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Chapter 278: A Monster So Pure

It was a creature so bizarre that not even a fragment of reason could be felt. The Demon King of Thursday was a being that suited the word “monster” better than anyone else.

Yeon-woo had seen its image in a photo before. The picture brought back by the expedition team that had entered Hoiyeon City after the incident was so faded it looked like it belonged to decades past.

A white, egg-shaped object, as pure as marble, floated above the clock tower, in the middle of the black sky. Surrounding it were what appeared to be dark clouds, which turned out to be snakes writhing like tentacles.

“Ugh, that’s disgusting.”

Yeon-woo found the sight of the creature crawling around the surrounding area quite repugnant, akin to parasites infesting a gaping wound.

While there are people who have mixed feelings about videos of squeezing large pimples, everyone would unanimously dislike videos of bursting innards crawling with parasites.

“If you hate it that much, you could just not go.”

“It’s just that it’s disappointing, you know? One cannot merely live doing only what they wish!”

“Are you aware that such a child drives a woman to distraction?”

“What are you talking about, Nea? Just remembering makes my heart flutter because the tiny sun named Nea always resides in my heart.”

As Yeon-woo spoke and turned around, there stood Nea, a mesmerizing woman with dazzling golden hair.

However, one difference was notable: she was holding an antique wooden staff in her hand.

“…Are you alright? Should I bring out a wheelchair?”

“If I can walk, I should walk. Isn’t that how you stay healthy? I’m still fine.”

Nea snorted, turning her head away with a huff. Though it was a gesture one might only expect from a cartoon, it suited her quite naturally. Is it true that being pretty is all it takes…?

Over the course of the past year, Nea’s health had visibly declined. She would suddenly start bleeding from her nose and stagger unexpectedly.

Even though she took the Pure Blood Potion, one could hardly fathom what would have happened if she hadn’t taken it.

Just in case, a state-of-the-art wheelchair had been prepared, but she had firmly refused it thus far. Her insistence was that adequate exercise was necessary for good health.

Of course, Yeon-woo understood that the claim lacked realism. She wasn’t just getting weaker; her life was losing the very essence needed to exist in this world.

In other words, exercising would not make her stronger, and that was a given.

Yet, the reason he couldn’t stop her was that knowing her condition made him want to respect her even more.

“Really, just this once, I’ll give in. When I come back, I’ll carry you in a wheelchair, so be prepared.”

“You’ll give in again next time too. Sure, just come back safe. Then, whether I carry you on the wheelchair or on my shoulders, I won’t mind.”

Nea’s eyes showed concern, even if she feigned indifference while smiling.

And why wouldn’t she? If someone she knew said they were going to fight the Demon King, they would surely try to stop them. I would too if it was my partner.

“I’ll come back safe for sure. Absolutely.”

“…It’s a promise. Do you know that those who break promises are struck by divine punishment?”

“It seems divine punishment does exist in that world….”

God must be serious about keeping promises. If a Korean were to be reborn there, they would likely all perish due to Korean time.

“Alright, let’s say that if I can’t keep my promise, I’ll accept divine punishment. Agreed?”

“I’ll leave the execution to Dawn. You should behave accordingly.”

“I really have to keep it.”

If it’s not just any god but Dawn, I dare say the divine punishment would be swift and merciless.

Thus, they exchanged what seemed to be an aimless conversation, and Yeon-woo spent time with Nea. It was a slow and rich time, ensuring they wouldn’t feel regret if they never met again.

*

“I can’t not ask this.”

With a rustle of the papers in her hand, the woman with her eyes tightly closed asked this question. She was Ain Libertas, the Student Council President, now in her third year.

Yeon-woo felt a sharp gaze through the firmly shut eyes.

“I never thought I’d be caught by you, senpai…”

Yeon-woo awkwardly scratched his neck. It was unexpected to be noticed by someone who always kept her eyes closed, while even those who were wide awake failed to take note.

Is it possible to see more by keeping your eyes closed? Well, Ain wasn’t blind; she simply moved around with her eyes shut.

“Well, since you say that, you must know. There’s going to be a major incident in Hoiyeon City.”

“Haha, it just happened that way.”

As Yeon-woo nonchalantly deflected, Ain’s eyes—not really her eyes—followed him sharply. Honestly, it was scary.

Yeon-woo knew that Ain Libertas’s public reputation was extraordinary. To clean out a whole dark guild in a city was a significant achievement.

Yet, Ain’s name wasn’t widely known because she had been very reserved about it.

She seemed to take quite a careful stance, as if she disliked her name spreading too far.

Though Yeon-woo couldn’t quite understand Ain’s contrary behavior to his need for fame, he believed there must have been some reason behind it. After all, who in this world doesn’t have some sort of circumstance?

“Do the party members also know about this? The instructor leading you all?”

“Of course they know. There’s no way they wouldn’t. I even explained it to any who didn’t understand.”

“Alright, so you fulfilled the duty of information dissemination. I could say you’re an exemplary leader, although your intentions are questionable.”

“Haha, I couldn’t betray the party leader’s duties, could I?”

Although it seemed that they were exchanging compliments, there were sparks flying between Ain, who was looking for a loophole, and Yeon-woo, who was acting cheeky.

In this skirmish, it was naturally Yeon-woo who held the advantage. He had become quite skilled at hiding his expressions and intentions even before his return.

After exchanging a few rounds of this meaningless banter, Ain seemed to realize that this was going nowhere and let out a deep sigh of surrender.

