Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 190

[Side Story] The Second Great Demon (1)

* * *

-Kieeeeeek!

The demon screamed, flailed, and then slumped.

The man who drew the Holy Sword shook the blade in the air. The ambient temperature was so low that the scattered droplets of blood instantly froze into ice and fell.

“Are there any more?”

“That’s the last of them. The nearest demonic energy… I can’t sense any in this vicinity,” the saintess replied, gasping for breath from behind, where she had been concentrating.

Park Gun… no, the hero now known as ‘God’ panted.

“Let’s rest for a while. Modeum’s glacier becomes more treacherous the deeper we go.”

The party leader’s command was absolute. Following the instruction, the saintess deployed divine power, and the party members behind her prepared to light a bonfire.

And then, an eerie voice was heard amidst it all.

“Hey, Hero.”

One could tell who it was just from the arrogant tone. It was the Second Prince of the Empire, Heindel de Lazarus, who had joined the party in place of the deceased Fourth Prince.

“Speak.”

“I can’t help but think we’re going in the wrong direction. Didn’t the Millennial Blacksmith say? To find Modeum, you have to pierce through the glacier.”

Instead of God, the saintess, glaring at the prince with a very displeased look, interjected.

“So we pierced through it. Don’t you remember breaking all the ice walls on the upper floors and coming down?”

“Shut your mouth, you filthy whore.”

“…What did you say?”

The Second Prince’s language was usually foul, but he wasn’t one to go this far.

Blocking the saintess, whose cheeks were flushed with anger, God stepped forward.

“It’s him this time.”

“What is?”

“The Modeum of Discord. It means we’ve entered the domain of that Great Demon.”

God didn’t wait for an answer and called out,

“Hunt, Murgolos.”

As their names were called, a masked man and a dragonkin [a humanoid dragon] covered in scales emerged from either side of the Second Prince.

Soon, the next command was given.

“He’s been possessed by Modeum. Knock him unconscious before he gets any more violent.”

“You lowly things…!”

The Second Prince tried to draw the sword from his waist, but his party members were quicker.

The saintess sealed his movements with the bonds of light, and the executioner Hunt struck the back of his head with a club.

Clang! With the sound of a tin can breaking, the Second Prince collapsed like a frog and lay motionless.

“Should we tie him up?”

Hunt asked, licking his lips, but God shook his head.

“Leave him be. He’ll come to his senses when he wakes up. It’ll probably be the same this iteration.”

“…This iteration?”

“It’s a thing.”

Hunt tilted his head, but still dragged the Second Prince away by his arms. The dragonkin, glancing this way, also took out a tent from his backpack and began setting it up.

The saintess, Aria Riverot, muttered with a displeased expression.

“It’s finally starting. Why does it have to be that unlucky guy who gets affected first?”

“The rest of our companions will probably change in turn. Except for the saintess and me.”

The representative ability of the Second Great Demon, the Modeum of Discord, is, as the name suggests, discord.

It spreads distrust and hatred among humans, hindering the hero’s journey and causing internal strife.

-Your Majesty! You must not send the hero!

-What are you talking about all of a sudden, Duke?

-According to the intelligence we’ve obtained, the hero and the saintess are plotting treason and scheming to usurp the kingdom. If you support them now, you will surely… Keuk!

-More trouble. The Royal Guard shall imprison Duke Chromas in the temple dungeon. The saintess will personally confirm whether he is free from the Great Demon’s control.

Thanks to this, after capturing Gorzon of Arrogance, they had to crack down not only on external enemies but also on internal traitors.

Moreover… even at the point when he was transferred, the nobles of the Iron Kingdom were rotten to the core.

The moment Modeum’s influence reached the royal palace, the king and his ministers were blinded by jealousy and clamored for the hero’s execution.

‘In the end, I had to cut down most of them and restart the iteration. I can’t give him time.’

While he was lost in thought, the saintess continued.

