Chapter 35: Return to Life

For nearly a thousand years, spanning hundreds of years, I was granted an immortal life.  

But it was an immortality that only prevented death by aging.  

If my heart stopped or my head was shattered, I would die just like the people of the continent.  

In fact, living an immortal life meant facing death hundreds, even thousands of times.  

It goes without saying that most of those life-threatening moments occurred in the early days when I was traveling between dimensions.  

A soldier of the Asran Kingdom.  

Dragged forcibly to the battlefield, experiencing death every moment.  

But if I were to pinpoint the most dangerous moment, it would be after I became a Knight.  

At the time, I faced Taesan.  

A being darker than the blackest night.  

Deeper than the abyss.  

An existence standing at the pinnacle of all things.  

He subdued me, who was then rapidly rising through the ranks and had become No. 101 Knight of the Empire, with just one finger.  

“You’re unusual.”  

He stopped his hand from killing me and scrutinized me intently.  

“You’re human, yet your time is out of sync.”  

Looking at me with interest, he twisted a smile as if reaching a decision.  

“I hate humans, but you’re an exception. You were born with a fate that can’t be mixed with humans, so naturally, you belong under me.”  

He extended his hand.  

It was clearly a deal with a demon.  

At the time, I was a Knight under the Empire.  

To betray the Empire was tantamount to turning my back on the entire continent, but I accepted.  

If I refused his offer, this would be the end.  

If I wanted to live, I had no choice but to follow him.  

The Demon King Ingram’s hand.  

***

“Ke, kehek!”  

Ha Yeon Lee struggled, dangling helplessly under the suppression of the demonic energy.  

But even that ended at my single command.  

“Stop.”  

Everything went quiet.  

In the past, she would have gaslit me mercilessly, questioning how I could say such harsh words.  

But now, the situation was different.  

“Ssshh!”  

Like black tentacles, demonic energy surged and threatened Ha Yeon Lee.  

The demon clan has a strict hierarchy.  

All is decided by strength.  

The weak must submit to the strong.  

This has been ingrained in the demon clan’s DNA from the beginning of time until now.  

Therefore, no one can resist the demonic energy of someone like me, who once held the seat of the Undying Legion Commander.  

“Thuk!”  

I relaxed my grip and released her restraints.  

“Ugh, ugh… what… what are you doing to me…?”  

“Shh!”  

I silenced her by placing a finger over her lips.  

Silence.  

What a delightfully pleasant sight.  

I had always been exhausted by the irritating sounds coming from that hateful mouth, endlessly apologizing to her.  

But I had always longed for this moment.  

And now, at last, that wish had come true.  

Enjoying that brief moment, I asked, “Is that power, the Succubus power, something you gained through Awakening?”  

I couldn’t help but be curious.  

Normally, Awakening a trait refers to unlocking an ability.  

But Ha Yeon Lee had gained the power of a specific species—the Succubus.  

Judging by her current transformation, even her humanity and body were changing to a form closer to a demon.  

Could this even be called a trait?  

Maybe it was a kind of infection that changed the very species itself.  

“Th-that’s…”  

She hesitated in her answer.  

‘Still unstable.’  

What I could tell from this was that my demonic energy was unstable.  

Was it because I hadn’t used it in a while?  

No.  

It was weakened, so naturally, the amount of demonic energy decreased.  

If my power had been the same as before, she wouldn’t have hesitated even for a moment.  

So I said,  “Speak.”  

I threatened her with an even fiercer surge of demonic energy.  

“Y-yeah. After drinking the Awakening Potion, I gained the Succubus trait.”  

Come to think of it, Ha Yeon Lee’s Awakening was not natural.  

It was a forced Awakening through a potion.  

“O-oppa, it wasn’t me who treated you cruelly until now. It was this Succubus inside me that kept, kept gnawing at my mind. Please believe me, Oppa!”  

She said that while shedding sorrowful tears.  

“Drip, drip.”  

Tears streaming down her cheeks.  

In the past, whenever she was at a disadvantage, she would cry.  

She would scold me for not apologizing when I was wrong, but whenever she was at fault, she’d cry and avoid the situation.  

