Chapter 439: Regret (Regret)

Silence drifts by as I meet the Demon Emperor’s gaze.

His uniquely radiant violet eyes and the demonic energy floating in the air felt heavy.

The Demon Emperor’s gaze leaves me and turns towards the Sword Demon Marquis.

“Unit Leader.”

“…Yeah….”

“Explain.”

What a fucking annoying tone, that crazy bastard.

I almost scowled without realizing it, but I barely managed to hold back with immense patience.

He looks like shit, so why the hell is his tone like that too?

Perhaps I was the only one expressing doubt, as the reactions around me were nothing but quiet.

It was a simple statement, but it held plenty of meaning. Hearing this, the Sword Demon Marquis glanced at me and spat out a single word.

“…Newbie.”

“Newbie?”

“Yeah…. Our newbie….”

The Demon Emperor’s gaze turned back towards me.

Interest flickered in his violet eyes.

Kkeudeudeuk.

Next, the guy sitting on the throne slowly rose to his feet.

The demonic energy spreading through the air surged once more.

‘…Uh oh.’

Instinctively, I couldn’t help but sense what was about to happen.

There was only one thing that idiot, that fucking idiot, would do in this situation.

“A newbie, huh….”

The Demon Emperor’s body, which had been looking down at me.

Ppat-

Vanishes before my eyes.

I tensed my body, preparing myself.

Although I lost sight of him, I knew where the bastard would reappear.

Right in front of me.

The Demon Emperor appeared in front of me, and then.

“Kkeuk…!”

He grabbed my neck and lifted me straight up.

As expected, knowing that son of a bitch’s temper, it was obvious.

“Who sent you?”

“Huk….”

The killing intent in his voice pricked all over my body.

The Sword Demon Marquis seemed unconcerned, merely watching.

‘Ah…. This damn bastard, really….’

Is this what they mean by spitting in one’s own face?

The more I look at him, the more I just want to curse.

“You’re clearly a demon…. but your cultivation level is unusual.”

Kkwaak.

“Keuk…!”

The pressure on my neck intensified. Feeling it, I realized.

This moron. He must think I’m a genius, and his inferiority complex kicked in on its own.

“I ask again. Who sent you?”

I felt heat near the neck he was gripping.

It was obvious he’d burn me to a crisp if my answer was even slightly delayed.

I endured the pressure and barely managed to speak.

“The Cult Leader… sent… me….”

“The Cult Leader?”

Hearing that, the grip on my hand loosened slightly.

Hearing that Cheonma sent me must have lessened his suspicion, replacing it with questions.

Shortly after, the Demon Emperor swung his arm, throwing me forcefully towards the wall.

Kwang-! Kwadeudeuk-!

“Kkeureuk…!”

While flying, I smashed through a pillar and, not stopping there, crashed into the wall.

My body trembled violently from the impact.

Even though I predicted it and activated my energy blast, I couldn’t defend properly.

Gathering my wits with difficulty, I opened my eyes slightly to find the Demon Emperor had approached and was looking down at me.

“The Cult Leader… sent you to me, did he….”

Tuk.

He extended his foot and lifted my chin.

“You?”

I felt incredibly awkward.

“…Yes… The Cult Leader… ordered me to join the Black Flame Unit and follow the Great Leader’s commands….”

“State your name.”

“…”

The Demon Emperor’s question made me flinch for a moment.

Oh. Right, fuck.

I hadn’t decided on a name.

Cold sweat trickled down.

What should I say?

There was no time to think. Hesitating meant instant death.

This crazy bastard would definitely kill me if he felt suspicious, regardless of whether the Cult Leader sent me.

Crazy bastard, treating life like this. His personality is completely ruined.

“Your answer is late….”

“Pa…Paljilyeop.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and blurted out the answer.

I felt I had to say something, anything.

‘Ah…. Shit. Even so, what the hell is Paljilyeop, Paljilyeop.’

In my haste, I feel like I misspoke.

I was trying to say Gujeolyeop, but ‘Gu’ didn’t seem right, so I quickly changed it as the words came out.

And so, Paljilyeop came out.

And.

‘…Damn.’

This was clearly a mistake.

Naming it like this? No, that wasn’t the mistake.

The openings I showed in that fleeting moment.

The minor hesitations. Even the expressions I revealed in front of him.

All those things, shown because I wasn’t properly controlled, having grown accustomed to peace.

Must have become the seed of suspicion for the guy in front of me.

Because he was me, I knew it all too well.

Tududuk.

