12 – Partying with the Demon King – 2

―By leveling up with the experience gained from hunting a powerful enemy, you have reached Level 98! Strength (Uc) increased by 1, Endurance (Uc) increased by 1, and Spiritual Power (R) increased by 1.

―The level of Shield Mastery (Uc), Dual Blunt Weapon Mastery (Uc), and Rapid Regeneration (U) skills has increased by 1.

―By leveling up with the experience gained from hunting a powerful enemy, you have reached Level 98! Strength (Uc) increased by 1, Endurance (Uc) increased by 1, and Spiritual Power (R) increased by 1.

―The level of Shield Mastery (Uc), Dual Blunt Weapon Mastery (Uc), and Rapid Regeneration (U) skills has increased by 1.

It was an overwhelming amount of experience, enough to level up just by successfully hunting a mere five of them.

They served as teaching aids that provided real combat experience that could not be satisfied through sparring with the Demon King alone, allowing him to advance the combination of Shield Mastery and Dual Blunt Weapon Mastery by one step.

They were dark-attributed living sacrifices, perfect for raising Light Spirit Arts.

Although the Lesser Demon was such an excellent resource, there was just one problem.

In fact, it was an extremely fatal problem.

―With your excellent dexterity, you decently butchered a target of a vastly higher rank than yourself. The quality of the product did not deteriorate. The level of the Butchery skill has increased by 2, reaching Level 87.

―With your excellent dexterity, you decently butchered a target of a vastly higher rank than yourself. The quality of the product did not deteriorate. The level of the Butchery skill has increased by 2, reaching Level 87.

“These bastards are broke…?”

Gi-jun muttered, looking down with unbelieving eyes at the corpse of the Lesser Demon he had painstakingly butchered.

Since butchering every single time he caught one was too foolish for heroes with an inventory, he had first put all the corpses into his inventory and then carried out the butchering while resting to celebrate that his Enjoying Without Tiring skill had grown into Sleepless and Restless…

Surprisingly, there was nothing worth salvaging from them.

The skin, which had been so tough, lost its strength as soon as it was detached from the body, and the same was true for the sharp claws and carapace.

He had wondered if at least the horn on its head would be special, but he could not even try to butcher that.

This was because as soon as the Lesser Demon died, the horn turned to dust and scattered.

As if she had known this would happen, the Demon King shrugged her shoulders and explained.

“It’s because they are a degraded species of demon. If you had learned black magic, at least, there would have been some use for the corpses.”

―Put those away, Contractor. I don’t even want to associate with such filthy things.

Lucy, who had always been gentle to Gi-jun since they contracted, was appalled to see him covered in demon blood.

Perhaps it was because she was a spirit of light by birth that she felt an aversion to demon byproducts.

Although there was no use for them anyway, with Lucy reacting like this, it was even more pointless.

“Alright, I get it, but I’ll just do the butchering. I want to keep raising the skill level.”

―If that’s so. Because I am an understanding spirit.

It was at that moment, as Lucy withdrew in understanding.

“Hmm… Do you want to try gathering just the hearts separately?”

―Ack, you’ve finally revealed your true colors, demon!

Lucy’s eyes flashed as she shouted at the Demon King’s sudden advice, but Gi-jun first carefully trimmed and tore out the Lesser Demon’s heart as she had suggested.

Putting it into his inventory, he washed his hands with water and questioned the Demon King.

“Is it okay to just tell me this kind of thing?”

“It’s just because throwing only that away would be a waste. Once you develop an eye for seeing mana a little more, you will be able to take care of these things on your own.”

Upon hearing those words, Gi-jun also recalled his past memories.

During the tutorial days, butchering monsters in the party was usually done by himself and another warrior, but whenever they butchered a new monster, the magician―― Ji-hye, would always hover around and earnestly request that they preserve this specific part.

Once they butchered it as she instructed, it would strangely find a use later; was that all because she had an excellent eye for seeing mana?

…Though it seemed the reason she hovered around in the first place lay elsewhere.

As he worked his hands while reminiscing about his companions, the task of butchering five monsters was also finished in no time.

His Butchery skill had also risen to Level 92, allowing him to set his sights beyond it.

“Good, five hearts for now. Now, let’s rest a bit and head back out.”

“Hero, as you might have noticed, this is the very entrance of the entrance.”

“Hmm.”

To Gi-jun, who looked back as if asking ‘So what?’, the Demon King said in a slightly strict voice.

