Chapter 341
Demons.
The appearances of the demons Cale had encountered since arriving here had been truly diverse.
Those with horns.
Those who, like Count Lupe, had pale, grayish skin.
Or those with bright red eyes.
And those, similar to beastmen, who had fur, tails, and ears.
Out of the corner of his eye.
Or like Aurora, who had skin so pale it seemed like glass, without a single imperfection.
Or those who looked human, like Cale.
—“These demons are different from what I imagined.”
Super Rock commented.
—“Rather, Count Lupe seemed like a typical demon, even a noble from the Demon World.”
Of course, Count Lupe had the appearance you’d expect from a character in the genre novels Cale had read for years.
—‘But, well—’
Wouldn’t what I’m seeing now be more natural?
I don’t know how vast the Demon World is, but it’s a world in itself.
How big could it be?
And what about its long history?
It actually makes sense that demons come in all kinds of appearances.
—‘However—’
There was one common factor.
Something that made them all feel like demons.
—“Human.”
Raon spoke seriously.
—“The energy of the Demon World is strange.”
Sssst—
A dense forest.
Over the trees or on the ground.
Only the sound of wind sweeping through the leaves and grass broke the silence of the forest.
—“It’s mana, but a bit different!”
Cale looked around.
Sssst—sss—
Those moving stealthily cut through the wind.
The demons’ movements were impressive.
—“They seem like scouts.”
As Super Rock said, their nimble movements barely made a sound.
—“Human, the mana of the Demon World is all gray. The aura is gray too!”
Raon was right.
Whooosh—
The demons that had come out to scout.
About half of them were using the power of aura or mana, and all of it was gray in color.
Cale suddenly recalled a priest under a white star.
That guy had used a gray power while worshipping.
—‘Hmm.’
Why does this gray make me feel so uncomfortable?
—“Human. But this power reminds me of the God of Chaos!”
Raon hit the nail on the head.
—‘Ah, right.’
The gray that signified the energy of the Demon World.
The more I see it, the more I think of the God of Chaos.
—“It’s different in essence.”
Of course, as Super Rock said, the essence is different.
—“But it might be hard to distinguish between a demon and a follower of the God of Chaos just by the color of their power.”
When Cheapskate spoke seriously for once, Cale thought.
—‘Wouldn’t it be good to pretend to be a follower of the God of Chaos among the demons?’
No, it would be useful for deception.
—…!
—!!!
Super Rock and Cheapskate were speechless with surprise.
—…Impressive.
Even the Glutton Priestess commented in admiration of Cale.
But only one person.
—Hehe.
The Dominating Aura gave the proper response.
—“You thought the same thing I did! Truly, you’re worthy of the power of the Dominating Aura!”
The perfect power for deception.
The pompous man spoke solemnly.
—“Anyway, we’re absorbing the saint’s power right now!”
The demons could disguise themselves as followers of the God of Chaos.
That possibility wasn’t just theoretical.
—“After the game update, if we absorb that power properly, we could play a good role as saints of the God of Chaos!”
Cale could pass as a saint of the God of Chaos.
—Kukuk.
—“Heh.”
Cale and the Dominating Aura.
Both couldn’t contain their laughter.
—Hey, human!
Raon shouted, puzzled.
—“Human, who are you planning to deceive now? That’s the expression of someone about to cause big mischief! I suddenly feel excited!”
Ignoring Raon, who was excited and confused, Cale suppressed the laughter that was trying to escape.
—‘Ah.’
Really.
—‘It’s a fun idea.’
The idea he and the Dominating Aura had come up with.
—“Exactly. Kukuk. Perhaps the saint might come looking for us himself! Kukuk!”
—‘Exactly!’
Cale was impressed by the Dominating Aura’s quick thinking.
How can he think the same as me?
He was pleased with his mindset for the first time in a long time.
—“If we disguise ourselves and act as part of the cult or followers of the God of Chaos throughout New World, after hearing the rumors, how could the real saint stay still? Kukuk!”
—‘Of course, they’ll come looking for us to see who’s imitating. Hehe.’
—“Yeah. We just have to take care of it once they show up.”
Cale finally couldn’t hold back anymore.
—“Heh.”
A short laugh escaped again.
Sssss—
As they moved stealthily, the sound of stifled laughter echoed twice.
Glance-glance.
The demons glanced at Cale.
And the crazed eyes of Choi Han and Choi Jung Soo regained a bit of normalcy.
—“Heh.”
Trying to hold back his laughter, but unable to help it, Cale’s face, still trying to laugh, was seen at that moment.
Choi Jung Soo suddenly lit up.
—‘That’s the face of Kim Rok Soo when he’s planning something big.’
