...Chills!
Goosebumps shot up.
It felt like cold water had been dumped on him.
A sudden surge of confusion.
'H-How...?'
Fikamir was horrified.
He couldn't understand.
The hand gripping the back of his neck. The head that slowly leaned over his shoulder. Thanks to that, he was forced into an uncomfortably close, front-row view of the side of a face.
It was definitely the Demon King, Credos.
Which only made it more incomprehensible.
'I… completely suppressed my presence… I was perfectly hidden… how?'
He was a ghost, a being without a physical body.
Only by layering mana over himself could he temporarily interact with the physical world. So, if he intentionally suppressed his presence? Most wouldn't even be able to sense his existence, let alone his presence.
But this was different.
'He found me… in one go…'
Did he sense his presence?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
Even for a Demon King.
'How in the world…?'
Fikamir stared at the Demon King, feeling his mental strength evaporating in real time.
And the Demon King, Kim Jangcheol, stared back at him.
"Hello?"
"...!"
Fikamir's eyes trembled violently.
Kim Jangcheol smiled brightly and innocently.
"Aren't you curious how I caught you just now? You don't get it, right?"
"...!"
"It's simple."
".......?"
"The compost I made stinks to high heaven, and I could smell it concentrated in one spot. Why would I need to sense your presence or anything else?"
"...!"
Fikamir's chest sank again.
Kim Jangcheol tightened his grip on Fikamir's neck.
And then, something resurfaced in his mind.
That moment of joy and the sense of danger he had felt just a little while ago.
'At first... it was ridiculous, but also delightful.'
It was a minute ago.
Back then, he'd stepped out into the potato field under immense pressure. He'd braced himself early in the morning.
Today was the day he would start plowing.
He wanted to do it well.
Even if it was hard, he wanted to be thorough.
He had planned to work hard himself, covering for the lower-ranked demons without overworking them.
He had made a promise to himself.
But then—what the hell.
The field was already done.
The compost had been spread with astonishing precision! So perfectly overturned that even the local earthworm and mole associations would give it a standing ovation!
It was exactly how he imagined the ideal potato field should be. And he had witnessed it, suddenly, in reality.
He was speechless.
Honestly, he was happy.
Free stuff is good.
Free stuff tastes better.
Free stuff is glorious.
He even felt that he wouldn't mind going bald if it meant he could continue enjoying such blessings.
Because it was free!
He was happy. Genuinely overjoyed. Like a child getting a present from Santa.
And so… he sensed danger.
'Who was it?'
The joy swelling in his chest instantly turned into a wave of suspicion and danger. The moment he realized it, he looked around quickly.
'Someone worked in this field overnight. For free? No. This isn't a fairy tale. That doesn't happen. Someone definitely did this. Was it one of our guys? No. There's no one in our army who'd do this kind of work so sincerely without being ordered. Definitely not one of the Four Heavenly Kings. And no one looks dirty or tired either. Which means… this was clearly the work of an outsider.'
An outsider.
That's where the deduction picked up speed.
'An outsider… Where? The closest place is the 1st Star Master's territory. That's the nearest. And the 1st Star legion is entirely made up of undead and ghosts. Right. If it was them, it would be possible to sneak in unnoticed. How did they plow the field? Maybe they melded into the ground in ghost form and used mana to interact with it? That makes sense. But why? Out of kindness? To help me? No. If that were the case, they wouldn't have done it like this.'
Come secretly and help?
For free?
Out of goodwill?
Among the Demon King's army?
Absurd.
That just doesn't happen. It's impossible. A spotted hyena showing up to work in a suit and grumbling that the breakroom's out of instant coffee would be more believable.
'So this wasn't kindness. They meant to sabotage me. But it looks like these bastards had no idea about farming. They must've thought that dumping compost everywhere and tilling the field would ruin it. Yeah, that's probably it. And if they were trying to sabotage me, they wouldn't just leave quietly. They'd definitely be hiding nearby, trying to see how I'd react. Watching me. Not far off.'
Not far.
That was the conclusion he reached about twenty seconds ago. And once he had that conclusion, it didn't take long to find the snail (?) who had gifted him the free plowing.
"You really thought I wouldn't notice the stench of the compost I made myself?"
