Rank 62 Devil Valac.

Rising from a desert, Valac’s army displayed overwhelming power as it marched through Central Asia to Europe. With parts of the land and ocean submerged by the Demon Realm, Europe didn’t have the power to repel the devil army.

Worldwide disaster warnings were issued, and Heroes of the Association were dispatched to Europe. A war had broken out between humanity and devils.

Rank 29 Devil Astaroth.

Astaroth put up a barrier in the middle of Spain’s Madrid. With no way of entering or exiting the barrier, humanity had no way of knowing what was happening inside.

While Valac was causing havoc in the east, Astaroth put Spain under complete lockdown. But Europe didn’t have the time to even complain about the injustice it was facing.

Rank 14 Devil Leraje.

Leraje, on the other hand, was far from Europe. She constructed a Devil’s Castle using the headquarters of the game company Leol, located in the United States’ state of California. Leraje’s Devil’s Castle acted as a Portal connected to the Demon Realm, and demons and demonic monsters flooded out like a tidal wave.

But Leraje didn’t cause destruction like Valac and Astaroth. In fact, she offered a rather strange mission to humanity, or to be exact, the game company Leol.

—Make me the most enjoyable game ever created. It would be nice if there were multiple classes to choose from.

Leraje’s order confused Leol’s CEO and developers, who were now entrapped inside the Devil’s Castle. But before their confusion could subside, Leraje added another goal.

—If the game you create can satisfy me and if somebody beats me in that game, I won’t cause any harm to humanity.

To their bewilderment, Leol had been handed the fate of America.

—I will swear on my name as a devil that I will keep this promise.

Leraje even made an oath that made the entire Americas turn their eyes towards Leol.

The 5,300 employees of Leol began their game development process from that day forward with the world’s expectations on their backs. Leraje had given them a deadline of 20 days. The laughably small timeframe would normally have made the mission impossible, but Leol coincidentally had been in the middle of developing a game. As they were confident it would be the greatest game of the modern era, they put even more time into speeding up its completion.

Rank 3 Devil Vassago.

Similar to Leraje, Vassago gave humanity a unique but less generous mission. He constructed a Colosseum in Pandemonium and invited the warriors of Earth.

—Come defeat me.

His message was simple, but not many people were strong enough to challenge him. Disgruntled with the lack of reaction, Vassago added that he would fight multiple challenges simultaneously. Seeing that even that was ineffective, he released an ultimatum that he would wait ten more days.

All in all, humanity came to realize the gravity of the danger they were facing. It was at this moment that a determined Master-rank Hero visited the Hero Association.

“I will challenge Vassago.”

Jin Seyeon.

She was originally planning on entering the Demon Realm Gate, but she changed her mind on the day of the Gate’s opening, when she heard that Chameleon Troupe’s Cheok Jungyeong was wreaking havoc on the Tower of Wish’s 9th floor. Jin Seyeon had too many things she wanted to talk about with the Chameleon Troupe, who had changed her life completely.

“...You?”

The Association Chairman, Yi Yookho, blinked his eyes in confusion. Jin Seyeon’s sudden visit had clearly caught him off guard.

“Yes.”

“....”

Jin Seyeon was determined, but Yi Yookho was hesitant. Jin Seyeon was too good of a card to waste on Vassago’s Colosseum. The Association was planning on using disposal Heroes to challenge Vassago and buy time.

“There’s no need for you to—”

“It’s fine. That man will be there too.”

“...That man?”

“Yes.”

Jin Seyeon had failed to track down Cheok Jungyeong on the 9th floor, but she was positive that he would come to challenge the Colosseum. Perhaps, Black Lotus would be there as well.

“Chameleon Troupe’s Cheok Jungyeong... and perhaps Black Lotus.”

Hearing this, Yi Yookho sighed internally. Even at a glance, he could tell how determined Jin Seyeon was. Knowing the relationship between Jin Seyeon and the Chameleon Troupe, there wasn’t much he could say.

