Chapter 21

I naturally grew more confident and pushed deeper inside. That was when I discovered a bipedal creature, humanoid in form. A demon.

It was smaller and scrawnier than me, but it had large bat-like wings sprouting from its back and small horns on its forehead. Its eyes glowed blood-red, and its fangs jutted out sharply.

Because I had concealed my presence, the demon hadn’t noticed me.
Its combat ability didn’t feel too threatening—at most, about the strength of two Death Knights combined. But the mana inside it was dense. That meant the crystal would surely absorb a good amount of mana from this one.

Excited, I closed in. The demon was gutting the corpse of a monster beast, rummaging through its insides.

“Kekeke.”

For some reason, it chuckled gleefully as it dug through the beast’s belly. Even when I moved right up close, it still didn’t sense me.

I saw its tail. The urge to sever it flickered through me, but instead, I drew my sword.

“Kirik?!”

The demon realized something was wrong—but its reaction came too late. My blade slashed across its neck, cutting deep.

The demon screamed and flapped its wings, trying to flee. Running without even looking back?

I kicked off the ground and leapt into the air. Injured as it was, the demon’s movements were sluggish, and it couldn’t gain much altitude. I drove my sword straight into its back.

“Kiiiiek!”

Two strikes—that was all it took to kill it. The demon collapsed lifelessly, and I landed safely by stepping on its back as it fell.

I pulled out the crystal and tested it on the demon’s mana. It glowed, drinking in the energy.

“Oh…”

A sound of awe slipped from me before I realized it. At least the equivalent of ten monster beasts’ worth of mana had flowed in.

This would save me time. There had to be demons with even more mana than this one. And this was just the outer edge where they appeared. If I went further in, stronger demons—and even the demonkin—would surely be there.

How powerful were demonkin? Could I defeat one as I was now? Without information, the uncertainty was suffocating.

I tucked the crystal safely away and looked down at the demon. Its clothes were thrown together, ragged.

On a whim, I searched its chest and found coins and trinkets—silver that seemed to be currency, a necklace, scraps of parchment.

Money? I shoved it all into my pouch. Then I turned to the monster beast the demon had been digging into. It still held mana.

As I absorbed its energy, I felt something condensed in its torn belly. Wrapping my hand in sword aura, I cut it open wider.

It was hard to see through the blood, but the concentrated mana pulsed clearly. I reached in and pulled out a crystal, about the size of two fingers.

A lump of mana, solidified into a crystal. What was this? I had never seen such a thing. Yet the mana sealed inside was immense.

Come to think of it, even this monster beast was unlike any I had seen before.

“Will it absorb?”

I pressed my crystal against it.

“Oh.”

To my surprise, the mana flowed in smoothly. I hadn’t even purified it. That made it more efficient—an unexpected bonus.

Monster beasts themselves held mana, and sometimes they contained these condensed cores too. This one was worth about half of what I’d taken from the demon. A decent gain.

Wait—then what about demons?

I examined the dried-out demon corpse. After the mana was drained, nothing remained.
Even when I spread my senses, there was no trace of lingering energy.

Strange… Still, I had to remember the appearance of this beast for later.

By now, I had slept twenty-five thousand times. My cultivation had grown more solid and profound. Demons had become perfect prey for me, and before I realized it, I was a hunter who sought them out. Some even recognized me and tried to run the moment they saw me.

Rumors about me must have spread among them, so I moved with greater caution.

There were many kinds of demons—towering brutes, tiny ones, wingless ones, humanoid ones. Naturally, their strength didn’t always match their size.

I had gathered quite a bit of mana in the crystal, though it was still only a tenth of its capacity.

Even now, I had just slain another demon beneath my heel. It was humanoid, but with four arms, each wielding a different weapon. It fought skillfully, and each weapon was infused with powerful demonic energy. The sheer force of it made me feel as though I had been fighting two or three master-level warriors at once.

My leather clothes were in tatters. A faint wound marked my skin—the first injury I’d had in some time. The demonic energy seeping into the cut stung sharply.

Though the injury wasn’t severe, I quickly took out the crystal and absorbed mana.

This one must have been high-ranked, judging by the amount. Around one and a half times what I usually pulled from an ordinary demon.

Satisfied, I put the crystal away and scanned my surroundings.

In the distance, I spotted structures.

That was what had been gnawing at me for a while. A strange emotion stirred—something I had long forgotten, only to remember it now.

Buildings. A cluster of them.

A village.

I had found a village in the Demon Realm.

Was it inhabited by demons? Or perhaps by demonkin, the rulers of this realm?

If they were demonkin, could I face them yet? They would surely be far stronger than ordinary demons.

I should at least confirm it. See who lived there. And if demonkin truly dwelled within, I would retreat until I was stronger. There was no need to gamble my life recklessly.

For now, what I needed most was information. I concealed my presence and approached the village. Fortunately, I didn’t encounter any demons along the way.

It was only after a long walk that I finally got close enough to see what kind of beings lived there. They were definitely bipedal. All of them walked upright, and none had especially strange features.

Humanoid demons? Or perhaps the true rulers of the Demon Realm—the demonkin?

For now, the number of figures moving around was small, so I couldn’t be certain. I needed more time, so I waited patiently.

Two sleep cycles passed.

The village population wasn’t large—about ten or so. And there wasn’t much activity.
I spent that time hunting demons in the distance to fill the Dragon Heart with mana, then returned to my post. About once every four sleep cycles, I would station myself there and observe.

After hundreds of repetitions, I grew used to the rhythm of hunting demons. By then, I had gathered a fair amount of information about the village.

I was lucky enough to witness them fighting each other.

