"Don"t put your guard down now. The real challenge has yet to begin." Altugius gave a warning.
Sungchul would soon know the meaning behind his words. A tidal wave of overwhelmingly ma.s.sive knowledge descended onto his consciousness. Within his mind, he experienced being different existences.
First, he was a comet existing within the infinite void of s.p.a.ce. He felt fearful of the unending journey, trapped in frozen isolation that was colder than ice, and when the scenery changed, he was but a rock within the unnamed comet. Time went by very quickly for the rock. The sun and the moon spun past like the hands of a clock, and he saw the unceasing rotation of light and darkness.
Everything changed once the scenery suddenly collapsed around him, but the flow of time didn"t change. Various experiences of a similar nature continued. The one thing that he would never forget within all of the countless yet equally memorable worlds of wonderous fantasy was the existence of the giant sun.
Abruptly, he stood facing the exploding sun. It looked like the sun at a glance yet similar to other stars. It looked ablaze in a golden flame, but once the bias that clouded his judgement faded away, he saw that the fiery light now appeared blue and it seemed to cover the surface in pure white like snow.
Regardless of what colour it actually was, the most important thing was the unending light pouring from the burning star. Just by looking upon the light composed of primordial might, Sungchul was able to sense the source of unforgettable power. Even after this experience, the various knowledge continued to invoke different hallucinations to project different experiences, but Sungchul could never forget that infinite light. That primordial light.
"…"
Sungchul let out a shallow sigh as his eyes flew open. He now stood in reality as the torrent of various knowledge that had flooded his mind faded away.
"Have you seen the light?"
Altugius looked at him softly as he guarded Sungchul"s side. Sungchul nodded in response.
"What light was it?"
"A very bright light."
"What did you experience there?"
"Oppressive strength that could burn everything away."
Altugius smiled faintly at Sungchul"s responses.
"They say that the light changes based on the observer"s perception. The light I saw was wisdom itself, but that is not what matters to you."
Altugius pointed a finger to the air as he chanted a spell with several magic formations in the air. The 12 Constellations in the Observatory dimmed and within the light came out a single tome. Altugius slowly guided the tome down with his staff and handed it to Sungchul.
"Take it."
"This is…?"
"Primordial Light. It is the Secret of Airfruit"s school of Cosmomancy that you have sorely sought."
"Thank you."
Sungchul graciously received the tome. A message in bright letters appeared before him.
[Primordial Light]
Rank: Legend
Type: Magic Book
Effect: Acquisition of Primordial Light (Cosmomancy)
Note: The light that you saw contains everything you imagined and more.
Restriction: 500 Intuition
Requirement: Stand before the Light
The Secret of Cosmomancy was not at a level he could simply access.
"To gain a glimpse into the book, it requires two things. One is the ever-present requirement for intuition: 500 intuition in total."
It was a fearsome number. A stat requirement worthy of the Secret of Cosmomancy.
"Is it a seventh circle magic?"
Sungchul"s eyes lit up brightly as he asked.
"You know well. As expected of the Enemy of the World."
"What"s the other requirement?"
"You"ve already met it. Haven"t you seen the light?"
Altugius spoke as such as he turned his concern beyond the window. There was the sound of war in the distance. The sound of demonic drums. The magical bombardment of the Air Fleet. The battle cry of humans and the roar of demons. Sungchul also noticed that the light peering in from the window was turning a red tint. The sun was beginning to set.
What appeared to be a brief experience consumed quite a bit of time as Altugius had warned.
"My part in this is complete. All that is left is up to you."
"Thank you."
"Don"t mention it. Anyways, where is Sarasa? I had only heard that she is in a safe location."
"She is already on the outskirts of the city. I have led her there personally."
Sungchul pulled out his beloved Fal Garaz and led the way. Altugius followed behind and broke out into laughter.
"I guessed it might be possible, but for you to actually be the Enemy of the World. I thought you were a rare sort, but I would never have imagined you were someone so great."
"I am nothing special."
Sungchul said as he flung open the doors of the school of Cosmomancy.
