9

PARTY MEMBER

“I’m Esil, eldest daughter of the Radir Clan. My family is—”

“Never mind that.”

Jinwoo cut her off. He didn’t care about her family history. He wanted to know why monsters and instance dungeons existed. How should he approach this topic? He didn’t even need a complete answer. Any clue would be great.

He had asked the same of magic beasts, but the only thing he’d learned was that they kept hearing something in their heads ordering them to kill humans.

Do monsters also hear a voice in their heads?

He decided to ask a simpler question that would allow him to compare them to magic beasts.

“Do you also keep hearing a voice in your head telling you to kill humans?”

“Pardon?” Esil raised her head and blinked.

Since she was still on her knees, Jinwoo had to look down to maintain eye contact with her, and it was making him quite uncomfortable.

Tsk.

Jinwoo clicked his tongue and helped her up like he would a child. He looked her in the eyes again. He could hear Esil’s heartbeat accelerating, as if scared by his sudden touch.

He continued questioning her. “I’m asking if someone keeps whispering to you to kill humans.”

“Oh…” Esil thought for a moment, then spoke with a little bit of hesitation. “No, but we hear something else.”

“What’s that?”

“It tells us…to protect our home.” She spoke cautiously while trying to get a read on Jinwoo.

Monsters have a different reason for existence than magic beasts.

The magic beasts existed to kill humans, and monsters existed to protect the instance dungeons. Their reasons for being were quite different.

Wait……

So does that make me like a magic beast to monsters? Jinwoo now felt a little guilty that he’d frightened Esil half to death by exposing her to Murderous Intent. But the guilt was minimal.

“When did you start hearing that voice?”

“Ever since we woke up in this place.”

Woke up here?

Had these monsters lived somewhere else before? Whether this was a real memory or something planted in her mind, there it was. This could be a clue to unraveling the mystery of the system.

Jinwoo pressed further. “Then where were you before you woke up here?”

“In the demon world. Then one day, we woke up here.”

“What were you doing in this demon world?”

“We were…preparing for a war.”

“A war?”

“Yes.”

Was Esil remembering the past? She looked somber now, different from how she’d looked when begging for her life. “We were on the brink of war against a terrifyingly powerful enemy, so we had to unite demons from all over our world, but—”

Esil stopped there. “……”

No, she continued talking. Jinwoo could see her lips were moving. But no sound came out of her mouth. Instead, he heard the system’s electronic voice.

The message repeated until Esil finished answering. Jinwoo’s eyes shone.

Ha, I wouldn’t have even noticed if the system had stayed quiet.

Jinwoo would’ve thought Esil’s explanation was just some kind of backstory added by the system, like leveling up, instance dungeons, quests, rewards, penalties, and the job change process, which were similar to elements in a video game. A backstory for monsters wouldn’t have been out of place. But the way the system intervened just now convinced Jinwoo of one thing.

Talking to this monster will lead to more clues.

The system had exposed a flaw.

“Was it s-s-something I said?” Esil looked worried because of Jinwoo’s harsh expression.

What is the system trying to hide? Who the demons were going to war with? The reason for the war? The outcome of the war?

Jinwoo asked a more pointed question to find out. “Who was this terrifyingly powerful enemy?”

But then…like a toy whose battery just died, Esil stopped moving. It didn’t last long, though.

“Ohhh…” Esil passed out.

Jinwoo caught her and laid her on the ground. She was still breathing, and it didn’t look like anything too serious. She grimaced like she was in pain, though, and she appeared to be having trouble breathing.

Jinwoo ripped Esil’s armor off with his hands to help her breathe more easily.

Crunk.

The armor came apart quickly. He then tore off the cape attached to the armor, rolled it, and placed it under her head as a makeshift pillow. It was a hassle doing this, whether it was for a monster or not, but it wasn’t necessarily done out of the kindness of his heart.

This enemy of the demons……

The system was ultrasensitive about their identity.

