Chapter 273
2.
Reiak, who had just been turned into a new death soldier.
Of course, as a Hidden Raid Boss—and a Unique-ranked one at that—
he was far stronger than the average soldier.
Sure, he hadn’t transcended yet, so he still fell short of the corps commanders or the transcended soldiers.
But that didn’t matter right now.
The important thing wasn’t his combat power.
In truth, the Tower Master had seemed suspicious from the very start.
So Seong immediately absorbed the memory of the ghost who had accompanied him.
[You have used ‘Unknown Power’ to access beyond your current stats.]
[Intelligence +8, Wisdom +8 permanently increased.]
It wasn’t quite on Basilе’s level, but—
As a close aide to the Lord of the Dead, the stats were understandably high.
And what he gained from the memory...
"Hmm..."
Was the raw, unfiltered fact that the Tower Master was the Lord of the Dead—
And that the current Lord of the Dead was shrouded in far more mystery than expected.
There was a dissonance between the ghost’s past memories and the Lord of the Dead's current presence.
Something about it just didn’t line up.
Something felt off.
When Seong looked at Reiak again to confirm—
—The Lord of the Dead, also the Tower Master of Cerulean Tower, wishes to see you before tomorrow’s match. He also added that it’s not mandatory.
Not mandatory, huh...
That may have been the Lord of the Dead’s intention.
‘But since the quest already appeared, I have to go.’
He had never imagined he’d get a Hidden Legendary Quest this way.
He had thought there might be some trace of the Lord of the Dead here, but—
To think the man himself would be here.
That was unexpected.
He thought he had been dead.
‘Then why did he leave the breastplate behind?’
Even to Seong, it looked like a very good breastplate.
Was there a reason for discarding it?
If he recalled what Nyao said—
That the items had just randomly accumulated in the labyrinth...
If he hadn’t died, then that meant the items had been left there intentionally.
It was something he’d have to ask the Lord of the Dead in person.
Just as Seong came to that conclusion—
Helena, who had been staring at Reiak, tilted her head curiously.
"Hmm."
“What is it?”
He had let it slide before, but—
This time, something bothered him, so Seong asked.
Helena, looking puzzled, spoke.
“The energy is definitely from the Lord of the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ Dead, but it feels a little different from what I remember.”
“Hm?”
“Hmm, I’ll have to see for myself to be sure, but... to me, it doesn’t feel like the same person.”
“The Lord of the Dead you knew?”
“Yeah. I think it might be a successor, like you.”
A successor to the Lord of the Dead.
Now that was interesting.
Just what kind of person were they...?
"Before tomorrow's match," huh?
He’d definitely have to confirm that for himself.
Resolving as much, Seong looked around.
Since he had stirred up something big—
It felt like they’d become a target.
Especially the Forbiddenz and the Featherwing Knights were acting suspiciously.
The Forbiddenz in particular—being a group armed with weapons infused with demonic energy—were bound to be troublesome.
Sure, the general consensus was that those weapons underperformed compared to equivalent gear, but—
Seong didn’t think so.
He had already experienced it himself through the demon sword Nemesis.
Weapons infused with demonic energy had special effects.
Nemesis, for instance, had a “Severance” effect that cut off and isolated the surrounding area—
which was a terrible match-up against Seong.
‘The Forbiddenz probably have similar effects.’
Demonic energy had been sealed during the survival round—
But now that they knew who Seong was, even knowing he was the Demon King, would they still keep it sealed?
That was uncertain.
‘They’re probably looking for revenge.’
After all, they’d suffered defeat at Seong’s hands.
If they used demonic energy at full force...
Who knew how things would turn out?
And there were three of them, no less.
Still, even if they had an effect like Nemesis that cut off the surroundings, he could just pre-summon his followers.
That much he could prepare for.
But who knew what kind of bizarre effects they might bring?
He was kind of looking forward to seeing it.
‘But the Knights...’
And just as he thought the Featherwing Knights would be manageable, he shook his head.
You never know.
‘They’re a knight order from the Kingdom of Rieskan, after all.’
They might be different.
Those from the Kingdom of Rieskan always caused trouble.
There was a reason Overpalace had warned him to beware of the Kingdom of Rieskan too.
Better to be cautious than not.
Anyway, regardless of all that—
‘Tomorrow’s going to be interesting.’
He’d meet the Tower Master before the match,
And he was looking forward to seeing what the Forbiddenz and the Featherwing Knights would try next.
3.
As expected?
After the survival match ended, and even Keron—who had been eliminated—rejoined them,
the Forbiddenz swiftly left the area.
They gathered in a hunting ground located in the forest outside the city, all wearing grim expressions.
They had participated hoping to get a demon-imbued bow, a demonic weapon perfectly suited for the youngest member, Ired.
But never had they imagined that the infamous Demon King would show up.
And so, the normally overconfident Forbiddenz sat in silence,
waiting for their leader, Jaya, to speak.
After a long stretch of silence—
Jaya finally broke it.
“Using demonic energy is inevitable.”
The moment they used demonic energy again, they’d return to being karma users.
Which meant they could be hunted down by NPCs or players alike.
So, once they used it, they might have to flee immediately—
But considering that one of the tournament prizes was a demon-imbued weapon,
there was a chance using demonic energy might be tolerated to some extent.
In that case, the only option left was to face the Demon King head-on.
There were no better alternatives.
But even with that in mind, one question still lingered.
“...Can we even win if we go through with this?”
“...Hmph.”
“Ugh.”
“......”
