The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family – Chapter 35
Meanwhile, somewhere in the mountains of Gangwon Province.
The 3-level Gate where the Galgwi Hand Orc Village resides.
This had become the crime scene of the recent infamous villain incident. For several days now, police forces had been tightly stationed here, leaving no room for error.
“Hell, can’t you just listen for a minute? We’ve retrieved the bodies, documented the crime scene, and secured evidence. Inspector, what else can we possibly find here? Eh? Hell, there’s nothing else left to uncover… Wait! Inspector! Big Brother! sh*t!!”
Doot doot doot…
Officer Park stared blankly at his phone.
Behind him, a man with a seemingly gentle demeanor approached.
“Chulsoo.”
“…Are we going in again?”
“Want to strip down with me and open up a fried chicken shop instead? My sister runs a very successful pork ribs restaurant in Suwon. If we use her marinade for fried chicken, we’d hit the jackpot.”
“Not for me. I still haven’t paid off my housing loan.”
“d*mn! Who said we’re the people’s pillar when we’re nothing but slaves to the banks?”
“Hurry up and go already. If we delay any longer, we’ll have to work overtime.”
Ultimately, the two of them entered the scene for another investigation. They approached the entrance of the Blue Gate.
“Huh… Chulsoo, I don’t have the motivation for this. Got a light?”
“Here.”
“Phew~ Honestly, there’s nothing left to find here.”
“Exactly. With both the ‘Management Bureau’ and ‘Executive Department’ already thoroughly searching, there’s nothing left.”
“That’s right! Yet, the higher-ups ordered us to dig deeper. It could possibly involve the Evolutionary Group.”
“Evolutionary Group? You mean that Evolutionary Group?”
At present, humanity is inferior. To prevent humanity from causing the end of the world, it must succeed in ‘Evolution’. This is the only answer and truth.
Under this banner, the villainous organization known as the Evolutionary Group has been conducting heinous human experiments.
“Whether it’s Evolutionary Group or Public Evolutionary Group. Either way, because of them, we are stuck continuing these field investigations day after day. Today, tomorrow, and the day after. Forget about leaving work on time; we’re doomed.”
“Why did the Evolutionary Group suddenly… No, let me rephrase that. Seriously, Senior, the Evolutionary Group is considered a major force. One of the world’s top three villain organizations. Why would they bother coming to such a remote place?”
“Don’t know. If I did, I wouldn’t be trapped here twiddling my thumbs.”
Officer Park lit another cigarette with the one he was smoking and continued talking.
“Nonetheless, one thing’s certain: we’ll keep doing this for a while. So, what do I have to say to you at this point?”
“Something about lying low for a while?”
“Exactly, Chulsoo. Common names, exceptional insight. Find a place to rest and come back. Don’t go too far in. We don’t want to accidentally get tangled with the combat support squad.”
“Yes sir, understood. I’ll go rest.”
“Good.”
Waving his hand overhead, Officer Park disappeared into the forest.
When his presence finally faded completely, the eyes of his junior officer changed.
“…”
Racing toward the location indicated by the watch on his wrist. Stealth, stealth above all.
He had been unable to move actively for the past three days in fear of being discovered.
“…Found it.”
What he held was a pebble.
An ordinary-looking pebble one might find anywhere, but in reality, it was a ‘Message Stone’ made of dark dimensional mana, exclusive to Dark Sorcerers.
The man quietly tucked the stone into his coat and turned to leave.
…
…
– Currently, the number 7 work area is under attack by an unidentified entity. The identity of the attacker remains unknown, as does whether it’s an individual or a group. Carnivorous Trees, a total of five. Three of them are equivalent to a Level 4 monster…
…However, given the extent of the necrosis around the summoners’ marks, we can determine that these Carnivorous Trees were not merely dismissed; they were utterly destroyed. Based on this, the attacker is presumed to be either a Priest capable of ‘anti-magic’ or a Shadow Dimension mana-wielder: a Dark Sorcerer. I’m leaning toward the latter.
…Should you ‘recover’ this message, I am likely already dead. It saddens me that I have not fulfilled my mission. Evolution must continue forever.
Evolution is the only answer.
…
…
…
*
Not long after the villain incident.
Park Ki-hyuk, who had been going back and forth between Hanbit Orphanage and the Academy, finally had another reason to visit the Gates just as his interest began to wane.
Gathering the spirit stones necessary for the “Spirits and Resonance” course.
It was a mission assigned by the dean.
If completed, it would grant an A grade for the “Spirits and Resonance” subject, making it quite a lucrative job for these three students who weren’t involved with spirits in the first place.