Maybe there’s something there?

If they had some kind of transcendental power they could use to affect the earth and him somehow…

Jinwoo called up the shop. He tried to wake Esil with a potion, but it didn’t help.

I guess I have no choice but to wait.

Whump.

He took a seat beside Esil and proceeded to calmly organize in his mind all the clues he’d gleaned from her until she woke up.

“Huh?” Esil bolted upright.

She sensed a presence to one side. Esil flinched seeing Jinwoo sitting there silently.

It wasn’t a dream.

She slowly came back to reality and scanned the area. The dead bodies of archdemons were strewn everywhere. Her eyes went wide. Demons without intelligence didn’t consider demons with intelligence as their own kind. She would’ve been easy prey for them while she was unconscious. Yet she was still alive.

“Did you protect me?”

Jinwoo got up instead of answering her. He then extended his hand.

Esil took it and carefully rose to her feet, genuinely touched. “Thank you.”

“How far to where the permit is?”

“It’s close. I will show you the way.” She put her wrists together and held them out.

“……?”

“……?”

Both Jinwoo and Esil looked puzzled. Frustrated, she spoke first. “You need to bind my hands, since I’m a hostage.”

“Don’t need to.” He was confident he could stop her from resisting or trying to escape without restraining her. There was no need to waste any more time on something pointless. Jinwoo turned her around and gently pushed her forward.

He detected Esil’s heart beating faster, as if she was still afraid of him, but didn’t say anything. He looked at the horses the monsters had ridden.

“What about the horses?”

“I’ll take them.” Esil reddened as she led the way, pulling three horses along by their reins.

Jinwoo quietly followed her.

Just as Esil had said, they soon arrived at a place that definitely looked as if it might be guarding an entry permit. It was a huge castle.

A demon’s castle within the Demon’s Castle…

The Demon’s Castle dungeon was more of a tower than a castle, but the castle before Jinwoo’s eyes really looked like something from medieval times. The soldiers guarding the castle gates instantly tensed at the sight of Jinwoo. But…

“A guest.” They immediately opened the gates as Esil casually pointed at them with her chin. Soon after, a group of knights emerged from within the castle.

“Lady Esil, we’ve been waiting for you.”

“Where is my father?”

“He’s in the throne room.”

“Understood.”

One of the knights peeked at Jinwoo and asked, “Lady Esil…who is the man behind you?”

“He’s an important guest, so be polite.”

Taking a cue from Esil’s solemn voice, the knights bowed as they cleared the way.

Jinwoo followed Esil into the farthest corner of the castle. After walking down a hallway for a time, they arrived at a huge chamber similar to a boss’s lair in a dungeon.

Is this the throne room?

Jinwoo looked around. Other than the columns that stretched toward the ceiling, the room was quite empty. It was like the space was made for fighting.

If I fought my way in here, this is where the boss battle would take place.

That meant the demon noble sitting on the raised throne at the far end of the room would be the boss of this castle. Esil and Jinwoo stood before him.

The boss spoke first. “Esil.”

“Father, this is…”

Before Esil could explain, the boss’s eyes met Jinwoo’s. His pupils dilated.

“You! Who the hell did you bring here?”

“Father, he’s a guest…”

He wouldn’t calm down even after Esil’s desperate explanation. “A guest? What kind of guest brings an army into the host’s house?”

“Pardon?” Esil looked at Jinwoo.

What army?

Without taking his eyes off Jinwoo, the boss spoke with a shaky voice. “Esil, can’t you see the many soldiers hidden in the dark depths of that man?”

Jinwoo narrowed his eyes. Esil shuddered and took a step back at the change in Jinwoo’s mood. He appeared to have been caught off guard.

He’s got keen senses.

The boss seemed to be able to detect the soldiers hiding in Jinwoo’s shadow.

I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or not.

Jinwoo had recalled all his shadow soldiers from wherever they were just in case a fight broke out.

