# Chapter 467: Side Story 140
All seven members of the complete Demon King roster had gathered.
And so, the Demon God Conclave was now in full swing.
All that remained was to wait for a unanimous candidate to emerge.
What to do in the meantime?
Since he was bored, he decided to tour the city.
Heldon City had been reduced to ruins by Ju-hyeok’s show of force.
He should help with the reconstruction.
It was an eyesore, after all.
The Demon Realm was no different from human society.
Therefore, money was needed for reconstruction.
“What’s the currency here? What do you use for pricing goods or paying wages?”
Heldon City Mayor Karax bowed and scraped as he answered Ju-hyeok.
“Magic Stones, sir. We also eat them.”
Huh?
Setting aside the eating part.
Magic Stones were rocks that came in all different shapes and weights.
How did they manage with that?
Original Earth’s currency was also Magic Stones, but those had been standardized with uniform size and weight.
“Can you convert them to exact units?”
“W-we eyeball it.”
“…Roughly?”
“Yes.”
Ju-hyeok pulled out a handful of regular Magic Stones from his Inventory.
“Let’s say I’m hiring laborers. How much work could I get for this amount?”
“Uh, about two weeks?”
That was cheap.
Two handfuls would be a month.
Since the abilities of demons were quite impressive, the city reconstruction would take less than a month.
“I’ll provide Magic Stone support, so use it for city reconstruction. And during the Demon God Conclave, I’ll also provide supplies like food.”
“Th-thank you.”
He had plenty of regular Magic Stones.
Ju-hyeok’s Inventory and Rajiks’s subspace were both stuffed to the point where he did not know what to do with them all.
“Oh! I looked into it, and it seems some demons eat humans.”
“Th-they don’t actually eat them, just their souls…”
“That’s the same thing!”
“…I apologize. At least within this city, I will prohibit the consumption of human souls.”
Just the city was not enough.
He planned to issue an announcement across the entire Demon Realm.
Invasion of the Mortal Realm forbidden.
Consumption of human souls forbidden.
He needed to make this crystal clear to the Demon Kings as well.
Time passed quickly.
The city reconstruction was almost complete.
But the Demon God Conclave showed no signs of ending.
The spectators were more exhausted than the debaters themselves.
“It’s still not over?”
“Those damned bastards. They’re each fighting to become the Demon God themselves.”
Good grief.
Why would anyone want to do that?
He simply could not understand.
“No one’s yielding?”
“Nope. What else would ya expect from Demon Kings? They’re nothing but greed. A unanimous decision seems completely impossible.”
Haa.
This was troublesome.
How long was he supposed to wait?
He was a busy man with things to do.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes sir!”
Ju-hyeok entered the City Hall conference room with Kozak.
The site of the Demon God Conclave.
Raised voices and pointed fingers flew back and forth. It was utter chaos.
“The previous Demon God was male, so this time it should be a woman’s turn, right?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. A woman as the god of the Demon Realm?”
“The animal should shut up. Wolf boy.”
“I’m the only qualified one here. The current top power in the Demon Realm is where? Obviously the Demon God should be me…”
“That’s only because you shamelessly allied with the Dark Elf bastards to attack us.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, you’re all too greedy. Didn’t you learn anything from the movie?”
“Cut the crap, corpse.”
Whew.
It had been a mistake to have any expectations.
Catholic cardinals yielded to each other and all that.
“At this rate, it’ll never end.”
“Even after a year, no, even after ten years, it won’t be done.”
There was no helping it.
Time to abandon the conclave.
At this point, he would move to Plan B.
“Everyone, attention!”
At Ju-hyeok’s words, the Demon Kings stopped their debate.
“Come with me somewhere.”
“Wh-where?”
“The dungeon where the Divine Status is stored.”
“…What?”
He would have the Divine Status choose directly.
That would be simple, right?
There would be no complaints afterward either.
That was Plan B.
* * *
Demon Realm dungeons also had grades.
The highest grade dungeons produced mutated monsters caused by dense demonic energy.
The lowest grade dungeons produced single-celled demonic beasts.
The place Ju-hyeok arrived at was a lowest-grade dungeon that spawned Hell Slimes.
The Demon Kings were puzzled.
The Divine Status was hidden in such a pathetic dungeon?
Besides, this place had already been searched before.
It was a dungeon that barely produced Magic Stones, let alone Divine Status.
Ju-hyeok, the Demon Kings, and the summoned beings entered the dungeon.
