"Glory to the great 1st Star Master, Saruthul. A report from the scout dispatched to the Demon King's Castle."
"..."
A dimly lit room.
A chair draped in black skulls.
A formless shadow cast over it.
But it wasn't just any ordinary shadow.
From within the flickering darkness, a pair of eyes opened narrowly, and they looked down at the adjutant kneeling before them.
"......"
Wrapped in shadow, Saruthul, the 1st Star Master of the Demon King's army, thought to himself.
Right.
Chavin de Huantar, the Demon King's Castle.
That's where he sent the scout ghost.
To gauge the movements of Demon King Credos.
To uncover the intent behind his sudden decision to halt the long-planned invasion of the human realm.
Meanwhile, the adjutant's report continued.
"First, Demon King Credos has truly ceased all activities related to the marching. In addition, he suppressed the Four Heavenly Kings who opposed his decision, and among them, he made an example of Asurat, who most fiercely clashed with him, by tying him to a stake."
"......"
A punishment, then.
Poor Asurat.
Given Credos's cruel nature, he wouldn't easily forgive Asurat. Perhaps Asurat will only be freed from the stake once he's a corpse.
But Saruthul didn't care. No—he actually welcomed it.
Spreading death through this abandoned land was a good thing.
The more the dead increased, the stronger his army would become, as the wandering souls would ultimately join his ranks.
The 1st Star Master listened to the rest of the report with growing satisfaction.
"Furthermore, it is reported that Credos, along with the remaining Four Heavenly Kings and certain demons, diligently produced something called 'compost' and has been researching safe methods to consume potatoes, which are known to be toxic weeds."
"... What?"
What in the world?
Compost?
Safe ways to eat potatoes?
Saruthul doubted his own ears.
"Is that... true?"
"Yes, my Lord. Multiple scouts have witnessed it."
"...Continue."
"Yes. Recently, low-ranking demons have all been seen gathering wild potatoes under Credos's order. This is clearly—"
"An attempt at cultivation."
Just as Credos himself had declared. He truly meant to try farming.
"...And then?"
"According to the most recent surveillance, a considerable amount of potatoes has already been gathered at the Demon King's Castle. Reports also state that Credos has begun preparations to create farmland to plant them. That concludes the report."
"Hmm."
Saruthul felt troubled.
'To think Credos's attempt would actually make progress.'
Suddenly, a memory came to mind.
The human world invasion. Just before that great endeavor, during final inspections to prepare the 1st Star legion under his command for joining the main Demon King's army...
A sudden urgent message had arrived.
The invasion of the human world had been halted.
No, canceled entirely.
And it claimed that Demon King Credos had made a bizarre declaration.
'...Farming, he said.'
Even now, it sounded absurd.
Credos's proclamation that he would farm was unbelievable then.
It sounded like an excuse.
When the moment for invasion came, perhaps he had gotten cold feet. That's what everyone thought—that he made up some ridiculous lie about farming to cover his fear.
And so at the time—
'Part of me was glad.'
It was a genuine feeling.
Saruthul had never been fond of invading the human world. But unable to defy the Demon King's will, he'd been preparing to join the invasion force.
Then suddenly, the invasion was canceled. Of course the news pleased him.
'The more who collapse and starve to death in this abandoned land... The more death spreads, the more the dead grow in number... the stronger my legion will become.'
Saruthul's eyes narrowed.
His legion was composed entirely of the dead.
Some remained only as souls. Others retained only their bodies.
All stripped of the blessing of reincarnation, forced into eternal servitude.
That was the nature of his legion.
Which is why— He had severed communications between the Demon King's Castle and the other Star Masters.
He had used the geographical advantage of his territory, which stood tall around the Demon King's territory, encircling it like a fortress.
"......."
Thanks to that, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Star Masters likely still had no idea that the Demon King had called off the invasion of the human world and declared his intent to farm.
It had to stay that way. This situation must be preserved as long as possible.
With cowardly Credos hesitating on the invasion.
With the other Star Masters unaware.
With everyone wasting time in confusion.
If so...
