Chapter 79: The Hidden Place (2)

Arclich Dorgo had made many preparations to bring about the downfall of human society.

He recruited capable necromancers to cause chaos across the continent and spent a long time building a powerful undead army.

With great effort, he gathered his strength and, after dozens of attempts, transformed Damian Hassen into a Death Knight.

There was another plan that Dorgo considered crucial.

It was the restoration of the demonic sword Erebos.

Erebos was a demonic sword of unknown origin, with no records of its existence anywhere in the world.

Only the Order mentioned that if any fragments of Erebos were found, they must be thoroughly sealed.

However, even the Order did not fully understand what Erebos was.

‘Dorgo must have known a lot about Erebos. That’s why he searched for it so desperately.’

Even during the Cataclysm War, Dorgo was obsessed with finding the fragments of Erebos.

Even Dorgo, who was so determined, could not fully restore Erebos.

The Erebos he restored was only about 70% complete. However, even that was enough for Erebos to display terrifying power.

There was a case where a rural farmer, who accidentally obtained a fragment of Erebos, went on a rampage and killed a high-class adventurer.

‘If I hadn’t been recognized by Erebos, I would have died.’

Erebos was not only powerful but also a picky demonic sword that chose its own master.

At first, it did not recognize Damian as its master, even when he became strong enough to rival Master Class.

It was only right before the battle with the Empire’s First Sword that Erebos finally recognized Damian as its master.

‘It was an incredible battle.’

Considering the Empire was the strongest on the continent, the Empire’s First Sword was practically the strongest human.

The Empire’s First Sword was a terrifying monster, even making Damian feel a sense of crisis.

Most importantly, the Empire’s First Sword wielded the divine sword ‘El De,’ which fell from the sky and possessed power far beyond any other weapon. Even the Order’s best holy sword could not compare to the divine sword.

If Damian had not had Erebos, he would have been killed by the Empire’s First Sword and El De.

‘…Perhaps that would have been better. If I had died at the hands of the Empire’s First Sword, Dorgo’s ambitions would have been thwarted.’

With the Empire’s First Sword also falling to Damian’s hands, the Empire rapidly collapsed.

And Dorgo successfully achieved his long-held goal of bringing about the downfall of humanity by destroying the Empire.

‘How did he do it…’

Erebos was an extremely dangerous object. Yet, it could not be destroyed.

The fragments of Erebos could not be destroyed by any means. That’s why the Order ordered them to be sealed, not destroyed.

‘I’ll have to keep it for now.’

With that thought, when Damian picked up Erebos, the hilt and blade turned into smoke and were absorbed into his body. A tattoo in the shape of Erebos appeared on his wrist.

“What?”

Damian couldn’t help but be surprised again. This phenomenon was proof that he had been recognized by Erebos.

“This can’t be…”

During his time as a Death Knight, Damian had never been easily recognized by Erebos.

Even after killing countless Masters and reaching an unparalleled level, Erebos still did not recognize him.

Yet, this time, the picky Erebos recognized Damian as its master so easily.

While it was surprising, it wasn’t a bad thing. It was like taking away one of Dorgo’s powerful forces.

“Well, I can use black magic, so there’s no reason I can’t use a demonic sword.”

The only problem was that only the hilt remained, making it unusable as a weapon.

There was a bit of the blade left, but it was too short to be used as a dagger.

“Maybe I can attach it to a staff.”

If he attached it to the end of a staff, it might be usable. Then it would be called a demonic staff rather than a demonic sword.

“Mia, let’s go.”

Mia nodded at Damian’s words.

* * *

Damian put Mia in the trunk and went outside the hidden place.

“Oh, you’re finally here.”

Huan was sitting with his mercenary team, waiting for Damian.

As he stood up, the other mercenaries also rose.

“Did everything go well?”

“More or less.”

“That’s good.”

Huan smiled and didn’t pry further. He was the perfect example of a mercenary.

“Where is that one?”

“Oh, the one who likes to kill? She’s over there.”

Huan pointed to the base of a tree. Veronica Sanchez was squatting there.