No, avoiding was the best-case scenario.  

Did she really feel satisfied only by defeating a woman?  

Couldn’t a man even afford to lose to a woman?  

I didn’t understand it then, but looking back, it was all just endless gaslighting.  

I never treated her harshly then.  

Whenever she cried, I’d immediately apologize and get past it.  

But now…  

‘Potions, Awakening, and the power of demons.’  

I completely ignored her.  

Tears?

Cry or don’t, it didn’t matter to me.  

But one thought came to mind in this situation.  

“Hmm… is this it? Heh heh. Salmore, the Plague Legion Commander, invented a remarkable potion. The Demon Transformation Potion. It gradually turns humans into demons, making them serve the great Demon King Ingram. Of course, it’s still experimental, but if perfected, turning all humans on the continent into the Demon King’s Legion won’t be a dream.”  

Salmore, the Plague Legion Commander.  

The tactician of the Demon King’s Legion not only dreamed of ruling the continent but boldly planned to demonize every human.  

But his plan was never realized.  

Because of me, the Demon King’s Legion was disbanded after that incident.  

Now, it was a memory buried in the past, a memory I didn’t want to recall.  

But I had no choice but to remember.  

Ha Yeon Lee had awakened the Succubus trait by drinking the Awakening Potion.  

Judging from what she said (though it was probably mixed with lies), a conscious Succubus was eating away at her mind.  

She was maintaining her humanity for now, but if the Succubus inside gained control, she would no longer be called human—reborn as a demon.  

It was an inevitable reminder of Salmore’s plan to demonize humanity.  

At that moment, a thought flashed through my mind.  

‘What if someone disguised the Demon Transformation Potion as an Awakening Potion?’  

Recently, forced Awakening through potions was becoming popular rather than natural Awakening.  

Of course, not every Awakening Potion was a Demon Transformation Potion (if all of them were, the world would already be conquered by demons).  

But even if only some were, it was an extremely dangerous situation.  

Earth?  

A threat to humanity?  

No.  

It was a matter related to my own safety.  

“I curse you.”  

Fragments of forgotten memories.  

The Demon King Ingram, holding a blond handsome man, shed tears of blood as he glared at me.  

“I will never forgive you for breaking the cycle.”  

It was a despair from the Demon King I had never seen before.  

The downfall of the most perfect existence, one I once believed to be greater than Taesan.  

The Demon King held a deep grudge against me.  

Naturally, to his Demon King’s Legion, I was an enemy as well.  

But now, a potion appeared that could demonize humans.  

‘Perhaps demons are behind this.’  

The demon clan of the Gritia Continent in modern times?  

It might sound delusional, but not at all.  

Along with the upheaval, a strange tower was built in modern times.  

Moreover, I had traveled to the Gritia Continent through dimensional travel.  

Someone might think it’s ridiculous to hear this.  

But it meant that demons from the Gritia Continent appearing in modern times was nothing strange.  

‘I need to investigate.’  

A threat that could disrupt my comfortable life, right before my revenge.  

I definitely needed to investigate the Awakening Potion Ha Yeon Lee had taken.  

Of course, before that—  

“Waaah, Oppa…”  

This woman, squeezing out crocodile tears nonstop, needed to be dealt with first.  

“Haa.”  

Perhaps because I called her name.  

“Ugh!”  

She looked up at me with watery eyes.  

The same attitude as before, confident I would forgive her.  

It was already making me sick.  

“When a person commits a crime, it’s only natural they pay the price.”  

“What… what do you mean? What crime did I commit… Kyaah!”  

Once again, I grabbed her throat.  

This wasn’t just to cause pain.    

The purple energy, which should have been inside her, escaped as the Succubus source was pulled out.  

“Swoosh.”  

It was absorbed into my skin.  

Demonic energy absorption.  

The demon clan strictly follows the law of the strong devouring the weak.  

Therefore, in emergencies, high-ranking demons absorb the energy of lower-ranking demons.  

I was the Undying Legion Commander.  

One of the six highest-ranking demon legion commanders under the Demon King.  

Absorbing the demonic energy of a Succubus was only natural.  

“Squirm.”  

The demonic energy inside me squirmed.  

