NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 412
Chapter 413: Do You Really Think You Can Believe This?
As Yuri’s prelude echoed, Yeon-woo stroked his chin.
When it came to trusting the demon in front of him, Yeon-woo felt he could. After all, that gaze was of a certain kind.
“Yes, I believe so.”
[What’s your basis?]
At Yuri’s words, Yeon-woo couldn’t reply. Naturally, such matters required justification.
Right now, they weren’t just exploring a mundane gate; they were plotting to kill the Demon King of an entire world.
The biggest factor determining the success or failure of such endeavors was to avoid unnecessary actions.
By completely focusing on one thing, they would prevent leaks and enhance efficiency.
And here was Yeon-woo, extending a hand for the revenge of a demon whom he couldn’t be certain was genuine. It was surely a cause for concern for both Yuri and Noel.
“…It’s intuition.”
Yeon-woo could only put it that way. Pure intuition, and at the same time, experience.
Before his regression, he had seen countless individuals consumed by vengeance. He remembered those who had lost precious comrades, lovers, or family members, igniting hatred for demons.
And the demon before him wore the same kind of face as them.
Living for revenge, disappearing somewhere once it was fulfilled, it seemed as if the emotion of hatred was dripping from their eyes.
[Unfortunately, old man, that’s hard to accept just on that alone.]
“That’s true.”
Of course, a master-level intuition was not something to take lightly.
But conversely, it meant that both Yuri and Noel were also masters in this situation.
Thus, it was only natural that it would be a burden for Yeon-woo to take the lead alone.
It could be a trap. Just as he was about to conclude so, Noel spoke brightly.
[Hey, I think it might be okay to trust them just once.]
[…That was sudden. What’s the reason?]
[Well, you might not have known, but among those who helped while traveling the continent, there were demons too.]
[…What?]
Noel spoke cheerfully, startling Yuri and Yeon-woo alike. Had they ever helped a demon?
[It was a long time ago, during the early days of the war. In truth, not all demons crossed over with the Demon King, you know?]
“That’s true.”
Besides the demons that came over with the Demon King, there were also races originally known as demons.
Like other Ain, they weren’t many in number, but they lived amidst humans.
Now, perhaps due to the Demon King’s influence, they had all become ferocious, retreating into hiding or falling under the Demon King’s command to avoid harming humans….
[They weren’t much different at all. They were just people living their lives. So, I can understand wanting revenge on the Demon King.]
[But what’s the basis for concluding it’s not a trap…?]
[Wouldn’t Yeon-woo take responsibility? He seems like he would.]
“I had been thinking I would…”
Yeon-woo scratched his cheek in slight surprise at the unexpected support. At those words, Noel smiled brightly.
[I think it’s fine. But if it fails, you know?]
“…Yes, understood.”
It was hard to express, but hearing such soft words while feeling coldly on guard, Yeon-woo subconsciously used polite language.
Is this what a true hero is like…?
*
“I shall accept.”
“Good. I’ll work hard then.”
The next day, when Yeon-woo spoke that to the nomad who revealed himself on stage, the nomad bowed deeply in delight.
Thinking he was no different from an ordinary person, seeing such a deep bow was quite uncomfortable.
The nomad began to spout various information about what he would do and how others would react, as if he were a fish in water.
“I know it’ll be hard to gain your trust. You don’t have to believe us, as long as our goals align.”
“That’s true. What’s your name?”
“Just call me Old Man. If you find out that you know my name, the plan goes up in smoke.”
“That’s fair enough.”
When Yeon-woo said that with a chuckle, the nomad looked at him with curiosity.
“…You’re like a different person from yesterday. Did you experience some change of heart? That formal language is giving me chills.”
“Let’s say that’s true. Anyway, are you ready?”
He felt a chill from being nice to a seemingly dull old man. Perhaps it wasn’t necessary to be overly polite, after all.
Whether the nomad knew of Yeon-woo’s internal monologue or not, he nodded in agreement.
Thus, the great scam began.
──KAAANG!!
Not long after, amidst battling the oncoming demons, Yeon-woo’s ears picked up the nomad’s loud voice.
“That guy! He killed my kin! Look over there, the bodies rolling around like trash! He’s a cruel one; please avenge your beloved comrades…!!”
Who refers to their cherished comrades’ bodies as trash?
Yeon-woo thought to himself, but it seemed the demons didn’t see it that way.
Facing the first demon to come with a sword, he scanned the others.
‘…No familiar faces.’
Of course, it was true that he knew fewer faces among the demons overall.
Nevertheless, he had a desire to draw out at least one of the Samajang from this side, feeling somewhat disappointed.
