The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

Episode 2: Return (1)

A soft, nostalgic feeling greeted my back.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a faded ceiling. The same sky I had been looking at before leaving Earth. I sat up and took a look around.

It was a small studio apartment, but it was a familiar sight.

I felt nervous. While my body was here, my consciousness felt light years away.

‘Is this a dream?’

Whenever I forced myself to sleep, I’d often dream of returning to Earth.

Was this one of those dreams?

‘…So sleepy.’

Overwhelmed by an immense drowsiness, I lay back down.

*********

GROOOWWWLL!

I was jolted awake by a loud rumble.

Was Commander Quell of the 4th Legion hungry?

Or was it that dragon guy, demanding I ride on his back after such a long time?

“Quell, it’s too noisy. Eat outside.”

I covered my ears with a worn-out pillow. I didn’t want the comforting feeling I was enjoying for the first time in ages to be interrupted.

GROOOWWWLL!

“Quell…!”

As I sat up in irritation, my eyes widened in shock.

The surroundings matched my dream.

The drowsiness vanished and clarity returned, confirming that this wasn’t a dream.

Wait, why did I want to sleep? I hadn’t felt sleepy in the past 6,666 years.

I calmed myself and pondered the previous events.

[You’ve survived for 6,666 years on the Solomon Realm. Would you like to return to Earth?]

Without much thought, I had accepted. Then there was a flash of light, and the next moment, I was here.

“Did I really come back…?”

I glanced at the digital clock beside my bed.

January 1, 2050.

If my memory served right, today was the day I had fallen into the demon world.

Yet here I was, in my real home, not the towering castle.

I checked my attire.

A black cloak and a black uniform.

The attire was exactly the same as when I was the demon king, but the surroundings were vastly different.

“…I really did return.”

Moreover, it seemed I was summoned just after the moment I had left.

“I wish I could’ve said my goodbyes.”

There was a bittersweet smile on my face, reflecting the time I had spent with them.

BEEP!

I shook my head, dispelling the thoughts.

It’s in the past now. I can’t meet them again anyway.

Everyone, evacuate!

I continued my train of thought.

They said they’d grant abilities by utilizing some causality when returning. Those would probably be in the status window.

[Lee Seo-jun]

Status

[Strength: 1317]

[Agility: 1304]

[Stamina: 1337]

[Magic Power: 0]

[Magi: 1240]

[Worldview Causality Points: 5]

Abilities

[The Demon King of Solomon]

[Demon King’s Gluttony]

[Robert’s Knowledge]

[Lezie’s Insight]

[Alter’s Understanding]

“What’s with all this?”

Status Window. A strange phenomenon that appeared after the great upheaval in 2020. Everyone had it, but abilities and magic power varied among individuals.

I slowly skimmed through my abilities and saw something unfamiliar.

“Magi’ and ‘Worldview Causality Points’?”

‘Magi’ is a demon concept and humans used ‘Magic Power’.

Why did I have so much ‘Magi’?

“…Could it be that my strength in the Solomon Realm was because of this Magi? Maybe until now, I hadn’t felt or used the accumulating Magi?”

Now that I think about it, since returning to Earth, it felt like a new pathway, different from blood vessels, had emerged in my body. Probably, that’s the ‘Magi’.

“Anyway, I don’t know the details, so let’s leave that. What on earth is ‘Worldview Causality Points’?”

But I had no inkling about it, so I decided to examine the abilities first.

“One, two, three…”

There was a total of 5 abilities.

Perhaps these are the keys that will spur my halted growth.

I began with [The Demon King of Solomon]

[The Demon King of Solomon]

Description: As the Demon King of Solomon, you can consume ‘Worldview Causality Points’ to summon the demons of Solomon.

To put it simply, using the ‘Worldview Causality Points’ as a kind of point system, I could ‘purchase’ the ‘Solomon’s Demons’. If I gather enough ‘Worldview Causality Points’, I could potentially summon not just the ‘Legion Commanders’ but also Robert, Lezie, and Alter.

“I thought I’d never see them again…”

I’m not sure if they’d be pleased to be summoned here. Being summoned to another dimension isn’t necessarily a pleasant experience.

Grrrumble…

Suddenly, my stomach growled.

It wasn’t hunger; I recognized this long-lost feeling.

“It’s a bowel movement.”

I grinned contentedly.

This was a good sign, indicating that my body was starting to function again.

It’s been 6666 years since my last one.

As I got up to go to the bathroom, there was a huge commotion.

ROOOOAR!

Everyone, get out of the way!

The noise I had been hearing suddenly grabbed my attention. When I opened the window and looked out, I saw the cause about 300 meters away: a huge red creature on four legs with grand tusks protruding from its nose.

I knew its name.

It was the ‘Behemoth’ from the Adoniya Realm.

[Commotion] (In Progress)

Description: Earth has started to be enveloped by a sinister energy. Earth is about to face another calamity, and soon, despair will envelop the planet like the atmosphere. Please stop the monster that has invaded Earth.