His fingertips twitched subtly.

This was a situation where I could truly die if I messed up.

Before he could ignite flames.

I continued speaking to the Demon Emperor.

“The Cult Leader… said to tell you this, in case the Great Leader might not believe the situation.”

Ttuk.

The Demon Emperor, who was about to move, paused for a moment.

Perhaps it was because I invoked Cheonma’s name; though no answer came, I could read it from the Demon Emperor’s expression.

Those eyes seemed to be saying, ‘Go on, say it’.

Seeing that, I swallowed nervously and spat it out.

“…’Only two promises remain’…. He said that would suffice….”

“…”

Gugugugu.

‘Damn it.’

Hearing my words, insane killing intent erupted from the Demon Emperor’s back.

To live emitting this much killing intent with every action.

That’s why he won’t live a long life, the stupid bastard.

With such a foul temper. I wondered what kind of upbringing he even had.

But that’s all.

He wouldn’t be able to attack me.

Because of what I just said, he must know Cheonma values me somewhat.

Only Cheonma and the Demon Emperor know about the promises.

Since I appeared knowing about this out of the blue, his suspicion would deepen, but he couldn’t do anything about it for now.

After issuing the order to wait, Cheonma never sought out the Demon Emperor until the Sword Demon Marquis died.

Conversely, there was no way the Demon Emperor would seek out Cheonma first.

This should work as a plausible excuse.

Although he was furious enough to want to kill me, the Demon Emperor wouldn’t kill me.

As I calmly met the Demon Emperor’s eyes, letting a moment of silence pass.

Hwik.

The Demon Emperor turned his back on me first.

‘Hoo.’

It was as expected.

The killing intent hadn’t subsided, but at least I felt like I’d gotten past this moment.

Kulok.

A short cough brought up blood.

It seemed my insides were churning from the recent attack.

‘That fucking bastard….’

What kind of way is this to treat a person?

As I coughed and sputtered, spitting out the remaining blood, the Demon Emperor spoke to the Sword Demon Marquis.

“Unit Leader, go find the Great Hall for a later report.”

“…Got it….”

After confirming the Sword Demon Marquis’s reply, the Demon Emperor left the great hall immediately. Watching him go, I wiped the blood from my mouth.

That bastard. He left to avoid killing everyone because he couldn’t control his temper.

‘What a moronic bastard.’

I didn’t like a single one of his actions.

Twe.

I spat the bloody saliva onto the floor and pushed my aching body up.

My joints screamed.

Ududuk. Just as I was circulating my internal energy to calm my insides, someone approached me.

A man with brown hair and striking black eyes. He was someone I knew well.

‘Silent Fist.’

Silent Fist Hwangbo Seon.

He was a member of the Hwangbo Family and someone who served under me.

It’s kind of nice seeing him here.

Hwangbo Seon, appearing suddenly, scanned me up and down.

“Follow me.”

He said it casually and started walking.

‘…’

It feels strange, being addressed so informally by him.

Immediately after the Demon Emperor disappeared, those in the great hall let out sighs of relief and began to slowly get up.

I thought about what to do, but there was no other option, so I decided to follow Hwangbo Seon first.

I didn’t know it at the time.

Until I navigated past the collapsed debris and out of the great hall.

That the Sword Demon Marquis was staring intently at me for some reason.

---

Following Hwangbo Seon, I arrived at a place where residences were clustered.

This was also a place I knew very well.

It was only natural, since this was where the Black Flame Unit resided.

‘…’

Black Flame Unit? What a shitty name.

I muttered it without thinking, and for a moment, I felt a sense of familiarity, but that was wishful thinking.

Not at all. Just imagining it made my stomach churn.

I entered the residence, roughly brushed myself off, and changed into new clothes.

Apparently, this was where I would be staying. It seemed there were a few others sharing the room besides me.

‘…It probably doesn’t matter. Most of them will likely be wandering around outside anyway.’

Shaaaa….

As I changed, Jeoksusa emerged from my clothes and greeted me.

Seeing it, I chuckled. It was funny how it appeared the moment people were gone.

‘Must have been pretty stuffy in there.’

Jeoksusa had also fallen into this world with me. I realized this while the Sword Demon Marquis was briefly gone.

Until then, Jeoksusa had hidden its presence, holding its breath within my clothes.

Coming here with Jeoksusa. Should I consider this fortunate?

Although it’s a bit troublesome, I don’t think it’s bad.

After all, this guy has helped me survive before.

‘Come to think of it….’

