“What’s your name?”
“Alten.”
The owner of the arena on the outskirts of the Demon Realm, and a mid-level demon, was named Alten.
He was the strongest demon in this village. The number of demons living in the village totaled five hundred.
Most of those 500 demons were either low-ranked or just beginning to reach the mid-rank.
Alten seemed to be among the stronger ones even within the mid-level demons.
“When the Demon King was here, I was the head of the education institution. I managed the village’s school.”
“And now you manage the arena?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
He bowed his head deeply, as if ashamed of the work he now did.
Kang Minseok had managed the Demon Realm for a long time as the Demon King. After ruling for a century, by the time Alten was born, the Demon Realm had already changed a lot from its original state.
In other words, he wasn’t familiar with a Demon Realm where demons followed their base instincts. That was something only seen in textbooks—a thing of the past.
As someone proud of being an educator, it seemed he was deeply embarrassed to have been corrupted by the old Demon Realm and now to be managing the arena.
“What’s the name of the demon who made you build the arena?”
“Armon.”
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): Armon is a high-ranking demon. He served as an official in the capital of the Demon Realm. He’s skilled in battle and violent by nature.
(Anonymous 1): You really were a Demon King who cared a lot about the demons, knowing all this.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): I kept an eye on the demons in public office.
(Father of Crops): But if he’s violent, why’d you give him a government job?
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): I changed the Demon Realm to be more like the Republic of Korea. I created schools, introduced education, and built businesses for economic circulation. Armon is violent but cunning, and he’s good at hiding his true nature—he’s smart. He passed the exams and faithfully carried out the orders from above.
And he understood his own strength and submitted to those stronger than himself. Knowing Armon’s personality, Kang Minseok had given him a public office for this reason.
The weak who acknowledge the difference in strength don’t dare to harbor other intentions toward the strong.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): The moment I disappeared, he started plotting this. In a way, it’s just like him.
Kang Minseok wasn’t simply a good person. After all, he had been the Demon King. As with everyone, personality changes with the environment.
He used the violence inherent in the Demon Realm differently.
He chose to become the absolute evil.
After realizing that demons weren’t all purely evil.
After realizing that many demons lived wicked lives not because of true intent, but because they were swept up by outside forces and circumstances they didn’t even fully understand.
He became the absolute evil and judged the demons.
That was his violence, and his identity as a demon.
Absolute evil above evil.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): Jinwoo, you have to walk this path. Can you do it?
‘I have to.’
Jinwoo nodded, having resolved himself.
In fact, he thought this fit his values best. He and Kang Minseok were alike in subtle ways, and perhaps this was it.
“Lead the way.”
“…To whom?”
“To Armon.”
“Understood!”
Alten stood up, looking genuinely pleased. To him—no, to the demons— the Demon King was seen as a savior. To a demon who had lost its evil, evil, or perhaps salvation, could only come from absolute evil.
“Close down this arena.”
“Thank you, thank you!”
Flash—!
At that moment, someone lunged at Alten. It was the Arena Wild Dog, a demon who had liked the arena and thrived in the Demon Realm after Kang Minseok left.
The Arena Wild Dog, who had just entered the realm of a mid-level demon, lunged forward.
Boom—!!
Jinwoo used his Gravity Infusion skill.
Three times gravity was imposed upon the Wild Dog, forcing him to his knees. The demon struggled desperately, trying everything to escape, even pounding his legs with his fists.
But gravity bound him without mercy, and his desperate efforts only served to shatter his own legs under the force.
Subconsciously, perhaps driven by instinct, he desperately beat his ruined legs, but there was nothing else he could do, and no clever escape came to mind.
Watching him, Jinwoo used Water Shield to suffocate him.
He thought it more fitting for the Demon King to dispose of a demon easily with magic rather than with a sword.
“Let’s go, Alten.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
*****
I walked across the desolate land with Alten.
Whenever I walked this muggy, exhausted land, it felt just like being inside a dungeon, and only one thought came to mind.
‘I’m hungry.’
I turned to Alten, who was silently walking beside me, and asked:
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“…A little, yes.”
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): Here, you just rip and eat monster meat. After I became Demon King, I tried to improve the quality of meals, but it didn’t work out.
(Father of Crops): That’s all because you didn’t have my farming techniques. I have seeds that grow well even in a barren land thick with demonic energy like this. And I have the techniques.
…This is it!!
I snapped my fingers, grinning wide as if I’d just realized something.
‘Give me some of those seeds.’
(Father of Crops): Huh?
‘The quest is to change the Demon Realm. Killing corrupt demons isn’t enough. Actually, you could say they’re not even corrupt—they’re just living according to their instincts.’
Of course, that didn’t mean I wouldn’t kill them. Alten had proven that it was possible to resist instinct.