“I’m here.”

Damian approached. Veronica Sanchez looked at him with a dazed expression.

“…Don’t greet me.”

Suddenly, Veronica Sanchez said something strange.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m weak… I’m too weak… I don’t deserve to greet you…”

This was the most bizarre logic loop Damian had ever heard.

“Stop talking nonsense and get up. We need to go back.”

“Leave me here… I’m too weak to travel with you…”

By this point, Damian was starting to get annoyed.

“Do you want a beating or not?”

“Just hit me… I’m so weak that getting hit is the only thing I can do…”

Damian clicked his tongue.

A hyperactive Veronica Sanchez was annoying, but a lethargic one was even more so.

“You have one misunderstanding. You’re not weak.”

“A lie… a lie…”

“The flesh golem you fought had the ability to absorb mana. The more you cut it, the more mana it took from you. That’s why you were at a disadvantage.”

Veronica Sanchez looked at him as if to say, “What does that have to do with anything?”

“The reason you lost to it was because you didn’t quickly figure out its characteristics. It wasn’t because you were weak.”

To be honest, lacking that level of insight was why she couldn’t handle a single flesh golem.

But now, reviving Veronica Sanchez’s crushed self-esteem was more important, so he had to endure.

“The sword skills you showed when killing the thieves were excellent. I even replayed them in my mind several times.”

Veronica Sanchez’s ears perked up at the continuous praise.

“Someone with such sword skills can’t be weak. Once you get used to the undead, you’ll be able to cut through a flesh golem as easily as you cut through people.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, so. From now on, don’t just focus on killing people. Try to diversify your efforts.”

This was something Damian had wanted to say all along.

“The realm of sword skills is vast. It’s a waste for a genius like you to focus only on killing.”

This was genuinely what Damian felt.

Veronica Sanchez was a talented individual, worthy of recognition.

The problem was that her talent was focused solely on killing people.

If she could redirect that focus elsewhere, and fight for humanity, it would be a significant gain.

“What… is your name?”

Veronica Sanchez asked, looking at Damian.

Damian hesitated for a moment. Originally, he had been hiding his identity.

But if he used a fake name now, it would sever his connection with Veronica Sanchez.

“My name is Damian Hassen.”

After some thought, Damian decided to use his real name. Veronica Sanchez’s eyes widened.

“I’ve heard of you… the one who won the jousting tournament… You’re that Damian Hassen…”

Veronica Sanchez’s expression became dazed.

“The person I most wanted to kill was you… I never expected to meet you like this.”

However, her reaction was strange.

“Thanks to you, I realized my shortcomings… Once I overcome this, I will become even… much stronger…”

As she spoke, her eyes began to change.

The lifeless gaze turned fierce. The bright eyes became dark and sticky.

“Learning from the person I most wanted to kill… This is fate! The heavens have given me a goal! To kill you!”

It was the same as when Veronica Sanchez was consumed by the desire to kill. Seeing this, Damian had a sudden realization.

Her obsession had shifted from killing to killing Damian.

“Was it because you gave me this realization? To make me stronger to kill you! Right?”

“What nonsense…”

“I get it! I’ll work on being able to cut other things too! I’ll become even stronger and challenge you again!”

Veronica Sanchez clenched her fist and said.

“I’ll definitely kill you, so watch me!”

* * *

After the brief commotion with Veronica Sanchez, Damian began to descend the mountain.

“You can go now.”

On the way down, Damian decided to release Veronica Sanchez.

Since her obsession had shifted from killing to killing Damian, he judged it would be fine.

“Just in case, don’t kill people for fun. Only kill those who attack you.”

“Oh! You’re worried I might kill someone other than you, right?”

Feeling a wave of fatigue, Damian watched as Veronica Sanchez grinned and waved her hands.

“Don’t worry! You’re the only one for me! I’ll definitely come back to kill you!”

With that, Veronica Sanchez fled over the mountain.

“…Congratulations?”

Huan, who had been standing nearby, said to Damian. Damian glared at him.

“Stop the nonsense and let’s go down.”

“Alright.”