Everyone fell silent at Ired’s question.
Even Jaya didn’t respond.
Their full strength might not be enough to win.
Especially—
“That elf swordsman is insanely strong. Probably a follower, and if a follower is that powerful, the others are likely just as dangerous.”
“Based on the footage, I think it’s entirely possible.”
“...Even if I summon my own follower, that kind of power is a bit much. We’d definitely be outnumbered.”
Everyone was analyzing the opponent’s strength.
But they were overlooking something—something Jaya pointed out while looking at her teammates.
“The Demon King has a demonic weapon too. In other words...”
“...If we lose, he could take our demonic weapons.”
“...You’ve got to be kidding.”
“...Then... what do we do?”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
They had to gauge their odds of winning.
It was practically a gamble.
But even against the Demon King, if they could use their demonic energy effectively, maybe—just maybe—it was doable.
Demonic energy was that overpowered.
The reason demon-imbued weapons hadn’t become widely known yet was because they had hidden them well.
And those who got hit by them never knew what hit them.
The problem was, the Demon King also had a demonic sword.
And it had never been seen in real combat.
Which could mean he didn’t use it—or even if he knew their effects, he might not have any way to counter them.
After a long period of deliberation, Jaya finally made up her mind.
“We fight.”
“Kuhaha, now that’s our leader.”
“Damn right—go big or go home.”
“Boss said it—LET’S GOOOOO!!!”
They would place their faith in the special abilities of demonic energy.
The Forbiddenz regrouped, a grim determination burning in their eyes.
No one had ever managed it before—
But they would take the Demon King’s head.
If they succeeded, the public’s evaluation of them would drastically change.
Believing that, they let out a murderous aura.
‘Tomorrow, we kill the Demon King.’
4.
After the survival round ended, a swarm of NPCs and players filled the city’s restaurants and inns, making everything buzz with activity.
This always happened whenever a big event was held.
Everyone in the inns was practically in festival mode.
But amidst all that, the four knights gathered in a room inside one of the inns wore serious expressions.
Unlike the Forbiddenz, the Featherwing Knights had gathered in a single inn building.
They exchanged cautious words, faces solemn.
“...Senior Knight Gam, do you think we can do this on our own?”
The shield knight’s anxious voice made Gam shake his head.
“Not even close” would be an understatement.
The Kingdom of Rieskan had already been gathering as much information as possible about the current Overlord.
So they knew better than anyone just how far outmatched they were.
They weren’t enough.
More than not enough—they were utterly outclassed.
There was no way to defeat someone who had already obtained the power of a lord.
That’s why—
Looking at his fellow knights, Gam spoke.
“...We report this to Him.”
“...Understood.”
“...I... I see.”
“...Please, stay safe.”
His junior knights looked at Gam with worried eyes.
Gam gestured firmly, as if to say, “That’s enough.”
It was a clear signal to get out, and though the junior knights left the room,
the concern in their eyes never faded.
Once everyone had left—
Gam’s hands began to tremble.
Shaking like leaves in the wind, his hand reached for the orb as if gripping the handle of a door that led to death.
And from the orb, a voice emerged.
—I said not to activate this communicator unless it was something over stage 8. What’s the matter?
An irritated voice.
Gam had heard there had been recent troubles, but—
the voice now was even harsher than usual, filled with savagery, making Gam shrink in fear.
There was power behind that voice—power that belonged to someone known as a Hero.
It was only natural to feel fear.
But Gam still had a duty.
He continued.
“I... I’m contacting you because there’s been a disruption in the plan.”
—So it’s something over stage 8.
The voice remained dry and fierce, as if only that criteria mattered.
Gam quickly delivered his report.
“The Overlord has entered the tournament. It doesn’t look like retrieving the demon-imbued weapons will be easy.”
—...
At first, there was a grinding sound.
And then, a quiet murmur followed.
—Ha. That bastard... just like the last one. Even Amseong was like this. And now again? Again, it’s the Overlord?
That muttered complaint—spoken in utter disbelief—shook Gam’s very soul.
It was just a voice expressing anger, yet—
Gam trembled violently, his spirit rattled to its core.
Clicking his tongue with annoyance, the man on the other end spat into the communicator.
—Tch.
Apparently, even he knew that if the Overlord was involved, there was no avoiding it.
And so, the savage aura swirling in the communicator began to fade.
As Gam exhaled in relief—
A strange voice came from the orb.
—I guess I’ll have to handle this myself.
He... would come in person?
At that thought, Gam trembled even more.
—You’ll help me. I trust no one else anymore.
And with those words, a fierce energy burst from the communicator.
That energy transformed into sharp spikes that pierced Gam’s entire body.
Fwwfwwfwwsh—!!!
“——!!!”
Gam’s mouth opened in a silent scream, eyes bulging wide as he couldn’t even utter a sound.
Then, a small voice echoed from the orb.
—Disgusting as this is, I have no choice. I need to gather as much demonic energy as possible.
And with that, the energy from the communicator poured into Gam’s mouth.
A thick, dark, sticky force surged into him, swirling with demonic power.
The connection to the communicator was cut—
And Gam’s eyes changed.
The energy that had pierced his body now fully absorbed within him,
Gam examined his body with disdain, then twisted his face into a grimace and muttered.
“What a worthless body.”
But then—
“Well, even with this, I should be able to kill that brat. I’ll tear the essence of the Lord right out of him.”
Gam’s sinister smile bore no resemblance to the man he was before.
As if someone—or something—else had entered his body.