“I understand, but here’s what I think.”

Yi Yookho took out a secret document from his drawer to dissuade Jin Seyeon from challenging the Colosseum.

“What’s this?”

“You’ll know when you read it yourself, but I’ll explain it simply. There’s a chance that Orden is alive.”

“Orden?!”

Jin Seyeon immediately scanned the document. Meanwhile, Yi Yookho continued explaining.

“The area around Russia’s Vladivostok has been free of demonic monsters for some time. Its surrounding areas have all undergone Demon Realm Transformation and are filled with demons and demonic monsters, but Vladivostok is spotless. If you visit the city, you’ll hear its residents laughing and living peacefully.”

The document contained accounts of Vladivostok’s residents. Apparently, a mysterious power annihilated demons and demonic monsters in the area. No one knew what the mysterious power was, but being sensitive to magic power, Yi Gongmyung was able to deduce the identity through the pulsation and smell of magic power.

“I want to entrust you with this task. It might be more important than the devils. Heynckes and Chae Joochul also agreed to participate.”

“....”

Jin Seyeon put down the document after giving it a thorough read. Her expression had not changed in the slightest, and Yi Yookho couldn’t help but sigh.

“I will stop Vassago. If two of the Nine Stars are participating, me not being there shouldn’t make much of a difference.”

“...Why?”

In the end, Yi Yookho scowled.

“Why are you so bent on pursuing the Chameleon Troupe? I told you before, the Kwang-Oh Incident is—”

“I’ll take my leave.”

Jin Seyeon got up from her seat. Although she knew she was being rude, she had no intention of hearing a made-up story about her past.

“...If you leave now, you will regret it.”

Yi Yookho’s expression stiffened. He tried to stop Jin Seyeon but knew he was powerless.

“I hope we meet again.”

Jin Seyeon bowed and left without hesitation.

“That stubborn woman... Earth is on the brink of destruction and all she cares about is some bygone past....”

Yi Yookho massaged his temples and turned on his smartwatch to report to Kim Sukho.

**

[3 AM, Republic of Leores]

The moonlit field of grass was the perfect place for a youthful couple to meet. Unfortunately, the person waiting for me was Yi Yeonjun.

I quickly spotted Yi Yeonjun in the distance, and he was staring back at me.

“Hey.”

He started with a simple greeting.

Before responding to him, I reminded myself to get him to talk as much as possible.

===

[Lv.8 Unique Skill – Clockhand of Fate]

○Fate

—You can select up to 8 targets to be your ‘Fate’.

—For 3 minutes, when fighting your ‘Fate’, your variable stats and special stats increase by 300%. (Usable once every 120 hours).

===

It was because of this Unique Skill. When I chose Jin Sahyuk as my first target, talking to her a few times was enough. But I had a huge problem choosing a second target.

[Condition to select the second target – exchange at least 100 back-and-forths while talking to your target face-to-face.]

“...Did you hear me?”

Seeing that I was silent, Yi Yeonjun spoke again. His monotone voice made me question whether he was bored.

“...Yeah, I heard a lot about you from Boss. My name is Kim Hajin. What’s yours?”

“....”

Yi Yeonjun closed his mouth like I said something I shouldn’t have.

“...Hello?”

He didn’t react at all. Did he hear about my Unique Skill from Bell?

“Answer me. What’s your name?”

“....”

...I considered reversing time and starting over. But the side-effect of the 3-minute Time Reversal was too big. Even with the Orb of Regeneration, my movements would be severely restricted for at least 10 minutes. Yi Yeonjun didn’t strike me as the person to wait that long.

“Jin Sahyuk told me what you’re planning.”

Since Yi Yeonjun seemed uninterested in talking, I continued myself. This time, I took a more direct approach and recited Yi Yeonjun’s plan.

