Of course, the village plunged into chaos because of Kulran’s scheming.
The villagers, already mentally cornered from the frequent monster attacks, could no longer think rationally.
The message they had to first suspect someone must have felt like a divine revelation to them.
“Who among us is the Demon’s Follower, anyway!”
Underground in the village.
Normally, this place would have been the only refuge from the demons pouring into the village.
Here, however, a so-called meeting disguised as idle talk was underway.
Who was the demon’s follower? Which bastard had been manipulating us all this time?
That simple proposition took root in the hearts of the villagers.
No, it tried to take root.
“Why are you all acting like this? Don’t you all know that everyone here was born and raised in this very place?”
The Village Chief slammed the table and shouted.
They had all shared life and death together.
They remembered each other’s childhoods.
The bond forged by time could not be broken by a single message.
In the end, suspicion could only be a seed—it did not blossom among them.
Their doubt of one another stopped there.
Bang!
“Fine then. Let’s assume there is no one among us. So who exactly is left?”
A man sitting before the Village Chief asked in return.
A brief silence followed.
The villagers chose unity over suspicion.
That did not mean the incidents vanished, nor did the emotions stirred by the message dissipate.
If anything, those remaining emotions needed an outlet.
They needed a target for their suspicion.
For example, those who had appeared here today.
People’s gazes instantly fixed on Taehoo and his group.
Though not openly shown, clear hostility was present.
[Huh, these guys were heroes until now, and now look at them switching sides so easily?]
Ba’al said in disbelief.
Tension seeped into the gap between the two groups.
No one dared open their mouth first.
They had all witnessed the five’s martial prowess with their own eyes.
Even if there was suspicion, no one was in a position to voice it easily.
A single wrong word could cost them their lives.
[They haven’t said it out loud, but they already see us as their puppets, don’t they? Did they learn morals by stomping on them?]
A demon talking about morals—of course, the situation was absurd enough to warrant that.
While Ba’al’s frustration was understandable, there was also a sense of inevitability.
No matter how long they had withstood the Demonic Tribe’s attacks, they were fundamentally simple country folk.
It was almost strange if they could hide their collective feelings.
“If it weren’t for the Quest, we could just suppress them by force… but now is not the time.
Using force without just cause would only make clearing the Quest harder.”
“Are these bastards seriously doubting us now?”
The silence broke.
Jiho couldn’t hold back and blurted it out.
He was the kind who acted before thinking, and it was surprising he had held back so long.
“D-Don’t, Young Master!”
The Twins of the Joo Family stepped in to stop Jiho.
Seongcheol raised his hand belatedly to stop Jiho as well.
Though he could have stopped him before the twins did, Seongcheol had chosen not to.
Taehoo noticed that moment immediately.
‘Im Seongcheol… doesn’t intend to return alive.’
If players fail the Quest given in the Dungeon, they cannot come back alive.
If Jiho’s strike had been just a fraction faster, Taehoo’s party could have been in an irreversible situation.
Yet the one who knew Jiho’s personality best was slower to react than the twins.
Of course, had the twins not reacted, Taehoo would have stopped Jiho himself, but this confirmed Jiho’s true intent.
Seongcheol was willing to sacrifice his life here to deal with the two brothers.
Taehoo watched silently, sharpening his resolve.
“Let go of me, brother! These bastards don’t even recognize the ones who saved them and are doubting us!”
Blocked by Seongcheol, Jiho was ready to charge at the villagers immediately.
With his boar-like fury, the villagers were too tense to make any move.
“I didn’t mean it like that! This is disrespectful to Kalian, the hero sent for us! Didn’t you see them saving us just now!”
The Village Chief was the one to mediate the explosive tension.
“We apologize. It’s our first time facing such things, and we were all quite flustered. Please forgive us kindly.”
The chief bowed deeply, offering a sincere apology.
“Ch-Chief…”
Only after the chief bowed did the villagers realize the situation.
“We… we apologize. We were reckless.”
As the villagers bowed in unison, the atmosphere that had been on the verge of collapse somewhat calmed.
Jiho eventually couldn’t suppress his anger and stormed out.
“Jiho!”
Seongcheol tried to follow, but Taehoo stopped him once and met eyes with the others before stepping out after Jiho.
The cold night air greeted Taehoo as he emerged.
The painfully bright moonlight illuminated the ruined village.
There were more destroyed or broken houses than intact ones.
