The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

Episode 15: Twilight (1)

[Demons appear in a lecture hall in Joong-gu? The cause is unknown]

[Audience at the lecture faint helplessly in the demon’s mist]

[Ahn Seo-jin, the chief magician of the Illusion Department, imposes about 6 billion won in penalties on the audience]

[Zero fatalities in the lecture hall commotion, ‘S-Class Hunter Lee Seo-jun’ swiftly controls the situation]

[Twilight Guild, promoted from F-class to A-class after this achievement]

[What is the identity of the Twilight Guild founded by S-Class Hunter Lee Seo-jun? Hot topic ‘Elite Alchemist Jeong Ye-rin’ also a member of Twilight]

[Twilight rising again in Korea, what does this mean?]

The next day, the commotion at the lecture hall adorned the headlines of all the news. For reference, the official name of the guild is the Twilight Guild. I wanted to name it the Twilight Magic Kingdom, but Park Sang-cheol rejected it saying, “That’s a bit…”

I knew it wasn’t a name that would easily be accepted, but I was inwardly disappointed. Someday, instead of a guild, I’d establish a real magic kingdom. Anyway, the guild was now well-structured. The fourth floor was designated for alchemists, and the fifth floor was for blacksmiths. The very top, the sixth floor, was the guild master’s office. Nothing was yet decided for floors one to three. Only an information desk was set up on the first floor, the rest would be decided later.

I went down to the fifth floor. As I stepped out of the elevator and opened another door, the scenery was quite different from the other floors.

Special coated dark bricks. Countless tools needed for metallurgy. Inside the blacksmith shop was Lee Seo-yeon, sweating away. She had obtained her blacksmithing certificate after I had asked her to make a weapon from the horn of a Behemoth.

“Ah, Seo-jun, you’re right on time. I just finished what you asked for.”

Lee Seo-yeon handed me the sword hanging on the wall. It was splendid— a radiant white blade, a black hilt, and a ruby embedded in the pommel.

“It’s a masterpiece. The materials you provided are all top-notch, so it’s better than most famous swords.”

I accepted the sword. The ruby wasn’t actually a ruby, it was my own coagulated blood.

“How is it? Impressive, right? I didn’t just earn the title of ‘up-and-coming talent’ for nothing,” Lee Seo-yeon proudly said.

I felt it was different from other weapons, but needed to check it more thoroughly.

“Hmm, let’s check it out. ‘Sword Information Check.'”

As I softly recited, the gem faintly lit up, and a window appeared.

[Demon King]

Description: A sword made only from top-grade materials, including the flame of the Behemoth. Only necessary elements were extracted during refining, making the blade incredibly sharp.

Special Option: Increases strength, agility, and stamina by 10 upon use.

Owner of the Sword: Lee Seo-jun

Creator: Lee Seo-yeon

…Just by using it, strength, agility, and stamina increase by 10. Even S-Class Hunters would be lining up for this option alone. This would contribute to my growth. Because to use something [Thicker Than Blood], one naturally has to shed blood, and I can consume that blood to gain their abilities. Just then,

[Blacksmith and Alchemist] (Complete)

Description: Keep skilled blacksmiths and alchemists by your side in preparation for ‘that day.’ With them, your power will rise even further.

Reward: Two more slots for ‘Predation’, and acquisition of ‘Adamantine Oil’.

“……?”

A quest completion window popped up.

Caught off guard by the sudden reward, I quickly focused and used [Demon King’s Gluttony].

I sensed that the ‘Adamantine Oil’ had been stored there, so—

Swish—

The golden snake coiled around my arm spat out a glass bottle into my palm.

I held it up and examined it.

[Adamantine Oil]

Description: Since the beginning, there existed a legendary stone known as ‘Adamantine’. Uniquely, when eroded by rain, the stone would release oil containing its substance. When applied to a weapon, it becomes unbreakable and can even cut through formless things.

Honestly speaking, the reward is overwhelmingly extraordinary.