“But if it takes you five hours to catch each one… honestly, clearing this ruin will be absolutely impossible. How about you do a moderate amount and pull out for now?”

Although she spoke a bit excessively to test Gi-jun’s thoughts, it was not a lie.

The ruins, which had been expected to be at the tutorial level at best, were far beyond that.

Even if she watched over him from behind, Gi-jun would surely get frustrated and collapse somewhere.

That would not be a very pleasant experience.

Therefore, wouldn’t it be better to withdraw for now, train his skills and stats, and enter again when he was certain he had grown stronger?

“Four hours.”

“Hmm?”

However, Gi-jun spoke words that deviated slightly from the Demon King’s thoughts.

“The last one I caught took four hours.”

“Ah.”

The Demon King widened her eyes slightly.

Since it felt long either way, she had not paid much attention, but Gi-jun had been checking the time he spent hunting the monsters with precision.

In a situation where his fundamental abilities had not changed much, even though his skills had grown, a 20% reduction in hunting time was certainly a meaningful achievement.

“I’m getting used to them. I can catch them faster. Although not as much as when I spar with you, my stats are growing as well.”

Still, since nothing could match sparring with the Demon King when it came to stat growth, he would have to mix in spars with her appropriately.

The Hero, who had considerately looked out for her feelings in case the Demon King got upset, grinned and persuaded her.

“Anyway, just trust me and watch.”

“If the Hero… says so, then.”

“Good, then I’m going to sleep for a bit, so watch… over… me…”

“Kyaah?!”

―Contractor!

With a thud, Gi-jun collapsed to the floor.

The Demon King and Lucy rushed to him in alarm at the same time, but soon sighed in relief at the regular breathing coming from him.

“It must be a side effect of the Sleepless and Restless skill. No wonder he stayed up all day, unlike him.”

―That’s right, our Contractor is usually extremely punctual with his time.

Lucy said, worriedly examining the face of her contractor collapsed on the floor.

The Demon King set up a simple barrier around them, then approached him and sat right in front of him.

“That’s also a side effect of a skill.”

―Huh?

“Unfailing Body Clock. Did you not know?”

―Ah.

Since the tutorial ended, Hero Gi-jun had always woken up at exactly six in the morning, no matter what happened.

Following the time schedule set within himself, he washed, ran, ate, trained… dragging his exhausted body through the day without a single moment of rest, only to fall asleep as if collapsing.

Then, waking up at six the next morning, he repeated the same routine.

Regardless of whether he had nightmares the night before or suffered a wound deep enough to pierce his abdomen, he woke up at six in the morning.

Rather than a healthy habit… it was closer to a kind of obsession.

Only then did Lucy’s face stiffen as she realized the reason behind her contractor’s punctual behavior, but the Demon King, who had no spiritual sensitivity, could not possibly see her face.

Feeling it was better than speaking to empty air, she directed her words to the floating clump of light.

“A unique skill doesn’t just appear. That is karma. A terribly heavy karma… Poor thing. Hup.”

Stretching out her legs so she could hold out for a long time, the Demon King lifted Gi-jun’s head and placed it on her lap.

Lucy shrieked in dismay, but since she could not exert physical force while her contractor was asleep, she could only groan in frustration.

“It would be nice if you could at least sleep in peace, but because you acquired a useless skill, it seems you are bound to suffer even more in the future.”

The Demon King quietly murmured, stroking the sleeping Gi-jun’s hair with her hand.

Did Gi-jun really not know?

That, compared to when they first met, his appearance had changed to a truly shocking degree.

It did not feel artificially altered; rather, it felt like all the features of his face were naturally settling into place, maximizing his strong points.

Soft and kind-looking large eyes, thick eyebrows that looked a bit stubborn, and full lips.

Indeed… it was a face that could be called handsome without hesitation.

Of course, it was not that she had fallen for him or anything like that.

“To change this much in just three months, a spirit contract is indeed amazing. No wonder there are so many handsome men and beautiful women among spirit summoners…”

Though she missed his old face a little.

As the Demon King chuckled and muttered, the clump of light grumbled beside her.

―Look at her gritting her teeth and looking away. This is why demons…

“Mmm…”

Sensing something approaching the barrier at that moment, the Demon King raised her hand and waved it in the empty air.

Watching the Lesser Demon, whose senses were disrupted, turn right back around and disappear into the darkness, Lucy clicked her tongue in wonder.

―Their magic resistance is no joke, you know.

“My magic is also no joke.”

―Why didn’t you kill it? Is it because they’re your kin?

