61. It Was Nothing
What the heck, this punk?
Let’s say he called me Demon King.
‘That black fog definitely captured Daedo.’
An intangible fog captured a person.
Moreover, Daedo was so fast that even a mediocre mazoku wouldn’t be able to catch him.
‘He caught such Daedo? There’s only one guy who can do such a thing.’
[Rank 8 ＜Black Curtain＞ Hirowzen]
From Noble mtl dot com
He was a mazoku in the top 10 ranks, known as the strongest. However, it didn’t make sense.
‘No way… This punk is Rank 8?’
Why did such a being appear this early?
I couldn’t believe it, so I blurted out.
“Are you… Hirowzen?”
The mazoku made a surprised expression at those words.
“aaah, to think that the Demon King would remember the name of a mere mazoku like me…”
No. He bent over and didn’t know what to do.
It was a truly touched expression.
“It is truly an honor, Demon King!”
“No… Hey, don’t you see this sword?”
Boooom!
The [Holy Sword] in Jooyeon’s hand emitted light.
It seemed like he was surprised too.
But Hirowzen went a step further.
“If you are the Demon King, I knew you would subdue the warrior and take that cursed sword.”
This is the Holy Sword?
“A sword that demons should never touch?”
“You have surpassed the devil and even subdued the divine… Ah… As expected of my Demon King.”
It seems like he doesn’t understand a word I’m saying.
Is this what it feels like to be a celebrity meeting a superfan?
But there was something even more annoying.
Twinkle, twinkle.
It was the way the demon was looking at the protagonist.
His gaze was filled with such pure affection that he looked like a puppy.
Ugh… I want to punch him.
It was only natural that his fist was trembling.
But he couldn’t punch him.
Of course not, if he really was the 8th ranked demon.
＜Fog＞
It was a legendary skill that turned one’s body into fog.
Just like the black fog he was seeing now, it could let all physical attacks pass through.
Even if he hit it with the [Holy Sword], it would only deal a small amount of damage and disperse.
To deal proper damage, he needed a magician or priest.
‘Of course, if that brat hits me, I can use ＜Reflect＞.’
The protagonist’s gaze turned to Hirozen.
Twinkle, twinkle.
Seeing his still-annoying puppy-dog eyes, he didn’t feel like hitting him, let alone scolding him.
Just then, the greatsword that had been caught in the fog shouted as if it had noticed something.
“What the heck, you bastard! Don’t tell me you’re a demon collaborator!”
Oh, this idiot.
The others had collapsed, having fallen for Hirozen’s illusions.
Although he had to admit that the greatsword’s ability to maintain his sanity even in the midst of such powerful illusions was impressive, he never thought he would hear everything.
The protagonist called out to Hirozen.
“Hey! You!”
Hirozen looked even more touched than before.
“Oh, you have called for me. The ruler of demons, the one who conceals the dawn. The eternal master of those who belong to the darkness…”
“Shut up. Just knock that old geezer out for a bit. He’s being too noisy.”
“To be called by you is an honor, and to be given an order by you… I shall carry it out to the best of my ability.”
In an instant, Hirozen’s eyes glowed red.
Then, he swung the greatsword that was caught in the fog down hard.
“I knew your true nature from the moment you set your sights on my possession, you treacherous human! I will surely… Kuwek!”
Bang!
Black fog descended upon the greatsword.
It looked as if he were casting some kind of magic.
[Greatsword has been inflicted with ＜Status Effect: Confusion＞]
-Feeling dizzy (Spirit stat decreases)
[Grandmaster is affected by ＜Abnormal Status: Shock＞]
– Enters a state of severe shock. (Effects and duration of abnormal status are increased.)
[Grandmaster is affected by ＜Abnormal Status: Sleep＞]
– Drowsiness sets in. (Sleep status is maintained.)
