The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

Episode 25: The Demon King of Greed (1)

[Eliminate the Demon King of Greed] (In Progress)

Description: Defeat the Demon King of Greed

Reward: Acquisition of Celestial Demon, Gain 100 Worldview Causality Points

As soon as I returned, the ‘Blue Window’ appeared.

Indeed, the description is simple and straightforward. I guess no more explanation is needed.

For the 24 hours corresponding to the quest, people were busy deciding who to send and how to form teams.

But I had been considering the events that would happen after this situation ends, and planning accordingly.

As soon as I arrived in Anyang, where the Pentastar was, with Quel, a large crowd had already gathered around it.

“The hunters who will be engaging in the assault are gathered here! However, there is barely a minute left and we still haven’t seen Hunter Lee Seo-jun!”

“Ah! There he is! Hunter Lee Seo-jun is coming!”

All cameras turned in my direction. But because barricades had been put up, nobody could approach.

As I climbed the Pentastar, the Korean hunters greeted me.

“You’re here, Mr. Lee Seo-jun.”

“I thought you weren’t coming. Haha.”

I looked around.

Illusion Faction Ha Seong-woo, Mass Faction Leader Jang Min-tae, Dawn Guild Kim Jin-woo, Moonlight Guild Jeong Dae-jin, and Hunter Association President Park Sang-cheol.

Except for Park Chae-ah of the Abyss Guild, all of Korea’s fifth-tier hunters were present.

Park Sang-cheol asked,

“Is this Quel person also participating in the attack?”

“Yes.”

I wanted to bring Hyude too, but I had to leave him in case something happened on the surface or if Lee Seo-yeon and Jeong Ye-rin were in danger.

I warned them,

“Stay here and don’t risk your lives unnecessarily. Quel and I can handle it ourselves.”

Ordinary fifth-tier hunters would struggle even against a Viscount-level enemy. Going somewhere with even higher ranks would almost certainly mean death.

Unlike other times, Kim Jin-woo, who was fully equipped, scratched his cheek.

“Even so, if we’re not part of this, people might… Abyss is always like that, but we are somewhat obligated…”

“Fine. Just try not to die.”

“Yes, we’ll try.”

I’d prefer Kim Jin-woo and Park Sang-cheol not to die. They’ve been helpful to me, after all.

Well, it’s too late to turn back now.

“It’s time.”

Realize the God.

As the black window appeared, the Pentastar began to glow red.

Swoosh

Everyone swallowed their tension as they observed the phenomenon.

A bright red light wrapped around my body, and my focus began to blur. In that energy was the ‘Adoniya Magi’ that I detested.

When I closed my eyes for a moment and reopened them, I had fallen into an entirely different space.

Under the glaring sun.

Surrounding me were trees and plants that did not exist on Earth, forming a forest. Between the glowing radiance, darkness was abundant.

It felt like I had entered a witch’s periphery.

‘Looks like I’m the only one who ended up here.’

There were no S-tier hunters from Korea or Quel, and no other humans.

I had expected this. It had been similar when I invaded ‘Sarazar’ of the Demon King of Lust back in the Demon King era.

‘The walkie-talkies I brought are useless.’

I knew this would happen, so I had distributed walkie-talkies to them. Seems like the thick magical energy in the air prevents it from working.

‘Would ‘language interpretation’ work, though? I could understand the demons language before…’

Just as I was deep in thought,

[Eliminate the Demon King of Greed] (Time Limit – 48:00:00)

Description: If you fail to defeat me within the time limit, I, Beelzebub, will descend upon this world.

A black window popped up.

So, this is the restriction.

Other than the grand entrance, it seemed to be no different from an ordinary gate.

If we go by ordinary gates, Beelzebub would be able to set foot on Earth’s ground after 48 hours from the collapse of the gate.

But I found this laughable.

“48 hours is too long.”

An hour would have been more than enough.

***

In the slowly returning focus, Ryu Chun-ji, China’s SS-tier hunter and ranked 31st in the world hunter rankings, scanned his surroundings. There were 20 humans next to him.

Among them, one person approached Ryu Chun-ji.

“Leader, it seems like we weren’t separated after all.”

Ryu Chun-ji was the leader of the Greed faction operating in China. He had become an SS-class hunter based on the power bestowed upon him by the Seven Deadly Sins.

“Yes, it does seem that way.”

Standing on the same Pentastar, they were different from others; they weren’t scattered due to the protection of Beelzebub.

“Go to the pre-arranged meeting place with the Greed faction. I’ll take care of some nearby matters and join you. We need to show our worth to Lord Beelzebub in the world that’s about to unfold.”