“Alright, alright. Just let me send you off, alright? You’re not listening even after I warned you it’s dangerous.”

“Of course. If a hunter backs off just because it’s dangerous, who will save the people living there? We have to go precisely because it’s dangerous.”

“Your argument is overly reasonable. But you know, right? Regardless of your sense of justice, if you all went out and ended up dead, that would become a bigger problem.”

“I understand that well. As for me and Black Raven, it’s not a big deal, but for the other two, it could have a huge impact.”

“I’d like to tell you not to think that way, but that’s also a problem I can’t ignore. Personally, I believe that if we hunt together, the value of life becomes a trivial matter.”

As Ain spoke, she cradled her forehead. Yeon-woo agreed with her. Once you start assigning values to human lives, the principles of being a hunter lose all meaning.

“Ugh, I have such a headache because of all you troublemakers… Alright then, have a safe journey. If the situation worsens, I might send additional support, so keep that in mind.”

“Understood. Thank you for your concern.”

As he replied and exited the Student Council office, Ain did not stop him. Instead, her gaze lingered on the spot Yeon-woo had just vacated.

“What a cruel fate it is.”

Muttering to herself, Ain pulled a paper that had been precariously placed at the edge of her desk towards her—an application for an outing, she noted silently.

“Being able to see the future is truly inconvenient. I can’t help but be concerned without realizing it.”

Because she could see things too far away, Ain had no choice but to seal her eyes shut. She muttered to herself, humming a little tune.

The sharp fountain pen slowly began to fill the paper’s surface.

*

“Wow, it feels so alive!”

“It really does. It wasn’t like this the last time we were here.”

Yeon-woo and Kim Yoo-min exclaimed in turn. The atmosphere in Hoiyeon City felt distinctly different than usual.

The sounds reminiscent of a state of emergency echoed throughout the city. There weren’t any monsters gathered outside the city walls, yet people rushed about busily in the streets.

Steam and magical engines emitted heat, warming the whole city with an intense fervor.

“…I don’t know; it’s my first time here.”

“It’s a city from an ancient era…”

Meanwhile, Baek In-hwa and Darius muttered such observations.

Baek In-hwa wasn’t the type to go sightseeing, and Darius had been more focused on honing his sword rather than exploring after a certain incident.

“Haha! Already the air feels ominous!”

“Hey, quiet down. Didn’t the old man tell you to stop shouting instead of just expressing your feelings?”

Following closely were Yuri and Hyuk Mu-ryeon, both walking leisurely.

Eventually, the six of them stood before the Clock Tower of Hoiyeon City. The reason for their gathering there was obvious: this clock tower was the flashpoint of the imminent events in the city.

Although unseen, Delain was likely watching from somewhere nearby, high up, observing the surroundings.

Yeon-woo felt that they had gathered a decent amount of strength, but how effective it would be against the Demon King honestly filled him with unease.

The Demon King was that kind of existence. It wasn’t about killing, simply repelling it before it stirred trouble in Hoiyeon City, yet he felt an urge to gather at least three masters, to be honest, ideally five.

Kim Yoo-min covered her mouth with one hand. Yeon-woo noticed that her fingers were trembling just slightly.

“Are you scared?”

“Who’s scared…!!”

Shouting as if to feign courage, Kim Yoo-min’s body was honest. The tremors coursing through her could not be concealed.

Realizing that there was no point in denying it, she turned her head sharply to look at Yeon-woo.

“What about you? Aren’t you trembling!?”

“I’m super trembling. At this BPM, I could become a molecular cutter, you know?”

At Yeon-woo’s jest, Kim Yoo-min’s lips quirked up at the corners.

She attempted to lighten the mood with banter, but in reality, Yeon-woo was also nervously trembling. Who wouldn’t feel tense when facing a Demon King; it was a reasonable thought considering the two people behind him.

“Practicing cutting the Demon King isn’t something you can just do casually. It’ll be quite a good experience.”

“Hahaha! That’s some chilling talk, old man!”

“…Can you hear that? Those crazy people yelling? They brought in those types, so it’s going to be tough to die.”

“Maybe…?”

Yoo-min suddenly thought about her brother, comparing herself to such people. As his sister, she certainly shouldn’t bear any shame in his name. Resolutely, she gathered herself.

“The action will happen in the next few hours. Everyone, please prepare.”

At Yeon-woo’s words, the group nodded. In the meantime, Yeon-woo looked up at the top of the clock tower.

Ominous clouds gathered above the clock tower. An unknown flow of mana wrapped around the surrounding city. It was undoubtedly not a normal phenomenon, yet the people of Hoiyeon City remained calm.

The citizens took pride in having defended their city by their own strength, and thus did not flee rashly but instead kept watch over the situation.

They never relaxed their vigilance, even evacuating the elderly and children to other cities.

Those evacuated often headed to nearby places like Harmony City or Seoul.

What a splendid city. A city where rugged individuals emerged from the heart of war.

‘I must protect it, right?’

Repeating that to himself, Yeon-woo nodded.

And from a height greater than the clouds, something watched him. There was no special reason. It was merely here to seek its prey.

Purely instinctual, akin to a beast. Irrespective of what the opposing side might do or how they may react, it didn’t concern itself.

The writhing serpent limbs that had clustered together began to spread out. Higher than the clouds, something that resembled a marble-perfect egg…slowly contorted its body as it perched atop.

The Demon King of Thursday, Medusa. A beast in the form of a small girl had yet to open her eyes.

(To Be Continued)

 

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