episode_0068

Kutranux, the Demon King’s castle.

The news that the 5th Demon Lord, Bersella, received was shocking.

The heroes in the human kingdom had finally started to move, and there were already rumors that they had obtained the Holy Sword and were preparing to subdue the Demon King.

“W-what’s going on? How did they get the Holy Sword so quickly?”

Bersella trembled in fear.

She couldn’t help but imagine herself being helplessly killed by the hero’s sword, just like her father, the former Demon Lord.

Lord Javiel, the Lord of Deception, kneeled before the Demon King and spoke.

“Don’t worry too much. The reason the hero obtained the Holy Sword so quickly is because he had a woman named Mila by his side.”

“Don’t worry! If the hero got the Holy Sword, then the next target is me!”

“Demon King, the time to fear the hero is when he grows stronger. The current hero cannot even touch you, so rest assured.”

“B-but… you’ve only failed until now! How can I believe your words?”

“Well… it was a mistake that we couldn’t kill the hero, but it is true that the current hero cannot touch you, Demon King.”

Javiel was speaking the truth.

The hero’s legend among humans was not just a simple legend.

The hero would eventually come to the Demon King’s castle to defeat the Demon King, that was true.

But the current hero had skipped all the necessary steps by using Mila.

Without going through the gradual process, the hero could not become strong enough.

Fortunately, the current hero was far from that path.

And this was the first time since the existence of demons and heroes in this world.

Javiel took note of that.

The hero’s appearance to subdue the Demon King was an inevitable fate, like a destiny that could not be avoided.

But this time, the hero had strayed from the path of the hero and was behaving strangely.

“Perhaps the power of the goddess and the demon that gave birth to the hero and the Demon King has weakened. The link that bound their destinies may have loosened, allowing this strange hero to emerge…”

Javiel thought.

It was not just the hero.

The Demon Soul had chosen the strongest among the pureblooded demons to become the Demon King.

At least that was the case with the former Demon Lords.

But what about Bersella?

She was a pureblooded demon, but wasn’t she just like a young, timid girl?

Of course, as time passed, her power as the Demon King would increase regardless of her will.

In fact, the demons scattered throughout the continent were influenced by the increasing power of the Demon Soul within Bersella.

“But… no matter how much I think about it…”

The choice of the Demon Soul was absolute and unchangeable.

Still, Javiel couldn’t help but think that there might be a better candidate for the Demon King than Bersella.

Queen Ludmilla of Ainblad, the city of pureblooded demons.

If she had become the Demon King, she would not have trembled in fear upon hearing news of the hero and would not have acted foolishly.

“I-I’m scared… What should I do…”

Demon King Bersella wrapped her head, unsure of what to do.

Watching her from afar, Lord Bloodstain, the Lord of Blood, left the room with heavy footsteps.

Among the lords who assisted the Demon King, Bloodstain was the most radical hardliner.

He believed that the demon army should be mobilized to attack the human kingdom and that not only the hero but all humans should be exterminated.

But seeing Bersella, who possessed the source of that power, the Demon Soul, in such a state, Bloodstain found it difficult to continue watching.

Javiel let out a small sigh as he watched Bloodstain leave the room.

To protect the Demon King, the goal of killing the hero was the same for all, but even among demons, opinions differed on how to achieve it.

“Perhaps each will move on their own. I wonder… what will happen…”

Javiel fell into deep thought.

A hero who was not like a hero, and a Demon King who was not like a Demon King.

Javiel couldn’t predict how this story would end.

But for the current Demon King, he could only wrack his brain to come up with a plan to stop the hero.

***

Whoosh!

On a secluded beach near Kubele.

Fierce flames shot out from the sword he was holding, reaching out towards the sea.

The magical flames raced over the sea for a while, swirling and creating a pillar of fire.

“No, what in the world.”

Muttering to himself, he let go of the sword.

As soon as he did, the flames raging over the sea subsided in an instant.

I was practicing controlling the magic I had recently acquired in Einblad.

Whenever I tried to release magic outward for use, it would go wild like an explosion.

