The Returnee Wants to Live Comfortably

It's All Just Desserts (2)

The sudden sky bathed in an ominous electrical surge startled everyone.

With a thunderous roar and the mountain collapsing, all the hunters' attention was inevitably drawn to that spot.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Kang Hyunsoo from the Poison Guild, who arrived at the scene belatedly, was also appalled at the sight.

The Sura Guild's massive magic cannon.

The rays it fired were powered by mana stones, and their power varied drastically depending on the grade.

This time, since they used the highest grade S-rank mana stone as a medium, the landscape, which had been composed of several mountains, was flattened in an instant.

'That's why they needed the support of other guilds like us to counter that....'

Which is why not just the Poison Guild, but also the Angel Guild's help was needed.

Especially, the Poison Guild's role was the most critical—because there were undercover hunters from the Sura Guild hiding among them.

The role of those spies was to prevent the use of that S-rank artillery, or at least force them to waste a shot.

From the outside, it seemed they'd chosen the latter, but what was odd was that they bothered to target a particular helicopter with that shot.

'Why?'

Up until this skirmish broke out, intel had been shared from the undercover hunters.

It was Kang Minji who handled those spies.

Was it possible she had hastily added a new plan before this full-on battle began?

KUUUNG-!!

Suddenly, the ground shook with an earthquake and split open.

From the destroyed mountain terrain, a black pillar shot up, and the once clear sky began to darken as if ink were spreading through it.

'What the hell is that...'

Sensing an ominous aura, Kang Hyunsoo trembled.

The moment he laid eyes on that black pillar, every cell in his body instinctively felt as though it were screaming.

Now it made sense why the Sura Guild maniacs unleashed such artillery on just a single helicopter.

Who—or what—was inside that helicopter?

There had to be something.

"Hurry up!"

Kang Hyunsoo gathered the Poison Guild's hunters and started running toward the destroyed mountain.

****

The helicopter I'd been aboard was suddenly swallowed by a dazzling light and then disappeared.

Everyone inside seemed to have anticipated it and escaped unscathed.

There was still one person left inside, but if people knew even that person came out safely, no one would believe it.

However...

"Haa..."

I stood up from the wrecked landscape.

Throwing aside boulders, my revealed figure was nothing close to human.

Long, protruding horns and hair turned white as snow. Red glowing eyes blazed, and wings burst from my back, whipping up a gale.

"Haha... Hahahahaha!!"

It had been ages.

The sudden power of the ray that swallowed the helicopter was comparable to the explosion magic unleashed at full force by the Great Mage of the Reveli Empire.

I'd never felt such power since I'd lived on Earth.

How long had it been? My body tingled with excitement.

"But, eh... it's a bit disappointing."

I had to dampen the overflowing exhilaration.

It was a decent amount of force, yet there wasn't a scratch on me.

That's because I had transformed into demonkin right before the helicopter vanished, canceling out the ray's powers.

"They're not about to fire that thing recklessly again."

But more importantly, I had another objective.

I used the Observer skill to track someone's trail.

The moment I caught it, I leapt in the direction Observer indicated.

The target spot wasn't far. With just one leap, I landed where they were.

THUD–!

"Uhh...?!"

The guys balked at my sudden arrival from the sky.

No surprise there—they were the ones who'd jumped from the helicopter a moment earlier.

"We meet again, huh?"

The moment I looked at them, they turned tail and ran.

Despite fleeing like cowards, their speed put track stars to shame.

So, even weaklings are still Awakened, eh?

All I had to do was take a single step, and I instantly closed the gap.

"Don't run."

"Hiiiik!!"

"So you abandoned me and left me to die, then pretend you know nothing?"

When I blocked their way, their legs froze.

Facing a kid shorter than them, they began to shake with fear.

I remembered what they'd said while escaping from the helicopter.

"Didn't you wish me 'die well' a little earlier?"

"P-please spare us! We're sorry!"

Completely subsumed by terror, they squirmed to preserve their lives.

Honestly, this reaction was expected.

No matter how extraordinary I seemed, anyone would assume I'd be killed by a blast of that magnitude.

In other words, they were just unlucky.

"Fine, I'll let you live."

"R-really...?"

"But only if you answer my questions honestly."

Desperate to survive, the terrified men spilled everything.

Why did the Sura Guild's airship unleash such an attack just to bring down a single helicopter?

How did these guys know to escape before the cannon was fired?

What was their true purpose?

And who gave the orders?

"So that's how it was..."

"Y-yes! W-we'll keep our mouths shut and lie low now! So please...!"

SPLORT–!

From the ground, black spikes shot up and pierced their skulls.

The shadowy spikes sucked the life from them, then consumed their bodies entirely.

"It's all just desserts. Wouldn't you say?"

I let them be "as if dead".

As in, literally dead.

I granted their wish to the letter—what more could they ask for?

[You have absorbed 4 magic power.]

[Karma has increased.]

Since I used the Consume skill, they became my nourishment.

Not that the power boost was even worth mentioning.

"Now then..."

My vengeance wasn't over yet.

Even if they acted on orders, that airship was still an accomplice.

The Sura Guild's exclusive airship continued to deploy hunters to the ground.

As long as they kept coming, the battle would rage on.

'I agreed to join Hwasan Guild anyway.'

I picked up a boulder beside me as easily as a child's ball.

It'd be near impossible to bring down the massive airship—larger than a building—with just one rock.

Like shooting a BB pellet at a human; it wouldn't even dent the skin.

But I could turn this BB-like boulder into a bullet.

Dark magic power from my body coated the rock.