When the doors flung open, the chaos that was the campus of Airfruit unfolded before their eyes. The Demonfolk covered the sky and the fleet of the Human Empire that opposed them met in a fated battle to the end.
"Kyiiii!!"
Sharp talons of a monstrous flock swooped down towards Sungchul and Altugius.
Wham!
The monsters turned into a b.l.o.o.d.y paste and dropped to the ground in a fine mist when Sungchul swung his hammer. A single one survived to fly off into the sky once again. However, the monster did not realise that there were two unwelcome riders on his back: Altugius and Sungchul.
"Hold on tight."
Sungchul tightened his grip on the monster"s neck and turned to the side.
"Kyyiiii!"
The creature let out a pained cry as he turned toward the direction directed by Sungchul. He continued to freely control the creature with his grip tightly on its neck. Altugius watched the scene with wide eyes and asked.
"Just when did you learn this?"
"If you hang around the Demon realm long enough, you just pick up a few things."
At that moment, a squad of Wyvern Knight flew past the monster from the other end. A man with a golden helmet turned to the side to see Sungchul and Altugius with eyes dyed in shock, but they could not chase after the monster. One of the demonfolk had broken into a wars.h.i.+p of the Air Fleet and was engaging in close-quarter combat. Capturing the Enemy of the World was their mission, but the military had a standing order which preceded any other order; ensuring the survival of the fleet.
"s.h.i.+t! There is no end to them. What is the scale of the Dimensional door to allow so many Demonfolk to pa.s.s through?!"
It was enough to have the Fleet Commander of the Second Armada of the Human Empire, Dimitri Medioff, foaming at the mouth. The Enemy of the World that he had been hunting for had appeared, yet he had to deal with the demonfolk that had gathered like flies. It would be simple enough to deal with ordinary demons, but it looked as though their opponents were a seasoned force that had been prepared for a while.
The sheer quality and quant.i.ty of the enemy forces were difficult for the common soldier to deal with. They were managing to fight to a standstill because they were the seasoned Air Fleet of the Human Empire.
"Kekekekek! Are you the leader?!"
A Balrog with a bulky frame stood on the deck of the wars.h.i.+p. Dimitri Medioff pulled out his Rapier and stood against the demon while grinding his teeth.
"s.h.i.+t! Quickly send out the ground forces and demolish the dimensional gate! Do it before they bring in more personnel!"
The Balrog"s axe flew toward him. Dimitri parried the ma.s.sive axe blade and let loose a powerful battle roar.
As the battle continued to devolve into greater chaos, the monster carrying Sungchul and Altugius landed on the outskirts of the city. Sungchul had broken its neck to force it to crash land to be more correct.
Sungchul and Altugius put the corpse of the monster with twitching wings behind them as he approached the aged shrine. A girl with a face that was partially decayed waited for them.
"Grandpa."
It was Sarasa. Altugius lovingly looked at the girl"s grotesque face and hugged her deeply.
"You went through so much trouble."
Tears hung on the rim of Altugius" eyes.
"What trouble? Grandpa went through all of it."
Sarasa firmly gripped onto her grandfather"s back.
"There isn"t much time."
Sungchul interrupted. He had pulled out a sack filled with gold coins and gems from his Soul Storage and pushed it towards Altugius.
"All this?"
"It is my tuition."
"That and this…"
"Don"t worry about it. It isn"t even my money."
"Even so…"
"When you sell these coins, I suggest you erase the coin"s mint from its surface. If you"re unlucky, the a.s.sa.s.sins from the Merchant"s Coalition will track you."
Sungchul moved to leave with these words. Altugius called out to him once again.
"Can I ask one thing?"
Sungchul stopped without looking back. Altugius looked at his back as he asked his question.
"Why would someone so powerful like you learn magic underneath someone like me?"
"I need magic in order to kill the Demon King Max Hethunius. That is all."
"Just for that reason… Is that all the reason why you admitted yourself into Airfruit and acted like a freshman for…?!"
Sungchul nodded.
It was ludicrous, but it was persuasive because it was coming from Sungchul. Altugius thought as such before wondering if there was anything more he could do. Soon something came into mind.
