out of the Tome of the High Devils seeping into him, but an unexpected obstacle appeared.
[Warning! Your intuition is too high, only a portion of the Intuition will be transferred.]
He immediately checked his status screen.
&nbs
p; [Stats]
Strength 999+ Dexterity 853
Vitality 801 Magic Power 474
Intuition 477 Magic Resist 622
Resilience 502 Charisma 18
Luck 18
Sungchul who noticed the number confirmed something to himself. It looks like the High Devil that gave this quest had 477 intuition.
The High Devil that had given him the quest was the giant whose body was filled with large nails carrying a disgusting stench. The devil’s appearance did not give off the impression that he was particularly clever, and it seemed that Sungchul was right. Not to mention that having over 500 points for any stat was also known as the realm of Transcendence.
As Sungchul saw it, the High Devils were merely at the cusp of Transcendence. The ones who specialized in magic probably had Magic Power beyond the threshold of Transcendence, but the ones who didn't, probably had Magic Power and Intuition below those levels.
In any case, Sungchul had completed all three missions that he had set as his goal.
I managed to do everything I wanted.
The other missions were unnecessary to him. He had never considered becoming one of these pathetic High Devils from the beginning. Sungchul left the tower without regret.
Outside the tower, there were more devil worshippers than before. Sungchul saw a man kneeling before him. The man had an emaciated appearance akin to that of a skeleton and looked similar to the people that would commonly be seen in the tower known as the Tower of Enlightenment.
“I-I have something to say to you. Hero of the Restoration Age!”
Sungchul quietly pulled out his favorite rope from his Soul Storage as he asked, “What is it?”
The man bowed his head low before speaking in a courteous tone. “I promise you that we are not your enemy. We may be called devil worshippers, but this was a choice that was forced upon us. We had abandoned our humanity and chosen servitude under the devils to escape the Curse of Extinction as there were no other options.”
“Why are you telling me this? I don’t recall asking about your situation.”