Chapter 4 - Noble Demons
The young man attempted to leave the Spirit Forest, and this time he exited without any problems.
He was curious about the outside world.
The reason was simple.
He was free.
Freedom had always been the only thing the snake truly cared about.
Now, he could do whatever he wanted—as long as he possessed the strength to do so.
...
After spending some time thinking about where he should go, an idea suddenly came to mind.
He would head in the same direction that fellow called Kim Mun-Jin had gone!
He would show him just how powerful he was by displaying his stats.
And he certainly wasn't afraid of him!
The willful snake grumbled to himself before letting out a devilish chuckle.
Having decided on his plan, he immediately set off in the direction the martial artist had taken.
...
The little snake had been walking nonstop for four days.
All he had seen was an endless road stretching into the distance.
He had finally had enough with a burst of impatience, he began running at full speed.
He moved so quickly that it was impossible for the naked eye to follow him.
However, he soon found himself forced to slow down.
Beyond a large hill directly ahead, an enormous town came into view.
The architecture immediately caught his attention.
Though he knew little about history, most of the buildings seemed to follow a traditional style.
...
The young man began walking forward.
Before long, he noticed a crowd gathered in the distance.
Even from far away, his enhanced senses allowed him to see clearly.
Several sword-bearing figures resembling guards were collecting silver-colored objects from the civilians.
Apparently, people had to pay in order to enter.
Ignoring that for now, the young man headed toward the crowd.
If necessary, he could simply jump over the walls and enter anyway.
...
Within a few minutes, he arrived at the city gates.
However, there was a problem for some reason, everyone was staring at him.
Young women quickly averted their gazes.
Some older women even wiped their mouths.
The little snake couldn't understand why.
He had lived away from human society for so long that he never even thought to question it.
...
A few seconds later, several guards rushed over while shouting and covering their eyes.
"You there! How dare you cause trouble within the territory of the Tang Family?!" shouted a young member of the Tang Family.
The young man let out a relieved sigh.
It seemed they hadn't discovered his true identity.
...
The young man looked down at the Tang Family guard.
It had never occurred to him to wear clothes.
The reason was probably his scales.
Though invisible to others, they made him feel as though he was constantly wearing armor.
Thanks to his strengthened scales, there were very few things he had reason to fear.
The snake sighed.
"How should I deal with this?" he muttered.
Meanwhile, the Tang Family guard continued throwing insults at him.
"Hey, pervert! Why aren't you listening to me?!" She shouted, his face red.
At that moment, the system's voice echoed.
[Generating attire suitable for the style of the current society according to the user's request...]
[Success... Traditional garments equipped.]
Instantly, clothes materialized on the young man's body.
Everyone present was shocked.
Furthermore, these weren't ordinary clothes.
They were garments woven from the finest silk.
People of common backgrounds would never be able to afford something so luxurious.
The little one inspected the clothing using his Divine Sense.
"Oh... perfect."
Then his Divine Sense shifted toward the young guard.
The Tang Family guard suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure descend upon her.
"M-Master! This humble one failed to recognize your exalted status! Please, go right ahead!" he stammered before hastily stepping aside.
The young man nodded in satisfaction.
"Oh? If you insist."
The next moment, he vanished from sight with obvious excitement.
Only after he disappeared did everyone finally breathe again.
His divine pressure had been so overwhelming that merely standing near him felt suffocating.
That was why the young Tang Family guard had mistaken him for an unfathomable master and allowed him to enter.
...
As soon as the young man passed through the gates, his eyes widened.
The interior was far better than it had appeared from the outside.
A large plaza greeted him, surrounded by numerous stalls and various shops that stretched along the connected streets.
The problem was that he had never withdrawn his Divine Sense.
As a result, his overwhelming pressure spread through the surroundings without him even realizing it.
Even First-Class Martial Artists found themselves short of breath under its weight.
But the truly terrifying part was this:
The range of his Divine Sense covered the entirety of the Tang Family's territory.
...
The Tang Family Patriarch was a Grandmaster-level expert.
