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“Ugh, idiot…”

Bravely, I left the Base Camp and headed deeper into the island.

I planned to start searching from where the giant moth was and gradually move inward, but…

I have no idea where that is.

Well, I do know, but every time I try to go there, I end up in some weird place.

At first, I thought it might be some kind of barrier, but now I’m sure it’s just me being bad with directions.

Now I can’t even find my way back to the Base Camp.

So I just kept walking straight ahead.

Honestly, I’m not even sure if this is the inside or outside anymore… but judging by how it’s getting creepier and darker, it must be the inside, right?

As I ventured deeper into the dark and gloomy forest, the trees felt like giant sentinels.

The weeds or whatever they were growing below had reached up to my chest.

Countless bushes seemed to keep grabbing at my feet.

Above, the dense branches and leaves completely blocked out the sky.

The air was damp and heavy, filled with the stench of rot and something foul.

The deeper I went into the forest, the quieter it became.

Apart from the sound of my footsteps and the noise they made, there wasn’t even the chirping of birds or the buzzing of insects.

“This is kinda scary…”

The deeper I went into the unknown forest, the stronger the sense of isolation and anxiety grew, and I started to worry about what might be lurking in the shadows.

Reaching a transcendent level, the thought of being defeated by someone or something was unimaginable, but what if it was some ghostly being that could ignore all physical and supernatural powers?

What if it possessed my body and controlled me?

Given the place, my mind started filling with paranoid delusions.

‘I should’ve brought the Guard Team Captain with me.’

Fighting off loneliness, I headed further into the center.

“What the hell… what’s that?”

Is it a friend of the giant moth?

Some bizarre creature I don’t even know what to call was moving around.

Was it trying to get out, or was it patrolling the area?

I thought about just ignoring it and walking past, but…

‘What if it heads to the camp? That’d be a disaster.’

I figured I’d have to destroy that monster and move on.

It was a bit smaller than the giant moth.

But it was even more disgusting.

Its body was made up of twisted, writhing appendages.

It vaguely resembled a human, but it was definitely not a creature related to humans.

It was so grotesque that I couldn’t even describe what it was.

Its skin was smooth and slimy, like a slug.

Tentacles wrapped around its body, then spread out, almost like it was dancing.

Its limbs were long and thin, with hook-like fingers (?) attached.

That thing was the source of the rotting, putrid stench in the forest.

“Why does this always happen to me…”

I couldn’t help but grimace as I walked toward the monster.

Honestly, the giant moth was already creepy enough, and now this even more disgusting monster shows up.

The world is just screwing with me.

At this point, I’m starting to think it enjoys seeing me suffer.

But still, I stood boldly and bravely in front of the monster.

“…Let’s get this over with. You stink too much.”

The monster finally seemed to sense my presence and moved… and immediately attacked.

“Eek!”

A tentacle attack at incredible speed.

It was fast, but not something I couldn’t handle…

But with the mindset that touching it would mean certain death, I desperately dodged.

I didn’t want to make skin contact with those grotesque tentacles.

Whoosh!

At the same time, I created a fireball and hurled it at the monster’s torso.

The fireball hit the monster’s body, and with a strange creaking noise, sparks flew everywhere, but the monster just growled and showed no signs of damage, throwing its tentacles at me again.

“Aren’t tentacles supposed to burn? That’s the rule!”

Its once smooth skin was now charred, making it look even more grotesque.

Undeterred by its hideous appearance, I gathered my magic power.

As my will took shape, the very structure of reality began to change.

The ground twisted, and the air bent.

“Ugh! Why is this so hard?!”

They say leaving home is tough, and the old saying isn’t wrong.

When my magic reached its peak, a torrent of magical energy shot toward the monster.

Whoosh!

My magic struck the monster, and it let out an ear-splitting screech as it staggered.

It’s not catching fire? Well, of course, it’s not enough firepower.

Maybe changing the attribute would’ve been easier, but my stubbornness kicked in at the weirdest moment.

Tentacles burn. Period.

But the monster endured.

Its entire body was on fire, staggering, but it refused to fall.

Its tentacles supported its body, maintaining balance, and it used them to extinguish the flames.

“…”

The giant moth had insane regeneration, and this thing has insane defense.

Before it could fully recover, I unleashed a barrage of different elemental spells.

I stabbed it with ice spears, melted them with fireballs, and electrocuted it, but the monster didn’t even flinch.

“Is burying this putrid, stinky tentacle monster environmental destruction or Earth defense?”

I decided to commit an act that would make environmental groups riot.

