Amon, the Sealed King

An altar where a demon named Amon was sealed appeared. Hearing that, I couldn't help but feel serious. Even though it was before his resurrection, his rank was no less than 'King'.

He was also the Liege of Andras and Flauros, who last time had that sticky, intense display right before my eyes.

I'd heard he was exceptionally powerful even among the Demons in the Demon Realm, and indeed, thinking about that made me feel tense.

I'd thought I'd face him someday... but to see him already?

At least he appeared in the form of an Altar, so should I call that fortunate...? I was a bit confused.

After thinking for a moment, I looked at Yu Chaerin and asked.

“How was the Altar discovered?” “You know that official notice issued before? The one that said they’d give a reward if you found a Demon Altar.” “Aha, so they found it with that and got the reward?” “Uh... no. They found it, but everyone died before they could even get the reward.” “...Huh?”

According to her,

The very first to enter was an Adventurer Party specializing in grave robbing.

They found the Altar by chance and entered without knowing what was inside.

Then, everyone inside was burned to ashes by Amon, who only had his upper body. One person barely survived, went to a nearby village to ask for help, and then died away from home. Their burns were already too severe, and their life was fading.

“What happened next?” “That Country immediately formed and sent an Extermination Squad. But it lost about half its Troops and retreated again...”

Because she said “that Country,” it doesn’t seem that this happened in the Empire.

Anyway, after that, they sent an Extermination Squad about three more times. First, a ragtag group of Adventurers. Next, Soldiers and Knights. Then, they even gathered Otherworlders, Mages, and Knights. But all of them failed, losing only Troops, and it’s said they thought this:

“Ah, this won’t work with just our strength.”

“And the moment that Demon awakens, we’re all truly screwed...”

From then on, they started gathering people nationwide.

“They seem to be preparing thoroughly. Applicants must be Skilled Persons of A-rank Adventurer level or higher. And they said to come thoroughly prepared, as you could die...” “...Hmm.”

At her words, I furrowed my brow. No matter how much the Otherworlders’ Skill has risen, A-rank Adventurers aren’t so common that you’d trip over them. Even Otherworlders, it’s said, hit a wall once they reach a certain level of growth.

Only truly talented individuals can reach that level from A-rank and above. But for this Extermination, the minimum requirement is A-rank. I could feel how seriously they were taking that Altar.

As I nodded my head to myself, Chaerin continued.

“Since it’s a Forbidden Land to begin with, just getting there is a task. So they’re filtering out all the riff-raff, you see. I barely made the Entry Cut myself. Phew... I’m only participating because the Participation Reward is good. Honestly, even if I go, I don’t think I’ll be able to do much...” “...A Forbidden Land? Where on earth is it?”

A forbidden land, literally, meant a place where people couldn’t easily enter. It was a place with a harsh environment or swarming with monsters. Anyway, this forest where I live was also a forbidden land. Chaerin looked at me and answered my question.

“Yor, you’ll be familiar with the path, won’t you? You know, it’s attached to the Place we went to when we caught Andras.”

She took a breath and then told me the Region name.

The Burning Plains is a place filled with heat so hot it feels like it’s burning 365 days a year. And at the same time, it is a place you can barely reach after traveling for over two weeks from here.

“No, wait.”

Hearing that, I immediately furrowed my brow. The environment was already daunting, but there was an even more intuitive problem.

“I have to go *there* again...?”

It was precisely too far. “Should I just skip it this time...?” I pondered for a moment.

Of course, I only pondered for a moment; in the end, I decided to participate. I’d been in the Cave for too long, and it was more comfortable for me to step forward myself rather than leaving it to other people.

Before departing, I started packing the necessary things. As for my House, well, it doesn’t matter if I leave it as is. Actually, I’m not too worried about travel items either, since the Spatial Pouch drastically reduces their volume.

As a result, Neria, who would be in The Depths, was currently weighing most on my mind. Actually, she had been my biggest concern from the moment I heard the travel distance.

If I didn’t provide her with food for over two weeks, she could starve to death. No, would it really be *just* two weeks?

Given the round trip distance and the time I’d spend there, it could take months. I couldn’t just abandon the kid alone in those Depths for that long.

Of course, Barbatos is there, but honestly... it’s safe to say she’s not a Guardian, but a brat who needs protecting. I can’t trust her.

That said, I wasn’t completely without a plan. I went directly to Neria and said...

“I have something to do, so I’ll have to be away for a long time. So, how about you stay in my Cave for a while?”

It wouldn’t be easy to live there either, but at least she’s capable enough to hunt monsters herself. And though people sometimes come looking, if she hides well, she won’t have to meet them.

Among the methods I could think of, it was the best one. But Neria didn’t seem to like it. She shook her head and then said to me with an earnest expression.

“Can’t I just come with you?”