"Does your magic power and intuition match with what I saw?"
Sungchul nodded.
"Those two numbers match exactly with my current stats. Even though, I will need to train further to bring down Max."
"If that"s the case, seek out my son on the Demon Realm battlefront."
"Your son?"
"The kid thinks he"s saving the world like you and left for the battlefront to seek out ways to improve his magic power. If it"s you, you might find your own method to grow but it might a bit faster with a bit of his knowledge to help you."
"Deckard…"
Sungchul turned slightly. He never overlooked any method when it came to his growth.
Altugius tossed out a single book and a ring from his finger.
"It is embarra.s.sing, but the book is my own composition. It is something I created in order to hand down in case I found a talented disciple. Also, show Deckard the ring, and he"ll at least give you a listen."
Sungchul held the ring and Altugius" book and gave a deep bow. Sarasa stepped forward as though she had something to say.
"I apologise if I did anything to offend you, and I"ll return this child to you."
There was a Sky Squirrel in her grasp.
"Kyu Kyu."
It looked as though he had adapted to her touch enough to not reject it. Sarasa looked glum as though she hated the idea of parting from the beast.
Sungchul looked at her, then spoke calmly.
"Take good care of the squirrel."
"Huh? You"re not taking it?"
Sarasa asked in surprise. Sungchul nodded.
"Now, if you"ll excuse me."
Sungchul took a deep breath then rushed forward, leaving behind a gust of wind. The powerful whirlwind left in his wake pa.s.sed through Altugius and Sarasa.
"Grandpa. I don"t think the rumours are to be believed."
Sarasa spoke quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"I heard that the Enemy of the World resents humans the most, but why is he so nice to us?"
"I"m not sure."
Altugius felt that the meeting with him had been brief, but he had a small insight into the man named Sungchul Kim.
"It might be that the world had just pegged him wrong."
The man called the Enemy of the World was charging toward the centre of the b.l.o.o.d.y battle between the Demons and Wyvern Knights. Thousands upon thousands of soldiers were blocking the road toward his destination, but he freely charged toward the heart of the military forces then entered the opened Dimensional Door.
"The Enemy of the World entered the Dimensional Door!"
The soldiers of the Human Empire shouted hurriedly, but no one existed who could stop him. If there was a single change, it was that no demons appeared after the moment Sungchul had entered the Dimensional Portal
"…come."
Sungchul stood before the thousands of demonfolk that had set up a formation around the Dimensional Door and blocked their path. No demon dared move towards him. Soon after, Airfruit"s Dimensional Door lost its strength.
–
The incident in the Golden City made waves throughout the entirety of the Other World. The movement of the Demons and the reappearance of the Enemy of the World. It was a headache for the powerful within the Other World. One of these powerful figures, Shamal Rajput the head of the a.s.sa.s.sin"s Guild, looked upon the disfigured body of a young a.s.sa.s.sin with cold eyes.
"Kaz Almeira. You were soundly defeated."
Kaz had lost his entire arm from the shoulder down, leaving him in quite a pitiful state. If the blow had been any deeper, he would have been split from his neck.
"…."
He prostrated before the leader with his head bowing towards the floor. Tentacles that resembled the limbs of an octopus were attached to his stump.
"You have to continue training. You are the one who will lead the guild the moment I am defeated."
"… I will keep it in mind."
"Also, I will post someone to your side."
Shamal snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a silhouette of a woman appeared in the darkness. Kaz glared at the woman in surprise.
"Who is it? This b.i.t.c.h. There was no one like this among the inheritors of the four families."
Shamal"s next words cleared up his confusion.
"She is a reincarnate.""
"A reincarnate…?!"
"That"s right. She is a reincarnate from a future that is most likely to occur. She is still quite lacking, but with enough effort, she is someone who will do great work for us."
Shamal gestured with his hand for her to stand before Kaz. She stood before Kaz with a hooded face then spoke with an elegant voice ill-fitting for an a.s.sa.s.sin.
"I am called Ahmuge."