Even if I get caught, the Hero Association will handle it… probably?

Using earth magic, I dug a pit just the right size for the monster.

Then, using telekinesis, I lifted its body and slammed it into the pit.

I covered the pit with dirt and pressed it down with telekinesis.

“Done!”

I finished the job simply and smoothly.

So this is what it feels like to bury someone alive.

Doing this to enemies every now and then doesn’t seem so bad.

Just covering it with dirt felt a bit unsafe, so I piled up all the nearby rocks into a tower.

This way, it’ll be easier to find the corpse later.

Who would buy a rotting, stinking corpse? But it’s the first time anyone’s seen this kind of monster.

Research labs around the world might go crazy over it.

When I get back to Korea, I should check if I can sell monsters on the black market.

***

After dealing with the tentacle monster, Jeong Gyeoul continued walking deeper into the island.

Since she hadn’t fully replenished her magic, she didn’t fly and instead walked as if she were on a stroll.

“Is this some kind of national trek? Why won’t it end?”

Considering the size of the island, she should’ve reached the center by now, but no matter how far she walked, there was no end in sight.

She pouted and trudged along when suddenly—

Boom!

“Ugh!”

“Mom!”

Something flew and landed right where Jeong Gyeoul was walking.

Judging by the sound, it seemed to be some kind of living creature.

She dodged it lightly, still focused, and immediately got into a combat stance, but…

“…Why are you here?”

“…Captain?”

The creature that had flown in and landed was Heukgu.

“You’ve aged a lot since I last saw you…”

Heukgu, who used to look like a young man in his early 20s, had now become a middle-aged man.

Though he had aged significantly, his skin color and eyes were still the same, so she recognized him immediately.

“It’s been 40 years since you left the Demon Realm, Captain… But why have you returned to the Demon Realm?”

“What nonsense are you spouting? This is the middle realm.”

“…?”

Just as she was starting to wonder if he was named Heukgu because he kept spouting nonsense or because he was a black demon, Heukgu gestured lightly upward, and the tree branches blocking the sky instantly disappeared.

They didn’t break or burn—they just vanished.

“Wow, are you showing off your power in front of me? I’m not the Heukgu who used to get beaten up anymore! Is that it?”

“…No matter how strong I’ve become, I know I can’t beat you, Captain. In fact, the stronger I get, the more I realize that. But that’s not the point. Look at the sky. Does this look like the middle realm to you? It’s the Demon Realm.”

“…Are you senile? There are dementia centers on Earth. Want me to introduce you to one?”

The sky revealed after Heukgu made the branches disappear.

A vast expanse of blue stretched endlessly, with faint clouds drifting leisurely across the sky.

“…What is this?”

“What do you mean? It’s Earth.”

“Why am I on Earth?”

“Why are you asking me?”

Though 40 years had passed and Heukgu had become a middle-aged man, he was still Heukgu.

“Ah! This isn’t the time! I need to find Heukrang!”

“You’re still using the names I gave you? I’m almost touched. So where’s Heukrang?”

“…Good question.”

“…This guy?”

“No, I was just in the Demon Realm a moment ago. I suddenly ended up here, so I have no idea where Heukrang went…”

“Alright, let’s start with that. Who beat you up so badly that you crossed dimensions?”

“Satan.”

“…What?”

In Jeong Gyeoul’s mind, Satan was the epitome of righteousness in the Demon Realm, a kind soul who would even offer food to strangers.

Thwack!

Jeong Gyeoul flicked Heukgu’s forehead and glared at him sharply.

“Don’t lie to my face.”

“It’s true! Satan started conquering the Demon Realm, and we were the first to be taken out because we were the most troublesome!”

“…I’m having a hard time believing this. You and Heukrang were weaklings who’d go down with one punch. How could you possibly be a threat to Satan?”

“Remember the treasure we stole from the ruins? We started a business with it. We became merchants who could shake the Demon Realm’s economy.”

“…?”

1. 40 years have passed in the Demon Realm since Jeong Gyeoul left.

2. Heukgu and Heukrang became major merchants in the Demon Realm, and Satan started conquering it.

3. Satan took out Heukgu and Heukrang first because they were the most troublesome.

4. While being beaten by Satan, they crossed dimensions.

None of this was easy to believe.

“…Stop lying.”

“I swear on Heukrang’s neck. It’s true.”

Communication with the ship was cut off, the second filming team went missing, giant moths and tentacle monsters were running rampant, and now demons from the Demon Realm were involved.

It was pure chaos.

 

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