“What?”

I was startled and opened my eyes wide for a moment because it was nonsense. Looking at Neria, I firmly refused.

“No, it’s too dangerous. There will be so many people around. Do you want to get caught and die?” “Don’t worry. I’ll stay still so as not to interfere. And I know how to disguise myself to some extent.” “Do you think only people there are dangerous? You don’t know what else might be around. I might even have trouble taking care of myself. In that situation, I won’t have the leisure to look after you too.” “I-I know how to fight too. I have no intention of asking to be protected. If you take me, I’ll definitely be helpful. Please?” “...”

I glared at her silently. Since this kid wouldn’t back down, I tried to send her back with my gaze. Even if I look like this, my face is good at intimidating people... Yu Chaerin says I have a face like a bully.

But no matter how much I stared, Neria didn’t avert her eyes. Her two red eyes, though shaking fiercely, were asserting her will. At a glance, her expression even looked earnest. This kid isn’t the type to throw a tantrum like this... Did she want to go out that badly?

*Indeed...*

Forest life probably isn’t that fun. She’s been stuck inside the Altar for several months now, unable to properly go outside, so she must want to do something. Therefore, I decided to back down a step.

“All right. Then, show me your skill.”

Just one step. To participate in this Extermination Squad, they say the minimum is to be an A-rank Mercenary. Even if she doesn’t have an A-rank Mercenary Card, shouldn’t she at least have A-rank Adventurer-level skill?

“I’ll just stand here, so try to send my body flying far away.”

Saying that, I infused a certain amount of mana into my body. Vitality flowed into my resting body. I firmly fixed both my feet to the ground, as if they were taking root.

The standard for A-rank was about Befri’s level. Although she was knocked away by me, she’s still among the top-tier Adventurers. And surprisingly, she's a Frontline Tanker at that.

Although I was roughly estimating and imitating her level by eye, my level was more than enough to face one kid.

Soon, the kid, with a determined expression, began preparing her Strike.

“*Boulder*.”

CRACK!

A house-sized boulder was created at a single word.

“*Spin*.”

WHOOSH! Again, at a single word, it began spinning fiercely vertically. More intense than that huge rock was the dense magic felt within it. I couldn’t help but be a little flustered.

“Uh...”

This kid is seriously trying to attack me. Since she knows my skill, she’s determined to hit me with all her might anyway! I can block it immediately if I want to, but because of our promise, I can only stay still.

“*Push it away*.”

Soon, the Boulder flew at me at a moderate speed and collided, as if it were considerate. ...I could only fly away just like that.

*

“That kid’s got quite a fierce touch...”

Well, a promise is a promise. In the end, I decided to take her. Honestly, I didn’t expect to be pushed back this much.

How could a mere 16-year-old kid be so strong? I hadn’t expected her to be that powerful. Of course, I did feed her spirit herbs sometimes, but I never imagined it would be to this extent. At that level, she wouldn’t be pushed back at all, even if she fought against most others.

For a moment, intimidated by the kid, I pathetically compared myself to my 16-year-old self.

*What was I doing at that age?*

I think I was busy being chased by that Sangun guy and barely surviving death. Hmm, good. That’s not an achievement to be ashamed of anywhere.

*Maybe Befri was just too weak...*

I shamefully blamed Befri for being pushed back like that and erased it from my mind. Since I had set Befri as the standard, it was ultimately Befri’s fault.

Anyway, having lost the bet, I gave her a brief warning.

“Don’t act recklessly, hide your abilities as much as possible, and don’t take off your hood carelessly.”

“Yes.”

At my words, Neria nodded her head energetically. For someone who had insisted so stubbornly on coming along, she didn’t seem as excited as I’d expected. Was it because her expression rarely changed, or had she become vigilant, knowing it was a dangerous Place? For now, I decided to think it was the latter.

After finishing our preparations, I took Neria and headed to the meeting place.

“Welcome.”

“Is this her?”

No matter how much she hid her appearance, I found it impossible to hide her from everyone. This was because I couldn’t put her in Subspace and carry her around.

Therefore, I had already told Haneul and Chaerin, who were coming along as companions. Since they already knew my identity and had a history of hiding it for me, they could be trusted.

Neria and the Otherworlders awkwardly greeted each other. Chaerin seemed flustered by Neria’s physique, which was even smaller than she had expected.

After I finished the greetings, Chaerin asked me with a dubious expression.

“Can we really trust her and take her? Even if she’s a Manifestor, if a battle breaks out, it feels like it’ll be a big problem...”

“She seems stronger than you, though?”

“What?!”

Saying “Nonsense,” she scoffed and climbed into the carriage. I also climbed into the carriage without saying much. Well, that wasn’t exactly accurate.

And so, we departed towards the Burning Plains, where Amon’s Altar was located.