'More of the demons will starve and die.'
In the main Demon King's army, in the other Star Masters' legions—the starving will fall one after another.
And their souls will become wandering spirits in this abandoned land.
When the time comes, he can summon those spirits.
That's his specialty.
He would incorporate those wraiths into his legion.
And his forces would grow stronger.
One day, they would surpass even the main army. And then, the throne of the Demon King, which he had once given up on, might come within reach once again!
He had been so certain. So confident in the possibility.
But now—
'To think Credos's farming wasn't a bluff.'
This was a completely unexpected situation.
He had dismissed it as an excuse. Never imagined Credos would actually try it. Even less that he would succeed.
The 1st Star Master Saruthul felt a sense of urgency he had never known before.
'This can't go on.'
If Credos's farming succeeded, everything would fall apart. His plans would crumble. He couldn't let that happen.
Not after coming this far—he had to see it through to the end.
".....Listen carefully and carry this out."
After deep deliberation—
Saruthul's eyes fixed on his adjutant. From his lips came a deadly command—one that would sabotage the potato farming at the Demon King's Castle.
And shortly after, the adjutant, under the 1st Star Master's orders, led his subordinates toward the northwest of the abandoned land.
Toward the direction of the Demon King's Castle and the potato fields.
***
In truth, the abandoned land stretched out to the northwest like... a freakishly huge cotton swab.
No matter how much you wanted to deny it, it was true. Just looking at a map made it painfully obvious.
"...That said, why aren't the other Star Masters replying?"
"I'm not sure either."
"The messengers were definitely sent out, right?"
"That's certain."
"Then something's off. Tsk."
Kim Jangcheol clicked his tongue bitterly.
It couldn't be helped.
Not long ago, just after completing the first batch of chuno and hosting a tasting session (?), he had sent out couriers to the other Star Masters of the abandoned land with news from the Demon King's Castle.
His personal directive was included.
'Told them there's food here. I told them to send plenty of folks to pick up the chuno.'
It was for the sake of the demon race residing in the other Star Masters' territories.
"Tch. This is bad. Real bad. Why aren't they replying?"
"Are you... worried about them?"
"Of course I am."
At Zephyros's question, Kim Jangcheol huffed through his nose.
"The sudden cancellation of the human world invasion must've left everyone panicked. Their food reserves are probably running dry by now."
"That seems very likely."
"Right? That's why we've got to make this chuno and send it to them."
"You mean, it's emergency rations to help them last until we finish farming and get our first harvest?"
"Exactly. That's the point."
As expected of Zephyros—sharp and quick on the uptake.
Kim Jangcheol nodded in satisfaction.
"Everyone must be dissatisfied because the invasion they were all looking forward to was called off. They're probably starving by now. But there's nothing to eat. And that's when complaints start to erupt."
"But is there really a need to go through the trouble of sending this chuno we made here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why not just share the chuno recipe with each region?"
"No. That's not possible."
"Why not?"
"Because the other regions don't have the right conditions to make chuno."
It was true.
Chuno could only be made in places like the Demon King's Castle or the highlands of the Andes, with their damned extreme temperature swings and dry climate.
As for the other regions of the abandoned land? Impossible. The climate was different. They probably couldn't even find wild potatoes, let alone make chuno.
"Hoo... but seriously, why aren't any replies coming in?"
Kim Jangcheol looked toward the southeast. Suddenly, a map of the abandoned land he had seen countless times while playing games popped into his mind.
A massive cotton swab stretching to the northwest.
At the very tip of that northwestern highland was the Demon King's Castle.
And southeast of the castle?
Steep, sheer cliffs completely surrounded the castle. You couldn't reach the other regions of the abandoned land without passing through those cliffs.
An exceedingly treacherous cliff region.
The Cliffs of No Return.
That was the territory of the 1st Star Master, Saruthul, the Lord of the Dead.
'Tsk. Could it be that bastard Saruthul cut off my messengers?'
A fleeting suspicion crossed his mind.
But he shook his head.
'No. If I wait just a few more days, I'll get a reply.'