“Yes, understood. But we might have a language barrier, is that alright?”

“Don’t worry. Due to Lord Beelzebub’s mercy, you will be able to understand any language for the next 48 hours. I’ll go ahead.”

“Yes!”

Ryu Chun-ji walked in the direction where he felt different energy, and the others went in the opposite direction. Shortly after, Ryu Chun-ji encountered a man.

Recognizing Ryu Chun-ji, the man’s face lit up.

“Ah! Ryu Chun-ji! You’re nearby!”

Of course, nobody knew that Ryu Chun-ji was the leader of the Greed faction.

Ryu Chun-ji smiled, concealing his nefarious intent.

“Zurui, you’re safe. It seems like people nearby have been separated.”

“Yes, it seems so. I thought you weren’t participating since you said you’d be climbing a Pentastar in a different region.”

“Well, it’s not like there’s only one per country. Why not use the closest one?”

“Hahaha. True.”

“Yes, indeed.”

Ryu Chun-ji slowly approached him.

“Do you know what, Zurui?”

Keeping his smile, he took step by step.

Zurui tilted his head at the sudden question.

“What is it?”

Ryu Chun-ji suddenly pierced Zurui’s heart with his sharp arm.

“Kuh!”

Blood gushed from Zurui’s mouth, his trembling eyes looked at Ryu Chun-ji.

“I hate you.”

“Why…”

“I’ve always disliked how you act friendly like a bug.”

Chuckling, Ryu Chun-ji withdrew his arm.

Zurui collapsed like a lifeless puppet, his face twisted in agony.

“Think you’ll survive this―”

Crunch!

Ryu Chun-ji crushed his face under his foot, interrupting him.

“Ah, I’ll survive. In 48 hours, not just China, but the entire social structure will collapse anyway.”

“What does that mean…”

“Watch it unfold in hell.”

Snap!

Ryu Chun-ji severed his life with a single step, like squashing an ant. He then continued toward where he sensed other presences.

“Pathetic creatures.”

Along the way, he encountered two A-class hunters and one S-class hunter. None could stand against him and lost their lives.

Even if they had been SS-class, he was confident he could defeat them. That was the difference between ‘Magic’ and ‘Magi.’

“…Hm?”

While he was cleaning up, a lone woman with silver short hair and two small horns on her forehead appeared in his sight.

Ryu Chun-ji recognized this exotic being.

‘Is that a demon?’

The demon named Quel, who had been the talk of the town.

Whether she was a demon or human didn’t matter. What mattered was that she could interfere with Beelzebub.

So, the task at hand remained unchanged.

‘Thurdbolt.’

Sizzle!

Blue sparks violently flew from Ryu Chun-ji’s body.

His physical abilities escalated, adrenaline rushing.

Zoom!

As his ability activated, he took off, dashing through the air.

Closing the distance with incredible speed, Ryu Chun-ji swung his fist at Quel’s face.

Her beauty was too precious to destroy, but he had to for a higher purpose.

“Farewell.”

Just as the previous four bugs were mercilessly crushed, so would this one be. He was confident in his superior strength and had attacked without hesitation. However…

Whoosh—

He felt nothing at the tips of his fingers charged with immense power. All he saw were strands of silver hair scattering like a mirage, along with the sensation of striking empty air.

“…She dodged it?”

Ryu Chun-ji backed away in disbelief, eyeing her carefully.

“You’re… stronger than I thought.”

Quel looked back without a word, her eyes cold. A strange sense of pressure seemed to fill her retinas. Sensing an incoming attack after his failed ambush, Ryu Chun-ji readied himself.

“From now on, I won’t underestimate you—”

He couldn’t finish his sentence. To his astonishment, Quel turned her back to him and began to walk away, as if he was of no importance to her.

“What the hell?”

A new feeling of humiliation twisted his face.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“His Majesty the Demon King ordered me not to bother with trivial beings.”

Her voice was monotonous, emotionless—as if she were talking to an insect. Something squirmed within Ryu Chun-ji’s chest, but he pushed it down.

“…Demon King? You mean the guy from the press conference?”

“If you saw him, then yes, it’s him.”

Ryu Chun-ji could only burst into laughter at her response.

“Hahaha! That man is the Demon King?”

It had always seemed odd when they referred to themselves as demonic beings. Yes, they looked different from humans, but demons had no need to serve humans. They were simply under the influence of Lee Seo-jun’s unhinged mental state.

“What kind of make-believe are you playing? There is only one true Demon King, Beelzebub. Looks like the entire world fell for that press conference.”