“If Baal descends after Jin Sahyuk kills Bell, Baal would need a new incarnation body.”

Yi Yeonjun was aiming to take that role.

“You’re trying to become Baal’s incarnation body.”

“....”

But Yi Yeonjun remained silent.

“...Hello?”

“Shut your mouth.”

With those three words, Yi Yeonjun released his magic power. Contrary to his disposition, his magic power was white.

“Quite a foul-mouth, aren’t you?”

I raised my gun, which was loaded with bullets tipped with the Basilisk’s venom. At the same time, I activated all the medicinal effects of my [Medicinal Memory Physique].

It was then.

KOOOONG—!

A huge earthquake broke out that seemed to score at least 8 points on the Richter scale. With that as the signal, Yi Yeonjun kicked off the ground, fully unleashing his magic power.

Chwaaaa....

Yi Yeonjun’s white magic power spread out in all directions. As the brilliant light eliminated all shadows in the area, I activated Bullet Time.

Kirik— Kirik—

I could see Yi Yeonjun in slow-motion. Magic power shot out of his body like the branches of a tree. I heard from Jin Sahyuk that Yi Yeonjun could freely manipulate the temperature of magic power.

His Gift sounded simple, but I knew it had to be powerful given his status.

I transformed the Desert Eagle into its shotgun form and aimed it at him.

—!

The moment I pulled the trigger, the Desert Eagle spat out venomous buckshot like a dragon’s breath.

**

KOOOONG—!

The ground suddenly rumbled. Jin Sahyuk’s eyes shot open. Her mind turned cold. Her intuition was telling her that the rumbling wasn’t from a simple earthquake.

“What, what happened!?”

Chae Nayun, who was sleeping on the couch, also woke up.

Jin Sahyuk jumped down from the window, and Chae Nayun and Shin Jonghak followed after her.

“Wait! Tell us what’s happening! Where are you going!?”

Jin Sahyuk ignored Chae Nayun and ran straight to the epicenter of the earthquake. The streets of the Republic were in chaos from the earthquake.

Jumping from roof to roof, Jin Sahyuk rushed to Bell’s mansion.

Clang—!

She broke the window and entered the dark mansion. Just as she was looking around the empty bedroom...

“...Haa.”

...A low-pitched sigh rang out from the corner. Jin Sahyuk turned her gaze and found Bell collapsed with his hands on his stomach.

“BELL!”

She yelled loudly but paused from embarrassment. While Jin Sahyuk was hesitating, Shin Jonghak and Chae Nayun also arrived.

When Shin Jonghak spotted Bell, he furrowed his brows. Meanwhile, Chae Nayun asked as she blinked her eyes in confusion.

“What, what happened to you!?”

“...It’s nothing.”

Bell got up with his body drenched in cold sweat.

“It just signaled to me. It wants to come out, even if it has to tear my body apart.”

“...Is it bad?”

Jin Sahyuk asked from a distance away.

Bell smiled bitterly and nodded his head.

“Yeah, I don’t think I can last more than two days. If possible, I want you to kill me today... keuk!”

Bell fell to his knees.

“Kueek....”

His back was bent, and his shoulders trembled violently.

As he desperately tried to endure the pain...

“——!”

...He burst out with an otherworldly cry.

Soon, Bell’s right eye turned crimson, and the left side of his body flickered with black demonic energy.

“Kuk... Kuaaaak!”

But Bell forced Baal back. Baal screamed a couple times before calming down, and Bell collapsed onto the floor from exhaustion.

Jin Sahyuk walked up and knelt in front of him.

“...You okay?”

She asked worriedly. Bell smiled at her uncharacteristic action and shook his head.

“No, I’m not. Can you kill me now?”

“....”

Jin Sahyuk didn’t answer. She hesitated. She knew she could kill Bell. A complete extermination of the soul through Reality Manipulation. With it, she could save Bell.

“...Huh? Wait.”