“Even though we picked people with strong mental fortitude… no, four people and a dragon, it’s still happening. The demonic energy in the glacier seems to be amplifying his power. They were fine until we entered this area.”

“Murgolos will be displeased if you call him that.”

The saintess scoffed.

“Then what do you call a dragon? He originally said he would never polymorph, saying he couldn’t fully exert his power in a lowly human form.”

“Did you fight again?”

“We didn’t fight. Divine power and dragons just don’t get along.”

God turned his gaze towards the group setting up the tent in the distance.

The glacier expedition, the war against Modeum, had already been going on for several months. In the last iteration, they almost caught him, but at the crucial moment, a companion was manipulated, and they failed right before success.

A fire magic expert, a wandering swordsman, and a hunter who knew the cold regions well… after going through dozens of companions, the current members were selected.

‘Entering this glacier… is it the twenty-second time?’

And now, they had succeeded in reaching the entrance of the glacier where the Great Demon was hiding with the least amount of damage in any iteration.

The Second Prince Heindel.

The executioner Hunt.

And the last dragon, Murgolos.

Including the saintess Aria, none of the five expedition members had died or been injured.

If there was a chance to catch Modeum, it was this time…

‘I’ve changed too.’

God shook his head with a bitter smile. He was already thinking of them as mere chess pieces.

Even though this was not a world within a game, and they were not extras in a movie, but people with flesh and blood.

“Why, do you sense something? I don’t detect any demonic energy around… Murgolos will probably notice first if Modeum moves.”

The saintess, who was muttering divine spells for barrier, protection, and temperature maintenance, asked.

“No. I was just thinking.”

“About what…?”

“About what comes after defeating Modeum.”

The saintess’s expression also turned serious. The enemy they had to face was not just the Great Demon in front of them.

Even if they caught Modeum, the next in line was Valmon, the Great Demon said to have the greatest martial power.

In addition, there was Berial of Sin and Asmeraus of the Void, about whom they had no information at all. It was a series of formidable opponents.

The saintess bit her lower lip and said,

“Well, we’ll figure it out somehow. There are replacements in this damn kingdom anyway.”

“Replacements?”

The saintess nodded nonchalantly. Her gaze was directed towards the companions who had almost finished setting up the tent.

“Yes. If I die, another saintess from the temple will assist the hero, and if one of them leaves, another will fill the position. As long as the hero is careful not to get seriously injured…”

“Don’t say such things.”

God cut her off.

“I’ve told you before. I don’t see my companions as expendable.”

“But we are the hero’s sword and shield. If there’s no one to wield us, there’s no reason for us to exist.”

“That’s…”

It was an argument that had been going on for several times… no, more than a dozen times, but they could never see eye to eye on this point. They could argue all night and still go in circles.

‘…What kind of life has she lived?’

As he rubbed his forehead, the saintess glanced at him for a moment and muttered in a disgruntled tone.

“I was just saying to be more careful in the future. Valmon’s power is annihilation, so it would be a disaster if the hero rushed in to protect one of us.”

“Then we need to get stronger. What is my level of Hapki [Korean martial art] achievement?”

A golden glow flickered in the saintess’s eyes. It was the celestial divine power, the Mind’s Eye, which could see through even hidden demonic energy, being activated.

“Now late 6-star… you’re right on the verge of 7-star.”

“Not enough yet. I wanted to break through the wall before facing Modeum.”

The saintess waved her hand in disgust and deactivated her inner sight.

“What are you talking about? How could you possibly be any faster than this?”

“Is that so?”

“Of course! I haven’t seen other heroes, so it’s hard to compare, but it’s probably an unprecedented speed. Your proficiency in handling Hapki is already unbelievable.”

That’s probably true, since it’s not the first time. God swallowed his words with a bitter smile.

Even if a well-honed body regresses, the experience gained in that iteration is imprinted on the mind.

Fighting, and fighting again… if you repeat that process, it’s only natural to easily reach the level you’ve reached before.

