20. Enlightenment (1)
“So what happened?”
“I’m curious.”
The elves looked at the General Manager with sparkling eyes.
“Hehe, then Master appeared, and…”
General Manager’s words had a great attraction power. He told the story with a gracious smile, and the development was fantastic. It was switched smoothly from raging like a stormy sea to being as calm as a lake. The parts to be emphasized and the parts to rest were connected so smoothly that the souls of the elves were left completely drained. As rumors spread in Elonti, more and more elves came to hear General Manager’s story even if they weren’t going to Earth.
It was the same with Heo-young.
‘He is indeed a great Emperor.’
Heo-young gulped. She was glad everything ended just like this. Although it was painful, wasn’t she still active and breathing the fresh air outside? Although she was humiliated by a high-ranking demon, she felt comfortable admitting that they were superior.
“That’s it for today. I hope you all go back and review what you learned. As homework, write two pages on the Earth Action Plan and a report on master’s miracles.”
The elves were disappointed. After all, Elonti was quite boring. The Queen and Dellu were busy, but ordinary elves did almost nothing but gather and farm. There was hardly any place to play, so the General Manager’s story was like a theater. As the elves said goodbye to each other with lingering smiles, the smiling face of the General Manager went blank.
‘It made some results.’
General Manager looked at Heo-young. Heo-young’s mana and techniques were considered worthy of looking up to. It was a little painful when he accepted something that was called demon energy, but he quickly grew used to it after he pressed it down with his infinite loyalty. He felt refreshed after dealing with it.
General Manager returned to the studio. He wrote the second chapter of the Prophecy based on what he heard from Heo-young. This time, he printed quite a few pages, bound them into a book, and put it on display. He was proud just looking at it.
“Hmm?”
Somehow some books felt empty. Something dark seemed to rise for a moment, but it disappeared as quickly as it had shown up.
‘Am I getting old, too?’
His eyes went dim as he continued to write without a break. General Manager pondered for a moment, and then he began to write the third chapter. He thought that even a limited lifespan could be overcome by will.
* * *
As he returned to the Sanctuary, Jin-woo studied the dark mana based on his knowledge of the original novel. It was because he was worried another incident would happen if he went back to the Demon Realm just like that. He knew the problem was with him, so he had to fix it quickly.
‘They seem very excited.’
The Emperor of Gold and the Incarnation of Evil seemed very excited. Jin-woo shook his head. He had no choice but to borrow the knowledge of the original novel to control the dark mana. Although he was very reluctant, he searched and learned everything he had related to dark mana, including the Heavenly Annihilation Technique.
‘The China Gate crisis was also helpful.’
Although the rank was low, there were quite a few things related to demon energy among the technique treasure books. Before long, he had mastered everything about darkness and demon energy. Now he seemed to be able to control the dark mana.
[A+] Malicious (Demon Realm)
‘Let the left hand not know the evil done by the right hand.’
The Emperor of Gold and the Incarnation of Evil will always be splendid, evil, and majestic. In the Demon Realm, dark mana is corrected by the Emperor of Gold and the Incarnation of Evil.
*[A] My Luck Is Your Misfortune: You can inflict misfortune on your opponent equal to your Luck rank.
Jin-woo nodded.
‘Let’s be careful for now.’
Jin-woo came to the center of the Sanctuary and opened the portal cautiously. Fortunately, the portal opened normally this time. Nothing appeared to be wrong as he examined it through the Magic Eye of Information.
He entered the portal.
Whoosh! Bang!
As he exited the portal, a huge pillar of darkness made of dark demon energy soared. The scale seemed to be bigger than when he first came to the Demon Realm, as was the dark mana that filled his body. Jin-woo calmly suppressed it.
‘Now I can control it.’
The black air current, swirling all over, stretched from the sky and entered his body. Finally, it came to rest faintly in his right hand as a mark. It was something that even Jin-woo could understand, but…
‘I’m not in middle school, but…should I wear a bandage?’
It wasn’t good to look at. Then he thought it would feel even worse, so he just covered it with his clothes. Come to think of it; he had everything unrealistic already. Dark mana, a marked right hand, golden eyes…
Anyway, Arina’s estate was pretty good. There were lakes, fields, and separated buildings. He even saw the filming site that was built to catch the most attention. The atmosphere was quite good, and the land was fertile compared to Elonti. It seemed like a very expensive estate to own.
With such an exquisite appearance, Arina naturally noticed him. He saw her running fast toward him.
“You are finally here. I’ve been waiting for you!”
It felt different to see her in such an open place even though he always saw her in the Sanctuary. Although she was a lord, Arina was still her usual self. She still made a fuss.
