Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Chapter 131 : Relic Fiesta (2)

Relic Fiesta (2)

'I thought the Javelin Guild had been abandoned by the demons, but was I wrong?'

Park Jung-woo had thought that those three demons had come with Kang Gi-hun to attack him.

The timing was simply too perfect.

However, the demons looked even more flustered as they saw those standing off against each other.

And in truth, the demons were indeed quite agitated at that moment.

They had considered that Park Jung-woo might participate in the Relic Fiesta, but they never imagined they would encounter him like this.

"Hm..."

Letting out a brief sigh, they glanced between Jung-woo and Kang Gi-hun several times before speaking.

"Kang Gi-hun, why are you here?"

"Huh?"

There was intense irritation in the demon's voice.

Kang Gi-hun seemed to notice that as well, looking visibly bewildered.

"Oh, um, it's because I thought I should deal with Park Jung-woo..."

"I see. Doing useless things..."

The demon mumbled darkly, then quietly stepped back behind a broken wall.

It was an exceedingly cautious step, as if they were trying their utmost not to draw attention.

"We have other matters to attend to, so we'll be on our way."

"Huh? Weren't you here to help?"

"Fool. We only came because we have our own business."

With those words, the demon disappeared in an instant, without offering further explanation.

They appeared suddenly and vanished just as abruptly.

"What the..."

Kang Gi-hun stared after them, at a loss for words as he watched the direction the demons had disappeared.

Even if they weren't going to help, he never expected them to withdraw so blatantly.

Jung-woo looked from Kang Gi-hun to the broken wall and came to a conclusion.

'So the Javelin Guild really has been abandoned by the demons?'

He had suspected so from what Song Hyun-seung had said, but now it was confirmed.

The Javelin Guild and JM Management had been abandoned by the demons.

'But then, why are they at the Relic Fiesta?'

Judging from their reaction, they hadn't come targeting Jung-woo.

Could it be the Dragonbone, then?

Certainly, the Dragonbone was an attractive object for the demons, but not to the point that they would recklessly go after it like this.

'If I follow them, I'll find out why.'

Jung-woo made a quick decision.

After all, since Kang Gi-hun appeared to have been abandoned by the demons, there was no need to deal with him right now.

More importantly, it was crucial to chase the fleeing demons before they got any farther away.

"Uh, uh—?"

Taking advantage of Kang Gi-hun's dazedness, Jung-woo swiftly dashed toward the broken wall.

He ran at full speed in the direction where demonic energy was sensed.

Kang Gi-hun, staring blankly at Jung-woo's rapidly disappearing figure, felt his face grow bright red. He had never been ignored to this extent in his life.

"Da..."

Blinded by rage, Kang Gi-hun failed to realize.

Why had the demons withdrawn the moment they saw Jung-woo?

"Catch that bastard right now!!"

Thus, an unexpected chase began at the Relic Fiesta.

***

The demons ground their teeth as they sensed the presence behind them.

'That bastard never told us about this on purpose.'

Zevilo, the demon being pursued by Jung-woo, recalled the man who had spoken to him about the Relic Fiesta days ago.

Jin Su-hyuk.

The leader of 'Grand Nova', which had three S-rank Awakeners.

After breaking away from Javelin to avoid Park Jung-woo, it was Jin Su-hyuk who reached out just as the demons needed.

He was a suspicious figure in many ways, but Damian had readily accepted his offer.

The demons found Damian's constant attempts to coexist with humans confusing, but as the Demon King's son, his decision couldn't be refused.

'To think we'd have to hide behind lowly humans as shields...'

Of course, not all demons accepted Damian's words.

Many among them were dissatisfied, and they looked down on Jin Su-hyuk with contempt.

No matter that he had three S-rank Awakeners at his command—he was, after all, an ordinary human, not even an Awakener.

He was merely the head of an organization within the country.

And among the ranks of the discontented demons, Zevilo held a fairly high position.

He was a demon above the rank of viscount, after all.

"In a few days, there will be an event called the Relic Fiesta."

Jin Su-hyuk's visit to Zevilo and the demons had been quite sudden.

"Relic Fiesta?"

"It's a large event that tours various countries, where new technologies are demonstrated, artifacts exhibited, and rare relics sold at auction."

At Jin Su-hyuk's words, the demons snorted in disbelief.

They wondered what on earth he was going on about, suddenly talking about a human event.

Ignoring Zevilo's lack of interest, Jin Su-hyuk continued calmly.

"So, I have a proposal."

"A proposal? From the likes of you?"

Zevilo sneered.

But his sneer vanished at Jin Su-hyuk's next words.

"Have you ever heard of how to open the 'Gate of the Demon Realm'?"

"...!!"

Demons created gates, dungeons, and demonic zones as preparatory steps to transform this world's environment to resemble the Demon Realm.

The stronger the demon, the more magic power was required to cross over to the new world.

If the environment wasn't stabilized, even more magic power—several times as much—would be needed.

Only the Demon King and his bloodline were free from that restriction.

At present, unless one was the Demon King's son Damian, or someone from his collateral line like Sebin, it was exceedingly difficult for a top-rank demon to cross into this world.

'The Gate of the Demon Realm... Is he talking about that legend?'

It was a spell long lost to even the demons.

It had last been used ages ago, during the invasion of another world—almost no young demons knew of it now.

It only survived through hearsay, known by name but hardly in detail since it was a spell passed only to heirs of the Demon King's bloodline.

"I've heard that opening the gate allows you to summon a high-rank demon or above."

'Summon a high-rank demon?'

He certainly remembered rumors about that.

If true, it would be a tremendous boon for those currently lacking high-rank demons.

"But where did you hear that? It's not information a human could know."

"That person named Sebin told me."

