Chapter 158: Slein’s Invitation

Choi Kangjoong woke up.

Even while sleeping, information from each individual accumulated in his consciousness, so he immediately knew how the battle had gone.

“It’s almost over.”

The dimension the Orc had brought was being eroded by the Hive Class that had lowered its Biotube.

The fleeing Orcs were being chased by the Dark Eater Fleet.

“What about Kuralgal?”

“Krruk.”

Lutal pointed at the receding dimension ship.

All the other Orc dimension ships were being hunted down, but no Apocalid touched that one.

“He’s good at running away.”

Choi Kangjoong felt a slight conflict.

Kuralgal, who always brought Orcs that had multiplied tenfold.

Should he let such Orcs escape?

“If he brings 10 billion Orcs, it’ll become a Union-scale disaster.”

Even though the Demon Realm had a truce, most of its military forces were still intact.

There was also Salika, whose scale and power were unknown.

There might be another monster force of 10 billion.

These could come not just two, but three or four at once.

No matter how many bodies he had, it was hard to block an invasion of that scale.

“But they’re a good source of Evolution Points… Let’s let it slide one more time.”

He decided to kill Kuralgal if he came back multiplied by ten again.

Soon, all the remaining Orcs disappeared into the Apocalids’ bellies.

The dimension that had become an Apocalid Dimension was sent toward the Union, and the remains of the dimension ships were all devoured, leaving the Dimensional Sea clean.

The small Apocalids re-entered the Titan Class or higher Apocalids.

The giant Lutal entered hibernation inside Ku-eong’s body.

“I’ll put it to good use later.”

Choi Kangjoong went to the Chamber of Evolution.

He checked the Evolution Points and his eyes widened.

[Held Evolution Points: 28,981,772,412 points]

“30 billion points! When did I collect this much?”

Choi Kangjoong sifted through his memories.

“I had over 15 billion points at Magrain, and I got 12 billion this time.”

Enough to produce 28 Special Entities, and if he gathered about 1 billion more, he could do three Species Evolutions.

Plus, he could unlock the Outer Class, the final stage of the Apocalid.

However, just like always, he decided to unlock the Outer Class only when Ku-eong had grown enough.

“I should also do the Species Evolution after I find out who the Salika Executor is.”

He planned to evolve in a favorable direction once Slein handed over the information.

“First, let’s use the Nutrients.”

Ku-eong was already swallowing Nutrients on its own.

The sight of its massive body growing steadily was awe-inspiring.

“Let’s produce 6,500 Titans, 700 Supertitans, and 87 Hives.”

As the Apocalid scale grew, the importance of the Dimensional Sea increased.

Battles in the billions often took place in the vast Dimensional Sea rather than within dimensions.

For a force of that scale to land, it needed a Super-large Dimension, and such dimensions were not plentiful.

Most were already developed and reluctant to fight.

“The daily Nutrient consumption has increased tremendously too.”

Small Apocalids consumed almost no Nutrients when in hibernation, but Titan Class and above were always awake and eating whatever they could.

With Titans and Supertitans increased nearly threefold and Hive Class about sevenfold, Nutrient consumption had also risen about fivefold.

[Apocalid Mass Production until completion: 158:00:00]

With the increase in Hive Class, Apocalid production time had shortened considerably.

“It’ll take less than a week.”

Choi Kangjoong looked forward to seeing the massively multiplied Apocalids.

Producing Titans in the tens of thousands wasn’t common even in the Dimension War.

Unlocking the Outer Class was also rare.

“I need to increase them even faster.”

Consumption and Production were Choi Kangjoong’s top priorities.

The Apocalid began to move.

“There’s nothing much here now.”

In the direction Kai had revealed, there was no race forming a group as large as the Orcs or Gratis they had just fought.

Moving toward such a place was a waste of Nutrients.

“Should I head another way?”

Choi Kangjoong sent scout teams to the south and west as well.

The western scout team advanced beyond Magrain, and the southern scout team pushed past the Demon Realm that Kuralgal had devastated.

He positioned Ku-eong and the Apocalids at the midpoint between the two scout teams.

“Something will be caught soon.”

As he waited for prey, the day came when he had to attend the party Slein had invited him to.

Choi Kangjoong put on a suit tailored for Iselin’s coronation and went to Iselin’s office.

Iselin and Dielka were already there.

Arthil and Sierra were also dressed in lavish outfits today.

“Lord Outer! How do I look?”

“Pretty.”

“Can’t you put a little more soul into your answer?”

“I did put some in.”

“Instead of being so dry, you should at least ask if I’m free tonight with a burning gaze!”

“Are you free tonight?”

“Not like that. I’m this beautiful and dressed so nicely—don’t you feel anything?”

“No matter what you wear, you taste the same.”

“Oh my. When have you ever tasted an Elf?”

At Dielka’s sticky question, Iselin answered instead.

“That’s not what he meant.”

“Then what did he mean?”

“Think about it.”

“So it was that kind of meaning…! What do Elves taste like?”

“Soft and refreshing. Sometimes a little tangy.”

“Are Dark Elves similar?”

“Overall similar, but a bit different.”

Iselin also listened with interest.

“What about Humans and Orcs?”

“Humans are similar to Elves, but the aftertaste is different. Orcs are tough and dry.”

“You haven’t actually cooked and tasted them, have you?”

“No, I haven’t.”

What Choi Kangjoong said was based on the sensation of being digested in the Soil Pit, so it was different from actual meat flavor.

