Where did it start to go wrong?
‘No, I didn’t do anything wrong.’
After a brief conclusion after reviewing the events that had just unfolded, Kim Jonghyun raised his incomplete and half-morphed Demonic body. The ceremony had failed.
The forming of the Demonic Body failed just before completion, which was actually rather fortunate for Kim Jonghyun.
It was a shame that it halted before a full completion, but if it failed even earlier, the body would not have been reconstructed and would have disappeared completely.
“Hup!”
Kim Jonghyun opened his mouth and started to vomit a black and mucky substance.
Kim Jonghyun took a breath and checked his condition. He had moved his consciousness into the new body finally, after taking a bit of time from being stuck. However, his body was still only a halfling.
Regardless, it was still better than his previous human body. It was like this. Dark Wizards channeled Demonic Powers through their contracted Demons with human vessels. However, his body that he had reconstructed was immensely powerful in terms of strengthening that channel.
‘I wish I had succeeded.’
If the ritual had been successful, Kim Jonghyun would have done something no other Dark Wizard would be able to do in his position. He had already severed the contract with his former contracted Demon, Caladra, since it had disappeared, and had almost acquired a body worthy of inheriting Caladra’s powers and Demonic Energy.
However, the ritual failed and Kim Jonghyun would not be able to use the Reversion Magic ever again.
Kim Jonghyun grated his teeth. It was a ritual that had started out of curiosity and didn’t have much expectation towards it, but it was heartbreaking to see his work almost be fully completed, only to be ruined at the last moment.
‘I don’t get it. Why ruin my ritual and not kill me?’
Kim Jinghyun confusedly staggered out of the pit.
The Grimoire was lying on the ground, void of any demonic energy as Kim Jonghyun reached out with his hand. The Grimoire shook and reacted to his gesture as it started to levitate once more in the air and started to emit its brilliant luster.
“As expected.”
Kim Jonghyun mumbled in a quiet voice as he grabbed the Grimoire’s leather cover.
Arbeth had been unable to interpret the Grimoire and had pinned it down to one theory. That theory was now proven correct by Kim Jonghyun.
Arbeth theorized that the Grimoire’s contents need to be interpreted by Demonkind. Naturally, one needed at least Demonic energy to interpret the Grimoire’s magic.
‘All of it………it’s impossible to use it for anybody else.’
The characters of the Grimoire were now perfectly interpretable for Kim Jonghyun, even if he only had a halfling’s body.
Kim Jonghyun was now the only being that could possibly interpret the Grimoire. But it didn’t make any sense to him. If anything, it became more mysterious to him about why a book of magic consisting of Demonic magic would be in the mortal realm.
‘Only for me? No, that’s too arrogant for me to believe.”
It seemed impossible, but there had to be a Wizard who could break their contract and channel Demonic energy like Kim Jonghyun could. In the past it was only a weak channel in which Kim Jonghyun could interpret a few characters of the Demonic language. Now, it was no longer the case.
However, Kim Jonghyun soon erased that thought as he thought of Lee Sungmin.
Kim Jonghyun was well aware of the magical existence of the Black Heart within Lee Sungmin. He also knew its real and true origin.
Kim Jonghyun’s staggering body stopped its movement due to his intruding thoughts.
Though the Black Heart was nothing more than an all encompassing vessel which knew no limits in terms of consuming powers, he would still in theory be able to use the Grimoire Kim Jonghyun thought.
Lee Sungmin himself did not have to be a Dark Wizard either. If he, who had a black heart, ate the heart of a Dark Wizard…
‘The contract of the Dark Wizard also wouldn’t be transferred along with the heart. He’ll be able to siphon that out and learn the magic of a Dark Wizard.’
If Lee Sungmin decided to go down that route, he could easily use the Grimoire’s magic.
Perhaps the Grimoire was for him. Lee Sungmin had a very powerful and twisted fate that was dragging all beings he came in contact with, whether they knew it or not.
Kim Jonghyun shook his head quietly with his crazy thoughts gathering up to that point.
It was more than just that. Lee Sungmin’s fate was at the epicenter of all these twisting fates. It was an understatement to say that Lee Sungmin had some strong fate.
“Maybe the fate of becoming the true demon……maybe it was you, not me.’(T/N : this has so many implications towards the future, kinda a huge foreshadow I feel, right here from the author.)
Well, he didn’t care at this point. His fate was a mess in the first place and was not something he could get a grasp on.
It was impossible to use all of Grimiore’s magic in full still since he was only a halfling in terms of becoming a Demon, but he could still interpret much more of the hidden spells within it.
As he checked the contents of the spells, Kim Jonghyun confirmed the situation in the forest. Kim Jonghyun’s eyebrows wriggled with confusion as he noticed Kang Seok and Jehu fighting.