As he sensed the incomparably dense Divine Sense, his expression changed.
After reaching the Grandmaster Realm, he had become capable of perceiving many things ordinary people could not.
Though he had lived for many years, even he had never encountered anything like this.
While his curiosity was piqued, he decided not to interfere personally.
Instead, he chose to send one of his sons.
"Chen-Chen! Go investigate the monster responsible for that pressure and report back to me."
The youngest son swallowed nervously.
"M-Me?"
The Tang Patriarch roared in anger.
"Would you rather I send your little sister instead?! Stop questioning me and carry out my order, you useless brat!"
The Tang Patriarch had three daughters and four sons.
Though he possessed multiple wives and concubines, all of them had been political marriages.
The only woman he had truly loved had long since passed away.
After her death, he devoted himself entirely to his family—especially his children.
He never forced them to learn martial arts.
If they wished to learn, he taught them.
If not, he encouraged them to develop other talents.
Whenever they showed no initiative, he would slap them upside the head and shout:
"If I'm gone one day, how are you going to survive, huh!?"
The death of his beloved wife had taught him that even he would someday die.
The experience had left a deep scar on him.
That was why he always told his children to pursue the things they truly loved.
...
Even all three daughters possessed talents of their own.
The eldest daughter excelled in strategy.
As a result, he allowed her to assist the eldest son in commanding troops and gaining experience.
The eldest son seemed perfectly happy spending time with his older sister, making it a mutually beneficial arrangement.
The second daughter possessed exceptional martial talent and spent most of her time training.
The youngest daughter was only three years old and still had her entire life ahead of her.
The second son was handsome and talented in nearly everything.
Martial arts.
Strategy.
And even relationships.
Even so, he rarely interfered with his siblings' affairs and instead focused on handling the family's internal matters.
The third son was currently studying martial arts at an academy and lived far away from the Tang Family estate.
As for the fourth son...
He was considered a hopeless case.
No matter how much his father pushed him, he never displayed even the slightest trace of talent.
...
The fourth son constantly endured the judgmental gazes of others.
He was forever being compared to his gifted siblings.
The situation frustrated him greatly.
Yet no matter how hard he tried to improve himself, he could never compete against brothers and sisters who seemed blessed by the heavens themselves.
Grinding his teeth, Chen set out to investigate the source of the strange pressure under his father's orders.
...
Truthfully speaking, he wanted to run away.
Because what he was sensing wasn't normal at all.
This pressure resembled neither a Grandmaster nor any expert he had ever heard about.
It felt as though he were walking beneath an invisible mountain.
Even so, he couldn't disobey his father.
So he continued toward the center of the city.
The pressure became stronger and stronger.
Eventually, he arrived at a plaza where a crowd had gathered.
At first glance, everyone appeared normal.
But upon closer inspection, it became obvious that they were all secretly looking in the same direction.
Chen followed their gazes.
A young man stood there.
He was remarkably tall, nearly two meters in height his shoulders were broad.
Though he appeared lean, distinct muscle lines could be seen beneath his clothing.
His body resembled that of a martial artist who had spent years fighting.
His black hair reached his shoulders.
His eyes were as dark as the night sky.
His facial features were nearly flawless.
It wasn't difficult to notice countless young women secretly staring at him.
Yet the man himself seemed completely unaware.
In fact...
He was carefully examining a piece of candied fruit in his hand.
He licked the sugar coating.
His eyes lit up.
He took another bite.
Then a third.
"This thing is gooood."
Author's Note: It's the first time in a very long time that he's eaten sugar—or human food lol
Chen remained silent for several seconds.
"..."
This was him?
The person responsible for leaving half of Tang City breathless?
The man before him didn't resemble some mysterious expert at all.
He looked more like a country bumpkin fascinated by everything he saw for the first time.
After hesitating briefly, Chen approached.
"Excuse me..."
The young man looked down.
"Hm?"
"This junior is Chen."
Chen bowed respectfully.
"May I ask for Senior's name?"
The young man blinked.
"My name?"