Let’s take it slow. With that thought, he wielded the Heavenly Thunder. Thinking about it, White’s appearance was too conspicuous, so he decided to utilize Heavenly Thunder.
Yesterday, he had killed everyone except the nomad, so there wouldn’t be a problem, but he couldn’t be certain that all the demons would challenge him today.
“Gah…!!”
With a strained groan, the demon leaned his sword to block the Heavenly Thunder.
In that instant, a thin Aura Blade cleanly sliced the pitch-black sword in two, decapitating the demon.
“GRAAAAH!!”
“…How boring.”
The nomad had also cast a spell for Yeon-woo, instructing him to treat the demons as contemptibly as possible.
Certainly, it had been ongoing, but today, the nomad had cast the spell during the battle.
Breathing heavily and grimacing while exchanging blows was indeed a bothersome spell, but realizing that all he needed to do was the top ten moves he shouldn’t do while training with friends, he found it much easier to perform.
“Sir!! How can this be! Is there truly no way…?! That human is weaker today than yesterday…!!”
At the nomad’s words, the muscular demon beside him shot him a glare.
First characteristic of demons: While lacking in respect and honor, they are brimming with pride.
That must stem from being of the same race as the Demon King or being his underlings.
“This time, I will be the one to deal with you.”
With that, another demon stepped forward.
While one might think, “If there’s no honor, why not team up?”, it was thanks to Yeon-woo having set the rules beforehand.
During the fight with the Heavenly Demon, he had to remove the rules entirely, but thanks to that experience, Yeon-woo could feel Heavenly Thunder more deeply now.
Not only could he remove rules, but he could also inscribe rules upon objects.
Moreover, with an immense amount of mana and effort, it would even be possible to add rules to the world itself.
However, adding rules to the world was practically impossible.
Even Yeon-woo, who ranked among the top-tier mana holders among hunters worldwide, found himself questioning whether this was feasible.
He had tried pushing in everything except elemental mana, but it just didn’t feel like anything was filling up….
The rule he inscribed after taking his time was, “Only one challenger and one Choi Yeon-woo may come up to this stage.”
The moment one climbed up, the other demons would be seized by an unknown reluctance to ascend, feeling as though they couldn’t come up.
Having tried it with Shar and Tae-oh, he learned they were completely amazed, making it quite a task to go along with their excitement.
Thud, he kicked away the decapitated demon’s head and raised his sword once more.
“How long must I keep playing along?”
“…I will make you regret it!!”
As the demon yelled, lunging at him, Heavenly Thunder struck down like a lightning bolt.
The nomad’s request, the second. Don’t exert your full power.
The demon just barely dodged, rushing toward Yeon-woo as a weak strike landed.
‘At this level, I won’t die even if I take the hit.’
Though he was overwhelming, it wasn’t perfect. Thankfully, steering the fight in the desired direction was Yeon-woo’s specialty.
*
“Oh….”
Rumors began to spread that a powerful warrior had appeared from the north of the Demon Castle, battling against the demons. Upon hearing this, one demon showed interest.
Among the most powerful demons under the Demon King, known as the Demon King’s right-hand man, was Malchut of Cruelty.
The moment he appeared on the battlefield, the outcome was practically a foregone conclusion.
However, due to the ‘Commander’ Lordran leading the army to victory, Malchut was not given a chance to step onto the battlefield.
Thus, the news of an unidentified strong being appearing was a source of immense joy for Malchut, who’d been rotting away in boredom.
“Excellent, take me there at once!!”
“Ah, understood, Lord Malchut!!”
As the nomad bowed his head before Malchut, a smile crept onto his face.
They were all nothing but fools. Simple-minded kids who only knew to kill humans, with nothing else in their heads.
Why did they destroy their own peace? Why wage a war that wasn’t even necessary?
Those questions weren’t even worth asking. The reasons were evident.
Because the Demon King is a fool, and the demons who follow him are all fools too.
For the unidentified human youth, the strongest demons were his target. The nomad thought that he could fulfill that condition and realized his thoughts would soon bear fruit.
Knowing both the good and ugly sides of humanity, it was extremely easy to deceive the dense-headed demons.
The nomad’s eyes sparkled with madness.
He could sell out all of his kin. Contributing to the death of his daughter and grandchildren, he could send all the fools from the Demon Castle to the Underworld.
As such thoughts bubbled up, he couldn’t help but let out laughter.
Malchut slung the giant axe that hung on the wall over his shoulder. He bore an imposing appearance, entirely oblivious to the thought of his own death.
(To be continued in the next episode)