Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Entering the Demonic Zone (3)

In front, there was Cade; in the rear, Raidan Bowl.

And somewhere, there was a demon supporting them.

For reference, Raidan Bowl was not showing any immediate hostility toward them.

'Is he still preparing for contingencies?'

Or does he simply believe he hasn't been discovered yet?

To be honest, it didn't matter either way.

From the moment they brought him along, Jung-woo had somewhat anticipated things would turn out this way.

'Since we've already taken some measures over there, it shouldn't be a problem.'

Incidentally, everyone participating in the assault on the demonic zone was clad head to toe in equipment provided by Park Jung-woo.

And Raidan was no exception.

While the others didn't have them, both Dmitri and Raidan had a little bonus included within their artifacts.

"There could be more enemies. Hunter Baek Hojun, hunter Rogers, and I will take on Cade; the rest of you, please locate the demon who is sniping at us."

Even if Cade had gotten stronger, it was impossible for him to handle the three of us.

He had a hard time dealing with just himself; if two more joined in, the outcome was obvious.

'So, there must be more enemies.'

And I could more or less guess who those enemies were.

Kwaaaang!!

The first to charge was Cade.

As if trying to warn them against any hesitation, he swung his sword at Park Jung-woo first.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind."

"Not really."

High and middle strikes.

He parried the black blades swinging almost simultaneously with a wave of his hand.

His fingertips tingled slightly, confirming that Cade's strength had definitely grown stronger than before.

"I can't let you get inside."

"Didn't you say the same thing last time and miss?"

"That time, I trusted the Demon King too much."

Park Jung-woo's and Cade's attacks clashed repeatedly in midair, widening the distance between them.

At that moment, Baek Hojun and Kian Rogers struck at Cade's opening.

A white blade and red flames.

Each blow was powerful enough to mortally wound any ordinary demon.

'A pure human with this much power...'

Cade inwardly admired those attacks, but did not bother to block them.

The armor of demonic energy(pronounced 'magi') protecting his body easily deflected the attacks.

"...... Unbelievably durable, I see."

"It's not just tough, you know."

It wasn't just physical defense.

If that were the case, Kian's attack should have worked.

The fact that the flames were also repelled meant he also had high resistance to elemental attacks.

"So it doesn't matter how many people gang up on me. In the end, the only real threat is Park Jung-woo alone."

To this, Cade gave a wry smile and aimed his sword.

Only at Park Jung-woo.

"Actually, I should thank you for assigning three people to me. It'll make things easier elsewhere."

Even at that taunt, Park Jung-woo didn't respond.

"Not really."

He clenched his fist and widened his stance slowly.

Black magic power surged from his heart dyed his fist pitch black.

"I'm not just here for you, either."

"......!"

Just as Cade's eyes widened, Park Jung-woo stomped the ground.

His body, which Cade naturally assumed was charging at him, twisted its axis and changed direction.

Kwaaaang!!

He thrust his fist precisely at a spot diagonally across from where Cade stood.

【Kyaaaak!!】

A scream burst from midair, and something was sent flying.

'As expected.'

Feeling the sensation in his fist, Park Jung-woo frowned.

'It's similar to Mimos.'

The beast of Alcatraz, Mimos.

It was clear there were several similar creatures here.

'A bit weaker, and their abilities are somewhat different.'

Mimos had the ability to phase through any material.

However, the monster struck by Park Jung-woo's fist couldn't phase through the attack.

Instead, it was capable of bending light to cloak its body in invisibility.

'They must have studied Mimos's power to create these.'

Unlike the uncontrolled Mimos, these monsters could be controlled.

They weren't perfect, but the power they possessed was far beyond ordinary monsters.

"...... I'll take care of those things."

"By those, do you mean the one you just hit?"

"Yes."

They were weaker than Mimos.

That didn't mean they were weak monsters by any standard.

Honestly, Park Jung-woo found the Mimos more troublesome than Cade, and the Mimos variants equally so.

'You can't sense their presence, and you can't even see them.'

It made sense that only three people were defending this place.

While they focused on the trio, those monsters were meant to wipe out the group in an instant.

"...... You shouldn't be able to see them."

Cade muttered toward Park Jung-woo.

"No, but I can see them."

"That can't be. There's no way to see monsters who completely hide even their demonic energy."

He sounded oddly convinced.

And to some extent, Park Jung-woo knew why.

'True; before, I wouldn't have been able to see them at all.'

But now, he could.

Using his senses, Park Jung-woo pinpointed their locations and numbers.

'...... There are about a dozen or more.'

It was absurd.

To mass-produce these creatures, each of which possessed power surpassing S-rank standards.

Considering the "ingredients" that went into making Mimos, it was impossible to fathom how many humans had died for this.

"So they imported quite a lot from Alcatraz, it seems."

"Actually, that's probably what they wanted. They longed to be S-rank, after all."

The "King's Struggle" that broke out in Alcatraz.

Some of those who were taken during that process were granted the chance to become S-rank.

If they succeeded, they were sent to the UnderStellar faction, but if they failed, they became monsters like these.

"Iden was right."

"About what?"

"That you guys are nothing but parasites."

He knocked on the door within his heart.