For now, he decided to wait. There were more urgent matters to attend to.
'Besides, the potato gathering is finally finished.'
Thanks to the success of the chuno tasting session.
Most of the low-ranking demons in the Demon King's territory had moved on their own.
They were desperate, scrambling to gather wild potatoes. And they carried them in heaps to the Demon King's Castle.
Thanks to that, the castle's storage was now stacked mountain-high with wild seed potatoes, ready for planting.
"...Which means, we've got a mountain of work to do."
"Sorry?"
"We've finished aging the compost. We've got the seed potatoes ready. That's why I'm saying it."
"Can't we just... plant the potatoes?"
"Of course not, you fool."
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Kim Jangcheol's lips.
"You think farming's a joke? Why do you think we made all that compost? We have to spread it all. And is it done once we spread it? No way. We have to mix it with the soil. But does it mix on its own? Of course not. We have to dig up and overturn the entire field. But do we have farming equipment? Do we have oxen? No. So who's gonna spread the compost and plow the land?"
"...We all have to do it ourselves?"
"Exactly. But the low-ranking demons? From the looks of it, they're not up to the task. They're all starving, so weak and frail it's pathetic. If we made them work the fields, we'd be carrying off corpses by midday. Right?"
"Hmm, it's true. Everyone's in a pretty feeble state."
"Right? That's why it's a big problem. We're seriously short on manpower."
It was true.
Everyone was too weak, so the workforce was limited, yet the field was enormous.
Honestly, it felt like it would never get done.
'And we don't have much time, either.'
Kim Jangcheol frowned.
This was a race against time.
The demons in the abandoned land wouldn't wait forever for the first harvest.
They were all starving.
'If only we had a few cultivators, we could plow everything in no time.'
He sighed with regret.
But there was no helping it.
"Well, we'll have to make do and do it ourselves. Even the Four Heavenly Kings need to pitch in. If it comes down to it, even you."
"...Me?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Because when I say dig, you dig?"
".....He says, with a violent and unreasonable look in his eyes..."
"I told you not to record things only at times like this..."
"Sorry. It's a key task, so I have to."
"Tsk. Doesn't sound right. Sounds like an excuse."
"He narrows his eyes suspiciously....."
"......."
Sigh.
Better not to talk anymore.
Might as well focus on deciding which stat to invest the Happy Points he earned a few days ago into.
'...Though I guess, investing in stamina is the best choice.'
If he was going to be plowing fields from now on, he'd need a ton of stamina.
And the field was huge.
He'd probably end up totally exhausted.
"......"
Good grief.
When are they going to finish spreading all that compost across this vast land? When are they going to finish digging up and overturning the fields?
The more he thought about it, the more overwhelmed he felt.
But there was no other way.
Work had to be done.
'...Well then, for now, maybe I'll call it a day.'
He'd be sweating buckets starting tomorrow. It would be important to save his energy.
With that quiet resolve, Kim Jangcheol led Zephyros back to the Demon King's Castle.
And a short while later—
…srrrk.
As the sunset faded into dusk,
Ominous shadows began to emerge throughout the potato fields. It was the 1st Star Master's adjutant, Fikamir, and his subordinates.
"........"
Fikamir scanned the area.
He saw an enormous amount of compost piled high in one area. Beyond that, a vast stretch of land, clearly prepared to be used as fields.
The moment he saw it—
Fikamir recalled the order from his Lord, the 1st Star Master.
'We are to destroy everything Credos has prepared.'
In that case, his task was clear.
Everything Credos had prepared. The massive pile of compost. The land to be used as farmland.
To destroy both at once—
"Everyone, listen closely."
He whispered wickedly to his subordinates.
"From this moment, we are to destroy this place. The only time we have is a single night, until dawn breaks."
"...Then, what exactly should we do?"
"Simple."
At his subordinate's question, Fikamir gave the order.
"Scatter that precious compost they worked so hard to prepare—spread it so it can't be used. And the land meant for farming… overturn it all, thoroughly, without leaving a trace."
A wicked smile deepened at the corners of Fikamir's lips.