With just this oil, an impenetrable shield and a spear that pierces everything can coexist. It would not be an exaggeration to call it invincible.

They’re giving me this?

But I was only slightly perplexed.

“Lee Seo-yeon, can you apply this oil to this sword?”

I handed over the ‘Demon King’ and the ‘Adamantine Oil’ to her.

It’s probably wiser to let Lee Seo-yeon, who is deeply skilled in metallurgy, handle it rather than doing it myself.

“Ah, sure. That’s easy, give it here.”

Lee Seo-yeon calmly accepted both items.

She placed the sword on the anvil and went somewhere to fetch a cloth soaked in oil.

As she uncorked the glass bottle—

“…What?”

Her eyes visibly shook.

“Is, is, is, is this color! This can’t be the legendary Adamantine Oil, can it?!”

“Yes.”

“Ah, ah, ah! Seo-jun, Seo-jun! My hands won’t stop shaking! How should I even—?!”

Lee Seo-yeon’s voice trembled as much as her hands.

“Never thought I’d see this in my lifetime! It’s got to be the first in this universe!”

“If you’re too nervous to do it, just let it be. I’ll do it.”

“No, no! Please let me do it! I beg you!”

I nodded in agreement.

After taking several deep breaths, Lee Seo-yeon carefully set the bottle down and brought over a basin. She then soaked the cloth in the oil.

Her actions made it clear that she wouldn’t waste a single drop.

Eventually, the serious Lee Seo-yeon masterfully applied the oil to the sword blade without missing a single spot.

Indeed, the finesse befitting the title of ‘Blacksmith’ was evident.

“I’m, I’m done…”

After spending a good 10 minutes just applying the oil, Lee Seo-yeon handed over the ‘Demon King’ to me.

I gripped it and took a horizontal swipe.

Shick!

The sword cut cleanly through the air.

Definitely, it was a peculiar feeling. I could sense a trembling as if I were slicing through space itself, and the sword blade was flawlessly beautiful.

“How, how is it?”

“Excellent. There’s nothing to fault with the sword itself or the oil application.”

“Phew… I’m, I’m relieved…”

I gently gripped the sword, feeling its mysterious energy.

“You’ve worked hard. I’ll take my leave now.”

I left with a satisfied smile.

***

Around the same time, in a secluded building in Korea.

The sound of flickering candlelight, dim red illumination, and an altar with an inverted pentagram.

A person in a robe stood in front of it.

A man spoke to the robed figure from behind.

“Leader, it seems Priest Yoo Chang-su failed to fulfill ‘His’ trust. Look at these articles.”

The man handed the leader a collection of articles.

However, without even turning around, the leader responded.

“I know. I know well. I’ve seen it too.”

“…I see.”

A fragrance filled the air, drawing silence.

“It’s unbelievable…”

As the leader opened his mouth, the smoke quietly spread.

“Priest Yoo Chang-su had received the most magical energy among us, excluding myself, possessing power exceeding that of an S-Class Hunter. He fought with Lee Seo-jun, an S-Class Hunter, and yet there were neither fatalities nor severe injuries. There were also followers who came after them.”

“Yes, I find that puzzling too.”

The man replied, and the cult leader subtly turned his head.

“Do you know what’s even more unbelievable?”

“What is it?”

“According to reports, the spectators fainted due to the demon’s mist, that must have been Priest Yoo Chang-su releasing his magi. This suggests that the opponent was strong and the situation was urgent. That technique could even affect me.”

The cult leader moved towards the burning candles.

“Could even a strong S-Class Hunter withstand that? No, I don’t think so. But in the end, Priest Yoo Chang-su died, and Lee Seo-jun survived. So, the only conclusion we can draw is one.”

The cult leader paused in front of a table with candles.

The man swallowed dryly, waiting for the cult leader’s words.

“Lee Seo-jun, an exceptional S-Class Hunter, is a monster who withstands terrifying magi and overwhelms the enemy before anyone dies.”

The cult leader blew out the candle with a stern face, then looked at the man.