You couldn't see those monsters via just demonic energy or magic power.

Thump, thump.

He stepped inside the wide-open door.

Advancing toward the throne upon which "he" sat, Park Jung-woo drew near.

He wasn't yet allowed to converse with 'him', but that was enough.

It sufficed for seeing those monsters.

'This is the world he saw.'

He'd once heard from Soo-ah.

That the world was made up of countless colors.

That those colors guided her path.

While he understood that, Park Jung-woo had never seen it before.

After all, it was a special power even prodigies rarely possessed.

A sight granted only to those loved by magic power—only to Soo-ah.

And now.

Through the Demon King's power, Park Jung-woo could see it.

'I can see it distinctly.'

A myriad of colors filled his vision.

Magic power, demonic energy, air—every sort of flow.

Breath, muscle movement.

This was the world the Demon King saw.

'There.'

The monsters strayed from Park Jung-woo's sight, beginning to stalk the other hunters.

They raised their razor claws at Hojun and Kian.

Three meters of grotesque red mass, and just as one targeted Hojun's throat—

KWAANG!!

It was sent flying by a shock.

It smashed through several trees, fell, then writhed.

Its defense wasn't high.

Since it couldn't be seen, it must have focused on speed and offense instead of defense.

【.........!!】

The monsters' eyes turned to Park Jung-woo, then scattered in all directions.

They weren't running away.

Rather, they chose to hunt those who couldn't see them, not Park Jung-woo who could.

"While I deal with those things, please handle Cade."

And, those monsters definitely weren't the only ones here.

Plus—

KWAAAAANG!!

A much more powerful, much faster "sniping" attack came flying in.

This time, the target was Hojun instead of Park Jung-woo.

Hojun blocked it reflexively, but the impact forced him back several meters.

'There must be another one over there.'

There was no way the sniping demon was alone.

The one fortunate thing was that Soo-ah was on that side.

If she used her Life Lantern Ignition, she should be able to grasp the hidden monsters' locations.

"You seem to be underestimating me."

Cade frowned at Park Jung-woo's words.

Baek Hojun and Kian Rogers.

Both undoubtedly possessed outstanding abilities.

But at the end of the day, they were human.

Could mere humans, without even the Demon King's power, handle him?

'How humiliating.'

For the first time, Cade's face was twisted in irritation.

He, who always feigned composure, rarely ever wore such an expression.

"Underestimating, is it?"

Park Jung-woo grinned at Cade.

"That's your mistake."

Baek Hojun and Kian Rogers.

Perhaps they weren't enough for Cade.

Their lives from childhood, their innate abilities, everything was different.

That's precisely why Park Jung-woo was certain they could take Cade on.

They'd become entirely accustomed to things like this already.

***

"We really are in a fight, right?"

Shin Ah-yeon frowned as she spoke.

They were fighting something, but nothing was visible—it was only natural.

"I tagged them with Life Lantern Ignition for you, didn't I?"

"They're like will-o'-the-wisps."

Blue flames darted about at high speed.

If it weren't for Soo-ah, those monsters could have landed a fatal blow.

"They don't appear on electronic sensors either, which means some specific energies just phase right through them."

At Alencia's comment, Shin Ah-yeon sighed.

They couldn't be sensed even by magic power.

And that wasn't the only issue—the demon launching "pew, pew" shots from afar was another problem.

"They're really fighting dirty."

"Unni, that's a compliment."

Faced with Soo-ah's retort, Shin Ah-yeon couldn't deny it.

They had come for a desperate last stand, but never imagined the enemy would fight back this way.

'Or maybe, the real threat is hidden further inside.'

She wasn't sure if Park Jung-woo noticed or not, but whatever was underground was growing stronger as time passed.

And so was Shin Ah-yeon.

The more the power of origin grew within her, the more the underground force grew stronger in response.

Was it reacting to her power, or...?

"If you have the energy to yap, how about helping me reinforce the shield?"

"Just shut it!"

Shin Ah-yeon snapped sharply at Iden, who was still maintaining a protective shield.

Beating him up before had slightly relieved her mood, but he was still unbearably annoying.

"Alencia has to conserve her strength considering what's ahead, so Hunter Eugene should handle the sniping demon. Can you?"

"I can."

What's with the informal speech?

Shin Ah-yeon was irked by Eugene's tone, but let it slide.

"And Yeon-ji, you support Eugene then."

"You mean with Conceptualization Technique?"

"Simple shields aren't efficient enough."

Besides, if Hwang Yeon-ji used her Conceptualization Technique, it was possible to redirect attacks in reverse.

Although, whether that would reach the demon was something she couldn't be sure about.

"That's some welcome news. Can I drop it now? ... It's excruciating."

"I'll signal you."

Rebuking Iden for his melodramatics, Shin Ah-yeon caught sight of incoming blue flames.

And the moment a sniper shot from the void slammed into the shield, she shouted,

"Now!"

As the shield dropped, Eugene charged ahead.

Hwang Yeon-ji, riding on his back, sighed and conjured a mirror in midair.

'I think we did something similar in America before.'

Remembering that was strangely comforting.

Even the part about their lives being on the line.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

36 chapters left.

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