After proceeding straight in, they stopped at a fairly wide clearing.
“Gobang-ssi, please punch this floor once.”
“Should I break it?”
“Yes.”
Shuuuk!
He activated Gigantification.
Raised his fist high.
BOOM!
Crack crack crack!
Cracks spread across the floor.
One more hit.
CRASH! THUD! CRACKLE! RUMBLE!
The dungeon floor collapsed.
Ju-hyeok’s party fell downward.
“This way.”
Ju-hyeok guided the Demon Kings to the place the one-tenth Demon God had described.
And at the end of the dungeon’s underground dead-end, they saw it.
“Ah!”
“Ooh!”
“G-good heavens?”
“My God!!!”
It was the nine-tenths Divine Status.
A black orb the size of a human head floated above an altar.
The Demon Kings were overcome with emotion.
With that, they could become a Demon God.
The omnipotent ruler of the Demon Realm.
“Line up one at a time before the altar. Then you might be chosen.”
According to Wignar, the main god.
The Divine Status also had a will.
Just look at how it had expelled the existing one-tenth main god from the Demon Realm.
The same went for the rumor that Divine Status was hidden in Heldon’s dungeon.
Who had spread it?
It must have been the will of the Divine Status.
It would choose on its own.
A Demon King worthy of becoming Demon God.
“Come here. We’ll draw lots to decide the order.”
The order was set.
First was Vampire Demon King Zarkal.
“Walk forward slowly. If the Divine Status orb doesn’t react, come back…”
But right at that moment!
Woooooo…
The Divine Status orb vibrated violently.
Whirrrrr!
It spun furiously.
Tssspit!
It shot forward in a straight line like lightning.
“Huh?”
It was Ju-hyeok.
The next Demon God chosen by the Divine Status orb.
But.
“HYAAAH!!!”
Whoosh!
Ju-hyeok’s swift response.
He swatted the Divine Status orb with the Judge’s Mallet.
CLANG! Whoooosh!
The orb, struck by the mallet, bounced back to its original position above the altar.
‘Phew.’
That was close.
He had nearly become a Demon God right then and there.
‘How dare it choose me?’
Not a chance.
If he had wanted to be a Demon God, he would have just become Yama instead.
But something seemed off.
The Divine Status orb that had returned to its original position.
‘…It looks a bit smaller.’
That was not all.
The Judge’s Mallet that had struck the Divine Status orb had also changed.
Something about the mallet’s energy had transformed.
‘Did some Divine Status rub off on the mallet?’
Yes.
In other words, this was what had happened.
As a result of Ju-hyeok hitting the orb with his mallet.
About one-tenth of the Demon God Divine Status contained in the orb had seeped into the mallet.
‘Tch, it’s suddenly become a comprehensive Three Divine Energies mallet.’
It fundamentally had Underworld Energy, and since Ju-hyeok used it frequently, Immortal Energy had seeped in too. Now the Demon God’s Divine Status was also mixed in.
So now that Demon God Divine Status orb was no longer nine-tenths but eight-tenths.
There was no need to tell the Demon Kings about that.
“Demon King Zarkal, step forward.”
Gulp!
After swallowing once, Zarkal walked forward.
He stood right before the altar where the orb floated.
Desperately hoping it would choose him.
But there was no reaction.
The orb did not budge.
Zarkal was disappointed.
Next.
Dark Titan race Demon King Kraton.
Thud thud thud thud!
He walked confidently toward the orb.
Failure! Next.
Demon race Demon King Vulcanic.
Failure! Next.
Lycanthrope race Demon King Severn, Dream Demon race Demon King Liliana, and Undead race Hell Lich Demon King Remotar all failed too.
‘Haa.’
How frustrating.
Was it refusing to choose anyone?
But no worries.
There was also Plan C.
Another round of drawing lots.
Force the chosen Demon King to swallow the orb and settle the Demon God selection.
The last remaining candidate.
Dark Elf race Demon King Kadian.
Kadian slowly walked toward the altar.
Honestly, he had no expectations.
All the Demon Kings of traditional Demon Realm clans had been rejected.
Even the Demon clan itself.
Meanwhile, the Dark Elves were a newly risen demon race, were they not?
An outsider who had rolled in from elsewhere.
‘It probably won’t work.’
Still, since he had come this far.
Step by step, Kadian walked up and stood before the altar.
But it was no different from before.
No reaction occurred.
‘As expected…’
Then!