So, Park Ki-hyuk and Team 20 went to the Level 3 Gate, the “Dolsan Orc Tribe,” to collect the spirit stones.
“Guys, why so reckless? Ki-hyuk, take over. Grab the shield!”
“Hoochwa! Just cast a spell and catch a breather. Jun-woo, I’ll cover.”
“I’ll handle the attack. Got it.”
Orcs of Dolsan, dressed in full stone armor.
Their defense was tough, but their ability to naturally move despite being covered in stone was even more problematic. However, to the experienced Team 20, they were just another tough version of Orcs.
Rather, this was a good opportunity to practice the triangle formation using rotation between Ki-hyuk, Merhem, and Han Jun-woo: the trio known as the “all-rounders.”
Mission accomplished with ease.
The next task came from the club Yggdrasil, which had no bearing on the academy scores.
The mission was to clear a newly spawned Purple Gate near the Academy.
Park Ki-huik and Team 20, without even taking a day’s rest, headed out again towards the gate.
And the one greeting Team 20 was the Saw Blade Orc.
An Orc wielding a sword resembling a saw.
“Jun-woo, been over 10 minutes. Take a break. Mary, take over as the tank.”
“Be careful. Their sword skills, while amateurish, are still a threat.”
“Just block them outright. Activation of ‘Regeneration Shield’!”
“Well, if that’s the case, then I will too. CRY, SAW SWORD!!”
“Hm… Playing with kids a lot lately, aren’t you? Getting soft.”
Due to the nature of the Purple Gate, the mission wouldn’t be completed until the boss was defeated.
Thus, even though it was only Level 2, it took longer than the Level 3 mission.
But that’s about it. Other than the extra time, it wasn’t a big deal.
To the current Team 20, the Orc armed with a terrifying saw and the boss triple the size of regular Orcs weren’t any significant threat.
After reporting the clearance to the Academy, Park Ki-hyuk and his team were immediately handed a new assignment.
Retrieve “Black Steel,” the material needed for their sword training drills.
The joke was that the lowest level Gate where they could obtain Black Steel was the one called ‘Shadow Wailing Mountain,’ where the Black Spike Orcs appeared.
“Urgh~ I absolutely hate it. That shriek from those Orcs! It’s driving me insane!”
“Another Orc mission?”
“THIS IS CONSPIRACY! They’re targeting us! How does it keep being Orcs?!”
“Surely… it must be coincidence. Wasn’t the previous job from Yggdrasil anyway?”
“Urgh~ Jun-woo, you’re clueless? How can coincidence happen four times in a row? It’s all connected! Everyone must hate us! Ki-hyuk!! What do you have to say about this?”
“…Should I carry you?”
“What? I didn’t mean it, but go ahead, try carrying me.”
“d*mn it, Dean. Are you seeking revenge this way? We’ll see about that.”
Galgwi Hand Orcs, Dolsan Orcs, Saw Blade Orcs, and Black Spike Orcs.
Thanks to relentlessly hunting Orcs, the trio had advanced to the point where they could predict an Orc’s next move just by looking into their eyes, becoming highly skilled Orc hunters.
With that, they closed out their 4th consecutive Orc raid on a Friday.
Back in the clubroom, they worried whether another mission would pop up.
Ultimately, one arrived.
But it was not a mission—it was a person.
“Is this the club with no exit? Nice to meet you, I’m Jin Yu-ri.”
—
Exitless Hell.
‘Once you step through this door, you become a strong one!’ Following this mantra, the weight of our clubroom door is 200 kilograms.
Together, that makes 400 kilograms.
Early on, there was a comical incident where Jun-woo and Mary couldn’t open the door by themselves. They took it personally and reportedly intensified their strength training.
Thus, the infamous club door cracked open.
A person with a slim yet frail-looking frame stepped through.
A mysterious girl with striking red hair.
Leader of Team 1, Jin Yu-ri.
“Is this the club with no exit? Nice to meet you, I’m Jin Yu-ri.”
But there’s a simple and straightforward term to describe this girl.
Jin-ryong (True Dragon)
The pinnacle of sorcery in Korea.
I closed the flask I was mid-experiment with and stared blankly at Jin Yu-ri.
“Wow, kids are sparring? I’ve heard of the infinite sparring. Impressive. So, why don’t you greet?”
“…An unexpected visitor had me thinking. Please, come in. Want some tea?”
“What do you have? I can’t drink coffee due to caffeine allergies. I can’t drink milk either; I’m lactose intolerant.”
“Complicated much. There, help yourself.”
I pointed to a vending machine lined with various beverages.
Of course, no coins needed. I had initially intended to place a refrigerator here, but Mary insisted it needed ‘soul,’ so we ended up with this.
