Episode 289: The Return of the Demon Instructor
BOOM!
The sheer force of Baold was terrifying.
With a single swing of its countless tentacles, entire wooden pavilions were reduced to rubble.
The infiltration team, witnessing this horrific scene, could only watch in stunned silence, their faces drained of color.
Even the newly formed group and the Heavenly Destruction Squad, who had been at each other’s throats, were too shocked to continue their bickering.
“Leader… what on earth is that thing?” Yeom Jaryang stammered, his voice trembling.
Maeseolran shook her head, her expression grim. “I don’t know. But…”
“But…?”
“I have a feeling it’s not of this world.”
“You mean…”
“It might be a demon summoned by the Celestial Cult.”
She could never forget.
The sight of that demon trying to devour children.
And when thwarted, it mercilessly slaughtered the sacrificial children without hesitation.
It was pure, unadulterated evil.
At Maeseolran’s words, the other warriors swallowed hard, their eyes fixed on the growing demon.
With each passing moment, the creature grew larger, its power increasing proportionally.
The estate was being laid to waste in an instant.
Screams echoed as cultists fell victim to the very demon they had summoned, never imagining they would meet such a fate.
As Maeseolran and Jeok Murin led the retreat, the infiltration team felt a fleeting sense of triumph, only to be confronted by an unimaginable horror.
Watching the carnage, Maeseolran and the other warriors felt not satisfaction, but a creeping sense of dread.
The sight of something not of this world massacring humans was unsettling, even if they were enemies.
“Help! Spare me!” a cultist screamed, only to be silenced as his head was severed.
At the end of Baold’s tentacle, a sucker-like appendage absorbed the headless body, pulling it into its gelatinous mass.
Sabi Kang, using a mix of blink magic and lightfoot technique, darted around the estate, trying to lure Baold away.
By now, Baold had swelled to the size of a large pavilion.
Anyone who saw it would have been paralyzed with fear.
ROAR!
Baold twisted its body, letting out a monstrous cry.
“Argh!”
The cultists, who had focused all their inner energy on their lightfoot technique, screamed as their eardrums burst, collapsing one by one.
Baold’s roar had a unique resonance, capable of inflicting internal injuries.
Whenever Baold raised more than three tentacles above its brain-like body, one had to brace for the inevitable resonant roar.
This was one of Baold’s traits, and knowing this made it easier to defend against.
Thus, Sabi Kang withstood Baold’s roar without suffering any internal injuries, thanks in part to his considerable inner strength.
Nevertheless, many cultists fell, coughing up blood, unable to escape the estate.
Baold, as if cleaning up, extended its tentacles to absorb the bodies.
Sabi Kang stood atop the highest pavilion, watching the scene unfold.
“Feast while you can.”
Meanwhile, outside the estate, Maeseolran and the infiltration team ambushed and eliminated the Celestial Cultists who managed to escape.
Though the sight of them being devoured by the demon was unsettling, they showed no mercy, knowing the cultists had summoned the creature.
As Baold finished its grim task and began to slither towards the estate’s exit, Sabi Kang called out from atop the pavilion.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Baold twisted its body, emitting a strange sound, its brain-like mass writhing.
Sabi Kang frowned. “The more I look at you, the uglier you get.”
Did it understand the taunt?
Baold raised five tentacles above its body, swaying ominously.
ROAR!
Once again, the resonant sound erupted.
CRASH!
The pavilions, unable to withstand the resonance, shattered as if they had exploded.
The pavilion Sabi Kang stood on was no exception.
CRASH!
Sabi Kang quickly leaped from the falling beams, using his lightfoot technique to propel himself towards Baold.
He couldn’t allow the demon to leave the estate.
“Of all things, why Baold…”
One of Baold’s traits was its inability to distinguish friend from foe.
It was so voracious that it would even devour its own kind.
Baold was a hermaphrodite, reproducing through self-fertilization, and never lived in groups.
“Perhaps that’s why?”
A creature of low intelligence, driven purely by instinct.
It should have taken more time to cross over from the demon realm, but its early appearance was likely due to the summoning ritual led by the masked figure.
“But how did he manage to use summoning magic?”
There were tales of ancient martial artists summoning demons to fight, but those were now considered mere legends.
Though uncertain, it might be related to the entity known as ‘Mareong.’
“Whatever the case, I can’t let you run amok!”