At that moment, Bell discovered Shin Jonghak standing behind Jin Sahyuk. He grinned and gestured at Shin Jonghak.

“You’re here, Myungchul’s grandson.”

“....”

Shin Jonghak didn’t answer. He was uncomfortable with hearing his grandfather’s name from Bell’s mouth.

“Are you ready to hear our story? This might be the last chance.... Kuuek.”

Suddenly, Bell scowled from the monstrous pain eating away his body.

“...I don’t see a reason I should hear you out.”

Shin Jonghak expressed his discomfort. Bell smiled looking at Shin Jonghak. He could feel demonic energy roiling inside him but endured it with all his effort.

“A reason to hear me out, you say....”

Bell wanted to tell Shin Jonghak about Shin Myungchul. No, he

had

to.

Bell’s encounter with Shin Myungchul wasn’t a coincidence, but fate. This was something he promised Shin Myungchul...

“The more I look at you, the more you resemble Myungchul....”

Hearing this, Shin Jonghak frowned.

“What are you blabbering on about?”

“Hm? Oh, nothing much. I’m just saying you two are alike. Both in appearance and character.”

“Ha! Character?”

Shin Jonghak knew himself well enough to know that his character was nothing like Shin Myungchul’s. Naturally, what Bell said sounded like an insult to his grandfather.

“I dare you to say that again—”

“I’m talking about Shin Myungchul before he went back in time.”

Shin Jonghak became speechless. He had clearly taken the bait.

Bell couldn’t help but chuckle from Shin Jonghak’s cute reaction. He slowly continued his tale.

“...The world Myungchul lived in originally was a lot different than this world. Although science and technology paled in comparison to modern developments, they were still advancing. There was no room for devils to interfere. But Myungchul was anxious. I guess that’s why he wanted to go back in time.”

Bell stopped there as Shin Jonghak grabbed his Conqueror Spear. A cold, chilling voice flowed out from his mouth.

“Shut your mouth.”

“Shin Myungchul asked me.”

“...What?”

Shin Jonghak’s face distorted. But as far as Bell was concerned, this side of Shin Jonghak also resembled Shin Myungchul.

“He asked me to tell his grandson the story of his life. So that his grandson wouldn’t make the same choice....”

Shin Jonghak clenched his teeth. He gripped his spear tighter. Seeing Shin Jonghak’s aggressive stance, Jin Sahyuk and Chae Nayun prepared themselves to stop him at any moment.

Bell continued.

“Myungchul made the first choice.”

Shin Myungchul’s first choice – going back in time.

Because of it, Baal reached Earth.

“Most likely, you’ll be the one to make the second choice.”

The second choice was still left. Shin Myungchul had left his final will in his grandson’s heart.

“Because...”

It was then. Rain entered through the broken window. Dense demonic energy blew in with the wind. The screams of civilians tore through the night sky. Demonic monsters had appeared with the earthquake.

“You might not know this, but Shin Myungchul left everything to you. He knew his son didn’t have the talent for it.”

Shin Jonghak looked out of the window. A pillar of golden light shot up to the sky, and the cries of demonic monsters rang out.

He could tell this was Kim Suho’s work. With that, Shin Jonghak turned back to Bell.

“So, you feel like hearing me out now?” Bell asked.

Chae Nayun, who was quietly watching the two, murmured ‘whatever’ and jumped out of the window. She was clearly being sensible and letting Shin Jonghak make his decision alone. Of course, Jin Sahyuk stayed without paying attention to such things.

“Haa....”

Shin Jonghak glared at Jin Sahyuk and heaved out a disappointed sigh.

“...Go ahead.”

Next, he sat cross-legged on the floor. He still had his spear in his hand as if he wouldn’t hesitate to use it if Bell lied.

Bell looked at Shin Jonghak and recalled the day he met a man who looked just like Shin Jonghak.

The day he met the violent, arrogant man living in discontent...