[Grandmaster is affected by ＜Hallucination＞]
– Dreams intensify. (Sleep status is strengthened. Abnormal Status: Sleep ＜Deep Sleep＞)
[Grandmaster is affected by ＜Dreamlike State＞]
– Dreams become so vivid that awakening is impossible. (Natural release from sleep is not possible.)
Walk steadily, you bastard. He’s going to die.
It was a five-layered mental magic.
Once asleep, one can never wake up on their own until someone breaks the spell.
It was a feat worthy of a demon who had mastered mental magic to the extreme.
Even as a Grandmaster, there was nothing he could do.
It was sudden, and the attack was unexpected.
‘On top of that, I had taken off all my magic defense items so my disciple wouldn’t notice.’
In this state, even a Grandmaster, the king of the underworld, was helpless.
After all, they didn’t have ＜Reflect＞ like the protagonist.
Hirowzen, who had completely incapacitated the Grandmaster, approached the protagonist.
“Ruler of Darkness… no, Your Majesty the Demon King… I have carried out your orders.”
“Yes. Well done.”
It will be difficult to wake him, but good job anyway.
Now, all that’s left is the demon.
The protagonist was wondering how he would deal with him when…
A voice rang out in his head.
[The former Duke will arrive soon.]
It was a message from the wizard Vener, who had been ＜Marked＞ by the protagonist.
Unlike the Grandmaster, the Knight King was heavily armed.
[I am extremely angry that the Grandmaster has set up an illegal gambling den in his territory.]
This time, he will definitely kill him.
‘Well, the Knight King and the Grandmaster are mortal enemies.’
Still, it was good news that the Knight King was coming.
‘If the Knight King does as I set him up to do, even a brilliant mental demon won’t be able to handle it.’
The Knight King, as befitting the strongest defensive knight, was equipped with all sorts of magic defense items.
As he is now, he would be more than a match for even the eighth-ranked demon.
Moreover, the Grandmaster, who was trying to escape with his bare hands, was unconscious from the mental magic. Wouldn’t they make a solid pair to capture both of them?
‘But I can’t leave it like that.’
The Grandmaster was one thing, but the demons were kind enough to give both materials and experience points.
They could be profitable in many ways.
Somehow, the protagonist had to deal with it himself.
‘But it will take time to kill this guy.’
Even if Joo-hyeon hit him, he seemed like the type of guy who’d be happier if he said the Demon King hit him.
So, there was a better solution.
“Let’s make a contract.”
“……!”
Joo-hyeon smiled.
“You know about it, right? The contract of the Demon Race?”
“……!?”
As if he had been shocked by Joo-hyeon’s words, Hirowzen staggered.
Usually, the contract of the Demon Race was made between a human and a demon.
The demons give strength to humans, while humans put up everything including their souls as collateral. It was an unfair contract.
However, the contract between demons was different.
[An oath of absolute loyalty]
It was a contract where a lower being was completely subordinated to a higher being.
‘To humans, it’s just a one-sided slave contract.’
Anyway, the demons, who determined everything by strength, accepted it in a slightly different way.
To belong completely to a higher being. It meant that their safety and the status of their very being would rise.
It was natural that Hirowzen cried and was moved.
“D-Demon King, you’re making me your direct subordinate… Haah…”
Ah… He was a crazy kid after all.
Joo-hyeon’s face was pale, but he cut him off right away.
“But I can’t fully trust you right now, so I’ll think about it later if you show me proof that you’re useful.”
“……!”
It meant to hurry up and give him the item and get lost.
I’ll kill you slowly later.
However, Hirowzen was so moved that he wriggled his body to express his gratitude.
He seemed pretty crazy, but Joo-hyeon didn’t mind.
Rather, it was a huge advantage for Joo-hyeon if this guy made a mistake and misunderstood.
First of all, there was an advantage to getting a contract.
‘One of them is a job. You can get special jobs that you can’t get through the normal route.’
[Special Job – Demon Summoner]
[Special Job – Magician]
They were jobs that summoned demons or handled the power of demons. At the same time, they were also the jobs that players chose the most.