Sabi Kang swung his sword, Veritas, in a vertical slash.
SWOOSH!
As the energy surged forward, a thick, white liquid oozed from Baold’s body.
CLANG!
The energy collided with Baold, producing a loud metallic sound.
“So, the protective fluid is coming out.”
This was another of Baold’s traits.
As it grew larger, it became harder to evade attacks, so it secreted a fluid to defend itself.
The speed at which this fluid was secreted was almost instantaneous, acting like a protective barrier or shield.
The secretion of this fluid also indicated that Baold was nearing its full form.
Sabi Kang referred to this fluid as ‘protective fluid.’
Interestingly, when Baold secreted this fluid, its greatest weakness was exposed.
The weak point was located at the center of the mass from which the tentacles extended, known as the ‘mana hole.’
When the protective fluid was secreted, this weak point became almost defenseless.
It was as if it sacrificed its bones to protect its flesh.
For those unaware of this strategy, Baold would be a formidable foe.
To the people of the Central Plains, Baold’s very existence was a source of terror.
Sabi Kang, standing on the ruins of a pavilion, fired a signal flare from his pocket.
WHISTLE, BANG!
Moments later, as expected, an arrow imbued with energy whistled through the air.
WHOOSH!
In an instant, Baold’s body oozed white fluid once more.
“Now!”
Sabi Kang launched himself forward.
THUD!
As he closed in on Baold, Sabi Kang unleashed Veritas with precision.
SWOOSH!
The attack, utilizing the art of swordsmanship, was executed with flawless precision.
THUNK!
Veritas struck Baold’s mana hole dead center.
Simultaneously, Baold writhed, letting out a monstrous scream.
ROAR!
The resonant sound caused the surrounding buildings to twist and collapse as if they were dancing.
Sabi Kang, too, had to quickly channel his inner energy to protect himself from internal injuries.
WHOOSH!
Another arrow flew through the air.
It must have been fired by Dan Lijeong.
“He’s got a good sense for these things.”
Even without a signal, Dan Lijeong instinctively knew it was time to attack again.
Once more, Baold secreted its white protective fluid, covering its body.
BANG!
The energy-infused arrow was so powerful that Baold recoiled.
Simultaneously, Sabi Kang extended his hand, using telekinesis magic to manipulate Veritas.
SLASH!
The black sphere cracked completely, releasing a dark energy that spread like ink.
ROAR!
The resonant sound was weaker this time, and the buildings remained intact.
Sabi Kang didn’t even need to channel his inner energy.
Baold’s innate mana had been significantly depleted.
The once metallic mana hole was now shattered, leaking dark energy in all directions.
THUD!
With a heavy sound, Baold began to collapse.
Its tentacles, once writhing, now lay limp on the ground, creating deep craters in the estate floor.
THUD!
Crushing a pavilion beneath it, Baold lay still.
A cloud of dust rose, and only after some time did the surroundings become visible again.
Footsteps approached.
Sabigang walked over to the fallen Baold.
This creature was among the lower-tier demons of the underworld.
Its weaknesses were painfully obvious, just like now.
Moreover, it lacked any real intelligence, driven solely by its aggressive instincts.
Sssssss…!
Suddenly, the creature’s corpse began to dissolve into a greenish ooze, releasing a noxious smoke.
“As expected… it’s always a hassle.”
Even though Baold was a low-level demon, it was troublesome for this very reason.
Even in death, it emitted poison.
As its body rapidly decayed, the surrounding air quickly turned into a toxic fog.
Sabigang pulled a small pouch from his pocket.
He took out an anti-poison bead, similar to a detoxifying drink, and swallowed it.
The cure poison was a liquid potion, but the anti-poison was in bead form.
This was likely designed so that even those already poisoned could easily ingest it.
On the other hand, a preventive anti-poison didn’t need to be a cumbersome liquid.
Of course, just as a detox drink isn’t immune to all poisons, the anti-poison wasn’t a cure-all for the underworld’s toxins.
It was only effective because Baold’s poison was from a low-level demon.
“Truly hideous.”
The sight of Baold’s body, now a gelatinous mess like pig entrails, made Sabigang grimace.
He collected the black liquid oozing from the shattered mana core into an empty vial.
This liquid was the source of Baold’s poison.
“Is this all I get for summoning such a creature?”
With a light sigh, Sabigang tucked the vial of Baold’s poison back into his pouch.