“From now on, consider Lee Seo-jun our greatest threat. Gather all information on him, from the hospital he was born in to what he has been doing up to now.”

“Understood.”

The man bowed deeply and disappeared from view.

“Then, before ‘He’ descends, shall we stir up some chaos?”

The cult leader slowly rose from his seat.

“S-Class Hunters in Korea are busy in their ‘regular security meeting’, so they won’t be able to prevent a sudden gate collapse.”

A malicious smile appeared on the cult leader’s lips.

“Especially if it’s an ‘S-Class Gate’.”

***

I was, as usual, reviewing requests in my office.

That’s when I felt as if a snake’s tongue had swept over my entire body.

Sssssss-

I shifted my gaze to the source.

The window. Beyond it, far away, something was detected by my armor.

“Something’s coming.”

“…Huh? What’s coming? Is it that cockroach you were talking about? I’m sure I just finished cleaning.”

Hyude, who was next to me, was scanning the floor.

…Could be.

The distance is too great for Hyude to detect.

It makes sense. Even if it’s Hyude, he can’t detect energies from 10km away.

“No, it’s not that.”

“4?”

I got up from my seat and approached the window.

The howling sound waves and ominous momentum coming from 10km away.

“It’s a demon.”

A demon had appeared here.

“Demon, you say? Where exactly…?”

“About 10km away from here.”

“…I see. So, you’re the only one who sensed it, Your Majesty. Are they similar to the ones from the lecture hall?”

I closed my eyes for a moment to sense their energy.

Certainly, there was the familiar magi of Adoniya.

But this was more primal, closer to the root.

Undoubtedly, these would be high-ranking Adoniya demons.

“No, these are genuine Adoniya demons.”

Has even an S-rank Gate collapsed?

If my guess is right, not just A-rank but even S-rank Hunters would die facing this demon.

I took out a map of Seoul and measured the distance.

About 10km northeast from here.

At the end of the line was Dongdaemun District, managed by the Moonlight Guild.

‘The timing is too perfect to be a coincidence.’

Right now, all of South Korea’s S-rank Hunters would likely be attending the ‘South Korean Regular Security Meeting’ in Yeongdeungpo District. I couldn’t attend because I’m an A-rank Guild leader.

Which meant I had to stop this devil alone.

But that should be more than enough.

“…I see. Understood.”

Hyude was on the guild phone in the meantime.

He reported to me as soon as I looked back.

“Your Majesty, there’s a request for aid from the Moonlight Guild. What should we do?”

“Tell them we’re coming.”

“Yes, understood.”

Hyude hung up the phone after relaying my opinion.

“Your Majesty, they’re sending a guide. They’ll be right in front of us.”

“Let’s go down. Follow me, this is a top priority.”

“Yes, I’ll follow.”

As soon as we stepped outside the guild building, a man deeply bowed.

“Hello! I’m Ha Jun-hyeon from the Moonlight Guild! We’ll quickly escort you by car!”

“…Are you kidding?”

I frowned at the black sedan next to him.

I thought it would at least be a helicopter. Just an ordinary car would take at least 30 minutes, especially with the emergency evacuation order likely causing traffic jams.

“Yes, yes? Is there a problem…?”

I sighed and turned northeast.

“Running there is faster than driving.”

“Excuse me…? You’re faster on foot than by car?”

Ignoring his disbelief, I glanced at Hyude.

“We’ll be there in 5 minutes. Hyude, can you keep up?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Then let’s go.”

As I lowered my posture, so did Hyude.

As power flooded into my thighs, the ground buckled under the pressure.

“Uh, uh! Wait!”

The moment we kicked off, the guide’s voice dispersed in the wind.

[Adoniya Demon] (In Progress)

Description: Behold, the demons of Adoniya have begun to stir. However, this is just the beginning. Soon, these interconnected disasters will summon calamities. Please stop the unstoppable flow of calamity.

Reward: Acquire ‘Demon Arts’. An invitation from ‘someone’. Gain 20 Worldview Causality Points.

(To be continued in the next episode)