“Wow, you have these? So cool.”
“Is it?”
“Yes! It gives me this urge to take pictures and feel artistic.”
“Artistic nonsense. Grab something and hurry up.”
Jin Yu-ri selected a cherry-flavored soda and came over to my side.
Just as she was about to get to the point, an unexpected question emerged from her lips.
“Hmm? These… are these spirit stones?”
“…!”
“Yet strange. The spirit stones I know are sharp and distinct, these are incredibly round. Like clay.”
“Interesting description.”
Clay-like.
An incredibly accurate term.
These are artificial spirit stones I’ve personally manufactured.
Artificial spirit stones are less refined than natural ones, akin to blank paper.
Because they can take on anything you write, they’re actually more versatile for use.
And she could identify this with just a glance, without any special background knowledge?
“Interesting… Are these ‘Eyes of the Dragon’?”
“Right, it’s similar to your ‘instincts.'”
Supposedly, when a Sword Master wields a sword, their inherent instincts engraved in their bl**d awaken. And when a True Dragon sees magic, they can read the information contained within it naturally.
To a sorcerer like myself, this was insane. It was like she was getting a glimpse into ‘truth’ itself.
“Bothersome.”
“Hm, you don’t need to take it too seriously. Probably others from different families wouldn’t be able to do this. I’m a bit special. Am I bragging too much?”
“No. You need to brag about your own strengths. It’s refreshing.”
“You too. You seem… manly.”
Enough with the pleasantries.
After a sip of the drink, we moved on to the real conversation.
“Why are you here?”
“Why come to the clubroom? I’m here to join.”
“Join? But you’re already in a club.”
“Quit. It was boring.”
The story unfolded like this.
Jin Yu-ri’s previous club was the “Great Sorcerer’s Guild,” a club dedicated to deep discussions and research on magic.
As a club focused solely on magic, it had wide-ranging sponsorship and was known as the club with the highest acceptance rates to date.
It only followed naturally that Jin Yu-ri, the offspring of a legendary magical family, would join.
But then things took a turn.
“They only talked about tradition. So, I asked: What does tradition really mean? All they could show me was an outdated ‘Grimoire of Magic’ and claimed that was true tradition. Honestly, it was disappointing.”
Magic has its radicals and moderates.
The radicals argue, “Magic needs to embrace diversity and expand its reach through active development.” On the other hand, the moderates emphasize, “We must refine tradition under proper order to further develop magic.”
If Jin Yu-ri leaned more toward the radical side, unfortunately, the Great Sorcerer’s Club leaned deeply toward the extreme conservatives.
A clash was bound to happen.
“I suggested researching arcane armor plating. It’s trending worldwide, right? But they refused. They said it’s not magic. Does that make any sense?”
“Indeed, that’s harsh.”
“That’s right!”
I had only heard stories from my mother.
The integration of magic and advanced technology into Mado Engineering. The big question: Should Mado Engineering truly be considered magic? This had been debated in magical academia for years.
Honestly, the whole ordeal seemed pretty ridiculous.
“Who cares if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, right? Why are people so hung up on it?”
“That’s right! I knew you’d understand.”
“So, she quit the club and opened the hellish door?”
“Turned out it was heavier than expected. Had to use up to four spells.”
I understood her reasons, and they were reasonable.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t issues.
“Hey, you know we’re kind of problematic right?”
“Yeah, the Dean has it out for us. The rumors have gotten around.”
“Accurate. But what will the Dean say if you join our club?”
“Does it bother you?”
“Not personally, but…”
My hand pointed to Mary and Jun-woo sparring furiously in the practice ring behind me.
“They’re worrying.”
“Four consecutive Orc raids?”
“Yeah, you know?”
“Yggdrasil told me. Sounded fun.”
“…The admin has a sharper tongue than anticipated. Anyway, so it’s a bit awkward for me.”
“Then leave them to their own devices. What about you? Are you okay with it?”
“What could I possibly object to? From my perspective, what you show is intriguing too.”
“Same thought. I also found the ‘Apocalypse’ you showed me fascinating.”
With a smile, Jin Yu-ri handed me a piece of paper.
I picked it up absentmindedly to read it…
“Midterm Exam… Team assignment… Wha??!”
The combination of ‘Team 1 + Team 20’ on top of the paper…
Why are Team 1 and Team 20 grouped together… Wait, this isn’t right. This shouldn’t have been announced yet. How does she know?
Jin Yu-ri seemed to read my expression and grinned cutely.
“Got it sneakily~.”
Hm, I need to rethink this.
She wasn’t voluntarily leaving the Great Sorcerer’s Guild.
She was likely driven out. That explanation fits much better.