As if cheering, craving even more demonic energy.  

‘Demonic energy is like human greed.’  

An endless source of desire that constantly seeks stronger power.  

That’s why it’s dangerous.  

If I’m not careful, I could be consumed by the demonic energy and become a monster that pursues slaughter.  

Of course, it was still too weak to eat away at my mind right now.  

“Kyahhh!”  

The demonic energy inside screamed in agony as the Succubus source was forcibly taken.  

In the blink of an eye.  

“Ahh…”  

Ha Yeon Lee’s eyes rolled back, losing strength.  

Looking at her like that, I said,  “You used your power to drag me and countless others into the abyss.”  

Shinhwa Guild’s Chulwoo Shin.  

Oni Guild’s Ikeda Kaito.  

From the Observation Ticket, it was highly likely the next would be Lu Hong.  

That’s why I took her power away.  

Now, Ha Yeon Lee was no longer the world’s greatest Supporter but just a plain, utterly ordinary Ha Yeon Lee, beautiful only in face.  

When you have nothing, you don’t know what you’re lacking.  

But when you have a lot and then lose it, the emptiness and despair multiply.  

“My, my power… my power! Aaaagh!”  

Just like Ha Yeon Lee screaming in despair now.  

But my revenge was far from over.  

I summoned the thunder energy infused with lightning and brought it to her face.  

“Chiiiiiik!”  

The smell of burning protein filled the air from the sparks that scorched her flesh.  

“Guaaaah!”  

The sound that erupted wasn’t a scream but the howl of a beast.  

Of course.  

Her flesh burned and melted under the thunder’s energy.  

Beneath the red skin was exposed, protruding eyeballs, and a once pretty face had become a horrifying sight even in nightmares.  

“I always said it. That pretty face of yours was your weapon.”  

I took away her most precious treasure, her cherished face.  

“Swish!”  

I cut off her sly, snake-like tongue—the very tongue that had deceived so many.    

“Ugh!”  

“Thud, thud!”  

I severed the nerves in her wrists and ankles.  

Not just cut, but infused with lightning energy to destroy even the cells.  

No modern medicine or healing trait could restore her severed nerves.  

“I hope you enjoyed the gift I gave you.”  

She, broken beyond repair, stared at me.  

“Ugh, ugh…”  

Eyes filled with hatred and resentment.  

Wasn’t it amusing?  

Until just recently (at least in modern time), it was me who looked at her with such intense emotions.  

Now, the roles were reversed.  

And that was truly delightful.  

Seeing her crawling like a worm, drowning in despair, gave me tremendous pleasure and energy.  

I watched her for a long time.  

Like I used to when I had lost everything, I thoroughly enjoyed watching her flail helplessly.  

“Well then……let’s end this tiresome grudge.”  

Having enjoyed it enough, it was time to end this.  

The end of revenge.  

It inevitably meant death.  

“Ughhh…”  

Perhaps sensing the end, she crawled like a worm and grabbed my pant leg.  

“Ugh, ugh, ughhh!”  

Struggling desperately to live, I watched her for a moment.  

“Swish!”  

I cut her throat.  

“Thunk, tumble—  “

Her head fell from her body and rolled on the ground.  

Her eyes, still filled with resentment and hatred, were irritating.  

“Smack!”  

I stepped on her head and crushed it.  

Ha Yeon Lee’s death.  

That completed the conditions for a successful invasion.  

And then.  

[Kim Si-won of the Republic of Korea has successfully invaded floor 65 of China and seized the rewards.]  

[Achieved an amazing feat of invading the Union Floor alone.]  

[As the first to succeed in the invasion, rewards have increased by one tier. Difficulty changed from Hard to Very Hard.]  

[As the first to succeed in the invasion, rewards have doubled.]  

All of this meant rewards were granted.  

Moreover, due to the first achievement, the Very Hard difficulty was applied, and rewards doubled.  

[In honor of the first achievement, “Pack for the Knight on the Path to the Pinnacle” is granted.]  

[In honor of the first achievement, “Demon King Legion Commander’s Package” is granted.]  

And the doubled rewards meant I unexpectedly received two packages.