Chapter 84
I had obtained a new Demon’s Power.
But more than that fact itself, the illusion that the creature had shown me weighed heavily on my mind.
That was supposed to be the future…
Since it was a Demon who had shown me this, I couldn’t fully trust what it said 100%.
Yet for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to believe it was lying, either.
Was it saying that what I’d done so far wasn’t enough to reach a happy ending?
Or perhaps some special condition was required?
To begin with, who exactly was this “high-ranking being” it mentioned, and why did it want to show me all this?
My head became a mess of tangled thoughts.
Seeing my troubled expression, Seo Da-hee asked worriedly,
“Are you okay? You don’t look good. Did something go wrong?”
“No, nothing like that.”
I shook off my idle thoughts and reassured her.
It wasn’t something that could be solved by worrying about it right now.
Still, if that vision truly was the future, I’d need to prepare for it.
Joo Sarang asked,
“So, did you get the power properly?”
“Why? Want me to show you?”
“Yeah, show me.”
Her eyes sparkled with interest.
I activated the Mask of the Deceiver, invoking the Demon’s Power, and for a moment, demonic energy cloaked my body before dispersing.
Joo Sarang’s eyes went wide.
“Whoa, damn. You look exactly the same.”
“Why? Why’d you have to transform into me, of all people?”
Seo Da-hee shouted in disbelief, staring at my transformed self.
Seeing that, Joo Sarang snickered and teased,
“If your whole body’s changed, does that mean everything else changed too?”
“…!”
Seo Da-hee’s face flushed crimson at her mischievous remark.
Then Joo Sarang jabbed my side playfully.
“Be honest—aren’t you curious too?”
“Not really.”
I wasn’t some teenage boy to get worked up over that.
“Boring.”
Seo Da-hee sighed in relief at that.
I switched my phone to selfie mode and examined my reflection.
On the screen was a girl identical to Seo Da-hee, wearing an emotionless expression.
It really was fascinating.
I looked down at my arms, torso, and legs.
From my own eyes, everything looked the same, but to others—or on camera—I appeared as Seo Da-hee.
As the name Mask of the Deceiver suggested, it seemed to be a power that manipulated perception itself.
Still, I was glad it didn’t physically alter my body.
If my actual body had turned into that of a woman, things would have felt… considerably empty at the center.
I checked how much mana was being consumed.
It was said the disguise consumed mana continuously while active.
Indeed, I could feel the mana draining away.
Still, at this rate, I could probably maintain the transformation all day.
Then how much would it take to transform someone else?
“Joo Sarang, come here.”
“Why?”
When I touched her, mana flowed from my hand into her body—and her appearance began to change.
Joo Sarang blinked.
“What the—what did you just do?”
“This power works on others too.”
“Really? But it doesn’t feel like I changed…”
Looking confused, she examined her body from every angle.
“It’s because it manipulates how others perceive you.”
“So… why do you keep turning everyone into me?!”
Seo Da-hee shouted, her face red as a beet.
“What? You mean I turned into her?”
“Yeah. Judging by her reaction, it’s working perfectly.”
Anyway, when I checked my mana, the consumption was much greater this time.
What the—so it drains even more when I transform others than when I change myself?
If I tried maintaining three targets, it’d be unmanageable.
Two was the maximum I could handle efficiently.
While keeping the Mask of the Deceiver active, I tried using another Demon’s Power.
But even as I drew upon my demonic energy, it wouldn’t move—it was as if something blocked it.
So the conditions were a bit tricky, huh?
I could use my powers when only Joo Sarang was transformed,
but when I used the mask on myself, I couldn’t activate any other Demon’s Powers.
So I could only apply one such power per target at a time.
To use multiple, I’d have to find a way to fuse them together.
It would’ve been great if I could use all my powers freely while disguised.
Still, it wasn’t all bad—only the Demon’s Powers were restricted.
My mana and Asura Divine Art worked perfectly fine, so there was no real issue.
Afterward, I ran a few more experiments.
As a result, I learned that in Seo Da-hee’s case, since she had Lia as an intermediary, I could activate powers through her even from a distance.
Good. That should be enough preparation.
We put our heads together, planning carefully to ensure the mission would be flawless.
A few days later, the day of the mission arrived.
I stood in front of the Daehos Guild building, where the party was to be held.
A warm breeze brushed through my hair.
It felt like summer was coming.
I opened my phone to check my messages.
A photo of me—smiling brightly in the dormitory—had just arrived.
It seemed Seo Da-hee had successfully infiltrated the Academy.
That was precisely why I had chosen the Mask of the Deceiver among all the powers available.
A perfect alibi.
And now that Seo Da-hee could move about freely outside, she could assist me much more directly.
She could wander the Academy disguised as me—or be used strategically in other ways.
After confirming that everything was in order, I made my way toward the Daehos Guild headquarters, where security was extremely tight.
Infiltration wasn’t difficult.
Using the Power of Deception to its fullest, I knocked out one of the guards, entered the building, and then took on the guise of one of the VIP guests to slip into the party hall.
The banquet was being held in the grand hall within the Daehos Guild building.
A lavish spread of food, guild officials and Heroes dressed in accordance with the dress code.
As expected of a major guild’s party—the caliber of both the guests and VIPs was on another level.
I quietly walked through the banquet hall, holding a glass of champagne handed to me by a passing waiter.
I was searching for the target.
That’s when someone caught my eye.
A woman who stood at the center of the crowd, naturally leading the conversation.
Helena?
Wearing an elegant dress the same color as her eyes, Helena Raiders stood out no matter where she was.