Taehoo walked through the village, where the marks of the invasion remained untouched.
‘Only destruction is visible; there’s not a single demon corpse to be found.’
Thanks to the Dungeon system.
‘Seeing this makes it all the more real that this is a fabricated world.’
It was obvious where Jiho would be.
Since he had just run off, it was better to give him some time to think before rushing after him.
Besides, Taehoo had matters to settle first.
The battle earlier.
The sudden appearance of the Demon Ten Captain Kulran, triggered by a change in the Quest’s conditions.
‘It was said to be the Archdemon’s aura…’
Originally, the wave should have ended once the monsters were blocked or the boss defeated.
But with the message that the Archdemon’s aura had been sensed, the Quest changed.
[That’s probably because of the energy contained within your sword.]
Ba’al seemed to have read Taehoo’s thoughts and replied immediately.
His voice carried the weight of one who had pondered the matter deeply.
‘Energy contained in my sword?’
[The Black and White Aura you use is a mixture, half Sword God’s power and half mine. It exists only in aura form, but the source of that power doesn’t go anywhere. Probably, those guys were drawn to that.]
Thinking along with Ba’al’s explanation, it made sense.
But there was a concern.
‘If that’s the cause, does that mean every time I enter a Dungeon, this will repeat?’
[No, I don’t think so. This place has seen constant demon invasions for a long time. Since the Gate opened, this space must have grown closer to Hell. This is probably a phenomenon unique to here. That’s why my demonic energy is acting up too.]
There was definitely a sensation that the demonic energy stood out more than usual, compared to the normally balanced sword power.
Whatever the case, the conclusion was that Ba’al was the root of all this commotion.
Taehoo did not blame him but couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.
If it were simply a matter of being drawn to the power, he couldn’t understand Kulran’s actions that had stirred up the conflict.
‘I must be missing something. Something… Ah!’
A sudden realization struck Taehoo’s head.
‘That guy definitely told me to verify my qualifications. Could resolving this disturbance be what that verification means?’
It was unclear what the verification was for, but the theory was rational enough.
‘Ba’al, any insights on this?’
[…I can’t give a definite answer on that yet.]
There were clues, but Ba’al couldn’t disclose them for now.
His words carried that implication.
‘There must be a reason.’
It probably wasn’t something harmful to Taehoo.
At least, he trusted that much.
Though the feeling of discomfort lingered, Taehoo decided to wait.
‘Let’s leave this issue here for now…’
Putting demon matters aside for the moment, Taehoo checked the Quest Window.
‘Grandfather’s true Coming-of-Age Ceremony…’
[The True Meaning of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony Namjin Speaks Of]
Description – The Nam Clan’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony proves that a family member can carry their role as an adult. However, Namjin says your Coming-of-Age Ceremony is a proof for yourself, not the family! It asks whether you, before being a disciple, can fully fulfill your duties as an adult! Thus, Namjin has given you a special Quest. He wants you to bring back the Horn of the Demonic Tribe from a Dungeon with increased difficulty!
Reward – Namjin’s skill.
Taehoo was naturally surprised.
‘So he already knew the Dungeon’s difficulty would rise.’
No way would such a Quest be given otherwise.
‘This might indeed be connected to the Sword God.’
Recalling again the possible connection to the Sword God.
‘Is this everything the text says?’
Surely there was more hidden. Taehoo’s intuition told him so.
‘Could it be that Namjin knows about Ba’al?’
That thought pierced Taehoo’s spine.
[No, that’s too far-fetched.]
Yes, that was an impossible idea.
Even if there were ways to discover Ba’al’s existence, if Namjin knew, he would never have shown Taehoo any favor.
The past hundred years of history proved how cold Namjin had been to those who served evil constellations.
‘I really can’t tell.’
A vast question mark settled in Taehoo’s mind.
‘If there’s something being hidden, I’ll find out.’
For that, clearing the Dungeon was the priority.
[Great God Kalian, Their Hero]
Description – Here lies a village pushed to the brink of destruction by monster invasions. The villagers prayed with all their hope to their god, Kalian. They begged for salvation. At that moment, you appeared before their eyes! To the remaining villagers, you are the heroes of the gods! Save them from the calamity of the monsters rushing in!
Clear Condition – Be recognized by the villagers as their hero and repel the final wave!
Special Notes – The village is peculiarly located close to Hell! The demons sensed the Archdemon’s aura and swarmed! The boss’s difficulty has increased!