“There were a few things that happened.”
“I see! Anyway, I’m glad you arrived safely.”
“But what about them?”
“They heard the story, and they said that they came to see you, Master.”
“Me?”
There were a large number of dwarves behind Arina. When Jin-woo looked over at them, they hurriedly knelt. They looked haggard. Jin-woo had heard it from Ella that dwarves lived in the neighboring dimensions, but orcs and other monsters destroyed their city, forcing them to flee. He never thought that they would be in the Demon Realm. The Dwarves didn’t even appear in the original story.
Jin-woo approached them.
‘After all, dwarves cannot be absent from fantasy either.’
They had short statures, with thick beards and muscular forms. They looked like typical Dwarves. When Jin-woo glanced over them, a few began to shed tears.
Jin-woo startled.
“Oh, oooh!”
“You are finally here! My Lord Emperor!”
They muttered something as they raised their arms. He didn’t know how they knew about him, but it was right that they came to see him. Jin-woo turned to Arina.
“What are you going to do with them?”
“They look like runaway slaves, but it’s a little too much to kick them out. They will probably die if I throw them out.”
“I see.”
There was a typical setting in fantasy novels, of a sorrowful story of dwarves being treated like a slave under a dragon’s tyranny. It was a race that worked hard. Although the Dwarves managed to endure the demon energy, they seemed to struggle under its influence. Jin-woo could see that their lifespans were shortening. Even living in Arena’s estate wouldn’t be comfortable.
“Oh! There is a lair where the Emperor of Greed used to stay. It seems you can stay there. There’s no energy there, so you’ll be fine for the time being. All it has are useless shards of its scales.”
“That’s good.”
When Arina told them about it, tears and snot began to flow down the dwarves’ faces as they sobbed. Jin-woo took about two steps back. It was a little too much to just let them stay, so he decided to give them a job. Of course, he was going to pay generously.
‘Umm…did Hallas and the Demon Kings use them to make handicrafts?’
Wouldn’t it be nice to make a gift and send it to them to excuse the incident this time? Jin-woo looked at a dwarf with the largest and longest beard among them; he was the one who led them, Chief Degurron.
Looking through the Magic Eye of Information, he was outstanding. He was said to be a leader with a high reputation and excellent wisdom. Degurron didn’t even dare to make eye contact with Jin-woo.
“Are you Degurron?”
“Yes!”
“I’ll support you with my resources, so make a present for the Demon King.”
Degurron’s eyes turned round. There was a sense of bliss in his eyes. The dwarves also clenched their fists and trembled. Jin-woo nodded at the sight.
‘Do they like crafting that much?’
As expected from the dwarves.
“Gift…cough. I understand.”
“If possible, it would be nice to have something big and fancy.”
“Ooh! Yes! We will craft and dedicate a great thing that will surprise the Demon Realm!”
Jin-woo liked Degurron. He raised him from his knees with both hands. Then, a red glow emanated from Degurron’s innocent eyes.
[Degurron has awakened as a Dark Dwarf Chieftain.]
[A] Dark Craftsman Degurron
After long hardships, he reached his utopia. He will achieve 300% results for the great Emperor of Gold and Incarnation of Evil.
Degurron’s skin darkened.
‘I’m sure it’ll be fine.’
It was just that his abilities had risen. Jin-woo took out a leather bag full of dimensional gold coins and handed it to Degurron. After the incident, he thought he would have to spend a lot of money. Perhaps with this, he could build a good relationship with the Demon Kings.
Degurron nodded as he looked at the dimensional gold coins in the huge bag. The Emperor of Gold said it was a gift. It was a revelation to make something far greater, more beautiful, and grandiose than the gift dropped on the Giganter. He had given them a chance to get revenge on those damn bastards!
[If he gives you a chance, throw away your ego, notions, inclinations, and morals, and fight for him unconditionally!]
It was a phrase in the Prophecy.
‘After that sacred right hand…’
It was as if a giant dark dragon was sleeping in that sacred right hand. A dark dragon!
The dwarves shivered. The inspiration struck them like a bolt out of the blue as their eyes began to glow with madness.
Meanwhile, Jin-woo was relieved because the dwarves seemed nice. Indeed, they were good people. They were dragged to the Demon Realm and suffered a lot. He said he would provide them a place to stay, but they were still acting like that amid hardship and exhaustion. Jin-woo told Arina to take good care of them.
‘I’m sure it’s okay to have them move to JW Gate later.’
