Chapter 241.

A long silence filled the tense atmosphere . Their current situation was incomprehensible to both Aileen and Kim Hajin .

“…What . ”

Suddenly, Aileen let out a dumbfounded voice . This time, her words were not using Spirit Speech .

“… . ”

Kim Hajin only stared at Aileen .

Her Spirit Speech didn’t work on him . He wasn’t sure why at first, but then he came up with a plausible explanation .

The influence of Spirit Speech was limited only to the those who exist in this world . But he did not belong in this world, which the Stigma on his arm served as evidence . Therefore, Aileen’s Spirit Speech couldn’t affect Kim Hajin, as he didn’t exist in this world originally .

“Dammit…!”

Oblivious to this fact, Aileen suddenly became irritated . Kim Hajin let out a silent sigh . He now had no doubt that she didn’t see the scroll .

“Guuu… . ”

The currents of magic power that Aileen released rose up in the air . Along with it, Aileen’s hair also stood on end . She looked just like a Super Saiyan from a certain manga, ready to fire a blast of Spirit Speech any moment now .

“Take your hood off!”

The huge yell resounded throughout the arena . From Aileen’s small mouth came out an unbelievable amount of magic power, which then turned into massive sound waves that engulfed Kim Hajin’s body .

However… the result was the same .

Though the tip of his robe swayed slightly, Black Lotus didn’t even flinch . In reality, the spectators watching them, and not Black Lotus, were the ones who fell victim to her Spirit Speech, as those who were wearing hoods took them off .

“… . ”

With that, Aileen’s expression became as ferocious as ever . She was always somewhat playful, but this time she was completely serious . Aileen realized that she could never get him to take his hood off with Spirit Speech .

“I have no idea what the heck is going on . ”

She concentrated her magic power below to boost herself into the air .

“…But it doesn’t matter . ”

Because she used words as her weapon, it was inevitable that she developed a habit of talking to herself .

“The winds all around will force your hood off . ”

Suddenly, huge wind funnels appeared in the arena which was completely serene just a moment ago . WHOOSH—! The whirlwind blew like saw blades towards Black Lotus .

“…Hmm?”

But Black Lotus put up a special barrier . The circular barrier enveloped his entire body, sucking the wind in .

“What the hell is that?”

Again, an incomprehensible phenomenon .

‘He has way too many strange techniques . ’

—Did you not see the bamboo scroll?

Suddenly, a clear Mental Transmission resounded in Aileen’s mind, interrupting her train of thought . It was obvious who the voice belonged to . Aileen frowned and asked back .

“Bamboo scroll? What are you talking about?”

At the same time, another voice, full of noises, crept in .

—It’s me… . Aileen… . Jin Se… yeon… .

A familiar voice and a familiar magic power . Aileen widened her eyes . This message was from Jin Seyeon .

“W-What? Are you Jin Seyeon?”

—Yes… .

Aileen’s face lit up with joy .

‘I knew she was alive . The guard told me she was dead, but I didn’t believe him . Though she’s overrated, she’s not a Master-rank for nothing!’

“Where are you right now?!”

—Black Lotus… taught me… Mental… Transmission… .

The talent of a Master-rank Hero was indeed spectacular as it only took Jin Seyeon two days to be able to use Mental Transmission, though imperfectly . Of course, it was only possible with the help from Black Lotus .

“No, I said, where are you?”

Jin Seyeon chose to ignore Aileen’s question and instead told her what she needed to know .

—Accept… Black Lotus’s… arrow… .

“What?”

Aileen looked at Black Lotus in confusion . The moment their eyes met, Black Lotus’ voice again flowed into her ears .

—I saved Jin Seyeon .

“…What the heck are these two saying all of sudden?”

Kim Hajin sent yet another message to Aileen, who was tilting her head questiongly .

—And at Jin Seyeon’s request, I hope to save you as well .

**

…I repeated the same procedure for the next 3 weeks and successfully rescued every member of Aileen’s team from the Colosseum .

