Chapter 174: The Book Of The Demon (2)

The Book of the Demon was a magical book written by a demon.

Its age ranged from at least a few thousand years to tens of thousands of years.

Demons had widely varying lifespans, and the magic books they wrote also had different effects.

However, they all shared one common effect.

Magic books written by demons, who were non-human, corrupted their users.

If it underwent no purification process, it would be a very dangerous item.

It forcibly corrupted the user and subjugated them. The subjugated became the demon’s minions and worked for them.

They became like demon-empowered beings who gained power by offering their souls to beings from other worlds.

The power one could obtain was clearer. While beings from other worlds were higher in rank than demons, they could not properly grant power to humans due to their overwhelming strength. Demons, on the other hand, could easily transfer their power.

However, once one reached a certain level due to the difference in rank, the power they provided became exceedingly weak.

‘That’s why it’s a problem if ambiguous guys get their hands on the Book of the Demon.’

Ambiguous guys caused overwhelming incidents.

I once again pondered deeply in Hong Yu-hwa’s room. The photos had disappeared somewhere in the meantime, and the bed had returned to a clean state.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“I’ll say it again, the reason why your photos were pinned to the wall was because I was hanging them up with a sense of swallowing my pride……!”

I understood.

That’s her nature.

If there’s someone she wanted to defeat, she burned with a competitive spirit.

But was there really a need to put up my photos with a sense of swallowing her pride? Though I thought this, I didn’t bother to point it out.

I looked at the Book of the Demon.

The Book of the Demon had strange writing. It didn’t seem like the language of this world, and each letter, though faint, contained demonic energy.

However, I possess the talent, reading (-).

[Interpreting 「Book of the Demon - Book of Cruelty (S)」.]

Vroom!

Knowledge surfaced in my mind. Knowledge I had never encountered before began to settle in my head as if I naturally knew it. It seemed like a type that implanted knowledge through the act of reading.

“It’s a Book of the Demon. And it was written by a fairly high-ranking demon.”

“…Really?”

I frowned as I spoke.

This magic book had a nastier performance than I thought. It granted the user power, but the side effects of that power were significant.

It seemed more like a contract to get a disposable toy rather than a loyal servant.

‘It’s lucky I found it first.’

Dark energy began to seep out from the magic book called the “Book of Cruelty (S).”

It started to bind me forcibly. It was a demon’s unique contract ritual. The moment this contract was established, you could face the demon and become its loyal servant.

If it weren’t for me, that was.

‘Contracts can be nullified at any time.’

However, I became curious.

There were many undiscovered aspects of demons. In the game, most of them appeared already dead. Some of the higher-ranking demons escaped to other dimensions in the later stages.

It’s different in this world. For some reason, the dead demons had resurrected.

‘And what it said also bothers me.’

Whether it’s apostles, demon-empowered beings, or demons.

The higher-ranked beings I encountered, the more they showed me affection. To an uncomfortable degree.

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“It’s fine. It would be dangerous for others. It’s a forced contract.”

“Wait, hold on!”

“No need to be so surprised. I can break this kind of contract anytime.”

Hong Yu-hwa was surprised, so I calmed her down.

“What are you talking about?”

“By interpreting the magic book, it sets the condition for a forced contract. But if it happens like this, the power of the contract itself diminishes. So, for this kind of thing, if the user is strong enough, it’s hard to force a contract. That’s why it can be canceled with even a small amount of power. Yu-hwa, you might need to use all your strength.”

“……”

Hong Yu-hwa glared at me.

Even so, she said nothing because she knew I was telling the truth. She was different from those who acted without knowing their place.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“The other side sent an invitation, so it’s hard to refuse, right?”

“It’s more like an illegal loan shark reaching out rather than an invitation.”

“It’s even worse than that. Although we say it’s a world where even Satan loses his job, demons are creatures that are said to be born from the primordial evil. So, shall we go together?”

“Can I be of help?”

I hesitated.

Hong Yu-hwa wasn’t usually like this. Maybe it’s because of the difference in power. As a magician, she must have guessed what kind of power the opponent had through this forced contract.

However, Hong Yu-hwa didn’t need to feel intimidated.

The power she possesses, the Plunderer, was a power that took talents or skills from the opponent and made them her own. As long as she could steal the opponent’s power as I suggested, she could at least handle the task on her own.

That was, unless you were someone like me who could acquire talents or skills separately.

“You are helpful just by existing, Yu-hwa. Even if you just stand there and steal one talent or skill with your Plunderer, you’re already doing your part.”

“Me, doing my part?”