"Yes."
"..."
He thought.
And thought.
Chen waited.
One minute passed.
Then two.
The young man was still thinking.
Finally, he frowned.
"I forgot."
"..."
Something inside Chen's brain snapped.
Forgot?
What did he mean he forgot?
The young man shrugged.
"No one has called me by my name for a very long time.
I never had a reason to remember it."
Then he looked at Chen curiously.
"What's your name again?"
Chen answered quietly, his expression growing increasingly strange.
After a while, Chen arrived at his own conclusion.
This senior was hiding his identity.
There had to be some great secret in his past.
Perhaps he was fleeing from powerful enemies.
Perhaps his true name was too special to be spoken aloud.
Yes.
That had to be it.
Meanwhile, the young man was thinking about something entirely different.
Suddenly, he turned toward Chen.
"Besides Chen, do you have another name?"
Chen didn't even know how to answer.
"Yes. Since I am a young master of the Tang Family, my surname is Tang."
The young man's eyes lit up.
"Ohhh... Tang Chen."
He clapped enthusiastically.
Author's Note: After spending such a long time alone, our protagonist has become a little strange and entertains himself in his own ways.
Chen still couldn't decide whether the man before him was truly powerful or simply eccentric.
Yet the pressure remained.
And it constantly reminded him that he was not mistaken.
...
At that very moment, an immense pressure was spreading across Tang City.
No one knew why.
But far away...
In a place humanity could never reach...
Other beings had felt it.
Beyond a rift that opened in the depths of reality...
Lay the Realm of True Demons.
Under a crimson sky stood countless black fortresses.
Within that world, innumerable demons grew stronger by feeding upon the souls of lesser beings.
At that very moment...
Inside a vast throne hall, an armored demon slowly opened his eyes.
"..."
She raised his head.
She had sensed something.
An incredibly pure demonic aura.
The demons standing before the throne also looked up.
Because they had felt it as well.
One of the Knight-ranked demons immediately knelt.
"My Lord?"
The figure upon the throne spoke slowly.
"A Knight Demon."
Silence fell across the hall.
True Demons were already exceedingly rare. Knight Demons even more so.
Yet the aura they sensed did not lie.
It belonged to a genuine Knight Demon.
Moreover...
It was still young.
Still weak.
The eyes of the kneeling Knight Demon gleamed.
"Shall I retrieve it?"
The being upon the throne nodded.
"Alive, not dead."
"It will be brought under control."
Without the slightest hesitation, the Knight Demon bowed.
"As you command."
The next moment, a black rift opened.
The Knight Demon stepped through it and entered the human world.
...
Meanwhile, the little snake was wandering through the city.
He had discovered a strange pastry at one of the shops.
This was the first time in his life he had eaten something like it.
He was quite happy.
Just as he reached for a second one...
The sky cracked.
KRRRRRRACK!!
"DANG GURL GIVE BACK MY WIEW...!"
He screamed like a crazy, then continued eating.
A massive black rift opened above Tang City.
Civilians rushed toward their homes.
Guards drew their swords.
The little snake raised his head and stared upward.
"...?"
A beatifull figure emerged from the rift.
It possessed black horns.
It resembled a human with dangerous look.
Dark energy radiated from its body, creating an ominous atmosphere.
The demon descended to the ground.
Then looked directly at the young man.
"I finally found you."
The young man blinked.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"And...What?"
The Knightess Demon froze for a while.
After a brief pause, she replied,
"I have come to bring you to my master.
"Why?"
"Because those were my orders."
The young man shrugged.
"I don't want to go."
"This is not a request."
"..."
The little snake sighed.
"Humans are very strange."
"I'm not human."
"True."
The young man carefully analyzed the creature standing before him.
For a brief moment, silence fell between them.
Then the Knightess Demon threw a punch.
The strike generated terrifying pressure as it shot toward him.
The little snake made no attempt to dodge.
He simply took the blow head-on.
BOOOOM!!
The compressed force exploded outward.
Several guards were blasted through the air.
Tang City shook violently.
