Chapter 89
After hearing Joo Sarang’s message, I went straight to the Student Council room.
What business could that bastard Berid have with me?
After the incident at the Beast Ranch—or maybe even before that—he and I hadn’t interacted much for quite a while.
That was because he had started becoming wary of me.
It must have been because the combination of my powers I had shown him was too much of a threat.
It was only natural for him to be on guard when someone he used to ignore suddenly rose above him.
Pandemonium operated under the iron rule of survival of the fittest.
Even if I took away everything he had built up with my strength, he wouldn’t be able to complain.
In fact, with my current power, I felt confident that I could fight Berid on even ground in a one-on-one battle.
Of course, that’s assuming I went all in, like when I fought Instructor Kang Jae-seok.
But I had no intention of fighting that recklessly within the Academy.
A person should use their head—why let the body suffer?
I’d already had my fill of suffering.
Before I knew it, I had arrived at the Student Council room.
When I opened the door, Berid was there, looking the same as usual.
A quick glance around told me he was the only one present.
Was Yoo Iseo busy with something else? She hadn’t been around the Council much lately.
“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you. Would you like a cup of tea?”
“I’ll pass.”
“That’s a shame. I just received a fine batch.”
Same old routine.
He always tried to act refined, pretending to be sophisticated while scheming behind the scenes.
That was one of the reasons I couldn’t stand him.
“Get to the point. We’re not here to sip tea together, are we?”
“Now, now, no need to be so cold. We’ve helped each other before, haven’t we?”
With that, he set his teacup down.
Wooong.
At the same time, a barrier went up, blocking sound from escaping the room.
I leaned back on the sofa, relaxing my posture.
“Help each other, huh. The only thing I remember is cleaning up your mess.”
“I saw the news. The Daehos Guild terror incident. That was your doing, wasn’t it?”
“What kind of answer are you expecting? Don’t tell me you’re about to complain that your influence in the organization has weakened because of me.”
Honestly, the reason he called me was obvious.
Just like after he ruined the plan during the field trip, he probably wanted to whine again about why I hadn’t helped him.
But Pandemonium’s support was already shifting in my favor.
I no longer had to bow my head to him.
However, the words that came out of his mouth were completely unexpected.
“Why would I? On the contrary, I’m deeply grateful to you.”
“Grateful…?”
“Of course. You used yourself as bait to get Instructor Kang Jae-seok suspended, didn’t you? Thanks to that, a massive obstacle in the Academy has been removed.”
He smiled faintly and took a quiet sip of tea.
The sunlight shattered against the window, obscuring his expression.
Ah, this bastard is about to pull something again.
It had been peaceful for a while, and I’d almost started to enjoy it.
But it seemed that hectic days were coming back again.
When would I ever get to live without worrying about demons—or my own life?
“What kind of scheme are you plotting this time?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. Things are about to get quite interesting, you see.”
Of course.
I didn’t expect him to reveal his plans to me anyway.
But that’s why I had planted a spy among Berid’s underlings.
I’d just have Joo Sarang tell me everything later.
“Just make sure it’s nothing that’ll drag me into it.”
“Of course.”
“So, what’s the real reason you called me here?”
“Didn’t I say? To express my gratitude for your assistance.”
“……”
He said he was grateful, yet it sounded like a provocation to me.
As if he were saying, I’ll start moving properly now, so don’t get cocky.
Fine then. Let’s see who gets the last laugh in the end.
I left the Student Council room without another word.
Out in the hallway, Park Siwoo was waiting for me.
When he saw me, he smiled widely.
“What took you so long? Did you do something wrong?”
“Wrong? Hardly. What are you doing here anyway?”
“What else? I’m part of the Student Council too. Came to work.”
But why did he look so happy?
The guy was grinning like a drunk.
Then I noticed a plastic cup in his right hand.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been drinking?”
“Huh? Of course not.”
“Then what’s that cup in your hand?”
“Oh, this? Some club was handing out drinks. I think it was the Potion Brewing Club? Said they made it themselves.”
Potion Brewing Club?
At his words, a piece of information flashed through my mind.
I see now.
So that’s why Berid was so smug.
In the game, there were four major incidents that acted as triggers for Berid to corrupt Yoo Iseo.
Through those events, her mind gradually weakened until she finally fell into corruption and became a Demon.
Berid then used her as a sacrifice to devour the Academy, which had fallen into complete ruin.
And among those incidents, the one that shattered Yoo Iseo’s mind the most was the “Tears of the Succubus” incident that spread among the students.
A drink made by the Potion Brewing Club.
It tasted good, revitalized the body, and quickly became popular among the students.
But hidden within that drink was the essence of a succubus refined by the Demon of Indulgence.
At first, it granted vitality and focus, but with continuous consumption, it made the drinker more vulnerable to desire and impulsive behavior, ultimately causing a magical rampage—an elixir of pure corruption.
Because of that, the Academy’s reputation plummeted after multiple hero candidates lost control of their mana under the influence of the essence.
A place meant to raise and train heroes had instead produced addicts.
The reason I hadn’t immediately thought of this incident was ironic—it was because this was the largest and most infamous of them all.
Originally, Berid’s subordinates would trigger smaller incidents first, with this one as the final event.
But now, Instructor Kang Jae-seok—the Academy’s greatest deterrent against such chaos—was gone.
Besides, Berid’s plans had all failed.