“The saying, ‘the beacon does not shine on its own base’, is apparently true . ”

Team ‘Aileen and the Kids’ was gathered in the hideout that I had prepared beneath the morgue .

“This hideout is very comfy . ”

Yi Yongha said in awe while observing the well-decorated hideout .

I sat on a stone chair and looked at Kim Suho, who was my last opponent . When our eyes met, Kim Suho nodded lightly . He had already thanked me a while ago, but I couldn’t say anything to him in return .

“…Kuhum . ”

And it wasn’t only me . Kim Suho was also scratching his cheek awkwardly, probably because of Kaita . He had killed Kaita, a member of the Chameleon Troupe, three times already .

—Thank… you .

Suddenly, I heard a voice in my ear .

It was, of course, from Jin Seyeon .

I glanced at her . I wondered why she was trying so hard to use Mental Transmission when she could just speak to me in person . We were sitting right next to each other, after all .

—We… killed you once… before… .

For the record, I taught her how to use Mental Transmission . Stigma could really be used in a lot of ways . I infused Jin Seyeon with Stigma filled with the ‘Mental Transmission Technique’ and she naturally learned to master it .

—However… I have something… I want to… ask you… . .

“Haa, haa . ”

Jin Seyeon continued even as she was panting .

—You’re a member of the Chameleon Troupe… This happened long time ago, but… about the Kwang-Oh Incident… .

Startled, I directed my gaze to Jin Seyeon in surprise .

Kwang-Oh Incident .

I hadn’t expected to hear those words from Jin Seyeon .

—Do you know about… .

“Hey, Lotus . ”

Suddenly Aileen intervened . She approached me in short and quick steps, with her arms crossed .

‘What’s she gonna say this time?’ I thought and looked down at the short figure .

“…Thanks . ”

But what Aileen said was totally unexpected .

“You guys are on the Association’s Blacklist, but if I happen to run into you on Earth… I’ll let you go once . ”

She muttered shyly and quickly turned her head away in embarrassment .

I got up from my seat without answering .

“…It’s time to escape . ”

Everybody shifted their attention to me .

—Escape, you say… .

“You don’t have to talk through Mental Transmission . ”

I tried to stop Jin Seyeon from using Mental Transmission at every chance she got . Jin Seyeon nodded and sent me another Mental Transmission .

—I… understand… .

“But you don’t have to, right? You’ll have 10 victories soon . ”

I shook my head at Aileen’s remark .

“Death awaits me after the 10th victory . Demons are not as generous as you think . ”

Then, I dug a hole in the ground . Stigma’s magic power easily penetrated the soil, and the four followed me from behind .

I continued down the hole until it was 5 meters deep, then made a left turn . 30km straight from here, and we should be able to escape the Colosseum .

“Hey, move over . It’s my turn now . ”

Because 30km was a quite long distance, we took turns digging the tunnel . I was first, Aileen second, Yi Yongha third, and Jin Seyeon and Kim Suho were last .

After 30 minutes, we arrived at the right spot .

“This is enough . ”

I grabbed Kim Suho, who was digging, and pulled him by the shoulder .

I took over and began to dig diagonally . I released Stigma and a stiff slope formed in front of us . At its end, we could see a ray of light .

“Ah, there it is!”

Aileen shouted .

We were out through the tunnel .

[28F – Demon Metropolis]

We arrived at the city of demons after escaping from the Colosseum . It was kind of strange that the 28th floor was just outside the 27th floor, but that’s just how I wrote the setting . There was only one floor left in the Tower anyways, so only the pickiest readers pointed it out .

“Huh, that’s… . ”

“What the heck… . ”

The party stared at the view of the city in a daze . The demons’ city was completely different from that of humans’ . There were eyes on their buildings, and they were breathing as though they were alive .

“It’s very grotesque . ”

If Hell existed, this would be a good representation of it . Everyone froze momentarily in the face of the fiendish scenery .