The demon's fist slammed into the little snake.
The resulting shockwave demolished dozens of buildings.
Hundreds of people were thrown from their feet.
The city walls cracked.
The second collision was even worse.
By the third, the heavens themselves seemed to split apart.
The Knightess Demon's expression darkened.
Her opponent was far tougher than expected.
Then...
Another rift opened.
And another.
And another.
Eight additional Knightess Demons emerged.
For the first time, the young man frowned.
"..."
" Eyoo! That's cheating."
No one cared about his murmuring.
Four demons attacked simultaneously.
The city transformed into a battlefield.
Buildings collapsed.
Streets shattered.
People fled in terror.
The little snake saw a child crushed beneath rubble.
He saw a guard torn apart.
He heard the scream of a mother.
And for the first time...
He truly became angry for a second.
BOOOOOOM!!
A demonic aura erupted into the heavens.
His black eyes narrowed into reptilian slits.
Dark scales began appearing around his skin.
His teeth lengthened, resembling those of a snake.
Behind him, an enormous aura rose.
The aura resembled a colossal serpent.
The Knightess Demons immediately retreated.
For the first time in their lives...
They felt fear.
The little snake threw a punch.
A massive shockwave exploded outward.
Then he vanished.
A moment later, one Knightess Demon's leg was ripped clean off and hurled through the air.
The next instant he appeared again.
A powerful kick launched another demon into the distance.
When he reappeared once more...
A sinister smile stretched across his face.
One that looked far more demonic than theirs.
With a casual motion, he tore another demon in half.
But then...
The sky split open again.
This time, the newly formed rift was vastly larger than all the others combined.
Silence descended.
Every Knightess Demon immediately dropped to one knee.
A figure slowly descended from the heavens.
A crimson cloak fluttered behind her.
Clad in black garments, a demon of extraordinary beauty appeared.
A noble demon.
A Baron-class demon.
The pressure in the air changed instantly.
The difference between him and the Knight Demons was like the gap between heaven and earth.
Baronette looked down, her eyes blood red.
Then smiled.
"There you are."
The little snake instinctively sensed danger.
This was different.
Very different.
He immediately decided to move.
But he was too late.
BOOOOOM!!
An invisible force slammed him into the ground.
The earth collapsed for hundreds of meters.
The little snake struggled to stand.
But failed.
The Baronette slowly approached.
"You are still far too young."
"There is no point resisting."
The little snake gritted his teeth and attacked with all his strength.
The noble demoness stopped the punch with a single hand.
"..."
"You're truly wild."
Dark chains suddenly appeared.
They wrapped around his arms.
His legs.
His neck.
His entire body.
For the first time...
The little snake could not move at all.
The rift in the sky opened once more.
The Baronette turned away and smile like a crazy person do.
"My Queen will be pleased."
Yet at that moment...
The little snake was also smiling.
[By absorbing souls, temporary enhancement has been acquired...]
[Spirit Forest has reinforced the enhancement.]
[Power Output Increased by 3520%]
As the Baronette looked toward him...
For the first time...
She felt fear.
And in the very next instant—
She found himself blasted away.
The little snake had shattered the chains in less than a tenth of a second and launched a full-power attack.
When he appeared again, tree branches erupted from the ground.
They spread through the surrounding corpses like roots seeking nourishment.
The little snake was growing stronger.
Hungrier.
More addicted to power.
...
He vanished once more.
Appearing directly before the Baronette.
His arm pierced through the noble demon's chest.
He ripped out the beating heart.
Then crushed it with his own hands.
Blood exploded in every direction.
Most of it splashed across his own body.
The Baronette screamed with pain.
A ear-splitting cry combined with spiritual shockwave accompanied.
Moments later, his body crumbled into dust and disappeared entirely.
At that moment, the System spoke once more.
[All surrounding souls have been successfully transferred to the Spirit Forest.]
[Enhancement ending...]
The little snake froze.
"..."
Nine Knight Demons were staring at him.
Every single one of them radiated killing intent.
...
To Be Continued...