23 — Chapter 23
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“Did you hear? A human killed a demonkin.”
“For real? Damn, it’s cutting out again.”
The square crystal lost its glow.
“Did you recharge the demonic energy? Check again. Anyway, they said it was a low-class demonkin. Untransformed, but killed all the same.”
“Is this human supposed to be some kind of legendary knight?”
“Not that strong. What worries me is why the higher-ranked demonkin are so quiet.”
“They’re probably desperate to secure their positions before the Demon King’s heir comes of age. Too bad we can’t just pick a fight with Heaven while we’re at it.”
“Heh. Who’s the first to die then?”
“What, you think I’d get taken out by some angel trash?”
“No, I meant the ceiling falling on you.”
“You’re one to talk. If we hadn’t been childhood friends, I’d have killed you long ago.”
“Heh. We’ve stuck together too long. Boring. Maybe I should go meet that human.”
“Meet them? Don’t be stupid. Remember that low-class demonkin who got caught sneaking around with a human? The Discipline Committee dragged him off.”
“Idiot thought he could hide from the Watchers a high-ranking demonkin placed.”
“And that’s why he’s a low-class.”
“Heh… oh? It’s back.”
The square crystal lit up again, showing Kark slicing the throat of a demon.
“Why does it keep cutting out lately?”
“Too many eyes watching the same feed.”
Their laughter trailed off. The two demonkin fell silent as the crystal now showed Kark walking into the Dead Forest.
I killed four more demonkin. I chose ambush over frontal assault, and the plan worked. I smothered my presence completely, targeting only those wandering alone.
I’d noticed before that demonkin entered the Dead Forest alone, never in groups. So I waited near the forest’s edge, tracking solitary ones and striking from behind.
The first attempt worked. The second failed—demonkin senses were sharper than I expected. After that, I succeeded again and again.
Each ambush, I unleashed everything in one strike. If I failed, I would die. That thought kept me sharp. Maybe success was inevitable with that resolve.
But I never went deeper into the Dead Forest. I haunted only its edges, cutting down demonkin like a reaper. The crystal grew heavy with mana.
Once I’d killed more than ten, I began to develop a rhythm. By the time I’d slain over twenty, the desire to grow stronger pressed on me harder than ever. This was when I’d slept thirty-six thousand times since arriving.
At this rate, I would eventually run into a mid-class demonkin.
From hunting them, I learned about their hierarchy. The ones I killed were all low-class. Stronger ones were called mid-class and high-class. They had more precise titles, but for my own convenience, I called them that.
The problem was, until they transformed, I couldn’t tell which was which. If I mistakenly ambushed a mid-class demonkin, I’d be the one to die.
The crystal brimmed with mana. If I killed another hundred low-class demonkin, I could perform dimensional transfer. That meant I couldn’t afford to die now. I had to choose safety.
From then on, I stopped seeking out demonkin deliberately. Instead, I trained—fighting demons as sparring partners just like before.
When martial arts hit a wall, I switched to magic. When magic stalled, I returned to martial arts. The cycle repeated endlessly.
Eventually, even battling demons became meaningless—the gap between us was too vast. That was when I turned to meditation.
Dangerous, yes. But I had my safeguard: three Death Knights. With three of them, no demon could break through.
So I summoned them immediately.
[Command us…]
[For our master…]
[…]
“Protect me.”
I sat cross-legged on the flat ground.
The three Death Knights surrounded me, their eerie eyes glowing as they scanned the area.
Blinding sunlight stabbed at my eyes. My stomach churned, and my whole body felt weak. Heavy, like waterlogged cotton. I toppled onto my side, gasping for breath.
Fresh air rushed into my lungs. Bit by bit, my head cleared, and vitality seeped through my limbs. Circulating my inner force restored my strength.
The lush green grass and the deep blue sky told me plainly—this was not the Demon Realm. I was finally back. I had escaped the Demon Realm.
I had slept more than forty-five thousand times. I had slain countless low-class demonkin.
And with the mana I gathered, I activated the dimensional magic circle and fled.
Escape. It was truly escape. I had succeeded, and my goal was fulfilled.
I scooped up soil in my hand. The rough earth crumbled between my fingers, slipping through the gaps. Cool, grounding.
Relief, exhilaration—pure joy welled up.
“HAHAHAHAHA!”
I laughed freely. But no cry of triumph came. I had lived too long in the Demon Realm. Survival was all I had clung to. I had honed myself endlessly just to endure, never losing sight of escape.
I scanned the surroundings with both sight and senses. This wasn’t forest. More like a mountain’s edge. The sound of water reached my ears.
I checked my body, then headed toward the stream.
“Hah!”
The fresh air made my heart lighter.
For a while, I simply basked in the joy of being alive.
I set out to find Benjamin Village. The place where the village chief, the old man, lived.
But no one knew of Benjamin Village. I didn’t know which territory it belonged to, so all I could do was ask for the name.
“Do you know where Benjamin Village is?”