“How dare you bring soldiers into my house?”

Knights rushed into the room upon hearing the boss’s raised voice.

“Father!” Esil yelled.

The boss had risen and was glowering at Jinwoo.

Jinwoo, who’d been silently watching this all unfold, finally spoke up. “I made a promise.”

The boss’s eyebrows twitched at how unfazed Jinwoo looked. “What did you promise?”

“The entry permit.” Jinwoo took a step forward. “I will leave here in peace if you hand over the entry permit.”

The boss swallowed hard.

Is this the man who’s been killing demons and clearing floors at an incredible speed?

He had been disheartened when he heard that the trusty Vulcan and Metus had been killed.

Despite the Radir Clan’s noble status, they were some of the weakest demons, ranking twentieth in strength overall. If this enemy had defeated Vulcan and Metus that easily, the boss was prepared for major losses. But this terrifying foe was offering to leave on his own.

Can I trust him…?

The lord of the castle had his doubts. “Is that the only condition?”

Jinwoo had been waiting for this. “That, and…”

Of course not. The boss frowned as his suspicion was validated. A powerful being’s demands were never-ending. How much more humiliation would this man heap on the Radir Clan, and how much further would he provoke the knights with his unreasonable demands? The demons’ leader was already disgruntled even before hearing out Jinwoo.

The man put his hand on Esil’s shoulder.

“I’d like to take her.”

“What?” The boss and knights simultaneously burst into protest.

Jinwoo looked around at the demons.

Huh?

Esil had said she knew where all the entry permits for the higher floors were. Jinwoo wanted to take her with him because he needed her to show the way…

Did I say something wrong?

Jinwoo observed the boss shaking like a leaf, the shocked knights, and the blushing Esil as he blinked in confusion.

“A guide?” The boss composed himself after hearing Esil’s explanation and Jinwoo’s request.

He took a seat on his throne again.

The permit and a guide. Is that really all he wants?

For as long as they’d been here, they had been told to protect this area. They weren’t being overtly forced, but it had become a basic instinct to them, like eating when hungry or closing one’s eyes when sleepy. Thus, his heart sank when he heard that black-armored soldiers had invaded and were hunting down demons. He’d thought this was the end.

The boss had sent out a counterattack force after much debate and was surprised at how easily the black soldiers were defeated. However, scouts then reported that there were soldiers on a whole other level from the ones they had successfully eliminated. The scout doubted they could stand against the units led by a fire-breathing beast, a giant knight, and another fierce-looking knight in a helmet with a large mane. That was why the entire Radir Clan had been preparing to go to war.

But there had been no word in the report about the man now standing before the boss. In other words, the enemies’ main power came from elsewhere.

Had I known this monstrous human was the master of the shadow soldiers, I wouldn’t have even started to counterattack.

The boss could see the reality of the situation. The black soldiers he’d thought they’d taken care of weren’t gone—they were present in the dark depths of the man. They were lying in wait for their master’s orders. The boss got chills from the hostile glares of those countless soldiers.

It hurts my pride to compromise with a human, but…

Of course, the entry permit was included on the list of things they were to protect. But wasn’t the price to protect the scroll too high? The boss wasn’t confident they could defeat the black soldiers even by sacrificing their entire army. On top of that, there was this human.

……He’s concealing his true abilities.

The boss didn’t know what Jinwoo’s endgame was, but he could tell he was seeing only the tip of the iceberg above calm waters. It was a truly frightening thing to face off against an enemy without knowing the full extent of what one was dealing with.

The boss spoke with a nervous look on his face. “So…is that really all you want?”

If he could protect everything else by simply giving up the permit, then there was no reason to deny the request. This wouldn’t be going against the order to protect the area, since it would actually shield it from further harm.

Jinwoo nodded.

“You won’t harm my daughter, will you?”

Jinwoo could feel Esil’s eyes on him.

A monster who worries about his daughter……

Fascinated at the concept, he shook his head.