Wouldn’t he be planning to kill the Demon King right now?
—‘No, we’re going for reconnaissance, not to destroy everything!’
With Choi Jung Soo worried about Choi Jung Gun and his crazed eyes, he calmed down as if splashed with cold water.
A strange air of tension took hold of Choi Jung Soo, Raon, and Aurora, who was watching, tensed up.
—‘What’s going on?’
What was Cale seeing and judging to be holding back laughter like that?
—“Cale-nim.”
At that moment, Choi Han approached Cale.
He had already confirmed there was no one but allies along their route.
—“Why?”
Cale also knew this and looked at Choi Han.
—“Have you come up with a good plan?”
Glug. Choi Jung Soo swallowed hard, and the demons running ahead and behind began to grow nervous at hearing that conversation.
Grin.
When Cale smiled, Raon shuddered.
—“Human! When you smile like that, I get too excited!”
And Cale answered Choi Han’s question.
—“Yes. If we do this right, we might deal a good blow to the back of the God of Chaos.”
Ah.
Choi Han exhaled a brief sigh and smiled warmly.
—“!”
And Aurora’s eyes shook.
The Mediators’ scouts were also the same.
Though primarily tasked with reconnaissance, being based at headquarters meant they were elite troops. They clearly knew who the enemy was, including the ancient god, the God of Chaos, thanks to Cotton.
Glug.
Aurora swallowed hard.
—“Phew.”
Choi Jung Soo was relieved.
—‘Ah, I thought he was going to do something right now.’
Choi Jung Soo felt more at ease. He asked casually.
—“How are you going to deceive them?”
Cale hadn’t said anything about deceiving, but Choi Jung Soo naturally assumed he would. And, of course, Cale answered without hesitation.
—“That’s—”
But his gaze shifted to Aurora.
—“If the demons help us a lot, it might be possible.”
If the demons acted well enough as followers of the God of Chaos, Cale thought his plan would unfold smoothly.
—‘I was already worried about how to find the saint of the God of Chaos.’
He had tried to search for the saint through the fierce Dark Bear or Count Lupe and the AI, but that process wouldn’t be easy.
—‘The problem wasn’t difficulty, but time.’
That’s why he had estimated a few months, but given Choi Jung Gun’s condition, he had to solve it as quickly as possible.
—“We’ll have to overturn the cult of the God of Chaos.”
Cale spoke calmly and smiled again toward Aurora. The Mediators. Scattered all over the world, they’d surely perform well, right? At least better than Choi Han.
“Will you help us? I trust you.”
It’s not a difficult matter. Cale made this comment casually, as if joking. This wasn’t the time for deep conversation.
“…"
Aurora swallowed nervously.
“Are we talking about shaking up the cult of the God of Chaos?”
Would we need help from the demons?
“How big is the battle he’s planning?”
Aurora could barely imagine the scope of Cale’s plans but nodded with a serious face. All the members of the Mediator were already committed to a common cause.
“Yes. We will do whatever is necessary to stop those who caused this chaos.”
“That’s comforting to hear.”
Cale was clearly pleased. And on the faces of Aurora and the other members, a firmer tension was drawn. However, Cale believed the reason for their tension was something else.
“Human!”
Raon
shouted, and Choi Han quickly positioned himself in front of Cale.
Whooosh—
The whirlwind that had been swirling around Cale’s ankle began to dissipate.
“It's the enemy!”
A faint dark aura surrounded Cale, forming a shield. Cale understood the concerns behind the shield and remained silent.
At the edge of the forest, a not-too-steep cliff could be seen. Beyond the cliff lay a basin-shaped village. With a river running through it and hills or mountains on all sides, it was a mountain village.
“It’s quite large.”
The village, home to dozens of families, was under attack by the Demon King’s army.
“Human, they’re all wearing similar uniforms!”
The army, clad in sleek black armor or clothing made from dark materials, bore the silhouette of a horned human face at their hearts.
Boom!
The sound of an explosion echoed.
“Human! These humans—no, demons—are being captured!”
Though the sound was too distant to hear clearly, it was evident that the Demon King’s army was capturing the village's inhabitants in various locations. Demons could be seen shouting. Cale’s expression hardened. Meanwhile, Aurora was observing Raon.
“As expected.”
He admired how Raon could freely manipulate the mana of the Demon World, not just in gray tones but in his own unique color. Knowing that this wasn’t easy—and that for some, it would be impossible—Aurora decided she needed to evaluate Cale’s group more carefully before proceeding. But now wasn’t the time for those thoughts.
“It doesn’t seem like our base has been discovered.”
Everyone confirmed Aurora’s comment with silence. They had arrived stealthily, fearing that the enemy might enter the forest and find them.