At first, they appeared no different from humans. But when the battle grew fierce, something inside them erupted—an overwhelming surge of demonic energy.

And then… they transformed.

Their very forms changed, like a dragon using polymorph to assume a new body.
Horns and wings appeared where there had been none. And with that change came terrifying strength.

At first, I thought I might be able to handle them if it came to a fight. But the moment they transformed, all confidence vanished—the difference was that great.

Even in my shock, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

The demonkin wielded magic as well. Magic born from demonic energy was so ominous that I could feel its menace even from far away. It was thick, suffocating power.

And it wasn’t just their spells. Their entire beings radiated force. The change in form wasn’t for show—their bodies brimmed with raw might. When they clashed, the ground shook, and the very air seemed to split apart.

There was no doubt—they were demonkin. On an entirely different level from ordinary demons.

For the first time in the Demon Realm, I had seen them with my own eyes. And in that moment, I realized how fortunate I was to still be alive here.

I cut down the time I spent sleeping. Instead, I replaced it with meditation.

Shaken by the demonkin’s power, I threw myself into training.

I hunted demons like a madman. Every battle became real combat training, and every hunt was accompanied by endless thoughts of martial arts.
Magic, almost without realizing, had been pushed aside.

Even focusing on one path wasn’t enough. I became obsessed with martial arts.

Whenever my mind wandered or laziness crept in, memories of the demonkin’s fight surged back, driving me harder. The sheer destructive power of that battle was still vivid in my bones. Without realizing it, I rubbed my arm.

Shaking the thought from my head, I set off once more to hunt demons.

This time I roamed in wider circles around the village.

Behind it stretched a place full of dead trees.

The entire Demon Realm was a dull, ashen gray, but the tangle of withered branches was so dense that from a distance it almost looked like leaves.

I called it the Dead Forest.

Whenever I neared it, the sensation grew darker, heavier.

My body had undergone metamorphosis, freeing me from the corruption of demonic energy. But when I walked too close to that forest, my skin prickled sharply.

After experiencing that once, I never approached again. Whatever lay within was bound to be unimaginably strong.

As I walked, I caught sight of the Dead Forest in the distance. I deliberately turned away, heading in the opposite direction.

I traveled for a long time, yet no demons appeared. Had they been wiped out in this area? Well, considering I had already killed hundreds, it wouldn’t be surprising.

If no more appeared, I’d have to move on and find new hunting grounds. I turned my head, scanning the area, and spotted a demon in the distance. It was busy doing something—its posture reminded me of demons gutting monster beasts in search of magic stones.

Magic stones—that was the name I had given them. Sometimes, I found them inside the beasts’ bodies. But never once in a demon. I knew that for certain, after cutting open every corpse I left behind.

Demons were no longer a threat. As long as I fought seriously, they were nothing more than easy prey.

I suppressed my presence and crept closer. When I entered striking distance, I deliberately let a trace of aura leak.

As always, the demon flinched and looked back.

“You’re not a demonkin?”

It gave me a strange look. A humanoid demon. No horns.

I stiffened. It could speak.

“You… can talk?”

“And you’re not a demon either?”

Their gaze swept me up and down. Then they smiled. A smile far too disarming for a creature of the Demon Realm.¹

Without realizing it, I replied.

“This is the first time I’ve met a demon that speaks. And in human tongue, no less.”

“Puhuhu. Oh, I see. So you’re that famous human.”

The demon tried to stifle a laugh. So I really was known among them. Rumors must have spread farther than I thought.

They rose to their full height and faced me directly. For the briefest moment, I glimpsed what they had been doing—not dissecting a beast, but scrawling something on the ground.

A demon that… draws? Things only grew more confusing. A higher-grade demon, perhaps.

“Well, this is truly surprising. Haha. Who would’ve thought I’d live to converse with a human?”

I was surprised, yes—but suspicion gnawed at me too. How had word of me spread. Every demon who had ever seen me was dead.

“Huhu… What a fascinating human you are. Strong, and satisfying. Many of the demonkin are watching you.”

Demonkin… watching me?

A chill went down my spine. Warning bells rang in my head. If that was true, it meant I had already been noticed.

This one had to be a high-ranked demon dwelling among them. How else could they know such things? Unless, of course, they were lying to ensnare me.

“By the usual rules, we shouldn’t be meeting like this. But this is nothing more than coincidence. I like wandering about to draw, so… chance brought me here.”

They shrugged casually. There was clear intelligence in their demeanor. Unlike any demon I’d met before.

I began slowly drawing on my inner strength, just in case.

“By the way… we always call you ‘human.’ But surely you have a name, don’t you? Something that proves you, that makes you exist. Will you share it?”

Before I knew it, as if entranced, the word slipped out.

“…Kark.”

Something was wrong. I had set out to hunt demons. I had found one. And now I was… talking to them. My awareness stayed sharp, yet my ears couldn’t help but focus on their voice.

And then I realized: they weren’t speaking the continental tongue. They used some alien language, yet its meaning flowed directly into my mind.

Like telepathy.

“Kark. Kark. Thank you. A name must be spoken before one is recognized. Allow me to prove myself in return.”

They remained in place, showing no signs of attack. Their hands, their feet, their eyes—all calm.

I kept my gaze fixed on them.

“Nice to meet you, human. I am Aporso, of the demonkin.”

Without thinking, I stepped back.

“For now, I’ve slipped away from the Watchers’ eyes.”

“Demonkin, you say? Heh. A demon with a sense of humor, I see.”

I forced a laugh, stalling for time.

“As expected, humans are full of doubt. Just like in the books.”

“What do you want?”