His mocking tone was enough to halt Quel in her tracks. Her head slowly turned, her eyes sharp enough to cut the air.

“…Do not insult him in my presence.”

“Ah, so that’s it.”

Though her glare had turned icy, Ryu Chun-ji merely smirked.

“What will you do if I insult him? Kill me? Didn’t your Demon King order you not to bother with trivial beings?”

“…Exceptions can be made.”

Quel clenched her pale hand into a fist, and an ominous aura began to emanate from her. Tension filled the forest clearing.

“Good, that’s more like it.”

Grinning, Ryu Chun-ji bared his white teeth.

“I admit you’re different from the others. You dodged my attack, even if I wasn’t at full strength. But I’m different too.”

His previous attack was dependent on ‘Magic’. Now he would use ‘Magi.’

“Things are about to get a lot different.”

Zap!

Crimson lightning wrapped around his body. His eyes turned red, and a small horn sprouted from his forehead.

“…You keep doing things I dislike.”

Quel’s eyebrows twitched at the foul energy filling the air.

As Ryu Chun-ji laughed, his cold teeth became visible.

“Then go tell your Demon King. I’ll take on both of you at once.”

“No, it’ll be faster to bring him your head.”

At that moment, his face must have been something to see.

“Then.”

Ryu Chun-ji blinked, suppressing his excitement.

“Shall we begin?”

As he spoke, his eyes widened. Just before he blinked, she was clearly about 20 meters away. But the moment he opened his eyes, she was right in front of him, swinging her ferocious hand.

“You’re going to die.”

By the time he registered her distinct form, it was already too late to dodge.

Crash!!

V1

A heavy roar bursts from his face.

Intense pain is recognized through the cheekbone, and the body floats in mid-air.

Time seemed to stop, and the world lay down.

Numerous trees sprouted on the green wall, and the blue sky filled the void.

And he had climbed that jagged green cliff all too easily.

It didn’t take long to understand the current situation.

“Ah.”

He was now flying after taking her strike.

Soon as the time for perception returned, the form of the trees blurred and quickly rotated like a second hand.

Crash!

His body, flung out in an instant, tumbled across the floor grotesquely several times, finally stopping after hitting a tree.

“What, what is this…”

Confused, Ryu Chun-ji wipes the blood from his lips and looks up at Quel with difficulty.

“Bring that guy Beelzebub as well.”

His eyes, filled with contempt, beckon.

“I’ll deal with both of you at once.”

From then on, it was a violence.

***

Crash!

Quel smashes Ryu Chun-ji’s head to the ground and lifts him up again.

Quel chanted towards his reddened, distorted face.

“Recite it again.”

“The, the true Demon King is only the supreme Solomon Demon King…”

She was currently in the midst of mental re-education.

“Your voice is too quiet.”

Crash!

Quel repeats the previous action.

“Recite it again.”

“The, the true Demon King is only the supreme Solomon Demon King!”

Feeling the overwhelming sense of fear, Ryu Chun-ji strained his voice.

He wanted to resist Quel’s control but couldn’t do anything.

“Say that again?”

His life was now in her hands.

‘A demon…’

Her immeasurable power, lack of compassion, holding human lives in her grasp—all these aspects resembled a demon.

No, something even mightier than a demon.

It was something that could easily crush demons.

“You still haven’t come to your senses?”

“Th, the true Demon King! The true Demon King is only the supreme Solomon Demon King!!!”

Hence, he yearned for survival more than ever.

Had his ardor reached her?

“Well done.”

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

Ryu Chun-ji saw a tiny glimmer of hope in that small crack.

“Then die now.”

However, that glimmer quickly vanished from his sight.

A slender hand tightly gripped his hair, and his vision rapidly neared the ground with enormous pressure

Crash!

A sound like lightning struck.

His facial bones shattered and the hard ground collapsed as his faint breath slowly dissipated in the cramped earth.

Moments later, Ryu Chun-ji met his death, impaled into the ground like a lightning rod.

Quel looked at her hand as if annoyed.

That’s when she turned to leave.

“…Ah.”

Something came to mind, and she searched her bosom.

From there, she took out a flask the size of a finger and collected Ryu Chun-ji’s blood.

‘His Majesty told me to collect human blood when I get a chance.’

He hadn’t explicitly told her to kill, but what’s good is good.

Smiling proudly at the dark red blood in the flask, she could already feel the praising touch of E Seo-jun.

‘I’m coming now, Your Majesty.’

With light steps, Quel set out to find Lee Seo-jun.

(To be continued in the next episode)