The boss thought about it for a beat and then beamed. “We’ll do that, then.”

The boss felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. If this damn piece of paper could stop the foretold disaster, wasn’t that cause for celebration? “No, I would very much appreciate it if you did that.”

Jinwoo had been preparing for the worst-case scenario, but the boss’s bright smile had him relaxing and laughing along.

I guess Esil got her personality from her father.

Was this just the system’s programming, or had her explanation actually been true…?

Jinwoo let that thought rest for now and gave a firm answer to his waiting host. “I’ll keep my promise.”

“Good.” The boss snapped his fingers, and a soldier brought a large scroll to Jinwoo.

He opened it.

It’s an actual entry permit.

Jinwoo smiled as he looked over its contents.

Jinwoo hadn’t thought he could negotiate with monsters to acquire an item. Yet this was the real deal. The only difference between this permit and the ones from lower floors was the mark of Radir stamped in red.

Am I supposed to get permits from different clans from here on?

Jinwoo smiled. He liked this much better than having to randomly hunt down monsters in the hopes one would drop what he needed. He rolled it up and put it into his inventory.

“Shall we leave right away, then?” Jinwoo turned around, rushing Esil along, but knights were blocking the exit.

……?

Jinwoo looked suspiciously at Esil, who grinned at him.

What was going on?

The boss approached Jinwoo and stood in front of him.

“The Radir Clan can’t let a guest leave just like that.”

It might have looked like he was trying to intimidate Jinwoo with his huge, monstrous body, but his face bore the smile of a friendly middle-aged man and wasn’t threatening in the least.

The boss wheedled. “Why don’t you have a meal with us to celebrate our successful transaction? My daughter will probably need to prepare for the long journey.”

Jinwoo looked at Esil. It appeared she was hoping he’d accept. She had kept her promise, so shouldn’t Jinwoo do the gentlemanly thing? Besides, he had to eat anyway, and he was starting to get tired of the bread and meat from the shop.

“……Sure.”

The boss laughed as Jinwoo acquiesced. “Good!”

Esil’s and the knights’ expressions also brightened.

Soon, the boss was bellowing at his subordinates. “What are you waiting for? Go and prepare the meal!”

After all that time spent on the eightieth floor, Jinwoo didn’t want to waste any more time than necessary on the other floors. Fortunately, his one concern—whether or not Esil could use the teleportation circle—was quickly and unexpectedly resolved.

Share experience points with my party?

The word share annoyed Jinwoo, but upon closer inspection, the “contribution” part registered in his brain. In other words, he wouldn’t have to share experience points if he didn’t give his companion a chance to fight.

Jinwoo ironed this out with Esil. “If a fight breaks out, don’t get involved. I’ll take care of it.”

“……Understood.” Esil responded bashfully.

……?

So Jinwoo accepted her as a companion and hurried along. Esil carried a pack much bigger than herself and had a hard time keeping up. The pack wasn’t heavy, but Jinwoo moved like the wind. He sometimes stopped and waited for her to catch up.

“There it is.” Esil, who’d been consulting a map of the eighty-first floor, pointed at the castle coming into view in the distance. Jinwoo had already spotted it and nodded.

“Hold on, please.” Esil put down the huge pack and started digging inside. She withdrew a ceramic bottle containing liquor.

Jinwoo asked, “What’s that for?”

“This is a drink favored by the Garsh Clan. If you bring this to the negotiations—”

“Negotiations?” Jinwoo grinned and called upon his shadow soldiers.

Come forth.

Shadow soldiers sprang out immediately.

Vwoom.

Ah……!

Esil couldn’t believe what she was seeing. There were three black-clad soldiers as powerful as high-rank nobles. The one who had summoned them now held two daggers in his hands. She found it hard to believe that the man in front of her, emitting an energy so sharp that it felt like it could pierce her skin, was the same person she had been speaking to moments earlier.

“A-aren’t you going there to negotiate?”

