I Woke Up as the Villain

"The better the meat is tenderized, the more delicious it is, don't you think?" Rachel said.

"Hmph, even if you tenderize demon meat, it will still be tough and unpleasant to eat!" replied Helen.

Rachel let out a low laugh as she swung her ax again, beheading the demon. When she heard Helen snorting, she said, "Are you not going to eat it? If you keep acting like that, I won't give it to you!"

“Without my alchemy skills, you wouldn't even be able to eat this demon meat,” Helen remarked.

Despite their bantering, Rachel's ax continued to rain down haphazardly on the demon's body. She kept grinding the flesh until the demon's regenerative abilities could no longer keep up. She continued doing that until the demon finally shuddered and died.

The rest was Helen's job. After summoning her mana, Helen began to extract the venom and magic remaining in the demon's body. Then, she sprinkled them into the air before lighting a fire to cook the meat.

As Helen worked, Rachel watched the flow of Helen’s mana and licked her lips with the tip of her tongue. She commented, "Your mana control is always impressive. I thought I'm pretty good at this too, but I can only take a step back when facing you, Grandma.”

"If you know that, then shut up and watch," Helen replied.

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"Oh my, how fierce. You know I love your style, Grandma. You know, since our blood is already pumping, want to have a match with me?”

"Your suggestion will only attract all the damn demons passing by. If you can't control yourself in heat, go to the surface and catch some demons," said Helen.

"Hehe... You’ve got the potty mouth," said Rachel as she chuckled.

Feeling relaxed, Rachel watched Helen cook the meat before staring up at the ceiling with frustration. She muttered, "Should I really jump up to the surface like Grandma said and cause a scene?"

Them being trapped in this underground space wasn't due to lack of strength. In fact, they often visited this underground area because it had the least amount of demon activity and was a good place to rest. Furthermore, Helen's sanctuary was just beyond this area.

“You could do that if you want. You and I could survive for a few days just by eating and running around," Helen said.

"If we could just avoid that little guy," Rachel said with a sardonic smile on her lips.

In her mind was the picture of a demon with an appearance similar to that of a young boy. Thinking of that particular demon, she asked, "He was so damn strong. Could he be a Demon King?"

"At the very least, he must be a duke," Helen replied.

They had not been idle in their attempts to escape from Pyongyang, but they had unfortunately failed each time. The problem wasn't the demons in the city center. In fact, they had grown at an alarming rate in this demon-filled world that they were now at the pinnacle of S-rank… They were trapped in this place because of a little demon that would suddenly appear whenever someone attempted to leave Pyongyang, rendering them powerless.

Without saying a word, the strange being with white skin would simply stop those attempting to escape. He didn't exude a strong presence like the giant stone statue in the center of the city, nor did he show off excessive mana. Regardless, he was certainly strong.

‘At this point, if I pass the promotion assessment, I could probably take on Hexagram Masters now.’

Rachel thought, feeling confident in her own growth.

Helen had also grown just as strong. Yet, despite their strength, the two of them together could not defeat one small demon.

Helen was guessing that the small demon was at least a Duke of Demon, but Rachel thought otherwise.

‘He's definitely a Demon King!’

Despite not showing any destructive tendencies or rational movements, that demon’s strength alone was undoubtedly on par with that of a Demon King.

Although they had been left behind in Pyongyang together, it was only because of the little demon, the little Demon King, that they had formed a team. After all, they still growled at each other at the mere sight of the other person’s face.

"Okay, it's done," said Helen.

While Rachel was lost in thought, Helen tossed the fully cooked demon meat over to her. Rachel caught it with an ax in one hand and shoved it into her mouth, then narrowed her eyes in distaste. She complained, "It's thick, tasteless, and fishy."

"If you don't want it, just throw it away," said Helen.

"Who said I’ll throw it away? Our cute Gold Nugget is probably happily enjoying delicious meat by now. I hope he didn’t forget my kindness," said Rachel.

Looking at Rachel’s mischievous grin, Helen let out a deep sigh and shook her head. "Yu-Seong and you probably won't ever meet again."

“And how do you plan to guarantee that?” Rachel asked sharply.

"Because I'll make it happen," Helen said.

They were currently on the same team, but she knew that Rachel was truly a crazy woman. Thinking that her chances of being helpful to Yu-Seong were low, she had planned to get rid of Rachel somehow.

‘If I can just kill her as soon as we escape from here…’ 

Rachel shivered slightly and shrugged her shoulders as she met Helen's threatening gaze. Then, flashing a bright smile, she looked up at the dark ceiling of the underground passage and said, "Ha… Okay. Your enthusiasm is so low. But too bad, I think I'll be able to meet our cute little Gold Nugget soon."

"Don't say such things..." Helen glared at Rachel before getting up from her seat to head back to their hideout.

Their rest time was over, and they could not afford to waste any time if they wanted to capture the little Demon King and escape Pyongyang. In this situation, it did not matter that they were famous players throughout Earth.

‘Don't do anything unnecessary, and wait calmly, Choi Yu-Seong.’

Helen sincerely hoped that Yu-Seong would not come to this dangerous place known as Pyongyang.

***

Ever since they were high up in the clouds, they had used the mana stone to activate their invisibility. Moments later, the stealth craft, which the demons could not easily sense, settled on the ground.