It was hard to do it right now because of the large number of dwarves. Arina moved all of them to the lair for now. When all the dwarves disappeared, they finally noticed the demon lying on the ground. His face was extremely swollen, and his teeth were missing, making it hard to imagine how his original face looked like. He was wearing tattered rags.
“Who is that demon?”
“There was also a demon, huh?”
Arina rummaged through the demon’s belongings. Halfway through, she found a broken bondage ring. It was a tool exclusively used by demons to bind slaves.
“He seems like a slave trader. He must have been a low-class demon as he lacks mana. It seems the dwarves struggled hard to escape the hands of such a vicious bastard.”
Jin-woo nodded. There was no need to check with the Magic Eye of Information if he was a lower-class demon. A slave trader…he was such a bad guy just by the name.
“He’s a bad guy, huh?”
“I will take care of him.”
Jin-woo nodded. He entrusted him to Arina, who said she would send him to work with the dwarves. Jin-woo felt a lot of things when he saw the slave trader, amplified because he appeared as a villain in the original novel.
‘As expected, people should have lived nicely.’
Should he say that justice would prevail? Bad guys were bound to be punished. This wasn’t a bad ending either.
‘Although my job is the Incarnation of Evil…’
It was just a job, and he was a good person. Jin-woo had his conscience bruised recently, but he could still be proud that he lived a good life in his way. He wanted the demons to know his kind heart.
The dwarves who moved to the Lair of Greed quickly regained their health in the comfortable air. Degurron looked at the huge black scales that lay on the floor.
“Ku, Kuehehe….uwahahahaha!”
“Fuh, fufufufu…”
“Hee, teeheehee!”
Their red eyes glowed emanated from within the dark cave. The innocent eyes of the dwarves gradually turned to madness and began to glow red. Hallas, who had come to his senses, trembled in the corner.
“Make it! And then break it!”
Everything was ready.
* * *
Oddly enough, the Demon Realm was quiet. Jin-woo decided to take some time before he returned. If they also read the apology, he didn’t need to rush, as it would take some time for them to make a decision. He would be in trouble if he provoked them and caused another misunderstanding. As much as a great excuse he made in the first meeting; he needed a considerate attitude.
Yoo-na noticed that Jin-woo had arrived and entered the study. It was as if she had a Jin-woo detection sensor.
“You came early. You said you were going to make some acquaintances. Did it go well?”
“There were…some minor problems.”
“I see. As expected. It seems difficult since it was the Demon King.”
“Uum…”
“As they are demons, I think you have to approach them with caution. They are evil creatures, after all.”
Jin-woo couldn’t tell Yoo-na that far from meeting the Demon King, he inadvertently threw a huge rock at them. Anyway, it seemed he didn’t have to say anything because it looked like it was going to work out.
Jin-woo changed the subject.
“Oh! Did we get a response to what I sent to the Federation?”
“Yes, there’s an uproar about it.”
“Oh?”
“The Federation replied that they wanted verification in an official place. Since you have already received a first-class medal, you’ll be eligible for a Knight’s license after verification.”
“It turned out well.”
“There was an uproar in the Association as well. The factions are complaining, saying that you ignored them.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Is that even possible?”
Yoo-na smiled and shook her head. Who could touch Lee Jin-woo? Rather, a new faction was emerging around Jin-woo. The Aesthetics of the Sword was already popular among competent people, and there were a lot of League Guild members who achieved enlightenment based on the Aesthetics of the Sword.
Although Jin-woo didn’t even care.
“It’s also heavily covered in the media.”
Jin-woo nodded. Action and reaction, cause and effect. Intentional plans and sweet fruits. What a smooth process this was.
Perhaps because he had just visited the Demon Realm, he felt healed by this general reaction.
‘Let’s proceed as planned.’
This time, the protagonist also did as planned. He was the main character who made his debut as a splendid Knight. It was the party’s strategy, but it worked out exceedingly well. At that time, Jin-woo, strangely, experienced a vicarious satisfaction in his way. The ugly protagonist showed off for the first time and even received applause.
It was also a great opportunity to be acquainted with high-ranking officials of the Federation.
“Let’s finish the verification as soon as possible.”
“Yes, I’ll discuss the schedule right away.”
It was described that there was some arguing over the protagonist for several episodes, but Jin-woo’s had been scheduled right away.
“Oh! This is private, but…I think I have to tell you, Young Master.”
“What is it?”
“Ella asked me to send a letter.”
Letter? Yoo-na showed him Ella’s letter. It was written in Korean, with old-fashioned handwriting that possessed a mysterious feeling. There was a great sincerity contained within.
“For me?”
“No. Well…”
Yoo-na remained silent for a while and then opened her mouth again.
