Chapter 383: Chapter 383

A young man with an ordinary appearance, black hair and black eyes.

But the two horns protruding from the sides of his head and his unusually pale, almost purplish skin suggested that he was far from ordinary.

An inhabitant of the ‘Demon World’, a sub-dimension connected to Auterica, similar to the Spirit World or the abyss.

Of course, he was familiar with their existence.

Siana, one of the executives of the Immortal Army, was also a demon from the Demon World, a succubus.

‘The question is… why is he here?’

-Key Traits: Vast magical power.

-Trustworthiness: ???

He had managed to use 「Analysis」, but the information he acquired was limited.

His opponent was powerful, and it would be greedy to expect to learn everything about him after just a few words.

But it wasn't a complete waste.

‘Excited about encountering unfamiliar artifacts…’

That single sentence held a lot of meaning.

And considering his previous words and actions, the most likely explanation was—.

“…What did you just do?”

As Hubert organized his thoughts, his mind still racing,

…the demon, still invisible, spoke, his voice tinged with displeasure.

He had used 「Limit Break」 to enhance 「Analysis」 and minimize any noticeable energy fluctuations, but it seemed it wasn’t enough to completely fool a transcendent being.

But having already formed a hypothesis about his opponent’s identity, Hubert casually spoke before the demon could react.

“I just took some precautions. It’s not every day that an unknown guest barges into my office unannounced.”

He shrugged, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

The demon seemed taken aback by his casual response, but Hubert maintained his composure, his expression unchanged, his gaze steady.

It was a risky move, considering that his opponent could easily kill him… but he had his reasons.

‘And I don’t think he’ll attack me. Of course, there’s always a chance… but…’

If that happened, he would regret it.

His… older brothers wouldn’t just stand by and watch if their younger sibling was harmed.

It had happened once before.

“…Fine. I’ll let it slide this time, since you were… surprised. But there won’t be a second time.”

Fortunately, the demon didn’t press the issue.

Perhaps he was confident that Hubert couldn’t see through his disguise, no matter what he did.

“So, you haven’t answered my question yet.”

“There’s no point in denying it. You already know.”

He could have made excuses, but there was no need.

After all, this way—.

“It seems you’re also from Earth. Why don’t we… introduce ourselves properly? It’s fate that we met , fellow Earthlings.”

…the conversation could proceed smoothly.

“Oh? Aren’t you afraid of dying? You’re quite calm, considering I could snap your neck before you even have a chance to return to Earth.”

“You came here because you want something from me, didn’t you? You weren't planning to hide your identity anyway.”

Hubert stood up, his voice calm and steady,

…and began placing various items on the large conference table in the center of the room, retrieving them from his subspace storage.

Cola, cider, beer, chicken, pizza, sushi, various desserts…

A feast fit for a king, a spread of Earth’s delicacies, appeared on the table.

“Let’s talk over a meal. You’re too strong for poisons to work on you anyway.”

He deliberately showed off his abilities, his unique skill.

It was thanks to this skill that he had become so successful. He didn't have the power to harm him.

He sensed the demon swallowing nervously as the aroma of freshly prepared food filled the room.

His opponent, who had been so meticulously concealing his presence, had finally reacted. It was a sign that his guard was down.

‘I don’t know how long he’s been here…’

But he had come looking for him as soon as he learned about the availability of Earth’s products.

He must be… homesick.

He knew that demons, like humans, enjoyed food, thanks to Siana.

They could survive on magic power alone, but she had always been a… gourmand.

And an Earthling, accustomed to MSG and various spices…

“Don’t be shy. I can always bring more.”

Hubert, the ruthless businessman, smiled warmly, gesturing towards the feast on the table.

‘…The Demon World, demons, and an Awakened from Earth. How can I use this…?’

His eyes, narrowed to slits, concealed his calculating thoughts.

As the war clouds gathered over Auterica,

…the executives of the Immortal Army were also busy with their preparations.

[“This… concludes the Rohan Duchy operation… Thank you for your hard work…”]

[“The monster subjugation and undead creation in the mountains are progressing smoothly. We’re ready to invade the continent at any moment, awaiting the King’s command.”]

[“Kkuk kuk— We can also use Cain Castle in the Kingdom of Charoti, which we recently conquered, as a staging point. It will allow us to divert the humans’ forces.”]

They were hunting monsters to bolster their ranks, securing the former Rohan Duchy to establish a supply line between the mountains and the Empire, and launching random attacks to terrorize the human population.

There had been casualties, but the Immortal Army was no longer as hesitant and disorganized as it had been in the early stages of the Immortal King’s resurrection.

‘I still don’t understand why he was so… passive back then… but I can’t question the King’s decisions. He must have his reasons.’

And Siana, the succubus, was also busy with her own tasks.

As the head of internal affairs at the Immortal Fortress, she was responsible for managing the human converts, like the dark mages, and the captured Crown Prince, while also gathering information and conducting covert operations as a noble of the Azerion Empire.

Her information network wasn’t as extensive as Olivia’s, but the humans were wary of her spectral undead, making it difficult for them to acquire high-level intelligence.

In that sense, the information Siana provided was quite valuable.

“Huu, the urgent matters are dealt with. Now then, time to… torment Simon…”

-“Siana? Are you available for a call?”