Jinwoo responded with a question. “Is your family close to this Garsh Clan?”

“N-n-no. Nobles have fought over ranks since we resided in the demon world… But they’re not an unreasonable clan.”

Jinwoo smirked at her response. “That’s fine, then.”

One exception was enough. Leveling up was just as important as getting the permit.

“Wait here.” Jinwoo speedily led his soldiers toward the castle.

“P-p-please hold on!” Startled at his sudden disappearance, Esil belatedly looked toward the castle. “What?!”

The castle of the Garsh Clan was on fire.

Fwwwoooosh.

From a distance, it looked like the giant black beast was blowing fire onto the castle gates and walls and effortlessly melting them. The castle’s knights rushed out in shock and were slaughtered by shadow soldiers one by one.

“Oh no……” It wasn’t clear if it was an exclamation or a groan spilling out of Esil’s mouth.

“Aaargh!”

“Gaaaah!”

Castle Garsh was several times more heavily fortified than Castle Radir, but it was helplessly falling apart.

Esil swallowed nervously.

If Father hadn’t surrendered the permit easily……

The castle she was looking at now could’ve been Castle Radir. Just thinking about it made her feel faint. She felt fortunate that things had worked out with Jinwoo.

Craaaaash.

A tower behind the castle walls toppled with a loud crash.

How could we hope to stand up to those monsters……?

Esil wiped the sweat from her chin, relieved that her family had avoided this disaster.

The executives from the Hunter’s Association of Japan and senior officials of the Japanese government were all gathered in one place. The air was heavy inside the meeting room as the president of the association spoke quietly.

“The people of Korea are excited about their tenth S-rank hunter.”

The senior government officials smirked. Japan had more than twenty S-rank hunters, but the Koreans were all worked up over hunter number ten. Though it did make sense, considering Korea actually only had eight S ranks currently in their midst. One had immigrated to another country, and another had died in an accident.

But the purpose of today’s meeting wasn’t to mock Korea. If it was, the mood wouldn’t be this serious.

The minister of defense sat frowning in his chair. “So what’s that got to do with today’s meeting?”

The tone of his voice reflected his unpleasant mood. Jeju Island, in the southern part of Korea, had been invaded by magic beasts after a dungeon raid had failed. These weren’t just any regular magic beasts, either. They were ant-like magic beasts known for their ability to stay organized and multiply rapidly.

The Japanese government would’ve been satisfied if that was the end of it, sneering at the Korean government’s problem. But the issue had reached Japanese soil as well. Yesterday, a small village had been erased from the map by an ant suspected of flying in from Jeju Island.

They could no longer ignore the danger. The immediate priority was to calm down the prime minister, as he was worked up about countermeasures. Everybody’s job was on the line, so it was time to dispense with the banter. No wonder the minister of defense was so tense.

The president of the association continued. “Mistakes happen when people act too hastily.” The president’s age and experience were evident from his gray hair and the wrinkles on his face. “But I think this is the right time.”

People in the meeting had been distracted, but everyone paid attention to him after this important statement.

The minister of defense now sounded nervous. “Do you…have a good plan in mind?”

“Better to call it appropriate rather than good.”

The senior government officials, including the minister of defense as well as the executives of the association, were all ears now. There was a pregnant pause before the president spoke again.

“If someone claims a piece of land is theirs even though they don’t have the power to protect that land, do you acknowledge them as the landowner?”

“……”

There was dead silence. What was the president of the association trying to say? Considering the relationship between Korea and Japan, this wasn’t something they could dismiss as the ramblings of an old man. Not to mention, the person who had uttered those words was currently leading the Hunter’s Association of Japan.

“So what are you trying to say?” a minister of state asked cautiously.

The president of the association looked around the room confidently.

“We will rid Jeju Island of those magic beasts.”

The room exploded in murmurs.

“And…”

The commotion subsided as the president continued.

“We will make Jeju Island ours.”