Reward – ??? ???
Unlike when first entered, new entries had appeared.
The reward had an additional item.
‘It’s a given that increasingly powerful demons will appear.’
But an even more pressing matter remained.
‘Im Seongcheol… how will he exploit this situation?’
A man willing to sacrifice his life to bury Jiho and Taehoo here.
If Taehoo were Seongcheol, how would he use this scenario?
People were shaken, and he, the one who should step up and calm them, was merely watching.
Seongcheol would surely see Taehoo as lost.
Then,
‘He’ll try to shake the villagers and ruin this Quest. He’s already prepared to die. Nothing to lose.’
[Do you really think he’d move like that?]
Ba’al’s question.
But Taehoo was certain.
Seongcheol must have known he couldn’t defeat Taehoo by force anymore.
That left clearing the Dungeon as Seongcheol’s only hope, so moving the villagers was essential.
Therefore,
‘He will definitely make contact with the villagers!’
Taehoo predicted his opponent’s moves with a short thought circuit.
Then, what cards did Taehoo have in hand to use in this situation?
Jiho and the twins.
And among them,
‘The twins.’
A useful card.
Their unusual background.
Taehoo planned to make use of it.
With his thoughts roughly settled, Taehoo’s footsteps led him to the watchtower.
Jiho was already standing at the top.
‘Of course you’re here.’
The day they buried the dog together.
Since then, Taehoo had a rough understanding of Jiho.
Jiho seemed to be killing his anger, his eyes fixed only on the distant scenery.
“You’re here? You know I came, so why don’t you just come down, brother?”
Taehoo casually threw out words as if unaware.
‘There was one more thing I realized that day.’
That the kid was more tender-hearted than expected.
“You could have just come up.”
A curt reply returned.
Taehoo smiled faintly, pushed off the ground, and swiftly climbed to the top.
There was just enough space for two people to stand.
“S-sorry. I shouldn’t have done that…”
Jiho immediately started with an apology when Taehoo arrived.
That he apologized first stirred strange emotions in Taehoo.
“It’s fine.”
Taehoo waved his arm.
He hadn’t forgotten his past life.
Having seen a few decent sides of him didn’t mean he would let things slide lightly.
‘I don’t want to see him get stabbed in the back and die a miserable death without knowing why.’
That was Taehoo’s honest feeling.
He would solve this matter himself for now.
And if anyone would be hurt the most during this, it would be Jiho.
‘Since I helped you ask, I might as well do some charity this once.’
Taehoo rested his hands on the watchtower railing and shifted his gaze to the scenery.
“Remember that dog meat back then?”
For Jiho, it was an unforgettable memory.
Even now, Jiho climbed the hill behind the village at least once a year.
“By your expression, you haven’t forgotten.”
Taehoo glanced sideways at Jiho and continued.
The dogs back in childhood had been Jiho’s irreplaceable family.
After a brief silence, Taehoo spoke again.
“Im Seongcheol, what is he to you?”
“What? Why all of a sudden with this nonsense?”
Suddenly bringing up childhood stories and asking about Seongcheol?
Jiho couldn’t follow Taehoo’s train of thought.
“I’m asking as a head hunter. Just tell me.”
Taehoo cut off Jiho’s retort before he could speak.
It was a forced question, but necessary to know whether what Taehoo was going to say next was needed.
“It must be important for the mission, right?”
“Yeah.”
“A presence more precious than family. The only person I can truly trust in this family.”
His answer came without hesitation.
Yeah, that made sense.
Taehoo swallowed the words inside.
Family.
The Nam Clan was a jungle.
The word family was not even a fitting word for the Nam Clan.
He knew that better than anyone.
‘So he had to lean on someone.’
It was unavoidable in a child’s heart.
The dogs raised under Namjin’s intentions in childhood.
And Seongcheol, attached by Jiuk.
Both were more precious than family to Jiho.
The family had given them to Jiho, and the family was also the one that could take them away.
The weaker you are, the easier you get hurt. The softer you are, the more you get stabbed in the back.
Losing something in between happens in an instant.
That was what Namjin had taught them that day.
Because such things happened repeatedly in this world, Taehoo did not deny that method of education.
But at this rate, Jiho would never be able to trust anyone in the future.
‘Just like my past life…’
“Im Seongcheol is a spy the eldest attached to you.”
Don’t forget that lesson.
It was what Taehoo could tell Jiho now.