Iselin handed him something shaped like a leaf with several buttons on it.

“Take this.”

“What is it?”

“A pager. In case of emergency, press this button and it will send a signal to all of us. You probably won’t need it, Lord Outer—it’s for us.”

Choi Kangjoong fiddled with the pager.

Suddenly, a strong vibration occurred.

Dielka, holding the pager, giggled.

“I’ll attach them to you guys too.”

Choi Kangjoong attached a Central Stealth Scout to Iselin and Dielka each.

They were bigger than Stealth Scouts, but their stealth ability was superior, and their intelligence was higher, so they could respond better in a crisis.

“Please attach them to Arthil and Sierra too.”

“I will.”

He attached a Central Stealth Scout to Sierra and entrusted a Small Lootal to Arthil.

The Apocalid didn’t have the concept of protection, but eliminating all threats could still be considered protection.

“Thank you.”

Arthil bowed while touching the Lootal’s foot.

“Time to see what a demon’s party is like. Shall we go?”

Iselin and Dielka stood up.

Choi Kangjoong opened a Gate and moved.

Beyond the gate was the garden of a mansion.

The overall atmosphere was dark and subdued.

Even the plants were mostly heavy in color.

“I thought since it was made by the Demon of Greed it would be flashy, but it’s unexpected.”

Iselin touched a leaf.

She frowned at the rough texture.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s not a natural color.”

The five of them looked around as they moved toward the mansion.

In less than a minute, a group approached.

At its head was Count Karug Mandan, the same one who had gone to capture the Anti-Magic Shell.

“Welcome to Lord Slein’s twelfth mansion.”

Count Karug bowed while calling each name.

At a glance, he seemed like a dignified noble.

“These children are the attendants who will serve you today.”

“They’re not demons.”

Iselin said.

Each of the five had an attendant assigned to them. The attendants were Humans or Elves.

Their appearances were uniformly outstanding.

“Lord Slein prepared them specially for today. If you need anything, please say so. These children will do anything for you.”

Whether male or female, they wore clothes cut down to their navels.

It was clear what “anything” included without asking.

“My name is Bersha. I’ve heard much of Lord Outer’s fame.”

Bersha smiled coquettishly.

The female Elf, about the same age as Choi Kangjoong, seemed designed from head to toe to tempt men.

But Choi Kangjoong felt nothing special.

He was more curious about how much Nutrient and Evolution Points he would get if he consumed Bersha.

The other four Elves each had a similar attendant.

Iselin and Arthil suppressed their attendants’ small talk with just a look.

Dielka and Sierra chattered away excitedly.

“I’ll make today the best day of your life, Lord Outer.”

“Bersha.”

“Yes?”

“You seem anxious and nervous. Are you being held here against your will?”

“Of course not. I’m here of my own will. I beat out countless competitors to serve Lord Outer.”

Bersha’s heart trembled minutely, and her blood flow quickened slightly.

She tried to control even her physical reactions, but it wasn’t perfect, and she couldn’t avoid Choi Kangjoong’s sensitive senses.

“Competitors?”

“Over ten thousand applied to become your personal attendant, Lord Outer. I was the best among those ten thousand.”

“Is that so?”

Choi Kangjoong replied indifferently.

Bersha was already getting anxious.

She had to win his favor, but he was stonewalling from the start.

‘Wasn’t dressing like this supposed to make all men like me?’

Bersha moved her shoulder strap outward.

‘There’s still time. I have to succeed. For my city to survive.’

Bersha hid her true feelings.

If Choi Kangjoong knew the truth, it was because he had threatened to destroy the city.

“This way, please.”

Bersha guided Choi Kangjoong.

Choi Kangjoong followed Bersha into the mansion.

The interior was tidy.

Contrary to his expectation that it would be filled with flashy or bizarre decorations.

Moreover, despite it being a party, there was no one else.

When Choi Kangjoong looked puzzled, Bersha explained that Slein had planned it so he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.

“Not bad.”

It was better than someone clinging to him.

Unlike him, Dielka, who had been looking forward to lively chatter, was visibly disappointed.

Once everyone was seated, Slein soon arrived.

His clone approached Choi Kangjoong and Iselin with a face that looked ready to give them his everything.

“Thanks for coming. Any discomfort?”

“Being here is uncomfortable.”

“It’ll get comfortable soon.”

Slein sat down, and food was served.

Even Choi Kangjoong had never seen the meat before, but it suited his taste.

Slein led the conversation.

His eloquence was such that Choi Kangjoong almost forgot he was a demon and got absorbed.

“Now that we’ve reached this point, I’ll tell you about the Executor who will soon attack the Union.”

Iselin, who had been indifferent the whole time, finally perked up.

“To be precise, not an Executor, but Executors.”

“So it’s not just one.”

“There’s no way Salika would send only one Executor after Silvius’s failure. Salika is a thorough Crystal.”

“Have you seen Salika?”

“I’ve even worked with him.”

“So you know the Executor well.”

“Better than anyone here.”

Choi Kangjoong and Dielka’s interest also grew.

Slein smiled contentedly.

“The Executor Salika sent is…”

KWAANG!

The roar cut off Slein’s words.

Count Karug, who had been standing beside Slein, hurried out of the mansion.

Soon, he returned at supersonic speed, crashed through a wall, and disappeared into the rubble.

THUD. THUD.

A 3-meter-tall demon smashed through the mansion’s door and entered.

“What business does a Destruction Legion Archduke have here?”

Slein snapped.