Well, she was the daughter of a prestigious family. It wasn’t strange for her to be invited to a party like this.
Just in case, I looked around for Dan Chun-woo, but fortunately, he was nowhere to be seen.
A huge shadow loomed behind Helena, who was chatting animatedly with others.
The faces of the people talking to her stiffened.
“Cadet Helena, I didn’t expect to see you here. Did you use an outing permit for this event?”
“Instructor?”
Helena’s eyes widened as she recognized Instructor Kang Jae-seok.
“Instructor, why are you here?”
“I was invited, same as you. I have ties with the Daehos Guild.”
“Ah, I see. Then please enjoy the party, Instructor.”
At her words, Instructor Kang Jae-seok nodded.
“Of course. Cadet Helena, you enjoy yourself too. Although, knowing the diligent Cadet Helena, I doubt you’ll drink much—but if any adults offer you alcohol, refuse politely.”
“Yes, sir.”
After their short exchange, Instructor Kang Jae-seok’s gaze turned toward me.
Crap!
I must’ve stared for too long.
I quickly averted my eyes, pretending not to notice.
A sigh escaped me inwardly.
I had a bad feeling this mission wouldn’t be easy either.
By the way… when exactly was the target supposed to arrive?
The party had started around six, and it was already eight, yet the target still hadn’t shown up.
The atmosphere was heating up.
Some pairs had already left hand in hand, while others remained, chatting in small groups.
Soft classical music drifted through the air, tickling my ears.
Then, the doors of the hall opened, and someone entered.
A tall, slick-looking middle-aged man.
I recognized him at once.
He was the target I had to eliminate tonight.
Arriving late, he began greeting acquaintances as he made his way through the crowd.
I decided to wait patiently for the right moment—when he was alone.
That’s when a familiar voice came from behind me.
“Is this your first time at a place like this?”
“Hmm?”
When I turned, Helena was smiling up at me kindly.
“You’ve been standing alone this whole time.”
“Ah, well…”
For a moment, I wondered if she had recognized me—but judging by her reaction, that didn’t seem to be the case.
Given her Dragon Eyes, I’d been trying to avoid getting too close, since she might see through the Mask of the Deceiver.
“Are you a Hero affiliated with the Daehos Guild?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m Helena Raiders.”
I know.
Without taking my eyes off the target, I gave her a polite answer.
She was probably trying to form a connection with the guild. Too bad for her—the person whose appearance I was using was tied up quietly in a private room right now.
Sensing my lukewarm attitude, Helena asked carefully,
“Am I bothering you by talking to you?”
“Hmm… I’m just not very good at conversation.”
Honestly, I wanted to tell her to go away because she was getting in the way.
But standing alone and drinking looked suspicious, and she seemed genuinely friendly—it felt too cruel to brush her off.
The conversation that followed wasn’t particularly meaningful.
She talked about guild politics, Hero scandals, and other gossip I already knew from the game.
In fact, I knew even more about those events than she did—it almost felt like listening to someone discuss rumors about things I’d personally witnessed.
Still, it was a decent way to kill time, and before I knew it, it was nine o’clock.
The party seemed to be winding down.
As people began leaving, the once-lively atmosphere gradually calmed.
At that moment, the target moved.
True to his habits, a beautiful woman clung to his side.
That could be useful.
Soon, an opportunity presented itself.
The drunken woman left the banquet hall for a moment.
I followed her out, knocked her unconscious, and transformed into her using the Mask of the Deceiver.
Disguised as the woman, I approached the target.
When he saw me, he patted the seat beside him.
“I was starting to worry something happened since you were gone so long.”
As he said that, he naturally grabbed my shoulder and pulled me closer.
A surge of disgust rose in my throat.
You disgusting bastard.
I clenched my jaw, suppressing the urge to kill him on the spot.
With inhuman patience, I replied sweetly,
“Oh, come now, what could possibly happen here?”
“It’s just a saying! Look around—there are Heroes everywhere!”
Unfortunately for him, something was about to happen.
Because I was planning to kill him—brutally.
Playing along and reacting appropriately to his small talk, he began to boast endlessly.
Stories of his past achievements, boring association politics—he went on and on, desperate to impress a woman.
Among his rambling were things that made me wonder if he should even be saying them.
Keeping a polite smile as I responded was making my facial muscles twitch.
What was worse, his hands were starting to get bolder by the minute.
I’d written the character for “endure” in my heart several times now.
To hell with the assassination—I wanted to cut his hands off right then.
Then, drunk and reeking of alcohol, he leaned closer and whispered,
“I’m telling this only to you, but… I recently found what’s believed to be Pandemonium’s treasure vault.”
“…What?”
“Shh! Didn’t I say? I’m only telling you.”
For a moment, I froze, unsure how to react.
Pandemonium’s treasure vault?
Was he just spouting nonsense to impress a woman?
But this man did have deep ties with Pandemonium.
Could it be…?
Let’s find out.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course! Why would I lie? You’ve seen all the exclusive stories I’ve given you so far.”
“Tell me more about it.”
As I asked, his hand began sliding lower.
For a moment, I nearly lost control and killed him right there.
Then, in a low voice, he whispered into my ear,
“Nothing comes for free, you know what I mean?”
“…”
I stood up silently.
He must have taken my reaction as rejection, because he forced a laugh and said,
“Just a joke, just a joke! I went too far. Don’t be mad.”
“Oh, really? Just a joke? That’s funny—because I was just about to move somewhere more private.”
I smiled faintly as I looked at him.
His expression twisted into one of lecherous delight.