Woooo…
The Divine Status orb began to vibrate faintly.
“Ah!”
Floating gently, slowly, it drifted through the air and— Swoooong! Merged.
The Divine Status orb seeped into Kadian.
“Aaah!”
Kadian shed tears of joy.
Selection complete.
The next Demon God: Dark Elf Demon King Kadian.
Main god Wignar was also an Elf.
Demon God Kadian was also an Elf.
‘The elves are taking everything.’
Ju-hyeok shrugged his shoulders.
So what?
If he was qualified, then he deserved it.
Meanwhile, the Demon Kings watched Kadian with envious gazes.
Their feelings were complicated.
But there was nothing they could do.
They had witnessed it with their own eyes.
The Divine Status orb choosing on its own.
Wooooong!
At the same moment he received the Divine Status’s selection— Wooooong! Kadian’s body began to fade gradually.
It was ascension.
Soon he would sit upon the Divine Throne from which he could look down upon the Demon Realm.
But before that, there was something to be done.
Should he not repay the grudge for the insults suffered by the Demon Realm, the demons, and the Demon Kings?
The human Bong Ju-hyeok.
He could not just let him go.
Now that he had become a Demon God, he should punish that man.
Demon God Kadian turned his head to look at Bong Ju-hyeok.
Kadian and Ju-hyeok’s eyes met.
‘Now I’ll… uh, ah, hmm.’
Demon God Kadian quietly averted his gaze.
‘…’
Now that he had become a Demon God, he understood.
The true power that Bong Ju-hyeok possessed.
He should just ascend to his Divine Throne.
That man said he would be leaving the Skaldion dimension soon anyway.
They would never cross paths again.
Ju-hyeok was relieved.
He had thought it might refuse to choose anyone, but thankfully it succeeded at the last moment.
“Let’s all give a round of applause. For the new Demon God of the Demon Realm.”
Clap clap clap clap clap!
Mission complete.
So what now?
Time to go collect his reward.
* * *
Ju-hyeok came to the Dimensional Management Bureau.
As if he already knew a Demon God had been selected, Main God Wignar was already there waiting.
“Oh! Welcome. You’ve worked hard. Hahaha!”
“Hahaha! Not at all. There were a few problems, but thankfully everything worked out.”
So now give him the reward.
Quickly.
Wignar was very satisfied.
A smooth regime change without war.
What human could accomplish that?
Going to the Demon Realm and controlling the Demon Kings to peacefully select a Demon God.
It was something even gods could not attempt.
Since they could not directly intervene in reality.
Only Bong Ju-hyeok could do it.
“Oh! Where’s my head at? Here it is. The reward I promised.”
Wignar presented Ju-hyeok with two small wooden boxes.
One contained a fragment of attributeless Divine Status, the other a top-grade Dimensional Stone.
“Oh my, you didn’t have to.”
He quickly accepted them.
‘Hmm, the attributeless Divine Status fragment…’
Ju-hyeok had not the slightest intention of absorbing it.
What if he became a complete god?
‘Ugh, just thinking about it is horrifying.’
So.
“Team Leader Eina.”
“Yes?”
“Do you need the Divine Status fragment by any chance?”
“…Uh, i-if you’re offering, would you give it to me?”
What was there to be stingy about with something like this?
“I’ll give it to you.”
Eina’s eyes went wide.
After thinking for a moment.
“…No, it’s fine. You don’t have to give it to me.”
“Please don’t feel burdened. It’s not particularly useful to me.”
“Same here. I don’t have a dimension to govern either. Why would I need a Divine Status fragment? But thank you for the thought.”
Well then.
He could not force it on someone who said no.
“If anything troublesome comes up in the future, please contact me. If I can help, I will.”
Eina smiled and nodded.
“There will probably be more work coming your way.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because you’re capable. Word will have spread among the gods by now. You might become very busy…”
Nah, no way.
Could there really be that much work?
* * *
Spat!
Ju-hyeok came to Religion City in Original Earth.
‘Let’s see, the angels… aren’t here?’
Strange.
He could not sense the presence of White Lord’s angels.
It was the same in Terra City.
They seemed to have all ascended to the Heavenly Realm.
He tried opening a dimensional gate to go to the Heavenly Realm, but it would not open.
Of course.
Back when Ju-hyeok had gone, the Heavenly Realm had been left in a corrupted state.
Now its owner had returned.
Even a dimensional traveler could not enter without permission.
‘This is troublesome.’