I took advantage of their distraction and whispered quietly .

“Spartan, take me to Earth . ”

Spartan responded quickly to my request .

The demon city before my eyes suddenly disappeared, and I was transferred to the Chameleon Troupe’s hideout in Pandemonium .

My sudden disappearance would surprise them for sure, but we would meet again soon enough .

There would only be one difference . I would be Kim Hajin and not Black Lotus .

**

[The Himalayan Mountains]

‘The oxygen concentration is low, and the magic power density is high . Therefore, climbers must breathe carefully on the Himalayan Mountains, which are full of stronger-than-average monsters . But even under these harsh conditions that make human habitation impossible, a mysterious inn exists somewhere in these mountains… . ’

Such was the urban legend circulating on the Internet . Though Chae Nayun didn’t exactly plan to uncover the truth about the legend even as she climbed the Himalayas, by chance, she came across an inn while wandering through a blizzard .

[Himalayan Daybreak]

This was the name of the mysterious inn nestled on the cliff halfway up the mountain . She now confirmed that the legend was, in fact, real .

“…Then, the guests here are all skilled Heroes?”

Chae Nayun chose to enter the inn without a moment of hesitation, and now she was sitting at the counter talking to the inn’s owner .

“I wouldn’t know . I never asked . ”

The owner answered briefly . He was a old man with long white hair and a beard . The magic power embedded in his blue eyes clearly indicated what his former occupation was .

“Hm, then how many people are staying here currently?”

“Seven . ”

“Ooh… . ”

It was surprising that the inn was located in the middle of the rugged mountains, but what was even more surprising was that the inn had seven guests .

Chae Nayun took a sip of beer .

“Kyah, how much did you say a glass of beer was?”

“100000 won . ”

“Mm… . ”

Though the drink was expensive, it was well worth the cost . A Himalayan beer would surely be full of magic power .

“It tastes fresh . Is it because it’s from the Himalayas?”

“No, it’s imported . Scaa . From Korea . ”

“… . ”

“You know what they say, anything from Korea is good . Though, I never would have imagined such a saying when I was in my twenties . ”

Chae Nayun looked inside the glass of beer .

It was indeed way too murky to be harboring magic power . But considering where she was, the price wasn’t too bad .

“By the way, why did you build an inn in a place like this?”

“… . ”

The owner did not answer . Suddenly she noticed the three streaks of scars on his cheek . She stared at the scars in silence, and the owner chuckled and said, “If you have something you want to ask, just ask . ”

“Ah… Kuhmm . ”

Chae Nayun let out a dry cough . She asked straightforward .

“Have you seen a man? Um, he looks like this . ”

Chae Nayun took out multiple photos of Kim Joongho . The first photo showed his usual appearance, and the rest had disheveled hair, beard, and other possible changes photoshopped to his face .

“… . ”

The owner carefully studied the photos .

“I don’t know . I might have seen him somewhere . ”

He answered ambiguously and glanced at the sword on Chae Nayun’s back .

“Anyway, are you a swordswoman?”

“…Pardon? Oh, yes . ”

The owner smiled silently . His smile was powerful and stirring . He held a photo up in his hand .

“I think I’ve seen this man . He introduced himself as a forensic pathologist, I believe . ”

Kim Joongho, a forensic pathologist .

Chae Nayun’s eyes widened at his remark .

“Then, where did he go? Did he stay here?!”

Chae Nayun jumped to her feet and looked at the owner straight in the eyes . However, when she stood up, she realized how big he was . His shoulders were as wide as a mountain, and his height and physique appeared unmatched even by the strongest of men .

“…Do you want to know?”

“Yes . I have to know . ”

Even so, Chae Nayun continued without getting intimidated .

“It’s good that you’re here . I was getting bored . ”

The owner suddenly gave her a benign smile .

“I’ll tell you if you win against me . ”

“…Excuse me?”