I had only tried to add a little flame to the sword just now, but failed to control it.

I closed my eyes and felt the accumulated magic inside me.

I felt that the color of the magic I had built up so far had changed completely under the influence of the magic I acquired in Einblad.

The reason why I couldn’t control the magic was probably because of this.

Even if I replenished new blue magic through magic transformation, it was influenced by the magic of Einblad inside my body.

At first, I thought I could solve this problem through training.

But the more I trained, the more severe the symptoms of magic skills running wild became.

Ironically, the symptoms were less severe when dealing with the undead in the past.

My current state was like trying to open a door but breaking it, or trying to drink water with a cup but shattering the cup.

The only fortunate thing was that this problem only occurred when releasing magic outward.

If the same problem occurred in my body holding the magic, everyday life would be impossible.

“Hmm…”

“Yunoa struggled to control the magic that was neither human nor demon.

He thought he could solve this problem through training.

But the nature of the magic itself was different, and training was useless.”

No, you should have told me that sooner.

I’ve worked so hard to control this magic.

If it’s useless effort, it would have been nice to know before I put all my strength into it.

“What does a strong adventurer need?”

Suddenly, the narration asked me a question.

Are you asking me? No, that couldn’t be.

From the start, this guy couldn’t communicate with me.

What a strong adventurer needs…

Guild-recognized adventurer rankings?

It doesn’t seem like it.

After experiencing the life of an adventurer, I realized one thing.

The guild’s ranking of adventurers is not an absolute indicator of strength.

Of course, the difference between Bronze and Silver rankings was significant.

But even among Silver ranks, there was a drastic difference in skill.

The fact that the rankings were divided into only three categories – Bronze, Silver, and Gold – itself showed a lack of discrimination in strength.

And looking at the promotion structure of the guild, it was possible for a stronger Silver-ranked adventurer to exist than a Gold-ranked one.

I don’t know if there are actual cases like that, but without undergoing a promotion assessment, an adventurer’s rank does not increase.

If the goal is to make a decent living, there was no real reason to upgrade from Silver to Gold rank.

Of course, there are some minor benefits to upgrading to the Gold rank, such as not having to report a change in activity area when moving, or receiving better treatment among adventurers. But are there really so many people willing to take on the risks of promotion just for that?

I don’t think so.

So, what else do strong adventurers need?

At that moment, a memory flashed through my mind.

It was when I first decided to become an adventurer.

I realized that being an adventurer actually requires a considerable amount of initial capital, so I roamed around with Meruru to earn money.

The reason I earned money back then was because I needed a sword.

The sword I bought with the money fell into a hole in the Horn Canyon and I lost it.

The sword I currently have was a gift from the young Karia tribe man Venos.

It is a sword made by refining mushrooms as hard as steel, grown in the demon underground.

It was sturdy and surprisingly fit well in my hand, so I was still using it without needing to purchase a new sword.

There was also the fact that the power of the attack is greatly influenced by the user’s magical power, so I didn’t feel the need for a new sword.

As my thoughts reached this point, I reconsidered the intention behind the question the narrator threw at me.

Perhaps I haven’t paid enough attention to equipment and have been active without much thought?

The sword of the Gold-ranked adventurer Mileia was a very long and sharp longsword.

It didn’t look like an ordinary sword at first glance.

Other adventurers were also wearing weapons that suited them.

There were adventurers carrying swords with a unique color of blade that seemed familiar.

Since discovering the existence of magical power, I had only focused on enhancing physical abilities through magical transformation and learning techniques using magical power.

But even in the frequent old hero stories, isn’t a holy sword an essential weapon?

Gear obsession.

I had overlooked the importance of good equipment.

This world was full of all sorts of amazing things.

The issue of magical power control couldn’t be solved through self-training alone.

So maybe it could be solved through equipment?

Perhaps using weapons enchanted with magic, accessories, or armor could provide a solution.

Well, Narration. What do you think of the conclusion I’ve reached?

I asked the Narration in my mind.

But of course, there was no response.