What should he do with this attributeless Divine Status fragment?
If there had been angels around, he would have passed it on to them.
Then!
An old-fashioned building caught Ju-hyeok’s eye.
‘A temple.’
When White Lord had taken over Original Earth, the people here had accepted her as their god.
That must be why a temple had been built.
He should go there.
Maybe communication would be possible.
Ju-hyeok walked toward the temple.
A priest came out to greet him.
“Welcome, brother. What brings you to the Grand Temple?”
“Um, I came to meet the god… I also have something to offer.”
“Ah! So you’ve come to offer tribute to the god Albianne.”
“That’s right.”
So White Lord’s true divine name was Albianne.
“Please come this way.”
The priest guided Ju-hyeok to the altar.
“Place your offering here and pray.”
Ju-hyeok placed the wooden box containing the attributeless Divine Status on the altar and quietly closed his eyes.
Prayer began.
Hands clasped together, putting his heart and will into it.
‘Hello. Albianne, it’s me. Bong Ju-hyeok. Are you well? I’m doing fine. I brought a humble gift, so please accept it.’
But no response came.
‘Albianne-nim?’
Silence.
‘Please take the gift, Albianne-nim! It’s me. Bong Ju-hyeok.’
Silence.
‘Hmm, is communication not possible?’
…Wait!
Could it be?
‘White Lord-nim?’
That was when it happened.
Fwaaaaaaash!
A pillar of brilliant light descended upon the temple altar.
At the same time, onto Ju-hyeok’s body as well.
She only responded when he called her White Lord.
He should have done that from the start.
The priests who had been watching were so startled they prostrated themselves on the ground.
Because a god’s blessing had descended upon a human’s body.
[Ju-hyeok-nim.]
White Lord’s voice.
‘Hahaha, have you been well?’
[Yes. It’s been so long.]
‘I brought you a gift. Please accept it.’
[Th-this is too great a gift…]
‘Oh come on, between us, this is nothing.’
Fwaaaash!
The pillar of light grew even denser.
In proportion, White Lord’s blessing intensified.
[Where have you been traveling to this time?]
‘It’s a long story…’
[That’s fine. I can listen for as long as you need.]
‘Really?’
[Yes.]
‘Hahaha. I’ll tell you.’
Ju-hyeok’s story began.
As he had said, it was very long.
* * *
While Ju-hyeok was communicating with White Lord in Original Earth and receiving her blessing in full.
Skaldion Continent, Artia Kingdom palace rear garden.
The place where the World Tree stood.
Suddenly.
Ziiing!
A crack appeared in the air and a gate formed.
And then.
Shuuuk!
An elf emerged from the gate.
“Cough!”
Blood foam spewed from her mouth.
Her left arm was also missing.
She appeared to be seriously injured.
The unidentified one-armed elf staggered toward the World Tree trunk and leaned against it.
Woooooooooo.
The World Tree responded, its branches and leaves trembling.
It was grieving.
“…Grrk!”
But blood foam poured from the elf’s mouth once again.
Finally.
Thud. The elf collapsed to the ground.
Woooooooooo…
The World Tree shook.
At the same time, another elf came running to the palace rear garden.
It was Queen Serena Artia.
“Wh-what?”
She hurried over to check the face of the collapsed elf.
“…Gasp!”
Now that she saw the face, she knew who it was.
Nerian Artia.
The ancestor of the royal Artia family.
‘Why does she look like this…’
The injuries looked severe.
It would not be strange if she died at any moment.
She needed to be treated first.
With the Elixir she had received from Yurik Delian— no, from the one called Bong Ju-hyeok.
Queen Serena slowly poured the Elixir into her mouth.
The remaining liquid went onto the elbow that appeared to have been torn off.
But then?
‘…Huh?’
Strange.
Why were there metal mechanical devices and metal wires at the elbow?
Was this person not a High Elf?
Yet she had a mechanical arm like a golem.
It did not even seem like a golem arm.
It was more complex and more precise.
Anyway, setting that aside.
Why was she not waking up?
She had taken the Elixir.
‘Could it be related to the mechanical arm device?’
What should she do?
At this rate, she seemed like she would die.
There was no choice.
‘I have no option but to ask Bong Ju-hyeok-nim.’
Mari-nim, the High Elf who traveled with him, might know a way.
Nerian Artia had also asked to be notified if she ever appeared.
But how could she contact him?
He had said he would be in the Demon Realm.