Hong Yu-hwa said, as if her pride was hurt.

“No, if you steal with your Plunderer, you’re doing your part. In terms of firepower, the Red Tower is the best, so you’re doing at least twice as much.”

“Only twice?”

Hong Yu-hwa gave a faint smile, seemingly pleased by my words.

“At least twice. So, shall we go?”

“Let’s do it.”

I reached out to the magic book.

Immediately, darkness swallowed us up.

As soon as the darkness engulfed us, what appeared was a grand mansion.

A grand mansion that could be seen in Europe or America. It had five floors and was shaped like a school building in a U-shape. The grandeur of the building’s exterior was incomparable to that of a school.

“This place…”

It’s a place that’s in my memory too. It’s where Hong Yu-hwa lived when she was a child.

I looked around. Hong Yu-hwa was nowhere to be seen. There was no trace of her.

‘Are we being observed?’

It must be the work of a demon.

This place was where Hong Yu-hwa’s disposition changed. I couldn’t understand why it would make me experience that trauma.

Hong Yu-hwa should be safe for now.

Demons were beings that fed on human negative emotions. The higher the density, the more they liked it. Given Hong Yu-hwa’s immense potential, the emotions they could extract from her would be unparalleled compared to others.

‘Eternal Heaven, Black Heaven.’

-Yes.

-Master, I am here.

‘Can you tell if there are demons around?’

-The mind of the demon is embedded in this world itself, so it’s hard to intervene.

‘What if I give you my power?’

-Should I bring the demon here?

Eternal Heaven asked, wagging its tail.

Unlike Black Heaven, which groaned when touched, Eternal Heaven was incredibly competent.

-Master!?

I infused Eternal Heaven with the energy of Defying Heaven.

Eternal Heaven’s body trembled. The white light turned black. Her tails increased from three to six.

‘At this level, she might be able to undergo apotheosis.’

The power she exuded was beyond imagination.

-Haha, at this level, there’s nothing to fear.

-Eternal Heaven, don’t be overconfident.

-What are you talking about, you pervert who feels something when touching the Sword God.

-What?!

Eternal Heaven spoke to Black Heaven and then wagged her tails as she disappeared somewhere.

With Eternal Heaven becoming that strong, there was no need to worry about her being easily overpowered by a demon.

-Master, don’t trust Eternal Heaven too much.

‘You start causing discord the moment she’s gone?’

-……

Black Heaven looked at me as if she couldn’t believe what she heard.

-That’s not it. The problem lies in what the Celestial Horse left behind. So don’t trust anything, including me. I won’t teach martial arts anymore. It’s pointless now that you’re walking a path no one else can follow…

‘Is that so.’

I looked at Black Heaven.

Perhaps Black Heaven was telling me not to trust herself.

A being derived from a part of the Heavenly Demon.

She might know about some plan the Heavenly Demon had.

‘There really isn’t anyone I can trust.’

I walked calmly towards the mansion. The mansion was peaceful.

A five-year-old Hong Yu-hwa was practicing magic in the park.

“……Lee Seo-ha?”

“Hong Yu-hwa?”

So, she wasn’t caught by the demon, she was here.

Feeling awkward, I approached Hong Yu-hwa.

“What should I do? Because of the demon’s power, I reverted to being a five-year-old. I won’t be much help like this.”

“Is that so?”

As I spoke calmly, Hong Yu-hwa began to calm down as well.

“Sorry, I guess I was more anxious than I realized. This place holds bad memories for me.”

“Understandable. Demons feed on human trauma.”

I nodded in agreement with Hong Yu-hwa’s words.

This place was likely where a major traumatic event in Hong Yu-hwa’s life occurred. And if it’s that place, it meant the being that killed her parents was coming back.

That would likely be a high-ranking demon-empowered being.

“No need to talk about the trauma. What are the characteristics of the enemy that will appear here?”

“……Thank you. First of all, the demon coming here is mostly immune to magic.”

“Really?”

“And it used a strange power.”

“It absorbed the opponent’s magic and used it?”

“How did you know?”

I had no choice but to know.

Defeating that being was how Hong Yu-hwa earned the name Crimson Lotus.

Or, if things went badly, she might have been abandoned and taken on the name Black Lotus as a demon-empowered being.

Sssssss──.

The atmosphere around us suddenly started to change. The grass in the yard began to wither. The trees dried up. It was as if we were witnessing the end of the world.

‘Is this influenced by Hong Yu-hwa’s mindscape?’

The demonic energy felt prickly on my skin.

The demon had appeared.