As a result, an event that was supposed to occur much later seemed to have been triggered prematurely.
I snatched the plastic cup from his hand.
Smack!
“Argh! Why’d you hit me!”
“You think you can just swallow anything people hand you? Do you?”
“Why are you suddenly acting like this!”
He looked up at me with a tearful, wronged expression.
Good grief, this fool.
“If a stranger told you to follow them because they’ll give you something tasty, would you go?”
“Of course not!”
“Then why the hell are you eating food handed out by strangers, you idiot!”
Seeing the guy who was supposed to stop the incident happily sipping away made my blood boil.
Even in the game, the Player could try this drink.
Street NPCs would aggressively advertise it, claiming it boosted your stats.
Newbies often fell for it and drank it without a second thought.
Their accuracy and other stats would rise instantly, making them ecstatic.
But it was a deadly trap.
When fighting Berid as the boss, a debuff would be applied proportional to the amount of the drink consumed—making the difficulty skyrocket and resulting in countless game overs.
“Where did you get that?”
“In front of the main building.”
I grabbed him by the arm and headed toward the main building.
There, a group that looked like a potion-making club had set up a shoddy booth, distributing the drinks.
Good thing I found them early.
It seemed no students had gathered at the stall yet.
Since external sales like this as part of club activities were fairly common, most students only glanced at them with mild curiosity.
But once the trend spread, anyone who hadn’t tried the drink would be treated like an outcast.
Even major corporations sought out the potion-making club to obtain the recipe—so that said enough.
At that moment, my eyes met one of the students promoting the drink at the stall.
He, seemingly a club member, waved at me.
“It’s getting pretty hot out, huh? How about a drink?”
I took the glass he offered.
A chill spread through my hand from the cold glass, and a rich peach aroma tickled my nose.
At a glance, it looked like an ordinary sparkling beverage.
“It’s a free promotional event. Starting next week, we’ll be charging for it. Go ahead, have a sip. I guarantee the taste.”
It was only natural that this drink became a craze—it contained the essence of a Succubus, and now they were trying to make money off it.
I glared at them as I brought the glass to my lips.
Succubus essence was a weaker form of demonic energy—ineffective against Demons like me.
As I took a sip, the sharp carbonation stung my throat with a refreshing peach flavor.
Then came a subtle aftertaste that lightly brushed the tip of my tongue.
It was too peculiar to be called a simple fruit flavor.
So this was the essence of a Succubus.
The moment I drank it, faint but distinct vitality coursed through my body.
If even a Demon like me could feel this much effect, it was no wonder people went crazy for it.
Seeing me sip the drink, Park Siwoo gave me a pointed look.
“…Didn’t you just lecture me not to eat anything given by strangers?”
“I’m checking if it’s dangerous inside. Anyway, if I tell you not to eat it, then don’t eat it, dumbass.”
“Even if it is dangerous, what are you gonna do—taste-test your way to death? What have you been living on?”
Ignoring Park Siwoo’s retort, I memorized the faces of the club members.
The club president was definitely a Demon.
In fact, these guys could all be Demons.
And the Succubus essence was likely supplied by the minions of Berid, the Demon of Indulgence.
As far as I knew, no Succubi had entered aside from the Demon of Indulgence.
Which meant there were definite connections with outside Demons.
Back when I cleared this part of the game… how had I resolved it?
Right— to stop the drink’s distribution, I had destroyed the factory where they harvested the essence.
I pulled out my phone and texted Joo Sarang.
Left alone in the Student Council room, Berid quietly sipped his tea.
Things were going better than expected.
Who would’ve thought he’d receive help from the Devil Knight?
Thanks to his efforts, both Yoo Iseo and that troublesome Instructor Kang Jae-seok had been suspended.
Berid didn’t miss the opportunity and brought out the trump card he had been saving.
Ever since the Field Trip incident, he had lost Pandemonium’s trust.
Naturally, he was feeling a deep sense of urgency.
If he didn’t produce results soon, his standing within the organization would collapse.
His goal was never something as small as the Academy.
The great enterprise unfolding at the Academy was merely a stepping stone.
He sought to stand alongside the supreme beings who ruled at the very top of Pandemonium.
‘To do that, I must cleanly remove everything standing in my way.’
The Field Trip incident had completely shattered every plan he had prepared.
Since then, he had been haunted by the suspicion of a traitor’s existence.
Without internal leaks, it was impossible for all his plans to be blocked so perfectly from start to finish.
Thus, through this new conspiracy, he intended to catch the tail of whoever dared betray him.
The one he suspected most was none other than Joo Sarang.
Among his subordinates, she was the laziest, the most disobedient, and showed clear hostility toward him.
‘If not for the protection of a High-ranking Executive, I would’ve disposed of her long ago.’
In Pandemonium, where the iron law of survival of the fittest reigned, disobedience equaled death.
Yet because of the shielding hand above her, Berid could do nothing about Joo Sarang despite his distaste.
But if she were revealed as the traitor—
Even the supreme being protecting her wouldn’t be able to save her.
Surely, the traitor would try to sabotage this mission too.
So he had laid a trap.
Depending on how the interference occurred, he would identify the traitor’s identity instantly.
A dark smile spread across his face.
‘Come to think of it, Joo Sarang used to be childhood friends with the Devil Knight.’
He couldn’t wait to see that ever-arrogant face of hers twisted in despair.