‘If I want to truly change the Demon Realm, I have to make it happier. Delicious food is key to happiness, don’t you think? Let’s spread the seeds Father of Crops has.’
Maybe today was Father of Crops’ birthday.
He’d finally get to see his beloved agriculture from start to finish.
(Father of Crops): Hehehe, hehehe, hehehehehe.
(Anonymous 1): Damn it, Jinwoo, I really can’t take it. Ban me from chat for 5 minutes… No, just kick me out for 5 minutes. I can’t stand watching that guy all excited anymore. I’d rather die than see it!
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Same here, if you can’t kick him out, then kick me instead.
I expelled the two constellations.
Father of Crops, now free for five minutes, filled the chat with nonstop messages. It was like a flood of long sentences pouring in one after another.
(Endless Waiting): …I’d usually tolerate it, but this is tough. I’ll be back in 5 minutes too.
(Liberated Swordsman): Me too, Jinwoo.
(Last Blacksmith): That guy’s craziness is worse than mine, now I’m scared. I’ll leave for 5 minutes too, but don’t expel me. I’ll just go on my own.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): I’ll stay right here.
(Father of Crops): Good, let’s get started.
Again, chat was bombarded at the same level as before. You could sense his desperation to convey everything in five minutes. Apparently, even Father of Crops was wary of the constellations until now.
(Father of Crops): From the looks of it, the soil here is hard. Not fertile. The particles are a mess. To farm here, you need to make the particles finer first. But don’t make them like a sandpit— they need to be moist, clumping soil. How do you make that kind of soil? Skills would help, but… Only you can get my skills through sponsorship.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): So the environment needs to change completely.
(Father of Crops): That’s right. Change the environment, and the air and soil will change too.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): You’re planning to remake the environment with your crops?
(Father of Crops): Correct.
Father of Crops had been a constellation for quite a while. A constellation’s star is its own dimension, its own world.
What could a lonely farming constellation do in his own dimension? All he could do was research agriculture day in, day out.
(Father of Crops): I made tree seeds that absorb thick demonic energy. First, you need to plant the trees all over and remove as much demonic energy as possible. Then you can plant crops.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): That’s a good plan. Demons can live even in places where the demonic energy isn’t thick—they’re the ones who create it in the first place. The reason food tastes bad here is because demons produce demonic energy, making the land thick with it.
(Father of Crops): That’s great, then. Here, take the seeds!
Father of Crops sponsored me a bundle of saplings.
“Alten.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Let’s plant some trees together.”
“…What? Yes, Your Majesty.”
Alten gave me a puzzled look for a moment, then immediately straightened up and accepted the seeds. It seemed he’d decided to do as the Demon King said, no questions asked.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): He’s a good one.
With this action, Alten truly won the favor of the real Demon King, Kang Minseok.
Anyway.
Alten and I began planting the saplings on a barren patch of land a little distance from the village.
At that moment, several demons who had secretly followed Alten approached me.
“We greet the Demon King!”
“We greet the Demon King! We apologize for following you in secret.”
“We greet the Demon King, we followed because we wanted to help, we’re sorry!”
“Is that so? Then you all plant, too.”
I put them to work planting trees.
Just like Alten, they planted saplings silently, but chattered happily among themselves about how glad they were I’d returned. They talked about finally living peaceful lives without fighting their friends, and it seemed to move Kang Minseok in some way.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): There were times I doubted if taking away demons’ violence was what I should do as Demon King, but seeing demons like them puts my mind at ease.
(Anonymous 1): Is it over?
(God of Rain and Sunlight): It’s really over now, right?
(Divine Water of Cheongha): I quietly watched without chatting, but it was actually interesting.
(Anonymous 1): It’s obvious. Father of Crops rambled and gave you tree saplings that absorb demonic energy.
(Divine Water of Cheongha): Hmm, spot on.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): I’m glad I stepped out.
(Endless Waiting): Indeed.
(Liberated Swordsman): Maybe I should’ve just watched. I was bored for five minutes.
(Last Blacksmith): I feel like leaving was the right call.
After planting all the trees, I used my Rapid Growth skill to raise them. Then I handed Alten a large number of saplings.
“Even if I disappear, go around planting trees everywhere. Only then can you farm properly and have good food.”
“…Understood, Your Majesty.”
He seemed to realize the Demon King would vanish again, but still didn’t ask anything—something I appreciated.
With my mana running low, I entered the Coin Shop for the first time in a while. I’d been hoarding the coins given by the constellations instead of spending them, only buying elixirs. It had been a while since I went shopping.
I bought several high-grade mana potions that could replenish mana. These weren’t available on Earth. If there were potions that could permanently increase your mana, countless Hunters would already be A-rank or S-rank.
‘Nice.’
With my mana restored, I relentlessly used my skills again to grow the trees.
Now all that was left was to make a vegetable garden here, farm, and share delicious food with the demons who followed me.