Chapter 2 – One Year

Seok-ho, who leaped to his feet, pulled out a dagger that he had put under his pillow and aimed at the darkness. He then threw up a long breath of irritation while staring into the darkness.

“Oh, fuck. A dream.”

Seok-ho sat on the bed and swept his head up. He had a nightmare about that day a year ago. The interval was getting longer, so he decided to let his guard down and dream again.

Seok-ho walked to the window side and opened the window. The night view of the village was seen outside the window. It was a place where the voices of noisy drunk people were ringing, and fights were taking place everywhere.

Sitting by the window, he opened his ears, listening to the noise outside. Thanks to the blowing wind, the cold sweat cooled down, and Seok-ho was able to calm down.

Dreaming of reality only dulls the mind. It’s a memory you don’t need to remember to survive in this damn world.

Seok-ho was able to pull himself together thanks to the noise under the window.

He came down from the window, remembering once again that this place is real and that he is living here.

Seok-ho wore leather armor and tightened the string. He also wore leather wagons on his wrist and wore a belt with a dagger around his waist. He hung the leather coat over it.

There was a lot of rain inside, so he wore a coat that was effective enough as a protective suit and carried the tradition on his shoulder. Finally, Seok-ho came out of the window and climbed on the horse tied to the back of the inn with the synthetic Palace leaned against the wall in his left hand.

He cut off the leash and drove the horse to the wooden fence. The Vigilantes guarding the wooden fence saw Seok-ho approaching and blocked the front.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ve got work to do.”

“You can’t open the door at night.”

Seok-ho took a silver coin out of his arms without hesitation.

“It’s urgent.”

The two vigilantes looked at each other and coughed lightly.

“But then the two of us would have to use strength to open this door…”

Seok-ho took out two silver coins without hesitation. Then the vigilantes laughed and opened the door. Seok-ho threw the silver at them and drove the horse.

Seok-ho, who ran out of the village and rode the horse, reached the riverside after a 10-minute ride. It was a stream of the Ain River across the Kingdom of Trivia; Seok-ho got off the horse and took the bag that had been attached to the saddle.

Then he fell off the river, hid in a nearby grassland, took out an arrow, and hung it on the bow’s protest.

After hearing rumors that the demon came and went through the Ain River, He prepared for it. The upper group camping by the upper river was swept away, and it was the survivor that said the devil appeared in the water.

Only two survived through the demon resembling a snake. Rumor has it that people don’t go anywhere near the river because of the rumors being passed through them about the devil.

And there’s a bounty on the devil.

There was also an escort group at the top but seeing all of them dead. It probably wasn’t a normal creature. Seeing the wet horse suddenly raising its head by the river, Seok-ho instinctively pulled the bow’s protest.

‘It’s coming.’

chwa-a-ak!

As expected, it was a black snake that jumped out of the water. But the way it ate its food was different from how a snake ate.

Perhaps because the black snake bit it off as it passed by, the horse’s head disappeared. When the pudgy horse collapsed without being able to scream, Seok-ho could see the demon in a shape of a snake with its head up.

Devil Hepant, often seen by the river in the age of devils 1. But the one from the age of the devils 1 was about 10 meters tall. But when it showed up out of the water, it looked enough to be that tall.

wobble, wobble

Hepant, who was chewing on the horse’s head while looking at the dead body of the falling horse, gulped down and slowly lowered his head to eat the remaining things. The first time was hunting, but now it’s time to eat.

When Hepant bowed his head, Seok-ho put up a protest.

Wedge!

Hepant turned his head, seeing the arrow flying towards him, but it was already too late to avoid it. Hepant closed his eyes.

Hepant’s leather was famous for its toughness and firmness. Even the eyelid alone bounces off slight attacks.

Puff!

But the arrow pierced through Hepant’s eyelid in just one gulp.

Squeeze!

Watching Hepant scream, Seok-ho hung his arrows on the protest and fired one after another. It’s rather easy to deal with those big creatures who only believe in defense.

Puff puff puff!

Five arrows were embedded so deep that only the arrow could be seen. But being a big creature, he’s not going to die with just a few arrows.

Hepant found the Seok-ho with one eye left and came upon it.

Seok-ho lightly kicked the ground and stepped back. Hepant’s head fell where the Seok-ho was. The sharp tooth bit the floor and if he were bitten, he would have been in danger of life.

But Seok-ho, who was looking at the gap, had no intention of getting beaten up from it.

Seok-ho’s arrow that widened the distance got stuck in the eye that was only left. Thanks to the fact that it was stuck in the front, it penetrated the eyeballs and went into the brain at once.

Hepant, who was trying to run wild again, fell to the floor. It was right in front of the Seok-ho’s feet that Hepant, who had been sliding down the floor without overcoming the force of inertia, stopped.

Seok-ho looked at Hepant and shook his head.

“There’s no way in just killing the devil like that.”

Seok-ho pulled a dagger from his belt and stuck it right in Hepant’s forehead.

kkia-a-a-ag!