‘Who the hell is this guy?’
Kim Jonghyun didn’t know who the Spear King, Kang Seok was.
However, watching the fight between Jehu and Kang Seok, Kim Jonghyun knew that Kang Seok was a martial artist of great ability.
It was then.
‘Juwon?’
Kim Jonghyun’s eyes widened when he suddenly felt Juwon’s presence within the forest.
But he soon figured out why Juwon was in the forest, after putting together some thoughts. It was something Kim Jonghyun knew about. The Lycanthrope Tribe and their greatest wish to become the Apex of all Predators and defeat the Dragons.
Kim Jonghyun immediately recalled that Juwon also had his territory in the North. It was highly likely that Juwon was here as the Leader of the Lycanthrope tribe.
Kim Jonghyun’s face suddenly was plastered with a mocking smile. Although he was unsure of what was going on right now, he was sure Juwon’s intervention would lead to Jehu’s, the bastard who screwed him over, failure.
‘I want to help you on one hand, but…… I’m not in good shape right now.’
It had not yet been confirmed how far his new body could handle the Grimoire’s magic.
Kim Jonghyun gathered the remaining Demons from the portal he summoned earlier, and decided to leave. He needed to procure his safety first by all means necessary.
* * *
Juwon stared at Lee Sungmin with a blank and emotionless facial expression. After a brief silence, Juwon opened his mouth.
“I know you’re different from the Dragon I glimpsed earlier. But are you sure that means I don’t have to fight you?”
“I’m not a dragon.”
Juwon’s mouth twitched at Lee Sungmin’s words. His emotionless face cracked a thin smile.
“Yes… you’re not a dragon.”
Juwon was convinced as he muttered to himself.
There was a lot of fear accumulated in the Forest right now and deathly energy. Juwon felt it as his senses picked up on his surroundings.
BOOM- BOOM- BOOM-
The sounds of the clashing between Jehu and Kang Seok could be heard in the distance. The shock waves from their exchanges had the earth tremor.
Juwon looked in the direction of the sounds and nodded his head.
“But it’s also true that you have the power of a Dragon within you. Fighting with you might be able to fulfill my Tribe’s desire.”
[Are you trying to take the easy way out of this one?]
Heoju, who was floating in the air as a spirit, spoke to Juwon via telepathy.
[This guy is ridiculously weak compared to a real Dragon. All he did was eat the heart of the Dragon I had hunted in the past and has attained some of their energy. Do you think fighting this young boy can really achieve your Tribe’s desire?]
Lee Sungmin thought it was a bit much to speak so bluntly in front of Juwon, but Heoju paid it no mind.
Juwon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the floating spirit of Heoju, while then darting his eyes back to Lee Sungmin and glaring.
“Heoju, that human must be very precious to you.”
[Precious? Don’t use such cheesy words. But, I have been traveling with him all this time, so it would be a waste to let him die here.]
“It’s been quite a long time since you’ve been with him, hasn’t it.”
[If we’re talking about changing, you used to be called quite the madman.]
Juwon shrugged his shoulders and laughed at Heoju’s answer. He nodded his head slowly.
“I once admired you, Heoju. I was in awe of your strength and infamy. If you hadn’t died that day, I would have most definitely grown strong and challenged you eventually.”
[Then you would have died without a doubt.]
Juwon chuckled at Heoju’s prompt answer.
“Then I’ll pretend I never saw you and be on my way.”
Juwon spoke as he brushed by Lee Sungmin, leaving him alone. The direction in which Juwon was headed, was the direction where Jehu and Kang Se
ok were fighting.
Lee Sungmin wished that Juwon would kill Jehu. Although he didn’t have any expectations, it would certainly be nice.
“…… Whooh!”
When Juwon disappeared, those who had been weakened and immobilized by his presence took a collective sigh of relief. Lee Sungmin approached Scarlett, who was pale.
“Are you all right?”
“Ugh…. Yeah, I think I’m okay.”
Scarlett wrinkled her eyebrows as she grabbed her hair in dismay. She gulped audibly, as she looked at the back of Juwon, who was disappearing into the distance.
“What kind of monster is that?”
“…… He’s the King of the Lycanthrope tribe. You were incredibly lucky. If he decided to massacre this entire group, it would be hard for even me to stop him.”
Lee Sungmin spoke frankly. To be honest, He was getting immensely lucky with the events that had unfolded inside the Forest. Kang Seok had left him initially, to fight at a later date, then dodged Jehu’s attacks thanks to Kang Seok interfering. And finally, he dodged a fight with Juwon, one of the strongest monsters within the group of Black Stars within Predator.
Thanks to this, he was even able to have Juwon go attack Jehu. Regardless of the outcome, it would be favorable for him.