"...!"
"Ugh. The smell. My god. You must've worked so hard spreading it everywhere. Tsk tsk."
"...Kr-Kruk!"
Only then did Fikamir realize his mistake. He scattered the mana across his body, transforming his form into something shapeless.
A special technique that only he possessed.
A secret skill optimized for escape.
He used Full-Body Fluidization.
…..Shasrrrk!
Fikamir's form became blurry in an instant. Like crumbling sand, or like cigarette smoke exhaled on a stormy day.
He scattered at once.
He escaped from Kim Jangcheol's grasp.
Fikamir inwardly cheered.
'I did it!'
Now, to return to his lord and report!
The sabotage had succeeded, but he'd been caught at the last moment. His identity had been exposed. And the Demon King now had reason to suspect his lord's intentions.
He had to report it.
He desperately wanted to.
But that hope(?) was shattered in an instant. Thanks to a shocking punch that suddenly struck him in the face.
"Thunder Punch—!"
BWOK!
"...!"
Kim Jangcheol's fist exploded.
Fikamir's face crumpled with a crack. He was slammed into the ground.
"...Guh! Ugh!"
Just one hit.
That one punch left his mind reeling.
And his body, it tingled as if electrocuted. No—he really was tingling. So much so that his fluidized form was completely undone.
"H-How...?"
How?
How in the world?
Fikamir was shaken.
And understandably so.
His fluidization wasn't just a trick to blur his form. It literally transformed his entire body into fluid—into smoke that couldn't be touched or held.
A punch?
That shouldn't be able to hit him.
Even with mana infused into it.
Hitting part of the smoke doesn't let you grab it. In fact, it only makes the smoke scatter more.
'But then… how… No. First—I need to run…'
This wasn't the time to speculate.
Escape was the top priority.
Fikamir, regaining his senses, tried to fluidize again. But at that very moment, he saw it.
"Whew!"
Kim Jangcheol inhaling deeply, pulling his fist back. Blood smeared across his clenched knuckles. No—wounds he had scratched onto himself.
"…..!"
That red stuff on his fist.
The Demon King's self-inflicted wounds?
The blood flowing from them?
Then that means… the Demon King's blood?
The infamous skill of the Demon King Credos, said to summon a bloody red thunder storm…
...…That thought had just flashed across his mind—
When Kim Jangcheol's fist came flying, with no mercy, no hesitation, no discount, no installment plan.
"Thunder Punch—!!"
BWAK! BZZZZT!
"...Kaaaaa—!"
It was clear now.
The moment it connected, the Demon King's blood smeared on the fist sparked a violent surge of lightning. It didn't matter whether he was in a smoke form or not—everything within range of the punch was electrocuted.
And this wasn't normal electrocution.
It was the Demon King's inherent power.
A devastating, unstoppable force charged with violent, destructive energy.
"Guh! Gurrrgh! Kr…Kkhhhk…!"
After being shocked twice, Fikamir's fluid form completely collapsed. The shapeless body returned to its original form.
Only then did Fikamir realize—
'I'm screwed…'
Escaping was now impossible. Fluidization? He couldn't cast it anymore. Then should he fight? Against the Demon King, Credos?
"......"
No.
That wasn't possible either.
Then, the best he could do was—
'I won't say a word! Even if I get obliterated!'
He made up his mind, sincerely.
For his lord.
His loyalty burned bright.
And now, he braced himself for the harsh interrogation that was sure to follow.
But...
"Thunder Punch!"
Bwakak!
"Thunder Punch! Thunder Punch!"
Bwack! Bam!
"...!"
The terrible punches rained down without end. It felt like being deep-fried alive. Agony. And through it all, Fikamir clenched his teeth even harder.
He wouldn't say a thing.
Even under brutal torture, he'd protect his loyalty to his lord. No matter the cruel trial or pain, he would endure it all.
He steeled himself and waited.
Waited for the Demon King's interrogation. For him to ask, what purpose he came here with, what his goal was in wrecking the field, and whose orders he was following.
But....
"Thunder Punch! Thunder Punch!"
Bam! Bam!
"Thunder Puuuunch—!"
Bam!
"...!"
Something felt off.