Sebin, too, was of the Demon King's bloodline. Collateral though the line was faint, the fact stood.

So it was no surprise Sebin might know of the Gate of the Demon Realm.

'But why would he reveal that to a mere human?'

The issue was why Sebin had told Jin Su-hyuk about it.

Suppressing his rising anger, Zevilo tried to speak calmly.

"Have you also heard how to open the gate?"

"Of course. Are you interested?"

"..."

Jin Su-hyuk shrugged at Zevilo's fierce gaze.

"Don't glare like that. I'm an ally, after all. I brought this up because I thought I could be of great help."

"Help? Ha! From a human...?"

"To open the gate, you must trap countless lives inside a vast magic array and siphon their life force."

Then, if you store that stolen life force in a vessel or material capable of holding it—a 'key'—you can open the gate.

"As it happens, there's a perfect place to trap many lives."

Relic Fiesta.

If they could set up a magic array inside the venue, densely packed with thousands of spectators, the first condition wouldn't be hard to meet.

"And the Relic Fiesta sometimes auctions rare relics and materials,"

Jin Su-hyuk added.

In particular, there was an item prepared this time which was perfect for their purposes.

The Dragonbone.

With that, it would be possible to store the stolen life force and craft the 'key'.

"Isn't that enticing?"

With a sly tone, Jin Su-hyuk concluded.

"An event where tens of thousands are gathered. And the Dragonbone, perfect for a key, right there."

If they didn't open the gate now, they'd be fools.

The problem was that neither Zevilo nor the other demons actually knew the precise method or the magic array needed to open the 'Gate of the Demon Realm'.

Perhaps guessing this, Jin Su-hyuk quickly offered,

"You can ask Sebin about the magic array; as a fellow demon, he'll tell you. After all, it poses no threat to demons. That's your answer, isn't it?"

It was true that, if Jin Su-hyuk had been told, Sebin would certainly tell fellow demons.

Hesitating a moment, Zevilo finally nodded.

'If we can summon a top-rank demon, we'll never need to rely on that arrogant human again.'

Zevilo found Jin Su-hyuk thoroughly unlikable.

Just one more top-rank demon, with power on par with an S-rank Awakener, would open up countless possibilities.

"Of course, you'll need preparations for the magic array or whatever to extract people's life force. But don't worry—if I help, you'll be able to work without suspicion from anyone."

"... But why are you suddenly helping us?"

Zevilo, still wary, questioned Jin Su-hyuk, but he only shrugged.

"What's wrong with helping one's allies? We're already in the same boat, so it's only natural. If you don't trust me, you can ask Sebin or Damian."

That wasn't wrong.

But something about it still felt off.

'There's still time. I'll check whether his words are true before proceeding.'

If what Jin Su-hyuk said wasn't a lie, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If all went according to plan, a top-rank demon might be added to their numbers—and they'd no longer need petty human help.

"... Fine. Tell us what we have to do to get there."

In the end, Zevilo and the demons accepted Jin Su-hyuk's proposal, and Sebin and Damian, too, agreed without much concern.

With those reactions, Zevilo's suspicions about Jin Su-hyuk gradually faded.

Until the incident occurred.

"Damn it, I never should have believed him!"

Zevilo screamed as he felt a menacing presence draw near.

The Demon King's Slayer. The calamity who once led heroes and the Saintess to annihilate the demons.

The young demons might not recognize his face, but Zevilo remembered it vividly.

He had glimpsed it from afar three hundred years ago.

KWAAANG!!

"Keuaaagh!!"

The demon running beside him was shattered and sent flying.

Another demon was grabbed by the throat and thrown somewhere.

Seeing the robust bodies of demons crushed like toys, Zevilo sweated coldly.

It was just like what he had witnessed long ago.

No—he was even more ferocious now.

It made sense, for in that man's heart was now...

"Guh?!"

KWAAANG!!

Zevilo's view flipped in an instant as his body was smashed into the ground.

Things happened so quickly that Zevilo couldn't think straight.

"You're the highest-ranked demon here, aren't you? A rank above viscount? Something like that?"

Pressing his foot on Zevilo's chest, Jung-woo gauged his opponent's strength.

Unlike the two lesser demons, the one beneath his foot now was intermediate-rank, and undoubtedly a titled demon.

"Talk."

"... What do you want me to say?"

"Tell me why you're here. You must have come for a reason?"

Crunch.

Applying more force to the foot crushing Zevilo's chest, Jung-woo demanded.

'Whether I talk or not, I'll probably die.'

Zevilo could sense as much.

If he'd known Park Jung-woo would be at this Relic Fiesta, he would have flatly refused this job.

But Jin Su-hyuk had never mentioned Jung-woo in all these days.

Surely, Jin Su-hyuk had known Jung-woo would be at the Relic Fiesta.

'Don't tell me, that bastard...!'

Had he set this up?

No, it was certain. Jin Su-hyuk had obviously set this up to get rid of the demons who didn't get along with him.

"I-I'll talk."

"... What?"

"I'll tell you everything—I'll tell you why I came here!!"

For a moment, Jung-woo was more surprised than anyone at Zevilo's desperate screech.

He hadn't even tortured the demon, but to get that kind of reaction—

"I came here, everything that happened, it's all..."

Just as Zevilo was about to say it was because of Jin Su-hyuk, his face twisted.

"Guh! Ghhkk!?!"

Unable to even scream properly, Zevilo's body suddenly began to swell.

Jung-woo frowned at the bizarre sight.

But not because Zevilo himself looked grotesque or repulsive.

"... Don't tell me."

A memory surfaced of something similar he had seen once before.

KWAAAAANG!!

At that moment, a colossal explosion erupted, swallowing everything within dozens of meters.

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

It was a trap to clean up the demons antagonistic to Damian.

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】