Chapter 251: Chapter 249

Suho was ecstatic.

"That's insane."

A 3x experience boost? He felt dizzy seeing the reward that was beyond his imagination.

"Esil." Suho placed his hand on Esil's shoulder and looked into her eyes with a burning gaze.

"Congratulations on becoming king. We're together for life."

"Master...!" She understood his sincerity. Esil also teared up with a deeply moved and overwhelmed expression at Suho's words.

Wasn't it true that...

She was a disappointment who had already failed the succession ceremony once due to lack of qualification.

She was a sinner who dared to try to become king without the necessary capability.

As punishment for that sin, she was destined to be devoured by Nidhogg, sucked into the Primordial Darkness, instead of becoming king. But it was Suho who suddenly appeared and overturned all that fate. It was him who forcibly grabbed her soul by the scruff of its neck and pulled it up, making her a king! Esil rose with tears in her eyes, clenching her fists.

"Master! I will do my best from now on!"

[Kieeeeek—! How dare you! To say such an obvious thing now! How incompetent have you been until now!] Beru, the senior, who suddenly appeared, was aghast. But Esil was already a soldier with a strong sense of duty.

"No! I will do better!"

[Your voice is too small!]

"I will do much much better!"

[Not enough!] Beru and Esil were passionately singing their loyalty with veins bulging in their necks.

Esil had evolved into the Demon King, becoming much more glamorous and dignified than usual. But her mindset was more humble and sincere than ever. Suho standing before her was the savior of her soul, the master she had to serve for the rest of her life!

[Louder!]

"I will serve you with all my loyalty! If you wish, my body, mind, and soul! I will dedicate everything I have...!"

"Ok, then let's draw some blood."

"...What?"

"Blood." Suho, who gladly accepted Esil's heart, was smiling brightly.

"I'm asking for a blood donation." He had been waiting for this moment.

[Purified blood of the Demon King]

One of the three ingredients for the Holy Water of Life. Now that Esil had become the Demon King, he could draw an 'unlimited' amount of Demon King's blood. Of course, Suho knew how important 'blood' was to the demon race. But if Esil had any conscience, it was time for her to earn her keep. Actually, he hadn't mentioned it, but a significant portion of the money Suho earned as a Hunter went to Esil's food expenses, or rather, meat expenses. Perhaps the reason why she was called the 'Monarch of Gluttony' was because of that.

Which was greater, the number of leaves of the World Tree that Esil ate? Or the amount of meat she devoured like crazy to recover her diminished strength? The latter was clearly the winner. No wonder the butcher in Suho's neighborhood became the building's owner. That butcher hadn't even awakened as a Hunter, yet he made as much money as one. And that was even after giving Suho a huge discount at wholesale price because he was a regular customer.

'Actually, instead of the Monarch of Gluttony, maybe she's the Monarch of eating.' Suho truly thought so.

But in any case, wasn't it all right if the result was good? It was all an investment for this moment. Those meat expenses...? They were nothing compared to the Holy Water of Life.

"I-I will give it to you! If you want my blood!" Esil replied with a determined look at Suho's first order.

"Purify it before you give it to me."

"Yes!"

Whoosh—!

[The King of Demons, the Monarch of Gluttony, uses Skill: 'Blood Crystal'.] Fortunately, there was no need to draw blood with a syringe.

Swoosh! A fist-sized drop of blood appeared on Esil's palm.

Originally, the blood of demons was black. But perhaps because of how much Esil refined her blood, the Blood Crystal she created was shimmering red. And even the smell wasn't fishy but rather fragrant.

Ooooooh—!

All the demons trembled with emotion at that marvelous sight.

"It's Blood Crystal!"

"Blood Crystal!"

"As expected of the Demon King!"

"Oh, King!"

If 'Bloodstone' was the exclusive property of nobles, 'Blood Crystal' was its superior version. It was the unique power of the Demon King to highly refine demon blood. The Blood Crystal had various uses, but for now, they focused solely on drawing blood.

Pop!

As Suho bought a transparent glass bottle from the shop and pulled out the stopper, Esil's Blood Crystal immediately flew into the air and was sucked into it.

Ding!

[Obtained Item: 'Purified Blood of the Demon King'.]

[Material Item: Purified Blood of the Demon King]

[Acquisition Difficulty: ??]

[Type: Material]

[A liquid made by refining the blood of the King of Demons, Esil Radiru.]

[Although it contains strong magic power, it still is toxic even after purification]

[To use it as medicine, you need the 'Fragment of the World Tree']

[And 'Spring Water of the EchoForest' to neutralize the toxicity.]

"This is the Demon King's blood..." Suho smiled with satisfaction.