“This is a letter to a MeTube supporter. I think it’s Lee Min-woo. He didn’t deny it either.”
Jin-woo blinked. He thought deeply for a moment, then chuckled.
‘Don’t tell me?’
Something was weird.
“Let’s just send it for now.”
“All right.”
Taking a peek with the Magic Eye of Information, he could sense a strangely pink vibe. He wondered how it happened. But, after all, no one knew the hearts of humans and elves.
After some deliberation, they hired a professional letter delivery man.
* * *
The headquarters of the International Federation of Competent People was in Switzerland, but the personnel of the Federation decided to come to Korea. This was because it was much faster for the members of the Federation to travel than to coordinate Jin-woo’s schedule. It also happened to reflect the opinion of the Association President Lee Jin-man that the award ceremony should be held in Korea.
Jin-woo was just happy it was convenient because he didn’t have to go to Switzerland.
After coordinating opinions with the Federation, his responses were verified by the JW Cultural Center. The press made a fuss due to the challenge of verification and the awarding of Knighthood. He lost to Choi Hee-yeon for being the youngest Knight, but it was said to be the shortest period of promotion record after the initial ability measurement.
Jin-woo, of course, wasn’t interested. He was just thinking of getting it done quickly so he could use his Knight’s license to solve his work going forward.
‘I heard quite a few people were coming…’
It was said that many high-ranking Knights, including Lee Jin-man, had arrived. It would take some time to prepare, so he had to wait.
Jin-woo lay on the sofa in the waiting room and turned on the TV.
“Young Master, Who Just Goes On?”
The drama that was currently airing was called ‘Young Master Who Just Goes on’. Each episode was said to have a high viewer rating due to its creative development. The crazy drama didn’t suit his taste at all, his preferences aligning more with a young drama that slowly grew from the bottom.
‘Hmm…’
It was said to be popular with teens and those in their twenties, too, so he decided to watch a bit more.
[Take this money and break up with my son!]
It was a typical development in a fancy restaurant. Maybe it was because she was a veteran actress, but it was surprisingly engaging.
[You want me to break up with him just for this? Ha, I’m speechless.]
[What?]
[You should have brought me a building, mother.]
[U-ugh!?]
The middle-aged actress grabbed her neck and fell. Jin-woo almost fell off the sofa while staring blankly. The actress said the lines in a horrifyingly vicious manner. Jin-woo had goosebumps. He only heard two lines, but it was amazing.
She walked out of the fancy restaurant with a wicked smile.
‘Heo-young?’
It was Ahn Heo-young.
‘Why is Heo-young there?’
As a being who was once the Emperor of Vanity, she was showing a great force. Even Jin-woo felt like that, but what about the general public? It turned out that her influence was rising vertically. Elonti was doing much better than Jin-woo thought.
Before he could spend more time thinking about it, it was time for his verification. Jin-woo went straight to the venue in the event hall in the center of the Cultural Center. The high-ranking Knights of the Federation and the Association stood at the forefront, with Famous League Guild members and competent people standing behind them.
“Should they make such a fuss…?”
“I can’t help but come…”
“Cough!”
High-ranking Knights of the Association expressed their complaints in very low voices. In addition to the high-ranking Knights from the Korean Association of Competent People, Merlin and the American Archmage Oz M. Martin were also present. Merlin looked at Oz and swept his brilliant blonde hair back.
“Too much of this isn’t good.”
“…Cough.”
“You look so awkward. Just leave it to your disciple and come back here. It’s not like a fake can beat the real thing.”
It sounded like a discussion about magic to anyone who didn’t know.
Jin-woo walked out, silence falling as he overwhelmed them with just his appearance. The League Guild members swallowed their words and looked at Jin-woo, while the high-ranking Knights of the Korean Association of Competent People, who wore dissatisfied expressions, were startled.
‘Let’s finish it quickly.’
There was a huge whiteboard. Although it was a little different, he was confident that he could write it in a way that was easy to understand by kindly adding interpretations. It wasn’t a complicated field if one had a solution process.
It was as he grabbed the pen, the Sword Master looked at Jin-woo. The Sword Master was also a respected figure in the Federation. He broke into the Federation and obtained the qualification for the examination.
“May I ask you a question first?”
Jin-woo wondered why the Sword Master was like that again. He wasn’t helpful at all.
“What is a sword? What is the human being reflected in the sword? For what must a man lift his sword?”
The Sword Master spoke as if reciting a poem. It was a question that seemed to come straight out of a martial art novel. Everyone looked at Jin-woo.
‘Is he senile?’
Jin-woo wanted to throw the pen he was holding at the Sword Master.
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