Episode 440. Victoria Building (3)

The Noah Hall on the top floor of Victoria Building.

In the spacious hall, people wearing hoods gathered in small groups, chatting.

“I’m so tired, no matter how much I sleep. Maybe I caught a cold.”

“It’s because you stay home all the time. You’ll feel lighter if you go out and move around.”

“We’re a bit short on alcohol here.”

Except for the fact that their faces were hidden by their hoods, it looked like a perfectly normal gathering.

However, among them, a few had faces and hands holding wine glasses that looked distinctly non-human, peeking out from their hoods.

One person had a face covered in colorful warts, and another had horns protruding from beneath their hood.

“… Are you saying everyone here is a demon?”

“Please speak a little more quietly. Student Council President.”

Moon Surin frowned as she looked around the Noah Hall.

A demon party.

People often think demons enjoy human blood and are obsessed with combat, but that’s not true for all demons.

Becoming a demon isn’t ordinary in itself, but the demons gathered here were relatively docile ones.

Of course, ‘docile’ relative to other demons.

“They aren’t powerful demons individually, but there are so many of them that the collective strength here is quite immense, so we need to be careful.”

“… Then shouldn’t we bring more people?”

“It’s fine. Fewer people are better in places like this. We even brought the Korean Branch Manager.”

“… Okay.”

Moon Surin stared intently at the Korean Branch Manager.

It was a familiar face.

No, I’d seen her so often that I’d received a work report from her just this morning.

Dr. Kang Hyorin, the visiting professor.

Like Moon Surin, she wore a hood and slightly bowed her head.

“As the Student Council President, the fact that an Academy professor is also the Iris Guild’s Branch Manager is… a rather inconvenient truth.”

“Student Council President-nim. I haven’t exactly been leaking Academy information. Really. Besides, you, Irene-nim, and I are more than enough power.”

“….”

She didn’t deny it.

She knew Irene and Dr. Kang Hyorin were skilled enough, and Moon Surin was confident in her own abilities too.

However, the task at hand wasn’t demon subjugation, but capturing Moon Sungmin.

The Iris Guild’s ability to track Moon Sungmin faster than the Hunter Association was impressive, but the reason they couldn’t catch him wasn’t a lack of combat power, but his incredible escape abilities.

“He has some unknown escape ability. Are there Iris Guild members waiting outside the building?”

“It’s alright. The Korean Branch Manager’s abilities should be able to stop Moon Sungmin from escaping.”

“Student Council President-nim. Don’t worry too much. The three of us have enough power to take care of all the demons here. Of course, it’s natural to worry when it concerns your father.”

“… Yes.”

Moon Surin quietly observed the demons.

On the surface, it looked like a party for high-ranking officials, with nothing out of the ordinary.

Just then, the single entrance creaked open.

Moon Sungmin.

He strode in boldly, right through the front.

“Who’s that? He’s showing his face. Why is someone who doesn’t know the rules here?”

“… Wait a second. That face. I’ve definitely seen it somewhere before….”

While the demons were trying to figure out the situation.

Moon Sungmin looked around and then punched a nearby demon square in the face.

“Keuhk!”

Kwadadeudeuk!

At the same time, he unleashed his magic, taking control of the space.

The weaker demons close to Moon Sungmin vanished as if evaporated, while the stronger ones regrouped and retreated.

Kang Hyorin downed the remaining wine in her glass and muttered.

“I didn’t expect him to be so blatant about it.”

“Yeah. More aggressive than I thought.”

“… What do we do? What do we do?!”

Just as Moon Surin couldn’t hide her shock.

Irene and Kang Hyorin calmly set down their glasses.

Then, as if to comfort the flustered Moon Surin, they spoke.

“We just need to wait.”

“Wait? Now?”

“Yes. Until most of the demons are dead and they start paying attention to us.”

“Take it easy~. Have another drink if you’re feeling tense.”

“….”

Irene and Kang Hyorin impassively encased themselves in barriers.

Their actions were as casual as going to the convenience store down the street.

Witnessing people die right in front of them was something the two of them were far too accustomed to.

If it meant waiting for the perfect moment, it didn’t matter if a few people died before their eyes.

“Kuaa, aaaaaack!”

“W-What’s happening? Security! Security!”

“It’s a lunatic targeting demons! Run!”

The Noah Hall was a confined space with only one entrance, aside from a few high windows.

Being the top floor, there were floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city once you exited the hall, but the demons’ secret party was held in the secure Noah Hall.

Irene closely observed Moon Sungmin’s movements.

She had encountered him before in the Hwadong Dungeon, so she had a rough idea of his strength.

“… He seems stronger than last time? Student Council President, capturing him alive might be difficult.”

“That’s typical of demons, isn’t it? Maybe he absorbed other demons’ cores?”

“Let’s try, anyway.”

Moon Surin stared ahead, tense.

Kwadeuk. Kwajik.

Kuaaahak.

The horrific sounds of people being torn apart and screams.

A demon, no, a person who was alive just moments ago, was split in two.

Her eyes met those of a fallen demon. The living eyes lost their spark. Crossing the threshold of death, they transformed from living beings into corpses.

It wasn’t the first time she’d seen such a sight, but the fact that this whole ordeal involved her father made Moon Surin deeply uncomfortable.

Ppaajik. Kwaak.

The quicker demons broke through walls to escape or threw themselves at the high windows.

However, most demons didn’t even have time for that before Moon Sungmin got to them.

