Episode 42: The Demonic humans (6)
Sung Siwoo is dead.
‘Ah.’
I want to ask myself from ten years ago.
‘Can you kill the evil god without the protagonist?’
That version of me would probably tell me to go screw myself.
In the end, my decade-long plan has crumbled to nothing.
The protagonist couldn’t withstand demonic human’s temptation and corruption.
If there had been even a glimmer of hope, I would have saved him somehow.
But even the system has been destroyed.
What that means is simple: he can no longer be considered human.
I took a deep breath.
There’s one thing that bothers me—
‘It’s too fast.’
Normally, when corruption begins, it takes months of internal struggle before full demonic transformation occurs.
Only when the right moment arrives does the transformation into a demonic human take place.
But look at that severed purple arm on the ground—the transformation began at the same time as the corruption.
This implies two things.
This could mean two things.
First, he might have failed to resist because he had too little mana to fight back.
But Sung Siwoo, despite lacking talent and everything else, at least had an abundance of mana. So that’s unlikely.
Second… it could mean that the evil god took a particular liking to him.
Usually, evil gods don’t emerge from behind the veil. Not unless something interesting happens.
But it intervened, even destroying the system?
This is… somewhat unusual.
“What on earth…”
The Paladin exclaimed.
I was also exclaiming at the same time.
“It was in the early stages of corruption. Legally, this is no different from killing a person.
Of course, we were aware of the severity, but if we didn’t receive definitive test results confirming that it was irreversible, we might not have been able to avoid execution…”
The Paladin's expression was filled with concern. She wasn’t blaming me for killing Sung Siwoo.
She seemed worried that my judgment might lead to repercussions.
It seemed best to prove that there was no other way.
I just wanted to lie down, but in the end, I got up from my seat.
However, Cheon Yeoul, standing behind the Paladin, was a step ahead.
She approached Sung Siwoo’s corpse.
She reached out her hand.
But as if reluctant to touch something dirty, she twisted her fingers as she approached—
Finally, just before fully touching it, she stopped her hand.
A blue energy slowly flowed from her hand.
Cheon Yeoul slightly closed her eyes.
Then, she quietly nodded.
“…I see.”
She turned to the Paladin and continued.
“It’s too late. The inside is already tainted. Very much so.”
The Paladin’s face hardened.
“It seems it was already too late to reverse. Haein’s judgment was correct.”
Cheon Yeoul slightly raised the corner of her mouth as she looked at the Paladin, not showing any hint of our personal relationship.
At her words, the Paladin bowed her head in agreement. She wouldn’t argue with the Saintess’s opinion.
It was, after all, the truth.
“Besides… it seems a fairly high-ranking demon was involved. This could have been dangerous.”
At that moment, Kang Arin, standing on the opposite side, took a few steps forward.
She glanced down at Sung Siwoo’s corpse, then looked up and spoke to Cheon Yeoul.
“So, Haein accurately assessed the Church’s slow and hesitant approach and eliminated the threat before it became a problem?”
Instantly, the Paladin’s shoulders twitched.
Kang Arin, with her arms crossed and one hand propping her chin, added,
“In that case… shouldn’t he be rewarded rather than punished?”
The saints behind Cheon Yeoul showed signs of discomfort.
But Cheon Yeoul herself smiled at Kang Arin’s words.
Cheon Yeoul turned her gaze to Jung Haein.
“That’s right…”
She tilted her head slightly and raised the corner of her mouth.
“We almost tarnished the church’s reputation. It would be appropriate for our church to reward him. Don’t you think?”
She smiled gently at the Paladin as she spoke.
At that moment, I intervened.
“Let’s discuss that later.”
I pointed to the corpse on the ground.
“First, we need to burn that body. With the church’s holy fire, until not a single strand remains.”
Holy fire.
The sacred flame of the church that burns away the existence of Demonic human from its very roots.
It’s not as powerful as a fragment, nor is it meant for combat, but its ability to purify the corrupted is certain.
Until that’s done completely, it’s too early to relax.
Because you can never predict what those Demonic human creatures will do.
The Paladin nodded.
“Of course. The church’s high priest will personally oversee the procedure…”
High priest…
When the church’s high priest summons the holy fire, most demonic energy disappears in those flames.
But that’s only in ‘ordinary cases.’
This case is far from ordinary corruption.
I feel a bit regretful, uneasy.
As if reading my thoughts, Cheon Yeoul spoke up.
“No, I’ll do it myself.”
The Paladin’s eyes widened. She stammered, trying to dissuade Cheon Yeoul.
“Saintess… there’s no need for that. The high priest can handle this sufficiently…”
“No.”
Cheon Yeoul was firm.
“A high-ranking demon seems to be involved. I will personally burn it with the church’s holy fire.”
She took a short breath and added,
“You know what happens when demonic energy isn’t completely eradicated, don’t you?”