“Benjamin? Never heard of it. Which lord’s land is it in?”
“I… don’t know.”
“Then it won’t be easy to find.”
The bearded man shook his head and walked away.
Weeks passed since my return. I traveled across villages and territories, asking after Benjamin Village. Along the way, I caught bits of rumor.
Though I had slept over forty thousand times in the Demon Realm, not nearly that much time had passed here on the continent. At most, ten years.
Little had changed.
Rumors swirled everywhere. That war was about to break out. That a monstrous killer roamed the land. Always the same whispers, wherever I went.
Once, the mention of war would have chilled me. Now it meant nothing. I didn’t care who the murderer was, or where they were.
“Where should I go now?”
I hesitated, a sudden thought striking me.
Everything had begun at the Desert of Death.
It wasn’t far from the village. There had been a small mountain nearby, a cliff I fell from.
Beyond it stretched the Desert of Death, leading all the way to the Demon King’s Temple.
Through it, I’d stumbled into the Demon Realm, and only barely escaped.
Why hadn’t I thought of it sooner?
I turned my steps toward the Desert of Death.
My mana overflowed. Lightfoot was far faster than flight magic. On flat land, I used Lightfoot; when rivers or mountains blocked the way, I switched to flight, cutting both time and distance.
High in the sky, I looked around. In the far distance, the desert stretched endlessly.
I flew toward it, scanning the ground below. Villages dotted the landscape. I descended into one that sat near the mountains.
A log wall, chest-high, encircled the place. Two men in leather armor stood guard at the entrance, spears in hand.
“What brings you here?”
“I’m searching for a village. Benjamin Village—do you know it?”
One of them replied that it lay to the northwest, half a day’s walk. I thanked him and left immediately.
It didn’t take half a day. I reached it in the time it would take to eat a meal.
“At last… I’ve arrived.”
A wooden sign near the entrance bore the words Benjamin Village. What had once been a small fence was now a log wall like the one I’d just seen. Two men stood at the gate. One face I recognized, the other I didn’t.
I couldn’t help but smile wide.
The villagers prepared a splendid dinner in my honor. Even though it was night, the cool air made the outdoor feast lively and comfortable.
Long tables were lined up, covered with grilled meat and various dishes. It was so crowded I didn’t even find a seat until long after dinner had begun.
Dozens of villagers raised mugs of beer and tore into meat. One woman grumbled that they had taken out meat reserved for a festival.
“Kark! You’ve changed so much. How many years has it been?”
Even though the missing child had returned as a grown adult, they still recognized me.
Their warm greetings carried both joy and sorrow. And with them, I realized one thing.
Grandpa was gone.
He wasn’t here. No one mentioned him, and their silence said more than words ever could.
For me, Grandpa and Benjamin Village had been the one goal, the only destination. In the Demon Realm, they had been my anchor, my reason to endure. After all my struggles to return to the human world, my sanctuary was gone. It would live only in my heart.
When the small party ended, I was summoned to the village hall. I walked there slowly.
Inside, several elders waited. Familiar faces: the blacksmith, the herb-gatherer, the tailor.
“This is his keepsake.”
They handed me a small wooden box.
“The village chief said, if you ever returned, this was for you.”
So Grandpa had known I would come back.
“When…?”
“About ten years ago. For two years after you disappeared, not a day passed that he didn’t speak of you. You must have been like a grandson to him.”
I gazed at the box. It felt like his touch lingered on it still.
Lost in that small sentiment, I opened it. Inside were only two things: a rolled scroll, sealed with wax that pulsed faintly with mana, and a letter.
A magic scroll. I tilted my head.
Grandpa, you left behind something like this?
“Did he really leave this?”
“Who else? We only kept the box safe. Whatever’s inside was what he left. If there’s a scroll and a letter, they must be his.”
“I see. Thank you.”
I unfolded the letter and began to read.
To Kark
Kark, I’m glad you’ve come back safe. You must have suffered and been so lonely, but you endured. Well done, Kark.
Though I can’t see you again, the thought that you might read these words makes me happy.
(…excerpt omitted…)
Yesterday, an old man came to me. He said I would die in a week, and that you would return in ten years.
I was glad to hear you would return, but I could not accept that I would die in a week. I was angry, but in the end I believed him.
He called himself Zydrint—the only one people call Sage.
(…excerpt omitted…)
If you read the scroll, you will hear the Sage’s words. My hand hesitates to let go.
Kark. Live true to your own path.
Emotion surged through me. My eyes burned. Heat rose in my chest. When I closed my eyes, memories of Grandpa—brief, but vivid—returned.
After a moment, I folded the letter.
“We’ll leave you alone.”
“Thank you.”
I stood, bowed to the elders, and picked up the scroll. Crushing the wax seal, I unfurled it.
Runes covered the parchment. I infused mana, and they glowed faintly. As every rune lit up, a voice reached my ears.
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Force Lead: The Absolute One
Chapter 23 / 64