“What do you mean kin? Don’t you know? In ruins like this, once-dead monsters do not respawn. The experience that should go to the Hero shouldn’t decrease.”

―…That attitude of yours is very displeasing. I’m the one who cares about the Contractor the most!

“Sure.”

Lucy had even prepared to grab hair and fight, but the Demon King smiled hollowly and nodded.

“Keep taking good care of him in the future. In the end, I’m the Demon King.”

―Did I hurt your feelings? I-I take that back! Actually, I think you are a decent person too. It’s just that I was a little jealous because you met the Contractor before me…

“No, it’s not like that.”

Shaking her head weakly, the Demon King gently stroked the sleeping Hero’s head and spoke as if telling herself.

“I am the Demon King of the tutorial. It means I’m someone who has already lost the game and stepped backstage. The fairies respect me only because I am bound to a massive system that they cannot interfere with even with their authority.”

―The system…

“Perhaps you were in a similar situation, but it seems whoever locked you in the tutorial didn’t think of the possibility that you might meet a new contractor here.”

Grinning, as if she had dealt a blow to someone unseen, the Demon King continued with a satisfied smile.

“So, when you go to Leta, run wild to your heart’s content on my behalf. Take good care of your contractor…”

―Yeah, but you too.

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying I wanted to take care of the Hero until the very end, okay? I’m just saying it would be a waste if a Hero I spent so much time training died just like that. You know what I mean, right?”

―Yeah, I understand perfectly. The kind of person you are.

Replying in an absurd tone, Lucy nonetheless looked at the Demon King with a sorrowful expression the next moment.

―Ten years is too short a time. Why don’t you get a little greedy during that time?

“Ten years is short only for spirits like you. For us humans…”

―Aha.

Completely changing her expression, Lucy smiled as if her trap had worked.

Realizing her mistake too late, the Demon King’s face hardened, but she could not take back the words that were already out.

―Right, you were indeed a human after all.

“…Do you really want to fight me?”

―Not right now, but I will fight you if you follow us to Leta.

“I really want to give this spirit a forehead flick…”

Gi-jun woke up three hours later.

Because the surroundings were so dark, the Demon King and Lucy did not notice, but it was exactly six in the morning.

―Under the influence of [Unfailing Body Clock], you have overcome the penalty of the Sleepless and Restless skill. The level of the Sleepless and Restless skill has increased by 2, reaching Level 3.

―You, who were once a ordinary wild flower, have now become a beautiful flower that people want to keep gazing at, making them both happy and sad. Charm (Uc) has increased by 2, becoming 27.

―Under the influence of [Unfailing Body Clock], you have overcome the penalty of the Sleepless and Restless skill. The level of the Sleepless and Restless skill has increased by 2, reaching Level 3.

―You, who were once a ordinary wild flower, have now become a beautiful flower that people want to keep gazing at, making them both happy and sad. Charm (Uc) has increased by 2, becoming 27.

“Oh.”

When the penalty of the Sleepless and Restless skill struck and his consciousness suddenly snapped, he wondered if he was really doomed, but looking at the messages, it seemed there was no need to worry about that.

However, the bigger problem now was the fact that he was lying down with his head on the Demon King’s lap.

What was this? How on earth did it come to this?

He contemplated whether to pretend to know nothing and enjoy this ecstatic feeling a bit longer, but facing the Demon King who was quietly looking down at him, he ultimately could not hold back and asked.

“What… is this?”

“A senior’s love for a junior.”

“I’m so happy I could cry.”

Since the atmosphere suggested his eyes would be poked out if he stayed still, he escaped by rolling away on the floor.

The Demon King snorted with an indifferent expression and lightly dusted off her lap.

“Let’s head out then.”

“Hold on, let me wash my face first and eat some food.”

Gi-jun proposed this to normalize the behavior of the Demon King, who knew what she might do, and to replenish his energy after fighting without even eating due to Sleepless and Restless.

Fortunately, it was quite effective.

“Were you like this in your party as well?”

“Missing a meal was unacceptable, so starting to cook in the party was the beginning of my Cooking skill.”

“Who on earth created such a hybrid…”

However, despite her continuous grumbling, the Demon King showed the impressive feat of devouring five kimchi pancakes that Gi-jun had fried on his shield all by herself.

Although the skill level of Shield Mastery rose this time without fail as well, he decided to keep it a secret to protect the Demon King’s happy smile.

Three days passed since then, and Gi-jun’s level reached 99.