At her words, the Paladin finally stepped back without a word.
I was also satisfied. If it’s Cheon Yeoul, she’ll definitely finish it properly.
At that moment, Kang Yoon-hyuk emerged from behind Kang Arin.
His mere presence seemed to dominate the entire space.
His intense aura made people unconsciously turn their gaze toward him.
He spoke.
“I just received word that the last Moras has been eliminated. Tracking the main body, however, has failed again.”
I gave a short nod.
It’s unavoidable that we lost track of Moras. Even in the original work, his hiding place wasn’t described.
He’s not someone you can catch in one go, to begin with.
Perhaps he had contacted someone, because soon, members of the Association, Gaon, and the Church arrived.
They began retrieving Sung Siwoo’s body.
“We’ll take care of it.”
A member of the church prepared a coffin infused with holy power.
To move the body, they carefully lifted Sung Siwoo’s arm.
At that moment.
—Sssssk!
A blackened mark rose up.
Smoke billowed. Like impurities burning away, the skin cracked and split.
“……”
Slowly, very slowly, Sung Siwoo’s skin crumbled away.
Even in death, demonic energy still lingered within him.
I let out a short sigh and turned my head away.
This is not the death I had anticipated.
He was someone I cared about. Someone I had high hopes for.
Watching him die…
Wasn’t something I particularly enjoyed.
***
As soon as I returned to the dorm, I lay down on the bed.
I stared blankly at the ceiling.
My mind was a mess.
The exam had been suspended.
Temporarily.
The TV I left on was broadcasting reports about today’s attack.
—One casualty… It has been confirmed that the victim died while fighting Demonic human until the end…
Objectively speaking, my preparations for this attack were successful.
The swift elimination of Medusa, the seamless transition to pursuing Moras afterward.
The fact that there was only one casualty was also a highly significant result.
But that “one” person…
“Why did it have to be you, damn it…”
I covered my head while lying down.
The person I considered most important was gone, in the most futile way.
I don’t know what to do. I even wonder if it’s my fault.
‘Was there a better way?’
‘Or should I have stayed by Sung Siwoo’s side?’
Countless thoughts swirled in my head.
Then.
—Beep
My watch chimed.
With one hand still covering my face, I quietly lifted the watch.
Although the exam was suspended, ironically, the guilds’ bids hadn’t stopped.
Videos of the students who had performed well today were endlessly being posted on the board.
This was also part of the academy’s strategy.
To divert public attention from this incident by naturally steering the conversation toward other topics.
And those clips were starting to drive up their value.
I sorted the posts by views.
The post with the highest number of views.
[4 hours ago, 3,353,211 views]
At the top was a video of me decapitating Medusa.
In the corner of the video, a figure dashed forward like lightning. The cameraman tried to quickly refocus but lost track of the subject.
After the screen shook, they finally managed to capture the scene. The cameraman hurriedly pointed the camera toward the sky.
Five clones rushed toward Medusa.
And with a single slash, her head was severed.
—Wow….
The cameraman’s awe could be heard.
The comment section was going wild.
[sdff221]: Who is this student? They’re not even on the rankings?
[Grilled Clams]: Judging by the bids coming in, this is on the level of a former hero.
[alex588]: come to America.
I checked the bid rankings.
“Huh…”
[Cheongpung Corps] → [Jung Haein] 800,000,000 KRW bid.
[Arcadia Church] → [Jung Haein] 1,000,000,000 KRW bid.
[Overlord Guild] → [Jung Haein] 1,200,000,000 KRW bid.
[Lotus Guild] → [Jung Haein] 1,500,000,000 KRW bid.
This is absolute chaos.
‘Cheongpung Corps…?’
The notorious private guard of the Yu Hana family, infamous for its secrecy.
Even they had placed a bid.
But the real shocker was—
[Vanquisher] → [Jung Haein] 5,000,000,000 KRW bid.
Crazy.
I let out a hollow laugh and sighed.
It’s a waste to just lie here like this.
I got up from the bed and went straight to my desk.
I opened my notebook and began organizing the situation.
Let’s face it.
The ten-year plan I prepared for Sung Siwoo’s rise has failed.
I can no longer rely on someone else’s blade.
In the center of the notebook, Sung Siwoo’s name was written.
Around it were names like You Hana, Kang Arin, and Cheon Yeoul.
Various opportunities and martial techniques were connected to him with arrows.
It felt like a kind of mind map.
I tapped my pen, deep in thought.
I thought about it one last time, truly the last time.
And then, I firmly gripped the pen.
I erased Sung Siwoo’s name in the center.
And in its place, I wrote a new name.
‘Jung Haein.’
I absorbed the fragment.
Realistically, I’m the only one who can fill the role Sung Siwoo was meant to take.
I tossed the pen onto the desk.
“I don’t even know anymore.”
This is probably the best decision I can make.