A few flying demons that they had encountered on the way down had seemingly sensed the stealth craft’s movements, but they had only been able to make a puzzled noise. After all, they couldn’t pinpoint the stealth craft’s exact location.

Thanks to that, Do-Jin, Bernard, and Yu-Seong could land on the ground using the stealth craft.

In the ruined city beneath a black sky, Yu-Seong looked at the gray asphalt that had cracked and become rough. He laughed bitterly. "It's like Apocalypse World.”

In a world that had been completely destroyed, only demons were left to reign in many small cities. In fact, this would be the outcome of the entire Earth if there were no main characters like Do-Jin in the original novel.

‘Of course, it looks different now as the original novel’s plot is being reflected in my reality.’

As they looked at the city of Pyongyang, so different from the one they remembered, all of them laughed bitterly.

Then, the stealth craft floated back up into the sky.

Crash-!

However, it crashed into the sea with a loud explosion not even a minute later.

"How...?"

No large demon-like beings were visible around them, and there wasn’t an ocean spirit that had jumped into the sky. In fact, the three of them couldn’t sense any mana in the situation. However, the stealth craft had exploded without warning.

Yu-Seong and Do-Jin both activated their Third Eye and Insight respectively at the same time among the bewildered group.

‘What is it?’

At that moment, Yu-Seong saw a white blur moving quickly. He knew that something was there, but he couldn’t confirm its shape or form. He muttered, "...a kid?"

On the other hand, Do-Jin vaguely saw the identity of the white figure. However, even he couldn't be sure.

"Damn it..." Bernard let out his anger, clenching his fists.

The stealth driver who had safely brought them to Pyongyang had now lost their life in a situation where they had only needed to return home. It was impossible not to be angry. Yu-Seong also felt a similar emotion to Bernard, but Do-Jin's reaction was somewhat different.

"It’s unfortunate, but he probably expected such a death," said Do-Jin coldly.

Bernard raised his eyebrows and said, "Just because he was prepared for it doesn't mean he welcomed the idea of dying.”

"And what’s going to change if we grieve and get angry?" Do-Jin asked calmly.

“That’s…!” Bernard shouted.

Yu-Seong quickly stepped in front of Bernard and pursed his lips. Then, he said, “Nothing will change. However, as humans, we can’t help but have emotions and grieve. Kim Do-Jin.”

“Grieve…” Do-Jin smiled coldly, trembling as a sharp energy emanated from him. He growled, “At least you shouldn’t say such a thing… You shouldn’t, Choi family…”

The intense atmosphere went away only a moment later. Do-Jin frowned, as if confused by his own words. He shook his head and said, “That’s enough. Our goal is to take down the big guy standing in the middle anyway.”

“...”

Nodding, Yu-Seong understood Do-Jin's state of mind and inwardly sighed. The scene of the desolate city and the sudden death of someone had created a small crack in their morale, but they couldn't afford to be swayed by it.

‘This confirms that Kim Do-Jin still harbors resentment toward Father, and the Comet group.’ 

Yu-Seong, who was thinking of the future more than the present, looked at the giant Count of Demon standing in the middle of Pyongyang. He muttered, "It won't be easy to go back.”

It was true that they probably had to deal with excessive demons and the demon realm.

“I'll take the lead,” Bernard volunteered.

In the first place, he had the highest defense among the three and was the most suitable for the position.

No one expressed any complaints, and Yu-Seong naturally led the group. He suggested, “Then let me take the middle, and Kim Do-Jin can take the rear.”

After determining their respective positions, the three of them ran forward in silence. There was no discord or discomfort, and even their breathing was in perfect unison.

‘Isn't this also a somewhat sad situation?’

Just as Yu-Seong couldn't stop but to show a bitter smile on his face, Bernard let out a scream as he swung his fist and smashed the head of a demon in front of him.

"Aaaaaaaah-!"

With that cry, demonic creatures began to pour out from all directions.

‘There are no demons among them.’

Demons were closer to human form, with the only distinctive feature being the horns that sprouted from their heads.

Yu-Seong calmly assessed the situation and began to swing his spear. Do-Jin also cleanly cut off the enemies he was chasing and tidied up the rear. However, Bernard was being motivated by somewhat different emotions. He seemed deeply shaken by the earlier death of the stealth driver and was pouring out his strength with an angry scream that seemed to come from a vengeful avenger.

‘While Kim Do-Jin's coldness might be a concern, I also sense some danger from Bernard. Perhaps he needs to calm down.’

With that in mind, Yu-Seong approached Bernard to talk to him and try to calm him down.

At that moment, a demon with four arms and horns protruding from its head appeared before them.

‘With Bernard's current state, it's dangerous…’

Although it was uncertain which title of nobility the demon was, Yu-Seong was aware that most demons were strong. Just as Yu-Seong was about to get in front of Bernard, there was a loud explosion.

Boom-! 

Shockwaves emanated from Bernard's fist, which turned into a shape resembling a large horn, and shattered the demon's entire body.

Yu-Seong and even Do-Jin were both taken aback by Bernard’s unexpected display of power.

With a sense of pride as one of the original novel’s strongest characters, Bernard spread his shoulders wide as if shaking off his pent-up emotions. He exclaimed, "Ahhh-! That was refreshing. Let's go, my friends! I'll crush anyone who shows up in front of me!"

At this moment, both Yu-Seong and Do-Jin found themselves unable to resist a slight smile. They had to acknowledge that they had both underestimated Bernard to some extent.