Chapter 2196 – 2196. Dark Moon
The Supernatural Creature Research Institute.
It was very different from what they had imagined. When one thinks of a research institute, a clean, pristine place filled with the latest equipment comes to mind. But what lay before them was a place filled with occultism instead of cutting-edge technology.
Magic circles that looked like they were drawn with blood, the dried-up corpse of a creature that was hard to tell if it was a salamander or a frog, unidentifiable vials, rotten branches, books of unknown purpose, and clothes and ornaments that exuded evil.
“What is this barbaric stuff? Even active mages would be horrified by this workshop.”
Aman grumbled.
Instead of agreeing with him, Dr. Hong thoroughly searched the inside of the research institute. And he discovered a door at the back of the institute. A blood-stained door covered with yellow talismans.
Something was inside this door.
“Dr. Hong! Can you interpret the papers on this desk? I think this is data.”
Dr. Hong, who had been staring blankly at the door as if possessed, snapped back to his senses.
“G-give them to me. I’ll check… Th-this is.”
“What’s the content? It’s worth at least 100 million credits, right?”
“Demons! Supernatural creatures meant beings like demons and angels! Great Korea was researching demons and angels!”
“So what? Other countries are secretly researching demons and angels too.”
“This isn’t just research! They were trying to create demons with their own hands! Lunatics! How many countries have been destroyed by demons in history…! Ha, could it be that demons were also the cause of Great Korea’s downfall?!”
“Damn it! That means it’s amazing research data! Samples! Are the samples perhaps in that room?!”
Aman, suddenly excited, shouted while swinging his fist in the air. Dr. Hong was startled. The Aman he knew was a rough but cool-headed person. As a pirate captain, he had his own charisma. His reaction was strange.
“Finally, some light is shining on this damn life!”
“S-stop! You mustn’t go into that room!”
“Shut up, Dr. Hong! Be grateful that I’m even letting you live! The samples inside are mine!”
Aman grabbed Dr. Hong, who was blocking his way, by the shoulders and pushed him aside.
“Ack! Y-you’re possessed by a demon! Get a grip!”
“It’s not a demon, but a glorious future that I’m possessed by.”
Crack.
Aman opened the door as if smashing it.
Inside, there was something black. A black thing the size of a child. The two eyes of the horned creature were as red as blood.
“Oh, shit. Is that a demon? It looks weird…”
*Thwack.*
His head floated in the air. The long tail of the demon had sliced off Aman’s neck. The demon opened its mouth wider than its face and chewed on Aman’s falling head.
“Delicious.”
The demon’s gaze turned to Dr. Hong. Dr. Hong sat down on the floor, trembling.
“P-please spare me. I was wrong…! I-I didn’t do anything! I swear!”
“Calm down.”
The demon appeared in front of him as if ignoring distance.
“You want to become Korean, right? I can make it happen. I’ll make you a descendant of Great Korea.”
Dr. Hong felt his fear gradually disappearing.
“D-do you want a contract?”
“Yeah.”
“Th-the price…?”
“None. I like you.”
“Why me…?”
“It’s a whim. And anyway, I’m going to die here without being able to escape. It’s better to show you mercy as my last act.”
“You’re going to die here? A being like you?”
“Great Korea isn’t made up of pushovers.”
“……What happens if I refuse the contract?”
“I’ll eat you. And then I’ll look for the last contractor, right?”
“There’s no choice then. How will you make me Korean?”
“I have the power to manipulate living things. I’ll change your genes to K-DNA. Even the AI will see you as a native Korean. Well, even so, I can’t increase K-DNA to more than 90%. Top-tier Han-nam are very rare even among Koreans.”
“O-okay. I’ll make the contract!”
The demon reached out its hand. Dr. Hong cautiously took the demon’s hand. There was no choice. If he didn’t make the contract, he would die.
The moment he took its hand, the demon’s presence entered him.
The demon laughed and whispered in his mind.
-You’ve been tricked?
“Huh?”
Dr. Hong’s body changed. His skin turned black, and his size increased. His pupils split into four, and black horns grew on his head. His enlarged hands and claws were full of power. The tail that grew curled around.
“I… will become Korean.”
The monster that had become Dr. Hong muttered. His reason hadn’t disappeared. Some of his memories had changed, but it wasn’t a problem.
“To become Korean… I have to eat Koreans. Sniff sniff. I smell a Korean.”
The demon-turned Dr. Hong headed somewhere.
• • •
Armed corporate employees poured down from the ceiling.
Before I could cast a spell, Invisible Blade jumped up to deal with the soldiers. Every time she swung her sword, a blade made of water whipped through the air like a whip.
“Yujin, a large force is approaching from the west.”
Orsia said. Her glasses were off, and her eyes had turned silver-gray.
