Chapter 145. The Saint Has Awakened (2)
The perfect number, 10.
The Demon King, known as the Saint of Ten.
The days of trying to confront him.
Reflecting on that day, I once again await his awakening today.
[..................]
After 9 p.m., the garden had grown dark.
The statue of the Archangel, kneeling in the courtyard of the royal castle, quietly raised its head. It gazed up at the moon and stars in the night sky.
If it were human, it would have sighed just now.
But, being a statue, it could not.
Thus, it waited silently for him.
The one who had mercilessly defeated me.
The being who had displayed transcendental might.
Demon King Kim Jangcheol, to open his eyes once more.
[..................]
Suddenly, the final moment, when I had attempted self-destruction, came to mind.
I had thought that would be the end of everything.
But reality was different.
The blow that struck me at the final instant.
It carried a power beyond imagination. It was truly an overwhelming force. A might comparable to a large-scale natural disaster.
Moreover, it had been the most ideal, perfect strike I could conceive.
The pinnacle of utter perfection.
A perfect alignment with the Rule of Perfection.
A blow that brought the Rule of Perfection into reality.
Taking that head-on, my self-destruction was canceled,
and I was left to reflect on 300 years of living as a statue. I also thought anew about the mission I had carried within me.
And naturally, I repented.
Ah.
I had tried to oppose such a perfect being.
No, I had defied the very Rule of Perfection itself.
[.....................]
Defeating the Demon King?
The rule of usurpation?
No.
If a being possessing such perfect power is the Demon King, then perhaps, just perhaps, the answer to perfection is the Demon King. Maybe the perfection humanity had been seeking all along was in the form of the Demon King.
Then what about me?
[.....I must serve him......]
The Rule of Perfection is the pursuit of perfection.
Because we are all imperfect beings, we endlessly yearn for perfection, training and disciplining ourselves.
So, having discovered the most perfect being?
It would be natural to follow him.
Thus...
[When the Saint awakens......I must ask to be accepted as his disciple........]
The statue of the Archangel silently reaffirmed its determined resolve.
In front of the hospital room where Kim Jangcheol lay asleep.
Hoping to hear the Saint's voice from within.
Whether it took 10 days instead of 9, or even 100 days, it was prepared to wait patiently.
Then, at a certain moment—
“....10!"
[......!]
It was heard.
The Saint’s proclamation!
That sacred voice, crying out the number of perfection the moment he awoke!
Thud!
The statue, overcome with surprise and joy, unconsciously sprang to its feet. The massive 63.5-meter figure stood up, making itself clearly visible from anywhere in the royal capital.
Even the many people gathered in parks and small plazas throughout the capital, praying for Kim Jangcheol’s revival, took notice.
Thus, everyone realized—
"Huh?"
"The statue?"
“........No way?"
The Saint of Ten.
The hero of the grand plaza.
Had he finally opened his eyes?
"Look over there! The statue is trying to gesture something."
"That gesture ...... could it really mean? That the hero has awakened?"
"......Let’s go! To the royal palace!"
"Waaaaaah!"
Cheers, like a grand festival, erupted from every street in the capital.
***
"...... Graaaah! 10!"
Kim Jangcheol shouted.
He couldn’t hold it back any longer.
The obsession was driving him insane.
Forget about the imbalance between his Mana Seed and body—it was making him utterly furious.
He shouted and opened his eyes.
Bolted upright.
And then he saw.
Ding dong!
A determined message filled his vision.
[Your Mana Seed has rapidly grown.]
[Mana Seed:Sprout Stage (Lv.2)]
‘.....Huh?’
Kim Jangcheol froze.
A message had suddenly appeared.
Its content far beyond anything he had expected.
'What? My Mana Seed level is ..... Sprout Stage 2?'
He quickly searched his memory.
And it came back to him.
It hadn’t been like this before.
'I was definitely at Seed Stage 6.'
Before he had lost consciousness.
Back when he faced off against the statue of the Archangel.
It had certainly remained at that level.
But now?
“..........”
He read on.
Kim Jangcheol's eyes scanned the message.
[ManaSeed:Sprout Stage (Lv.2)]
[ManaSeed’s Attribute Amplification Multiplier: 2.4x]
[The power amplified by the Mana Seed supplies explosive vitality to your body.]
“...........”
Insane.
A 2.4x multiplier?
His stats had inflated that much?
'Then ...... am I now stronger than the Demon King Credos, the original owner of this body?'
Kim Jangcheol rifled through his memories.
The moment he had poured all his Happy Points into preventing the statue’s self-destruction. As a result, he had crazily boosted his stats.
'I raised my stamina to 80% of Credos’s, and the rest of my stats to 70%.'
If those were now being amplified by 2.4 times?
His stamina would be about 1.92 times Credos’s, and his other stats would be 1.68 times greater.
“...........”
This might mean he had surpassed Artanis even while Artanis wore the seal artifact.
But that wasn’t all.
Ding dong!
Even though he had finished reading the message, another notification chimed.
'Another one?'
Was there even more?
But reading the next message wasn’t easy. The people around him wouldn’t leave him alone.
“........T, Tbong!"
The first cry to pierce his eardrums came from Tbong. The soft, plump presence that leapt into his arms first was also Tbong.
Poof!
"Tbong! Tbobong! Tbooooong!"
Tbong wagged his chubby tail like a propeller, almost sobbing as he threw himself into Kim Jangcheol’s chest, face, and neck, rubbing his cheeks vigorously against every part of him.
And that wasn’t all.
"Uwaaaaaaaah!"
Asurat also rushed over.
Tearfully sobbing.