And then, a message from a place she had almost forgotten,

-“Sister Sela? What’s up? This is sudden.”

A communication from the Demon World, her homeland.

It wasn’t easy to send messages across dimensional boundaries.

They usually scheduled regular communication sessions, using formations and rituals to minimize the energy cost…

‘…It’s been only a few months since our last contact. And our next scheduled communication is in five years… This must be important.’

They wouldn’t contact her unless it was an emergency.

-“Um… the situation here isn’t very good. How are things on your end? You said you joined the Immortal Army to gather information. Any progress?”

Siana smiled awkwardly at her sister’s question, the subtle hint of expectation in her voice.

How could she tell her the truth?

That she hadn't joined willingly, that she had been captured by the Immortal King and forced into servitude, that her previous claims of gathering information were just… excuses?

-“Um, not yet. We’re busy preparing for war…”

-“Sigh… Right. Well, it wasn’t a high-probability mission to begin with. But if you could find the Demon King’s remains, or at least the Succubus Queen’s essence, it would be a great help.”

That was her mission.

To search for the remains of the Demon King who had invaded this world long ago, or the essence of the Succubus Queen, one of his high-ranking executives.

But that last invasion had occurred over a thousand years ago, before the arrival of the first Immortal King, so finding anything was practically impossible.

She could sense the presence of such powerful artifacts if they were nearby… but such dangerous objects wouldn’t just be lying around.

‘They’re probably sealed away in places like the Main God Church’s holy land, the imperial vault, or a dragon’s lair.’

Her clan hadn't expected her to succeed.

It was more of a… last resort, a desperate gamble, and a way to ensure the survival of their bloodline in case the remaining members in the Demon World were annihilated.

‘I thought there might be a chance…’

The Second Immortal King had plunged the world into chaos, and the dragons, a major obstacle, had been almost completely eradicated.

She had continued her search even after the Immortal King’s defeat.

But realizing the limitations of working alone, she had infiltrated the Azerion Empire, the most powerful nation on the continent, becoming a noble, and then joined Heaven’s Turn Society, a global criminal organization, rising through the ranks to become one of its executives.

Centuries had passed since she left the Demon World.

But she hadn’t found anything.

And this was the first time she had received such an urgent message.

-“Is the situation that bad? I thought you said it would be fine for at least another hundred years?”

Her sister’s voice trailed off, a hint of uncertainty in her tone.

-“The balance of power has shifted. Something unexpected has happened. Like…”

Her voice lacked conviction.

It was a serious matter.

-“…divine intervention.”

Hubert, stroking his chin thoughtfully, looked at the young man who was sitting across from him, enjoying his meal.

“Ah— This is amazing. I haven’t had cola in ages.”

The settler, who had introduced himself as ‘Miyamoto Ken’ from Japan, gulped down his cola and smacked his lips.

It had been two hours since he arrived.

He wasn’t eating particularly fast, but the initial spread of food had long since been devoured, and the second round was also almost gone.

“You were talking about the current situation in the Demon World. The balance of power has shifted after centuries of war.”

“Ah, right. Let’s see…”

His mood seemed to have improved significantly, thanks to the Earth food, and he was answering Hubert’s questions without hesitation, clearly enjoying himself.

Perhaps he was simply happy to talk to a fellow Earthling, or perhaps he was trying to… pay for his meal.

‘Or maybe he’s just… eccentric.’

Demons, as creatures of dark magic, rarely displayed such a… peaceful demeanor.

Even if they seemed harmless now, they could turn violent at any moment.

Hubert, utilizing his skills as a merchant, carefully extracted information from him, avoiding any potentially provocative topics.

He had once been a master-level mercenary, calling himself ‘Ken of the Gale’, and had been transported to the Demon World after accepting a mission to eliminate a demon cult.

It had been a trap, a carefully orchestrated plan to lure him in and use him as a sacrifice.

‘He said he had run out of Karma points for his return trip, so he had no choice but to accept the demonification ritual and be sent to the Demon World.’

But something had gone wrong during the process, and when he regained consciousness, he had lost all his abilities as an Awakened, abandoned in the Demon World.

He had become a settler, against his will.

‘…Is it similar to becoming an undead?’

Undead were considered completely separate entities from their living selves, their status as Awakened revoked.

Even if they retained their memories, they were essentially reborn as different beings.

But there was something… unsettling about it.

There were plenty of villains on Earth who could be fully demonified.

‘Is the demonification process in Auterica different?’

Hans, the Immortal King, an expert in this field, reviewed the theory.

「Forbidden Truths」, combined with 「Unholy Sage」 and 「Path of Magic」, quickly analyzed and cross-referenced the information.

‘…No, the ritual itself is the same. There’s another reason why he lost his powers.’

His instincts screamed, a chilling premonition.

He couldn't ignore this.

‘The Demon World, demons, demonification, Awakened, settlers…’

His thoughts raced, various hypotheses flashing through his mind, but he didn't have enough information.

He needed more clues…

Hubert’s head snapped up, his eyes widening slightly.

And a slow smile spread across his face.

‘…What a coincidence.’

The next stage of 「Unique Skill Enhancement」 had been unlocked.