Hepant screamed and shook his body, but Seok-ho did not let go of the dagger. Hepant shook his body for a moment and then fell to the floor with a thud.

Only then did Seok-ho realize Hepant was completely dead when he felt the experience coming into him. Seok-ho pulled out a dagger stuck in Hepant’s head and cut off his neck.

His thick neck made it difficult to cut with a dagger, but his bounty is five nips of gold coins. An amount of bounty that usually does not attach to demons.

It was a bounty that would not have been attached if he had not smashed the one on top.

Seok-ho, who cut off Hepant’s neck, sighed deeply. Hepant’s head weighs a lot, but the horse died.

“How do I move this?”

Seok-ho agonized over that part and turned around, hanging the arrow reflexively on the protest. Aiming at the grass by the riverside, Seok-ho opened his mouth.

“Come out.”

A woman appeared out of the grass at Seok-ho’s words. The woman with her hands up said with a grin.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ed.”

When Seok-ho first revealed his name after falling into this world, he used Ed, his favorite character in the war load game. But not many people knew the name.

“Who are you?”

“I’m familiar with the devil hunter’s reputation, but I didn’t expect it to be this great.”

Ed let go of the bow’s protest.

Wedge!

The arrow that passed through the woman’s cheek hit the tree behind her. The woman was stiffened by the blood flowing down her cheeks. She didn’t expect him to shoot an arrow without even having a conversation with him.

“I’m Sona of Aklan, the special forces of Kingdom Trivia.”

Ed did not take an arrow at her introduction.

Aklan, the special forces of Kingdom Trivia.

It is a famous group from the age of the devils 1. It was spread throughout Trivia and throughout the continent as Rosentaro, where any character was involved more than once.

Their aim is for the Trivia royal family, but they also share the same reason when it comes to killing demons. At least that was the case in the age of the devils 1.

Although it’s not known what it’s like now.

So, Ed didn’t pick up the arrow.

“What’s your reason?”

Sona started talking while pointing at the Hepant’s head behind Ed.

“Are you going to take the bounty?”

“Yeah.”

“Then we’ll pay for the bounty. We’ll carry the devil’s carcass too.”

Ed stood still and looked into Sona’s eyes. She didn’t care about the devil’s body. What she was is trying to see was the ending of the Age of the devils 2.

If he had entered as one of the main characters, it would have been easy to follow the main quest and see the ending, but it was hard to think that the owner of this body was the main character.

It was one of the bodies of the Ranger that was cooling off on the battlefield.

Out of all the extras.

And then the fact that she said it wasn’t going to be boring, his head was really heated up. But as if she had some conscience, he was still able to survive until now due to being able to gain his level-up systems and skills.

But he met Aklan. They’re the ones who are somehow connected to the main quest. This might have been a meeting that was scheduled in the first place.

Ed turned the arrow to tradition and lowered the bow.

“10 gold if you want the devil’s carcass.”

There is no way Aklan’s agent will move to pay the bounty since their target could be the devil’s body. However, I couldn’t even guess why.

Sona smiled awkwardly at Ed’s suggestion. But among the Hepant’s, the devil’s carcass was worth at least 50 gold.

It was an offer that would remain even if freight charges for transportation and dismantling were excluded.

Plus, this guy named Ed has been known to have killed over 20 demons. A true demon hunter of this age.

He is also a carefully watched figure in Aklan. This is the first time I have been in touch with them. They came to deal with it their selves after hearing rumors that Hepant had appeared, but if they fought in person, It would have been so dangerous that many people would have got injured or killed.

But since I handled Hepant alone, they thought it would be a good idea to make a connection like this.

Sona took a pocket out of her arms and threw it.

Ed received the flying pocket and frowned slightly.

“This 13, though?”

The moment he snatched it, he could easily tell by its weight. This was 13 nips of gold coins.

Sona answered Ed’s question with a smile.

“I’m giving you the rest of these tokens as a hope for your kind cooperation in the future as well.”

Ed didn’t refuse it. Because he really needed a lot of money in this world. Especially, the archer himself was spending so much money that he couldn’t help but take it.

Only the bows and daggers were luxury weapons, while the rest were used as just general weapons. He had to get lots of arrows that would fit in each situation he was in to be stronger.

So, he didn’t mind the money.

“Do you happen to have a horse?”

Sona burst into a clear smile at Ed’s question and said.

“I’ll give you one.”

As Sona beckoned, there was a man coming up from behind with a horse. The mask was made out of leather, and glass was inserted into the eye area, which reminded people of a gas mask.

Aklan’s own mask.

Sona must be at least above the team leader level, given the fact that she is not wearing any mask.

Ed climbed on top of the horse given by the man and looked down at Sona. The girl with purple hair and a smile in her eyes. Although she was smiling like a baby, an Aklan agent is a woman with no blood and no tears.

He might get eaten if he got close.

Ed turned the horse’s head around, not even saying a word to her. There was no need to say sorry since having Havon’s point of contact meant they were interested.

It has been one year since he came into the age of the devils 2. He finally got into the clue of the main quest.