If I dropped into a low stance and extended my arms, I could launch the boulder like a missile.

FWOOOOOSH–!

Just then, a group of aircraft suddenly ripped through the sky with sonic booms.

More than one—several jets streaked overhead at supersonic speeds.

They rammed right into the Sura Guild's airship.

"What?"

I set down the boulder, seeing the planes crash into the ship—just like Starcraft's "Scourge".

On the wings of those planes was the Angel Guild's emblem.

Originally, the Angel Guild was supposed to support this battle, but I'd taken precedence, pushing them to the sidelines.

But seeing them recklessly charge in like this, it seemed what those men I'd just absorbed said was true.

Since they thought I'd be dead anyway, they must've called the Angel Guild back.

'Look at these bastards.'

At least Ah-rin wasn't aboard that airship.

I'd checked with Clairvoyance; neither Ah-rin nor anyone I knew was inside.

Since Ah-rin was a valuable figure to the Sura Guild, it seemed she didn't recklessly participate in carnage like this.

"Who are you?!"

Several men emerged from between the trees then.

They eyed me warily—hunters from the Poison Guild.

Dispatched to help the outnumbered Hwasan Guild, they recoiled in shock at my appearance.

"A... demon?"

To anyone, I probably looked like that.

Maybe Hwasan Guild's hunters who already felt uneasy about me could shrug it off, but to these total strangers, I'd feel utterly out of place.

"Ma Seongjin, kid...?"

But not everyone here was a stranger.

Kang Hyunsoo, with whom I'd briefly struck up a friendship before, now stared at me, shocked.

"What is that form? And the magic power emanating from you is just like..."

He instinctively sensed that the reason the sky had turned black was me.

It was too late for any excuses.

"Wait, were you... were you in that helicopter just now?"

"..."

"Then, is the one we didn't recognize..."

He was fairly sharp-witted.

The Sura Guild wouldn't have fired a nuke-level artillery shot just to take down one chopper unless there was something truly ominous inside.

That "something" was the very boy before him.

"Wait, come to think of it... you said you met my brother inside the Golden Gate, right?"

Remembering a previous conversation, Kang Hyunsoo trembled.

I had lied, claiming I'd been saved by his brother, Kang Hyun-seok.

"He definitely saved your life... said you owed him..."

"..."

"Don't tell me... you lied?"

Kang Hyunsoo's eyes trembled, begging me to deny it.

In front of his desperate, pleading expression....

"Pffft..."

"...?"

"Puhahahahahaha!!"

I burst into maniacal laughter.

And then—

SHWIP–!

In a flash, I darted behind Kang Hyunsoo and rammed my hand through his stomach.

"Guh!"

He coughed up blood in agony as the Poison Guild hunters shrieked, shocked by how quickly it happened.

Unlike his brother Kang Hyun-seok, Hyunsoo couldn't even react to my speed.

"You... you bastard... don't tell me...!"

With a devilish smile, I told him,

"How does the punch that killed your brother taste?"

"Urgh... GRAAAAAH!!"

Wracked with pain and the frustration of facing his brother's killer without being able to do anything, Kang Hyunsoo howled.

Though, truthfully, his brother was slain by my blade, not by a punch.

"That's right! I killed him! I chewed up and devoured your brother's life!"

With those words, I yanked my hand out of his gut.

As he collapsed, the Poison Guild's hunters charged at me.

But, of course...

"KRAAAAGHH!!"

"ARGHH!!"

"GUH!"

They were all swallowed by the black flames I released with just a glare.

Kang Hyunsoo, sprawled on the ground, saw the hellish scene—his subordinates burning alive in that black fire.

"Y-you bastard... stop...!"

He tried to force his body up, but all he could do was brace himself on the ground and slightly raise his chest.

It seemed S-rankers really were built different, surviving a mortal wound that would kill an ordinary hunter instantly.

"You bastard—DIE!!"

For him to scream at me in this state, his resilience was quite something.

Ah, but of course...

"It's the same punch that killed your brother."

He was destined to be devoured by my shadow.

"Die, you fake Ace!"

Since I left a hole in his chest, I guess he does resemble Ace.

The only difference is whether the hole was made with lava or a bare hand.

****

'I'm sure it worked!'

Kang Minji was running urgently somewhere.

Kwon Yongjun, who was with her, had joined the guild war raging near the Gate.

She wanted to be with her son, but more power was needed on the battlefield.

'I'm sure it worked! I'm sure of it!'

With dogged self-suggestion, Kang Minji hurried on.

The plan had been sound.

Before the chaos began, she contacted an acquaintance who'd infiltrated the Sura Guild as a spy.

Now in an executive position, he had the authority to unleash that kind of massive bombardment.

'I'm sure it hit! Dead on!'

Yes. The helicopter definitely vanished along with the mountain.

But what was that black force that had just shot up into the sky?

The more she thought, the more frightened she became.

If that damned brat stayed by her husband's side, one day she'd be abandoned.

Every time her husband, Kwon Yongha, met that brat, he ended up relegated to a figurehead.

Plus, that brat was Kwon Sang-ah's friend.

'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!'

At this rate, she'd lose everything.

She was frantic to get rid of that brat by any means necessary.

She wouldn't feel safe until she saw the child's corpse with her own eyes.

"What the hell, lady."

Kang Minji stopped dead in her tracks.

A sight she could not believe unfolded before her.

"You made good timing."

That damned brat was standing there in another form.

At his feet lay the corpses of Poison Guild hunters.

"No need for me to come looking for you, huh?"

The brat radiated a terrifying aura and began to approach slowly.