[Electric Detection]
I began detection by scattering electromagnetic waves in all directions with magic.
As Orsia said, a large force was rushing towards us. The number was estimated to be over 300. The energy felt wasn’t great. As many as they were, their quality was low.
They were the kind of guys that could be wiped out with a single large-scale spell.
But what if they were equipped with new weapons and armor? And anti-magic weapons at that? Now that I’ve noticed, I need to wipe them out immediately.
“I’ll take care of them. I can move quickly with space magic, so that would be more efficient.”
“I’d prefer if you focused on escaping, Orsia.”
“It’s okay. I’ll leave enough power for that. Yujin, please help that woman.”
“Understood. Don’t overdo it.”
Orsia disappeared using teleportation.
The soldiers falling from the ceiling were too busy getting sliced by the ninja to pay attention to me. The blood, guts, and chunks of meat they shed fell to the floor with a thud. Those who had been human quickly lost their vitality and turned into cursed spells, rushing at me.
[Lightning Grab]
*Zap!* I struck the curse with a hand flowing with magical current.
“I know you’re hiding. Show yourself, black mage.”
“You have good senses. To be able to see through my stealth magic that even a space mage couldn’t notice.”
It was a man with dark circles under his eyes. The white suit he was wearing was neat, unlike a black mage.
“She didn’t fail to notice, she ignored you. To her, a guy like you is trash not even worth looking at.”
“Haha. Are you on your period? You’re being so sensitive. Or are you afraid of me?”
“I’m so scared I’m about to die, so I need to get you out of my sight.”
[Lightning Spear]
A lightning spear cast without incantation flew towards the black mage. The black mage received the lightning spear with a hand that looked like black smoke. The size of the lightning spear shrank and disappeared.
‘…Absorption?’
“Shall I tell you something good? The coordinates have already been marked here. Soon, the corporation’s combat forces will be deployed. If you’re relying on a level 7 space mage, give up. No matter how much of a successor you are to the High Tell School, you can’t escape if you’re suppressed by anti-magic equipment. Give up. Even if you’re collared, isn’t it better to stay in this world?”
I noticed something on the black mage’s neck. I thought it was a normal tie, but on closer inspection, it was a metal necklace.
“How did you get indebted to the corporation?”
“I received a request as usual. But it turned out that the broker sold me out. I had to wear this to survive. Do you feel sorry for me?”
“How much of an idiot do you have to be to get scammed by a broker? It’s not even funny.”
“It’s so true that I can’t even argue.”
The guy waved his black hand.
*Zap.*
Black current sparked.
‘Is that the absorbed Lightning Spear?’
The moment I tried to react, my vision went dark. Pitch black. Not a single light was visible.
‘It’s a curse. I’ve lost my sight. The black lightning was a feint.’
He cast a curse in the very short moment he took my attention. I had to admit he was impressive.
I didn’t cling to my vision.
The detection magic had been running since earlier. I could feel it even if I couldn’t see it.
The black mage was approaching silently. Although it was said that it was harder to react to curses the closer the distance, he was closing the distance so openly. It was proof that he was underestimating me.
I took out one steel ball from my pocket and threw it.
[Plasma Battery]
The steel ball emitted a blue light and discharged. I controlled the compressed current and set the direction towards the black mage. Hundreds of lightning bolts surged towards him.
“Oh, dear.”
The black mage clicked his tongue and stepped back. I rubbed my eyes with my right hand. *Zap.* Lightning sparked, burning away the curse that had taken my sight.
“Although the blind was a low-level curse… it shouldn’t have been that easy to undo.”
“It was a shoddy curse, so it wasn’t hard at all.”
“That’s too much. Have you ever studied black magic?”
I’m studying it now. Instead of answering, I flicked my finger. The remaining current around me gathered according to my will, took the form of a hammer, and struck the black mage. The black mage only staggered. He didn’t even move.
“That suit. What’s it made of? I’m a little tempted.”
“Well, they say it’s made by using alchemy to turn a special alloy into a fiber. If you surrender, you can wear it too.”
Electricity didn’t seem to work well.
Should I try freezing him? Just as I was thinking of ice magic, I sensed a huge presence. The location was the ceiling. I quickly raised my head.
*Bang!*
With a loud explosion, Invisible Blade was slammed into the ground. Part of her cyber suit was shattered, and red blood flowed from under her mask.
A monster with a tail and horns was hanging from the ceiling with one hand. In the other hand, it was grabbing a human and tearing it apart.
The black mage was flustered at the sudden appearance of the monster.
“A, a demon?!”
*Crunch crunch.* *Gulp.*
The monster looked at me and said.
“Found you. Han-nam!”
Even though its appearance was different from what I knew, I realized what the monster was.
The artificial demon, Baliak.
A boss monster I hadn’t even touched had appeared.