Jehu, Kang Seok and Juwon. If he fought even one of these people, he would have a hard time defending himself, let alone surviving. But if he somehow had to deal with all three? He would have surely died a thousand times over.
“I’ll hold you accountable for this.”
Lloyd spoke to the surviving martial artists of the Murong Family and Murim Alliance.
Most of the warriors of the Murong Family died, but Murong Chae, the son of Murong Dae, was still alive.
As Lloyd spoke, Murong Chae was unable to hear him properly. He was staring blankly at Murong Dae, his father, with eyes that were hard to read due to how many emotions he was experiencing at that moment.
Seeing Murong Chae staring blankly like that, Lee Sungmin felt bitter about the situation, but did not offer him any words of consolation. Instead, Lee Sungmin approached Scarlett.
“What can I do for you right now?”
“What?”
“If you’re in trouble, come with me to the Sama Order. I’ll make sure to have a room ready for you at any time, Ms. Scarlett.”
“…… well.”
Scarlett hesitated briefly at Lee Sungmin’s words.
To be honest, until earlier, she was planning to go to the Sama Order with Lee Sungmin.
But now, she had changed her mind a little. It was due to the actions of the other Tower Masters that had just stepped up for her when she was being rudely threatened and even attacked by Murong Dae.
“Go ahead and go with him.”
Lloyd suggested in a friendly manner.
“I’m sure this incident will hurt our relationship with the Murim Alliance. And no matter what happens, I’m sure they’ll continue to try and press you and search for you.”
Lloyd glanced at Lee Sungmin as he spoke to her.
“The political turmoil between the Sama Order and the Murim Alliance has nothing to with the Wizard Guild. We are only friendly with the Murim Alliance because they offered the relationship first.”
“Are you suggesting that I leave now?”
When Scarlett asked, Lloyd nodded.
“It’s going to be better for both parties : you, and the Wizard Guild.”
“……well. I think so, too.”
Scarlett nodded as she replied to Lloyd. She really didn’t have anything left for her to stay for with regards to the Wizard Guild.
Scarlett glanced at Lee Sungmin. Honestly speaking, Lee Sungmin, her friend, had become a much larger figure than she could have ever imagined. After years of being the Red Tower Master, there was not much left for her to honestly do in terms of research and meetings with other Wizards. And if she left with him, she would surely be protected well.
“I’ll have my own room in the Sama Order, right?”
“I don’t think so.”
Lee Sungmin summoned the Pegasus as he spoke.
He didn’t know what would happen any further, so Lee Sungmin decided to get out of the Forest as soon as possible.
If he used the Pegasus here, he would only be able to use it one more time in the future. Regardless of what happened, this was for the best.
He would normally just travel by himself at this moment, but with Scarlett with him, he had to take extra precautionary measures.
Looking at the summoned Pegasus, Lloyd and other Wizards looked on in shock and surprise.
Lloyd muttered, looking at the Pegasus with awe-inspired eyes.
“If what I know is correct……isn’t that what the Queen of Fairies uses as her mount?”
“That’s right.”
“Hahah… you even have a relationship with the Queen of Fairies..”
Lloyd shook his head with a grin.
“Come to think of it. If it’s not too late to ask. Have you met my teacher?”
When asked about Envirus, Lee Sungmin smiled bitterly. To be honest, he didn’t have such a great encounter with Envirus as one might expect.
He surely had his own position to take care of and his own life, but Envirus still tried to kill Lee Sungmin after he broke the Oath.
“We met.”
“I’m assuming he’s well?”
“…… Yes.”
Lee Sungmin didn’t bother to state that Envirus had nearly died and had been transported back to the Spirit Realm. Lloyd sighed as he heard Lee Sungmin’s terse answers.
“Anyway, the Oath I made to you a long time ago. I’m sure I’ve fulfilled the requirements by now.”
“Thank you very much.”
“It was a rather difficult request.”
Lloyd muttered in an annoyed tone of voice as he glanced at the Leader of the Holy Knights, Sung Ki-Jang.
Sung Ki-Jang was completely silent and was feeling incredibly embarrassed at that moment. He had been saved by the man he sought to harm, and called him a monster, when yet, there was a Pegasus right next to him. A mythical creature with awe-inspiring Holy power.
“I didn’t expect there would ever be a day when I would ride a Pegasus.”
Scarlett, who hopped onto the Pegasus’ back with Lee Sungmin, muttered with bright eyes filled with wonder and joy.
Lee Sungmin smiled as he leaned forward and brushed the mane of the Pegasus lightly while sending it a telepathic message for his destination.
‘Sama Order.’
As Lee Sungmin finished sending the message to the horse, a series of bright white lights started to circle around him and Scarlett and enveloped them wholly.