‘You can also find out about the movements of the Demon Race, and if necessary, you can give someone a job.’
Among the job groups that belonged to darkness, it was the strongest.
Of course, there were also places that rejected the Demon Race, such as the Papal Palace. Joo-hyeon didn’t intend to choose the dark job group himself, but there were many places where it could be used usefully.
So, he had to do what he had to do before the Knight King arrived.
[1 minute until the Knight King arrives.]
Wizard Baina’s voice was urgent.
The arrival of the Knight King was that close.
However, Joo-hyeon didn’t show any signs of impatience.
“I heard that the Demon Tribe is after the weapons of the Hero and his companions.”
“Ah, you’ve heard about that, have you?”
As expected, Jooyeon laughed.
As one of the highest-ranking Demons, he naturally knew the reason for this.
“By any chance, are you troubled by matters concerning insignificant beings such as ourselves?”
“Indeed. It irks me that they move without my permission.”
Understanding the meaning behind those words, Hirozen bowed his head.
“I shall convey His Majesty the Demon King’s will to all Demons. I shall prevent the others from making any moves for the time being…”
No, that would be a pain in the neck.
Jooyeon quickly interrupted him.
“No, there’s no need for that right now. I’d like to hear the reason first. But before that, you must provide proof of your loyalty.”
Hirozen’s expression brightened.
“Then I shall bring forth proof so that you may trust me.”
“Very well. And remember, when I call upon you, come running without hesitation.”
“Of course. For now… I shall present you with this.”
“This?”
In an instant, Hirozen raised his hand.
With a flash of light, an object adorned with a crest appeared before Jooyeon’s hand.
It was an object that vaguely resembled a heart.
Etched upon it was the crest representing Hirozen, the ＜Schemer＞, ranked 8th in the Demon hierarchy.
Jooyeon was inwardly surprised at the sight.
“This is my symbol, with which you may summon me. Whenever you hold it and call my name, I shall appear before His Majesty the Demon King.”
“Is that so?”
His heart pounded with excitement.
This was not merely a heart-shaped ornament.
‘It’s Hirozen’s real heart.’
Demons could offer their own hearts as a token of loyalty.
If they were to betray their master, their hearts would explode, killing them instantly.
[Hirozen, ＜Schemer＞ ranked 8th, offers a token of loyalty.]
[You have acquired the Heart of a Demon (Hirozen).]
[You can now use the special mental magic ＜Confusion＞, ＜Illusion＞, and ＜Dream＞.]
[You can now summon Hirozen, the ＜Schemer＞ Demon.]
To living beings, the heart is life itself.
For Hirozen to hand this over to Jooyeon meant that he was essentially placing his life in his hands.
It was indeed the ultimate proof of loyalty.
“Until the day you summon me again… I shall strive to earn your trust.”
With those words, Hirozen vanished into a black mist.
Jooyeon felt a sense of relief, but he was also puzzled.
While he had encountered events involving Demons in the past, this was the first time one had openly declared their allegiance to him as their master.
‘Well, I’ll be meeting more high-ranking Demons in the future, so it could be beneficial to have an acquaintance among them.’
Do you really think of me as the Demon King?
I guess you might.
＜Reflection＞ is basically like the Demon King’s symbolic ability.
It never changed, even after playing the game more than tens of thousands of times.
But that wasn’t important right now.
Bang!
“……!”
The King of Knights barged in with a huge sound.
The King of Knights looked around with fierce eyes. He must have come here after sensing the aura of a high-ranking demon.
“Where is the demon…!”
In an instant, a huge murderous aura filled the smithy.
However, the clean-up around the area was already finished.
“I took care of it?”
“What?”
Joo-Heon shook his heart nonchalantly.
“It was nothing.”
From Noble mtl dot com
The King of Knights’ eyes shook at the sight of Joo-Heon holding the heart of a demon.