The red liquid in the transparent glass bottle sloshed around. Looking at it like this, it seemed like a fancy perfume bottle, but its value was incomparably greater.

[Holy Water of Life]

[Ingredients:]

[Purified Blood of the Demon King (1/1)]

[Fragment of the World Tree (0/1)]

[Spring Water of the Echo Forest (1/1)]

[Kieek! Now there's only one ingredient left! You can craft the Holy Water of Life if you just have the Fragment of the World Tree!]

"Tsk. That's a shame. I should have brought those branches somehow."

[Kiek?] Beru tilted his head.

Suho was frowning and clicking his tongue when he should be happy. Recalling the branches of the World Tree that were falling from Nidhogg's struggles, he felt regretful. But he didn't have the time to do that back then. Nidhogg's six giant heads were snapping their mouths here and there to devour him, and it was already overwhelming just to dodge their bites and collect the leaves. He needed to think positively and reconsider. Even if he had managed to get his hands on those branches, it might have been impossible to bring them to reality. Only his mind had crossed over to the Sea of The Afterlife due to the 'Unknown' skill. When he returned after fighting Querehsha, not even a single wing fragment of those swarming poisonous insects was attached to his clothes. ...That was Suho's best attempt at positive thinking. But it was too early to give up.

"Master! Do you have any more orders?"

[That's a good attitude!] Beru finally gave her a passing grade.

Even after handing over the Blood Crystal to Suho, Esil's eyes were burning with a sense of mission. Seeing those eyes, Suho had a good idea.

"Esil." His eyes sparkled.

"Can you go back to that place?"

"Are you talking about... the World Tree?"

Esil frowned and tried to recall her memories. The thing that emitted light in the darkness. The impact of the World Tree was so strong that she couldn't clearly remember what the surroundings were like. But...

"Maybe... it should be possible."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. The scent of the World Tree still lingers in my mouth."

Even if her eyes couldn't remember, her other senses could. This was the dignity of the Monarch of Gluttony, the one who devoured countless leaves of the World Tree. Smacking her lips, Esil proudly pointed at her chest with her thumb and said,

"And that scent is also flowing in my blood."

"No wonder the smell of the Blood Crystal was fragrant. Then if you let other demons smell your blood?"

"Then, of course..."

Smirk. Before he could even finish his words, Suho and Esil smiled meaningfully at each other. They understood each other's thoughts.

"All the demons under my command will be able to wander the Sea of The Afterlife and track the scent of the World Tree."

Demons were sensitive to the smell of blood. Moreover, any demon who couldn't remember the smell of the Demon King's blood deserved to die. If the scent of the World Tree was mixed with Esil's blood, the demons would be able to search for the World Tree much more effectively than the shadow soldiers who were currently wandering the Sea of The Afterlife.

"Demons wandering the Sea of The Afterlife... That's a real hell." It was a strangely fitting combination.

"But are you really okay with this? The weeds will target you if you go there."

In fact, the residents of the gap had just invaded the demons gathered here. But going to the Sea of The Afterlife, which was teeming with not only the residents of the gap but also weeds, was like walking into their own graves. But...

"The demons who overcame the trial are... strong."

The demons gathered here were all warriors who survived the trial. Representing them, Esil dismissed Suho's worries with a confident expression.

"The reason we're strong is that we realized how weak and insignificant we are through the trial."

Rumble!

At Esil's words, the energy of the surviving demons quietly flared up like flames.

"That's why we desire to become even stronger. We are still weak. If there's a way to become more powerful than we are now, not being picky about the means or methods is the foundation that governs the demon world." And Esil had now realized...

'The leaf of the World Tree'

"Since I have personally confirmed that the legend of the 'Demon of Greed', Vulcan, evolving after eating the leaves of the World Tree is true, we demons will definitely find it no matter where it is."

To become stronger!

That one purpose would be enough. For demons, strength was survival. Moreover, most of the demons Esil commanded were low-ranking.

"For the survival of the demon race, not just me, but all demons must become stronger than we are now."

"Then we need to divide the roles." Suho couldn't sacrifice innocent demons to the weeds, so he came up with a strategy.

"The demons will track the scent, and the shadow soldiers will escort you."

"No. We will fight as well. We cannot entrust our survival to others."

"It's a sea there. Do you have wings?"

"...Ah." Esil had forgotten an important point. Looking back, there weren't many demons with wings. As Suho said, even at this moment, the shadow soldiers wandering the Sea of The Afterlife were all winged.

"Then we will fight even if we have to swim..."

"Wait. There's a better way." Having already been to the Sea of The Afterlife twice, Suho brought up the idea he had been thinking about.

"We'll build a ship."

'...!'

Esil's eyes widened at the unexpected words.