‘Gorzon of Arrogance was roughly 3-star, and the level at which combat with Modeum was possible… was probably 6-star.’

Judging from the power of the Great Demons, which grew stronger as the numbers increased, Valmon would surely have to achieve at least 9-star. Maybe even 10-star.

Anxiety always followed the sense of purpose. Hapki has its limits, but the level of the Great Demons is hard to guess. If, by any chance, they couldn’t defeat them even after reaching the pinnacle of 12-star…

“Hey, human.”

A hissing voice called out to him. The two turned towards the direction of the voice.

A dragonkin with claws on both hands, piercing through the blizzard, was approaching.

“It’s been a while since I’ve stretched my body.”

Once, in the early days after being transferred to the Iron Kingdom.

God learned how to use Hapki by sparring with numerous strong individuals.

Although one crazy bastard suddenly broke in and smashed his head, fortunately, there were more people who were reasonable.

-A sparring match, you say? Of course, we must do it for you!

-Of course. I, Cargo, will do my best to help the hero grow!

-We have selected only the best from the Knights. Their swordsmanship is probably comparable to that of the Miao from this region.

And now that he was completely proficient in the hero’s power, there were few who could match him.

Clang, clash, clang!

Blue sparks flew as the magic weapon with four claws worn by the dragonkin and the Holy Sword collided.

The last dragon, Murgolos. The combat style of the dragonkin, who had polymorphed into human form, was high-speed pressure using overwhelming physical abilities.

‘I couldn’t withstand that speed at first. And when he transformed into a dragon, I couldn’t pierce his armor.’

Thinking leisurely, God deflected the flashing claws in succession and swung down the Holy Sword.

Bang!

Piercing through the explosion caused by Hapki, the two shadows clashed again.

On par? No. The hero had already reached a far superior level compared to his companions.

Unless that dragon returned to its true form, there was no way to suppress the Hapki just before 7-star with its power limited.

“It’s strange every time I see it.”

Murgolos suddenly opened his mouth. It was the same for both of them, not exerting their full power in preparation for the upcoming battle with the Great Demon.

“What is?”

“The power swirling within your body is surprisingly similar to that of the archangels.”

Although he had no divine power, the eyes of the ancient dragon could see through the essence. God deflected the attack and replied.

“They say they bestowed it upon humans. The roots must be the same.”

“That’s why it’s ominous.”

“What do you mean…?”

The tent where the saintess was and the upper part of the glacier where they were fighting were quite far apart.

A sinister light flashed in his yellow eyes.

“Don’t trust them.”

“Are you talking about Asruel?”

“All the archangels of green light, blue light, and red light.”

God’s brow furrowed.

“If it weren’t for them, this world would have already been destroyed. Why shouldn’t I trust allies?”

“Dragons were betrayed and became extinct. By you humans and cunning fairies.”

Warriors of high standing can converse even when deeply focused. Murgolos, who avoided the edge of the Holy Sword, continued.

“Human, do not blindly believe in absolutes. They are also just stars in a vast galaxy. The moment they lose their divinity, they are no different from mortals.”

“……”

“So, they will try not to lose that divinity. By any means necessary.”

In the silence, the blizzard circled over the glacier. In the place where the fight had stopped, there were cracks and fissures running all over.

Even though they had made this much noise, the Great Demon below showed no signs of coming out. The dragonkin put away his claws and asked.

“The Second Prince will wake up soon. Will you kill him?”

“…Modeum’s mind control doesn’t last that long. Aria has put up a shield, so he’ll hold out for a few hours.”

“Well, it’s better to have three shields than two. The saintess will be needed in the next journey.”

God stared silently at the dragonkin’s vertically split eyes. This dragon deeply hated humans, yet he had joined their group.

Only with the determination to kill all the Great Demons and hatch the eggs to revive his race.

“You… might make it to the end.”

“What do you mean?”

“No. Let’s rest.”