“You said you were a swordswoman . ”

His words were all too sudden, but Chae Nayun soon gave a small smile . The smile was actually a sneer, a mixture of ridicule and astonishment .

“Well, I’m actually a fairly strong Hero . ”

“Every guest here is . ”

“…Don’t blame me even if you get hurt . ”

“Of course . ”

Chae Nayun nodded . He did look pretty strong, but he was an old man well-over 70 . Not to mention, she’d learned a lot while climbing the Himalayas .

“Well then, why don’t we introduce ourselves first? I’m Chae Nayun . I’m a Hero working for Essence of the Strait . That’s the current rank 1 guild in the world . ”

“…Chae Nayun?”

A strange glimmer appeared in the owner’s eyes . He seemed more interested in her name than anything else .

“Yes . ”

“Are you… Chae Joochul’s granddaughter?”

“Huh? How did you know? Do you know my grandfather?”

Chae Nayun tilted her head sideways . The owner chuckled contently . “I never imagined I would run into Chae Joochul’s granddaughter in a place like this…” He muttered, reminiscing .

“In any case, it’s nice to meet you . My name is… . ”

‘If he’s acquainted with Grandfather, he could just say so,’ Chae Nayun silently grumbled, and the owner continued .

“Heynckes . ”

“…Pardon?”

When he revealed his name, Chae Nayun was dazed .

Heynckes .

She had heard of that name .

In fact, it was a name any Hero would know .

The name was even in textbooks .

His achievements were recorded in detail in numerous biographies, as ‘Heynckes’ left an everlasting footprint on the history of Heroes .

“You mean you’re… ‘Steel Spirit’ Heynckes?”

The Lord of Steel, Kryne Heynckes .

A member of the brilliant and magnificent Nine Stars .

“So that name’s still around . ”

Heynckes chuckled and shook his head .

“Don’t call me that . Now that I lost my Gift, I’m nothing more than an old man . ”

**

[Plucas’ Temple]

…The devil Plucas captured the human who had been watching his temple from outside . The devil’s sight reached far and he extended his arm from where he was sitting to drag the human by his hair towards him .

The captured human jumped backwards like a frog the moment he laid his eyes on the devil . The devil tore the human’s head off, removed his guts, and drew the Star of David with them .

From the human blood and the feast of torment, Plucas could feel his powers returning to him .

—Plucas-nim, I spotted an intruder .

A voice resounded in Plucas’ ears . It belonged to a Djinn whom Plucas had appointed as his butler . He listened to his servant as he sat on his throne .

—I’ll have to call reinforcements… .

But the butler’s words stopped abruptly . Even then, Plucas was sitting on his throne . He looked afar in his seat . He caught a glimpse of an old man who disappeared shortly after .

As time passed, the temple became more and more silent . Soon, a faint sound of footsteps began to approach him from a distance . The footsteps were regular and in order .

“Is it… another… human… . ”

Plucas said to the figure in the distance . Another voice echoed off the walls of the cave, answering him .

“Truly a filthy place . ”

The voice was clear on the outside but dry on the inside . Plucas felt the presence of the human approaching him .

“Did you… find me… . ”

Plucas muttered . Instead of answering, the human showed himself . His footsteps were relaxed and his attire was neat . The pure white suit and the fedora suited the human quite well .

“I came because you called me . ”

The human said as he looked straight at the devil . His appearance was now reflected in the devil’s crimson eyes . The human was an old man, whose soul’s state of existence was immeasurable .

The devil’s heart pounded violently for a moment .

“Who… are you… . ”

The devil asked and looked at the old man . The old man’s eyes gave off an azure glow . He answered dryly .

“I am the owner of Daehyun and the head of the Chae Family . ”

He tapped the ground with the cane that he’d been holding in his hands all this time .

KOOONG—!

Waves of magic power stretched in all directions .

“And also the employer of the humans you murdered . ”

The man called the Immortal was fearless even in the presence of a true devil .

“My family name is Changdo, and my name is Joochul . ”

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