Approximately two hundred members of the Demon King’s army seemed excessive for a village of that size.
They were capturing only the villagers.
Boom! Bang!
Despite the explosions and flames in various parts of the village, none of the villagers were killed. They were simply being captured, both young and old alike. In this remote, basin-enclosed area, whatever happened in the village would hardly spread beyond.
“Everyone must be thinking the same thing.”
Aurora’s expression grew stern.
“The Demon King’s army’s target is the villagers.”
Several villages had disappeared before. The incidents of disappearances, which had been quiet for a while, were now happening again.
“Captain!”
One of the scouts, holding a telescope, pointed to a place. Though the face couldn’t be seen clearly, there was someone there.
“There, it’s the Flame Demon.”
“!”
Aurora’s eyes widened. The Flame Demon was one of the strongest in the Demon King’s army, a loyal servant of the current Demon King, known for doing anything for his master.
“…This is serious.”
And he was incredibly powerful. Aurora’s expression grew grim.
“Then all of them must be subordinates of the Flame Demon.”
Known derisively as the Demon King’s fanatics, those were the ones present now.
“Captain, what are we going to do?”
An assistant who had arrived with the scout spoke cautiously. Aurora didn’t hesitate to respond.
“We’re going to save them.”
The assistant, as if already knowing she would make that decision, immediately replied.
“I’d like to go save them right now. But if even one of them escapes the village, what will happen?”
The Demon King’s army, with around two hundred soldiers, was over-equipped for such an isolated village.
If even one escaped…
“Our base will be discovered.”
Aurora clenched her eyes shut. Moving again, setting up another hideout, and erasing their tracks would be enormously difficult and troublesome. Additionally, it would delay their fight against the current Demon King. But when she opened her eyes, her gaze was resolute.
“Even so, we must save them. Are we just going to leave them like this?”
Her voice was cold, without a trace of warmth, but firm because of it.
“Phew.”
The assistant sighed and stepped back.
“You’re right. We can’t leave them like this.”
She signaled to the fastest scout.
“Go, report back, and bring more troops.”
There were only about ten of them here. How could they face two hundred? Moreover, they had to rescue the villagers.
It wasn’t an easy task.
The assistant wasted no time in giving orders. Aurora, seeing this, placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.
Boom! Boom!
Another explosion echoed. Some houses collapsed, and the villagers ran in panic. Their food stores were being destroyed, and terrified faces could be seen, bodies trembling with fear.
Aurora spoke calmly.
“They’re looking this way.”
The Flame Demon, in the center of the chaos.
Sitting calmly on a bench in the middle of the village, reading a book, he closed it and looked in their direction.
The distance was great.
They couldn’t see each other’s faces. But both knew how to recognize the approach of an enemy. Now was the time for Aurora to fight.
Sssshk.
The sound of a sword being drawn resonated.
“!”
Aurora stopped. She felt a violent energy. She quickly turned.
Choi Han was smiling serenely, sword in hand.
Harris Village, next to the Forest of Darkness. The place where everyone had been killed by ‘the shadow.’
After everyone had died and he had entered the village, he learned everything. For him, the scene unfolding now was unbearable.
“Hmmm.”
Scratching his cheek, Cale moved forward. He spoke to Aurora.
"First, we have to save the villagers. And we must make sure the Mediators aren’t exposed because of that Flame Demon or anything else. Those are the two most important issues right now, right?"
“…That, that’s true?”
Aurora stammered her response. Choi Han. Choi Jung Soo. Raon. The expressions on the faces behind Cale didn’t look good.
“I’m angry!”
The mana around Raon stirred.
“Haha! Seriously, haha!”
The desperate Choi Jung Soo laughed with fierce eyes. There was no need to say anything about Choi Han. With all of them behind him, Cale spoke to Aurora.
“Then we’ll take the initiative.”
His tone was soft and friendly. Speaking kindly, Cale pulled something out of his storage bag.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
A pile of black objects fell to the ground. They were night camouflage suits. Being cautious, Cale had enough camouflage suits and pointed towards them, saying:
“First, put this on and follow us slowly. Let’s see how things go.”
With a light gesture of his hand, Cale looked at Choi Han, who was staring at him.
“Shall we go?”
With that question, Cale responded lightly.
“Yes.”
At that moment, Choi Han jumped down the cliff towards the village below.
Whooosh—!
And black mana wrapped around him as Raon gave him a boost with the wind. Riding that wind, Choi Han reached his destination.
Boom!
A heavy sound, different from an explosion, resounded. In the center of the village, Choi Han looked ahead.
“Who are you?”
The Flame Demon, who had a book in hand, asked that question as Choi Han responded with a furious dark aura emanating from his sword.