With a face filled with joy.
However, that still wasn’t the end.
“Baal is so happy!”
Kwaahk!
Baal, hugging Tbong, me, and even Asurat who was clinging to us, pulled everyone into a crushing embrace with his massive frame.
“..... Ugh!”
I could barely breathe. In the forced group hug, my eyes met Asurat’s, whose face was flushed bright red, seemingly about to burst.
“.........”
Yet, was he actually happy? This guy. And Baal—was he really shedding tears?
Was he really...... this happy?
“..........”
It felt a bit strange.
Even more so when I spotted Sirgi standing a few steps away. Arms crossed, wearing her usual cold expression, Sirgi was clearly trying to hide the fact that she was sniffling.
Artanis was the same.
—Shall I get him off you?
She asked with a faint smile, as if to say she could remove Baal at any moment. I shook my head in response.
Then, I noticed someone else.
It was the king.
Among the group, who were openly expressing their unfiltered joy at my awakening, the mustached king had quietly, slyly, joined in, like sneaking a spoonful into a feast.
“Khuhuhk! Thank goodness. Truly, what a relief!”
“........”
Your Majesty, why are you hugging me and crying again? Ow. That beard, seriously. Ow. Ah. Aah. Ow.
“...........”
Fine.
I should take this moment to finish reading the messages.
While receiving Tbong’s snuggles, being squished by Baal, and having my cheeks poked by the mustached king’s beard, I stubbornly continued reading the message.
Ding dong!
[You have endured energy absorption beyond your physical limits by using the Mana Seed’s option, Nutrition Focus: Stamina.]
[This experience has become a valuable asset, triggering explosive growth in your stats.]
[Your stamina capacity has increased by 20%.]
[Stamina: 100% (+10% available for purchase = 18,000 points)]
[You have finally unlocked the full 100% stamina potential of the Demon King Credos’s body.]
[Normally, as a possessor, you would never surpass the limits of this body, but the traits of your Mana Seed nullify that boundary.]
[The Mana Seed is a seed of potential that you have planted within yourself. All seeds possess infinite possibilities. It is your responsibility to cultivate the seed in your heart.]
[As long as you possess the Mana Seed, your stats will never be limited by any boundary and can grow infinitely.]
“.........”
So, even though I already had the amplification bonus, my base stats alone could now surpass Credos’s limits.
If that’s true, this is incredible.
If I nurture it well using Happy Points...... this might turn out to be way more tremendous than I thought.
Like a great tree growing from a small seed,
like a World Tree that could cover the sky,
I could feel the potential.
That’s when it happened.
“......Sir Kim Jangcheol, there is something I would like to show you.”
The king’s voice, now calmer, reached me.
When I looked up, the king was already standing at the balcony door of the hospital room.
He beckoned me over.
As if asking me to follow.
“........”
What was he going to show me?
I followed.
Behind the mustached king.
Through the door he opened, onto the balcony.
And then, I finally saw it.
…….Waaaaaaa—!
“ ......! ”
Cheers.
An enormous roar of celebration.
A sea of people filling the royal garden below the balcony.
“These are the citizens of the capital, who have been waiting desperately for your awakening. I granted open access to the royal garden today so they could confirm with their own eyes that you are safe and rejoice.”
“..........”
The people’s cheers echoed.
Countless hands waving toward me.
Faces and eyes filled with pure joy.
It was hard to believe.
It didn’t feel real.
‘All these people...... gathered here, just because I woke up?’
Was this...... real?
I didn’t know.
If it were a dream, I’d probably believe it.
I was just a graduate student who happened to end up in the Demon King’s body. All I had done so far was struggle to survive somehow.
This time was no different.
Honestly, more than worrying about countless people whose names and faces I didn’t even know, I had desperately thought of ways to ensure my own safety, and that of my companions, and acted on them.
And……..
‘Aged Kimchi.’
The last moment before self-destruction.
The moment I lost consciousness.
In that brief instant, I finally recalled the image of Aged Kimchi.
Back then, I had thought it was a hallucination, a mirage born of my desperate hope.
But it had been real.
So, all the credit for this celebration should go to Aged Kimchi. Wouldn’t that be appropriate?
Then—
“Sir Kim Jangcheol, I do not know what you are thinking. But let me make one thing clear. You are a benefactor to our royal family, to the capital, and to myself.”
“............”
“No matter what else, that fact will never change, even if you are of the demon race. It is also an achievement that will be passed down through the generations.”
“.............”
No.
I simply...
“Thus, I thank you. This is my sincere gratitude.”
“ ……..”
I didn’t know.
Was it really right for me to accept such gratitude?
To monopolize such praise and admiration?
I really didn’t know.
So—
“........Is that all?”
“Hmm?”
The mustached king, who had just expressed his heartfelt thanks, flinched slightly at my quiet question.
“As you said, the achievements I’ve made aren’t exactly ordinary...... you’re not seriously going to just praise me and try to move on without offering anything in return, are you?”
“.......Huh?”
In that moment, the king saw it.
At some point, a sly, calculating smile had crept onto Kim Jangcheol’s lips. A smile that seemed to say, I’m not sure if I deserve these compliments, but since I don’t know, I’ll go ahead and claim whatever rewards I can. Yet, for some reason, it wasn’t a smile one could truly dislike.
“ .........”
Thus began Kim Jangcheol’s negotiations with the kingdom—or rather, his one-sided and selfish looting fever time (?).
This one is so exciting! I'm waiting for further interaction between Aged Kimchi and Kim Jangcheol!
I really enjoy reading this, and I adore the loyalty Credos' people held to him!