I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 100

 

A black dagger like obsidian grazes past my eyes.

 

A few strands of my bangs fall. I barely dodged the attack, but there was no time to feel relieved. My opponent spun their body and launched a kick.

 

I couldn’t block it.

 

Those monstrous physical abilities are more threatening than a blade in some ways. If I tried to block it carelessly, my bones would be crushed.

 

I bent my waist backward. I tried to brace myself with strength but failed. My posture, already ruined from dodging the previous attack, became even more unstable and I lost my balance.

 

When I came to my senses, a gleaming dagger had stopped right in front of my eyes.

 

“…I surrender.”

 

Remal sheathed her dagger, stepped back, and bowed her head.

 

“You lasted quite a while this time. Your growth is fast.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“I’m being sincere.”

 

On Remal’s slightly bowed face, I can see just one corner of her mouth raised slightly.

 

She’s definitely mocking me.

 

A small sprout that had grown slightly flutters beside me. The World Tree’s will to heal my body is conveyed to me.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

I wasn’t even badly hurt, so there’s no need for healing. When I waved my hand dismissively, the sprout drooped its head as if disappointed.

 

I did receive a lot of help at first.

 

When I asked her to make it like real combat, Remal didn’t hesitate to crush my ribs. I can’t forget the memory of how much it hurt when the broken bone pierced my lung. Without the World Tree, I would have become an idiot who died during training.

 

“Haah…”

 

Since I had fallen anyway, I just lay there and caught my ragged breath.

 

Remal’s words about my skills improving were probably true. At first, I could barely last a few seconds, but now I was lasting a few minutes.

 

However, even though I’ve been sparring like this for months, I still haven’t landed a single effective hit.

 

My physical skills were at a disastrous level from the beginning. Even though I filled in my lacking talent by absorbing souls, it’s impossible to face properly trained people without magic.

 

I know that, but I couldn’t help feeling frustrated.

 

I don’t even know if what I’m doing now is the right course of action. No matter how much I train like this, it doesn’t seem like it would be much help against the monsters of the Mythical Age.

 

“As I’ve mentioned several times, I didn’t have that level of skill when I was your age, Jude. Your growth rate is visibly apparent.”

 

What good is it to have the same growth rate as an elf who lives for hundreds of years? At this rate, it’s obvious I won’t be able to land a single punch on that face before I die.

 

“Besides, isn’t your mana currently in a restricted state, Jude?”

“…A lot has returned.”

“And I’m using all of my mana. It’s a natural result.”

 

If I hadn’t felt my mana control returning with each training session, I would have given up this kind of training long ago.

 

Most of the mana remaining in my body still wouldn’t budge, but I could now cast one or two simple spells on the spot. Naturally, using Soul Magic was also possible.

 

“…”

 

My mood sinks.

 

Considering the effects of Soul Magic, the fastest way for me to become stronger is to keep using it.

 

I’m confident that if I repeatedly absorb other souls, my control over mana would quickly return, and my lacking talents would also increase.

 

But by that much, I would gradually become closer to the Demon Lord.

 

That’s why, from when I escaped the Papal Palace until now, I haven’t used Soul Magic even once. It would be better to refrain until I can separate the Demon Lord’s soul from me, or modify the magic circle so that souls don’t flow into him.

 

I’m also cautious about using Deception.

 

Like with Soul Magic, I don’t know what tricks he might have pulled with Deception as well.

 

Progress was slow, and no answer was in sight.

 

“…With this, is it even possible to eliminate that thing?”

 

What I see before my eyes is endless darkness. Beyond a certain boundary, there was a void as if the world had been erased.

 

That’s right.

 

For the past few months, I haven’t left the vicinity of the Holy Nation.

 

To defeat the Great Demon that awakened because of me.

 

* * *

 

The most inconvenient thing about staying in this area was the Holy Nation soldiers who conducted regular patrols.

 

“This looks like human traces, doesn’t it?”

“There’s still warmth remaining. Let’s search a bit more.”

 

I hid my body in the trees and watched the soldiers rummaging through the food pouch I hadn’t been able to bring with me.

 

The village residents around the capital instantly transformed into soldiers when an emergency situation arose. They turned away outsiders and tourists and conducted regular patrols to prepare for any possible incidents.

 

Naturally, there were many times we almost got caught. Although we kept changing locations, we couldn’t prevent rumors from spreading among them.

 

This time we weren’t directly spotted either, but… since they took all our food supplies, we’re definitely going to starve for dinner.

 

“Let’s just kill them and take it back.”

 

When I look at Remal, I feel like an idiot for considering myself a calamity and trying to end my life a few months ago.

 

She’s the real calamity.

 

“No, what wrong have those people done to deserve that?”

 

What they took wasn’t because they coveted our belongings, but probably to report to their commander. This wasn’t our first or second experience with this. It was obvious without even looking.

 

Moreover, after checking, there was one reason they were patrolling. Because it was dangerous.

 

Though I don’t know for sure, rumors about the calamity that befell the Holy Nation must have spread throughout the continent. Anyone with their head screwed on straight wouldn’t set foot in the Holy Nation, but there are all kinds of people in this world.