This was seriously, undeniably weird!
'Why?'
Why wasn't there an interrogation?
'Why?'
Why wasn't he asking any questions?
As he was being grilled in real time by lightning fists (?), Fikamir was forced into confusion.
The Demon King should've been asking something.
That would've been the normal thing.
Then he could endure it, keep his mouth shut, and suffer for some noble cause or whatever.
But instead…
"Thunder Puuunch—!"
"…..!"
The Demon King didn't look like he had any intention of asking questions. He just kept throwing punches like a madman!
'Stop it, you lunatic!'
Fikamir was on the verge of tears.
But Kim Jangcheol didn't stop punching.
Was it just because beating him up felt good?
No.
'This guy tries to run the second you let up.'
Kim Jangcheol's eyes narrowed as he stared at Fikamir. In truth, the moment he saw him, he recognized who he was. Naturally so.
'This guy's a mid-boss from the Cliffs of No Return, the area ruled by the 1st Star Master…'
A ghost-type enemy from late-game content.
Among them, a mid-boss!
An enemy infamous for its ridiculously tricky mechanics. Back in his first playthrough, Kim Jangcheol died to this guy more than any other boss.
'You could barely land a hit, and just when you thought you had him, he'd use fluidization to escape like a ghost, then suddenly come back at you fully healed…'
At the time, he had no idea how to deal with it. He nearly gave up. Then, by sheer chance, he figured it out.
'You had to lay down lightning magic as a trap around him.'
Electrocution.
That was the answer.
Once fluidization was canceled—
Only then could you barely, just barely, catch him.
That's why.
'You can't give this guy even the slightest opening.'
You had to beat him into a pulp.
Shock him until he was almost dead.
He was the kind of enemy who'd only talk in a coma. Like that one scene in the game, where he casually spilled the 1st Star Master's whereabouts—something you couldn't find no matter how hard you searched the map.
...Bam! Bam! Bzzt!
He didn't stop.
Right punch, left punch.
From the front, from behind.
Up, down, up-up, down-down.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
No distinction. Just an endless barrage.
Eventually, it started to wear on him.
The moment he felt the fatigue, he opened his system window.
Ding-dong!
[You have selected the Happy Point Usage Menu.]
[In this menu, you can use your accumulated Happy Points to purchase various stats.]
[Please select the stat you wish to purchase.]
[Stamina: 20% (+10% purchase = 50 points)]
[Mental Strength: 20% (+10% purchase = 50 points)]
[Strength: 20% (+10% purchase = 50 points)]
[Dexterity: 20% (+10% purchase = 50 points)]
[Magic Power: 20% (+10% purchase = 50 points)]
[Current Happy Points: 51]
'...Stamina!'
He spent the Happy Points he'd been saving since last time.
The effect was immediate.
Ding-dong-dong!
[You have selected Stamina.]
[50 Happy Points have been deducted.]
[Your usable Stamina limit has increased by 10%.]
[Stamina: 20% → 30%]
[If you reach 100%, you will be able to perfectly utilize the full capability of the Demon King Credos' stat.]
[Current Happy Points: 1]
...Hoooooff?
'Ohhh!'
The moment he selected stamina, his gut felt solid again. Energy returned to him. His vitality surged back. His fists regained their strength. He launched them again with renewed force!
"Thunder Puuuuunch—!"
Bzzzzzt!
"...!"
The punches were even stronger now!
Fikamir's jaw dropped from the upgraded(?) pain. He screamed, trying to double down on his resolve.
"Kraaagh! I will not… say… anything!"
"I didn't ask! Thunder!"
Pukak!
"Don't underestimate me! My name is…!"
"Punch!"
"Fika—!"
"What? You bastard, copyright! COPYRIGHT!"
Bzzzt! Bam!
"...!"
That was the end.
The 1st Star Master's loyal adjutant, Fikamir—
His consciousness dropped into the dark abyss of unconsciousness.
And that was when it began.
Only then did his mouth start to open.
He confessed what the 1st Star Master truly desired. What schemes were in motion, what plots were being executed. He spilled everything he knew as a bonus.
Like someone under anesthesia during a colonoscopy, unconsciously spilling all their secrets—
That was the scene, or rather, the result.