This world should currently be experiencing frequent appearances of crimson monsters.

‘Getting magic stones here wouldn’t mean anything, right?’

If this is a fake world as I suspect, obtaining them would be meaningless, but…

‘Still, just in case, I should try to find some later.’

Though I don’t know if I’ll have enough time.

‘At best, maybe a few months.’

I don’t know the exact timeframe, but the time I can last like this won’t be long.

‘They must have already started investigating.’

As someone who’s particularly paranoid around this time, they’re likely spreading information to figure out who this person is, suddenly appearing and invoking the Cult Leader’s name.

Ah, damn it. Can’t they just let it go?

‘Probably not….’

I know.

If it’s him, he’ll never just let it slide.

‘Haa….’

The one fortunate thing here.

‘Is that he hasn’t noticed anything about me.’

More precisely, that he hasn’t noticed the Guyeomhwaryugong within my body.

That was important.

The situation that would unfold if he found out about it – that’s what worried me the most.

-I am actually you.

-I came because of these circumstances and hope you can help me.

If I said that, what do you think would happen?

‘What do you think? I’d be fucking dead.’

It’s obvious I’d probably get my neck snapped and die right there.

Even if I presented every piece of evidence, he wouldn’t easily believe it.

He might even dismiss it as formations or illusions and burn it all away.

‘I don’t even know how he’d react.’

Even though the Demon Emperor is me, back then, even I think I was in a pretty twisted state.

I couldn’t be trusted.

So, for now, I had to hide it.

‘…If possible, I should avoid using flames.’

This power, even if I tried to hide it, was too visible.

It was so conspicuous that didn’t it earn me a shitty nickname?

Ah, thinking about it makes me pissed off again.

Barely suppressing my emotions, I thought about the future.

‘Assuming I can hide my power…. then what should I do now?’

I tried to think about what to do next, but it felt overwhelming.

What does this world even want from me?

How can I finish this trial?

I tried desperately to find a way, but.

‘Tsk.’

No matter how much I think about it, it’s incredibly frustrating right now.

Why did I have to fall into this hellish world…

‘Who can I blame? It’s my fault for being obsessed with Dokcheondan.’

No wonder the reward was ridiculously good. If I’d known I’d end up like this, I wouldn’t have touched Dokcheondan or anything else.

Haa….

Just as I let out a deep sigh with a pathetic expression.

‘Hmm?’

I sensed an unknown presence from afar.

As I turned my head towards the presence, wondering what it was.

Kwang-!

The door burst open violently.

I wondered what the hell this was now.

Then, someone entered the building.

“Youngest!”

‘What the?’

Focusing on the rough voice, I saw it wasn’t just one person.

At the front was the demon who had been guarding the building’s entrance earlier, and a few more demons appeared behind him.

Every single one of them had smiles full of glee on their faces.

For some reason, those smiles irritated me.

The guard, having confirmed I’d changed clothes, then chuckled and spoke to me.

“Our newbie, you might not know since it’s your first time here, but normally, on the first day, we perform an important ritual, you see?”

“Ah.”

Hearing the guard’s words, I recalled what this situation was.

The initiation ceremony that warriors belonging to a unit undergo once.

Along with it, there was usually an unspoken tradition of beatings to solidify the hierarchy.

Judging by the situation, these guys seemed intent on doing just that to me.

“Ha.”

At their actions, I let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.

Did my laugh bother him? The guard’s expression crumpled.

“This punk is laughing? Looks like he doesn’t know his own future.”

“Funny, you son of a bitch. Wouldn’t you laugh?”

“What? This young punk…”

“What’s your name?”

I cut off the guard and asked for his name.

At this, the guard and the demons behind him frowned deeply.

“My name is Seok Doa. Remember it well.”

Seok Doa? Hearing the name, I frowned too.

“It really was an unfamiliar name. Not just unfamiliar, I genuinely don’t know it.”

“What is this punk saying now…”

“The world’s gone to shit. To be looked down upon by a bastard like this.”

I could only sigh at my lowly position.

To suffer this indignity from a low-ranking nobody whose name I’ve never even heard.

Filled with irritation, I glared at him.

“Initiation ceremony? Yeah, fucking initiation ceremony.”

I took a step forward, radiating hostility.

I filled my core with demonic energy, weaving it into my heart. My eyes instantly grew hot.

The demons flinched, seemingly surprised by the energy.

Seeing their reaction, I grinned widely and said.

“Bring it on.”

This is actually good.

I needed a place to vent my frustrations anyway.