Rewards: Acquire ‘Predation’, Gain 10 Worldview Causality Points.

As soon as I witnessed this, a ‘blue window’ appeared before my eyes.

It was a window I hadn’t seen since being summoned to the demon world. But with all the noise, I decided to handle it first.

*********

In an alleyway, a woman adjusted her sword as her long black ponytail fluttered.

Kim Eun-ha, the team leader of Dawn Guild, one of the top three guilds in Korea.

She stared intently at her opponent with a face tightened with tension.

The alleyway felt narrow, and flames shot up to the sky.

It was the ‘Demonkind’ Behemoth, considered to be the most powerful among A-rank bosses.

“….”

Normally, hunters can enter gates at will, but for monsters to come out, a condition of ‘Gate Destruction Rate’ of 100 percent is required, and that usually needs an ‘Effective Time’ of 1-2 weeks. But gate destructions had been frequent lately.

Furthermore, the creature in front of her now was an A-rank boss. Even knowing whether she could defeat it was uncertain. If it continued, a tragedy was inevitable.

Kim Eun-ha, watching the Behemoth scraping its foot, asked her team members behind her,

“How is the evacuation progressing?”

“We’re doing it as fast as we can, but there are still people inside the buildings…”

“I see…”

“Still, it seems there have been no casualties so far.”

“The problem is what might happen next.”

Sweat formed in the palm of her hand holding the sword.

Even if they somehow defeated it, it would be disastrous. In such a narrow alley, the aftermath of the battle would inevitably cause buildings to collapse, leading to casualties.

Such a situation was a massive strain for them, who had people to protect.

But they couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

“Let’s go!”

Shouting, Kim Eun-ha activated her ability.

Its name was [Acceleration], an ability that accelerates all physical functions beyond their limits. It consumed a lot of mana and stamina, but she had no time to be choosy.

‘I must hold on until reinforcements arrive!’

Whoosh-

Her footwork, tinted in a blue hue, darted forward.

Her blade, cutting through the evening glow, approached the Behemoth, which in turn swung its head to counter.

Clang!!

A sharp friction sound echoed. Pushed back by the monster’s sheer strength, Kim Eun-ha momentarily floated in mid-air. The difference in their strength was clear.

“What kind of power…!”

Feeling the overwhelming muscles of the beast from beyond her sword, even while using [Acceleration], she was swept away by the monster’s might.

“Damn…!”

-Crash-

She was pushed back, scraping the ground with her back.

A single collision was enough for her to feel the difference between her and the Behemoth.

‘So, this is the strength of the strongest A-rank boss….’

Her team members rushed to her side.

“Team leader, are you okay?”

“…Yes, for now.”

With a stern face, Kim Eun-ha, the strongest among them, stood up with the support of her sword. Seeing her knocked down so effortlessly, her team members looked worried.

“How are we going to handle that? I’m not sure if we can beat it just by ourselves…”

“I’ll try to lure it to a wider area… Even if we can’t defeat it, we can minimize the damage until Guild Master arrives.”

“Yes!”

Just as she was about to rush in again,

Stomp stomp…

The soft sound of footsteps could be heard, an uncanny calmness given the combat situation. Someone brushed past them. A cloak fluttered gently in the breeze. A black uniform stained with twilight. An elegant stride. A man walked majestically over a golden ripple. Though it should be twilight, he shone brilliantly like a lone star in the night sky. Unable to comprehend the situation, everyone remained silent.

Roaaaar!!

Behemoth let out a furious roar towards the approaching man. Only when his grand aura penetrated their ears did Kim Eun-ha realize the situation. An unidentified man was approaching the Behemoth, his serene expression accepting the impending doom. Quickly regaining her senses, Kim Eun-ha reached out to him.

“It is dangerous there!”

Flap.

The edge of his cloak that seemed within grasp slipped through her fingers. Only the wind clung to her slender grip. A black bullet shot into the sky, leaving a long afterimage. By the time his silhouette became clear, the man was already on top of Behemoth’s head. The unknown man clenched his fist and aimed at Behemoth.

“Stay still.”

Roaaar!!

A powerful strike exploded on Behemoth’s head. With a force comparable to strategic weapons, its neck snapped. Its head fell first, crashing to the ground, followed by its body. The paved road crumbled like dry clay, and the beast’s head dove into the gap. The eyes of the Behemoth, which glared at them with pride, now lost its glow. The A-rank boss that seemed unbeatable was slain with a single blow.

“…Unbelievable.”

Stunned by the unbelievable scene, Kim Eun-ha muttered in a daze. Her teammates felt the same. It was as if time had stopped, and they could only stare ahead.

Thud…

In contrast, the man landed softly on the corpse. Dominating the beast in an instant, he closed his eyes and faced the serene breeze. Touching the flow of time, feeling the land like an adventurer stepping into a new world, he felt the universe. The crimson twilight reflecting off the ground gave him a brilliant aura. The chilly winter air lifted his cloak. It felt as if everything was moving towards him, like a painting. This picturesque scene was truly cinematic.