Going down was faster than going up.

Thanks to the hurry, the group arrived at Old Town just as the sun was setting.

“Here’s the money I promised.”

Damian paid the additional gold coins to Huan and his mercenary team as agreed.

He had originally planned to give one more coin but ended up giving two.

“This is… too much. Three gold coins per person?”

Huan’s words made Damian smile.

During the exploration of the mountain, Damian had been happy to be with the mercenaries.

Huan and his team were exactly as Damian remembered: diligent, loyal, and honest.

“Don’t think it’s too much. This was really important to me.”

“We didn’t really do much…”

“You did. Thanks to your excellent guidance, we spent less time in the mountains.”

Persuaded by Damian, Huan reluctantly accepted the gold coins. The entire team’s faces lit up with broad smiles.

“And here’s additional compensation.”

Damian handed Huan a thick piece of paper. He had written it during their journey.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a mana cultivation method and sword skills.”

Huan’s face showed confusion.

“Why… why are you giving this to us?”

“I noticed you all were practicing a mana cultivation method.”

Huan’s confusion grew.

“How did you…?”

“You all were using a small amount of mana, how could I not notice? But the amount was too small. You were probably practicing an incomplete mana cultivation method.”

In his previous life, Huan had taught his comrades the mana cultivation method he knew.

The problem was that it was the most basic method he had learned as a knight trainee.

Such a low-level method had its limits, no matter how much one practiced.

In his previous life, Damian’s talent was so exceptional that he could defeat knights even with the basic method Huan taught.

“You should discard what you’re practicing and learn this instead.”

In fact, the mana cultivation method Damian gave was based on what he had learned from Huan. So, there was no problem with switching to it.

“…I appreciate your kindness, but I can’t accept this.”

Huan pushed the paper back, his attitude full of suspicion.

It was a wise stance. A mana cultivation method was something that couldn’t be bought even with dozens of gold coins.

It was abnormal for someone to offer it so freely. There must be some ulterior motive. It was right to be suspicious.

‘But my intentions are pure.’

Damian smiled wryly. While Huan’s wisdom might someday become a curse, Damian liked their unwavering integrity.

“I’m not giving it for free. I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

“First, keep my identity a secret. Second, I want you to take on another commission.”

“Identity?”

“I’m not Victor, but Damian Hassen.”

Huan’s body stiffened at the words. He pointed at Damian, his face showing disbelief.

“Not Victor… Damian Hassen? You mean that Damian Hassen?”

“Yes, that Damian Hassen.”

“Good heavens… That makes sense… Your skills, the holy sword… You were indeed the legendary genius.”

Huan slapped his cheeks with both palms.

“So, what’s the second commission?”

“Have you heard of Lake Deven?”

“Isn’t it the lake in the south of Apple Kingdom? It’s said to be huge and vast.”

“If you come across a commission to investigate a missing persons case there, come to the Hassen Manor and inform me immediately.”

In his previous life, Damian had gone to investigate the missing persons case with the mercenaries and met Dorgo.

However, the reason he didn’t investigate Lake Deven this time was that the time wasn’t right.

Dorgo didn’t stay in one place but wandered around. Going there now would be pointless.

“Are you saying you’ll give us the mana cultivation method just for solving that commission…?”

“It’s not just any commission. It’s the most important one to me.”

Damian said seriously.

Since Damian was not a mercenary, he couldn’t make such a request at the mercenary office.

He couldn’t entrust it to other mercenaries either. They would likely take the money and forget about it.

But he could trust Huan. Huan would do everything to complete the commission.

“I don’t know the details, but if it’s that important, I’ll accept.”

Huan took the paper, and Damian smiled in relief.

“Practice hard. It’s far superior to what you’re currently using.”

Although he had created it in a hurry over two days, he was confident in its quality.

He made it as simple as possible so that it could be practiced without a teacher.

At the same time, he ensured its power was unmatched by any other technique.

“If you get stuck while practicing, come to the Hassen Manor. I’ll help you.”

With those final words, Damian parted ways with Huan’s mercenary team.

It was time to head home.