 

There are still people steadily visiting the Holy Nation. Quite a few get dragged in after sticking their faces close to see it up close and touching it with their hands.

 

That was why the soldiers were patrolling. To prevent people from dying by doing strange things.

 

There was no reason to kill such soldiers.

 

A good Dark Mage doesn’t spill unnecessary blood.

 

“Someone without a mana core, calling themselves a Dark Mage…”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

 

Remal grumbled from the tree and then jumped down.

 

Still, after living together for a few months, we seemed to have become comfortable with each other. It felt new to see her express emotions like this when she used to act so stiffly.

 

Even so, I had to say what needed to be said.

 

“Listen carefully. Once a Dark Mage, always a Dark Mage. That identity isn’t carved by material things like mana cores, but into the soul.”

“…”

“What are you doing?”

 

When I asked Remal, who was rummaging through a corner, she answered without even looking back.

 

“I’m going to sleep. Since the soldiers took all the sleeping bags too, we’ll have to sleep on the bare ground tonight. At least it’s fortunate the weather has gotten warmer.”

 

Right. At her age, sleeping on the bare ground might leave her back in ruins.

 

“…I’m joking. There’s no way an elf would carry around sleeping bags.”

 

No, when heading toward the Great Forest Road with the Tree Searchers, they took care of all that stuff. Not only sleeping bags, but they even set up simple tents.

 

“Well, you have been pushing yourself lately helping with my training.”

“It’s not pushing myself at all. Even three people attacking Jude simultaneously would be easy.”

“That’s a bit hurtful to my pride.”

 

Though it wasn’t wrong.

 

I relit the firewood and lay down. Cold air rose from the ground. As Remal said, it was fortunate the weather had gotten warmer.

 

“By the way…”

 

Lying down, all sorts of thoughts circled through my head.

 

“Is it possible to bring that thing down?”

“That topic again?”

 

Remal let out a deep sigh and sat up.

 

“Have confidence. Otherwise, even things that could work won’t work.”

“Even if you say that…”

“Magically speaking, that’s correct too.”

 

Why was magic suddenly being brought up? When I just blinked at this unexpected topic, Remal thought for a moment and said.

 

“Mana, holy power, magic power, aura. Do you know what these have in common?”

“Well, if I had to say what they have in common…”

 

Something came to mind. They all originated from mana.

 

I knew there was still room for debate regarding holy power. I heard they threatened a mage conducting research, saying they’d consider it blasphemy if he didn’t exclude holy power from his thesis.

 

Though these energies might seem completely different, their essence is actually the same. That’s why they share many of the same properties, even if slightly different.

 

“Most notably, they respond to will.”

“Correct.”

 

Now that formulas and magic theory have been established, it might seem less important, but according to research, the first magic was probably something extremely simple like mana bullets.

 

Anyway, there was also a hypothesis that strong belief and will itself could become a form of magic. That’s why High Mages are said to carefully choose even a single word they speak.

 

“Yes. So have confidence in yourself.”

 

It wasn’t a story that really resonated with me.

 

It wasn’t because of the Green Tower Master’s completely un-Archmage-like words and actions. It was because the main body of that darkness was probably still in the underground of the Papal Palace.

 

No matter how much you slice through the darkness, it causes no damage to the main body. Even the sliced darkness just recovers within a few minutes.

 

Would it make sense to pierce through this darkness that turns all attacks to nothing, quickly find it, and eliminate it? The compatibility doesn’t match. To break through this darkness and deal damage to the main body, you’d need to make a widespread attack all at once.

 

‘How?’

 

Explosion was an excellent magic, but it was never to that extent. Wouldn’t it require something like the already dead Dragon’s Breath, or the Grand Magic that Kaella Rowan had deployed to be possible?

 

I recall the pinnacle of magic that made my body tremble just from its precursory phenomena. I roughly remember the shape of the magic circle, but even before my mana core was destroyed, I had no confidence in activating it. Now, it goes without saying that it’s impossible.

 

“By raising your Divine Power Control, you can eliminate that thing.”

 

If I were to find any possibility, it would be using the divinity sleeping within me… But divinity is still difficult to grasp, and even if I succeed in handling it, defeating that thing would be a distant task. Even the Holy Sword, which could be called a lump of divinity, couldn’t defeat that thing.

 

‘No, that’s not right.’

 

Since Johnny was the one holding it, perhaps it was a natural result. If it had been the Second Hero, Ruin Epeldor, he would have surely cut it down in one strike.

 

I was so certain of this because the Hero’s military prowess I witnessed in the Imperial Capital was overwhelming.

 

“Ah, I wonder if a Holy Sword or something might drop somewhere for me too.”

 

Of course, that’s nonsense. The First Hero’s Holy Sword went into Johnny’s hands, and the Second Hero is alive and well. Even the Demon Lord tried to create a new Holy Sword. Though I’m not sure if that could be called a Holy Sword.

 

While having these various thoughts, I saw a small World Tree that had sprouted nearby.

 

I raised my body and reached my hand toward the World Tree, saying:

 

“Let’s at least spread some leaves on the floor.”

 

The gently swaying World Tree suddenly stiffened.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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