It hadn’t even been ten minutes since Moon Sungmin entered the hall, and more than half the demons were already down.

The demons who snapped out of their shock tried to attack him together, but they couldn’t break through Moon Sungmin’s magic.

The demons gathered here didn’t particularly enjoy fighting, which made it even harder for them to resist Moon Sungmin.

Magic scattered as Moon Sungmin moved erratically. A fist with a clean trajectory pierced the bellies of two demons, and he spun around, taking off the head of a horned demon.

He charged forward like a runaway train, unleashing magic on the demons trying to gang up on him. Though they were all demons, the difference in power was extreme.

Kwaang- Kang. Kang. Kang.

Blood splattered throughout the hall.

Although many demons remained, this was the perfect time, given Moon Sungmin’s current condition.

“Team Leader 1. It looks like we can move in soon.”

“Okay. Get ready, Student Council President.”

“… Yes.”

Gulp.

The moment Moon Surin wiped the sweat from her hands onto her training uniform, Irene and Kang Hyorin’s barriers dissolved.

Moon Sungmin, who had been slaughtering demons, immediately noticed the anomaly and turned his head.

Three sudden surges of magic appeared.

Though their hoods hid their identities, the aura they exuded felt dangerous.

His plan was to escape within ten minutes anyway.

It was too risky to waste more time here.

As soon as Moon Sungmin assessed the situation, he looked towards the entrance. But Irene’s magic had already sealed it off.

“Father! Don’t run away!”

“….”

One of the intruders pulled back their hood, revealing their face.

His daughter. Moon Surin.

… Moon Sungmin hesitated for a moment, but now was not the time.

Jijik. Jijijik.

His specialty: short-distance teleportation.

This ability, a natural gift rather than magic, had always enabled his perfect escapes, but strangely, his magic wasn’t responding today.

“I doubt it’ll work as you expect?”

Kang Hyorin.

As the Korean Branch Manager, she possessed the ability to disrupt magic.

Of course, it weakened her own magic too, requiring significant preparation for actual combat, but it was useful in situations like this.

“Hmm….”

Moon Sungmin assessed his condition.

His physical state wasn’t good. He could fight, but he had consumed a considerable amount of magic killing the demons.

He couldn’t escape using his ability. The entrance was blocked.

So, where could he run?

“… Hooo.”

Magic gathered in Moon Sungmin’s fist.

The potent, destructive magic of a demon. Moon Sungmin slammed that fist directly into the floor.

“W-Wait a second! Block it!”

Kwahng-!

The floor where Moon Sungmin’s fist struck collapsed. It was so powerful that the surrounding ground cracked and became unstable.

Moon Sungmin slammed the floor once more and fell downwards. A large hole opened in the center of the Noah Hall, dragging the surrounding demons down with him.

“Kang Hyorin. What’s on the floor below?”

“It’s the cafeteria!”

“Damn it… Block it so civilians aren’t caught! Student Council President-nim. Follow us. We’re going down too.”

“Yes, yes!”

Irene wrapped herself in magic and fell down, followed closely by Kang Hyorin and Moon Surin.

*

Tuduk. Tuk-tuk.

Today was fun.

I might have messed up the toast, but I thought it would still be enjoyable.

I felt bad, thinking I might have made a mistake with Dahee. But she’d probably laugh it off.

Dahee is a middle schooler now, and living with us, she’s starting to shed her childish ways.

She still acts a bit spoiled towards Daeun… but that will probably pass soon.

So it’ll be fine.

An erection, well… kids these days are so quick. Huh?

Besides, I didn’t even finish. Was that such a big mistake?

What on earth did I do wrong to end up like this?

“Hey, honey! Kuaaahak!”

“Someone’s trapped! Someone’s trapped under here!”

Tuk. Tuduk.

I brushed the dust off my head.

Fortunately, the rebar and concrete fragments were blocked by the barrier, but the dust couldn’t be stopped.

The women at my table with me couldn’t hide their panic.

“U-Unnie. I’m scared. Unnie….”

“I’ll protect you. Dahee. It’s okay.”

“What? What is it? Why did the ceiling just break?”

“Rebecca-nim. Do you feel that?”

“Yeah. … It seems like demons are pouring down like crazy?”

The moment Rebecca finished speaking, demons began falling from the sky.

Cheolpeok. Cheolpeodeok.

Some demons hit the floor, splashing blood, while others let out unidentifiable, monstrous screams.

“What the hell is going on, you bastards….”

I cursed under my breath and summoned my magic.

The meal wasn’t over, but my appetite was long gone in this situation.

I intended to deal with the demons and save the civilians.

Taak.

Just then, a man fell right in front of me.

The man, landing without a scratch, surveyed his surroundings and then met my gaze.

The moment I recognized his face, my expression soured.

“You fucking bastard. It’s you, Father-in-law.”

“… Why are you here?”

“That’s what I want to ask you. Your daughter, Surin noona, worries so much about you, and yet you….”

Moon Sungmin also widened his eyes, surprised to run into me here.

I clenched my teeth. What was more annoying than ruining my meal out was that this man not only made Surin noona worry but also constantly stood in my way.

What kind of bad karma do I have with him?

“Rebecca-ssi, Scarlet. Protect Liliana and Dahee. And save the civilians if you can.”

Kung. Tuduk.

The sound of something falling from above echoed.

‘I won’t let you escape this time.’

Without waiting for Rebecca and Scarlet’s reply, I deployed my Sky-Piercing Palace.