There’s a Demon King Inside the Hero

Chapter: 4 Signs of Growth (1)

The next day, after getting in touch with his uncle, Suhyeon entered the main gate of Daeho group.

Daeho Group, a large Korean conglomerate, had made its name developing electronic products and expanding into various industries before dungeons started appearing in Korea.

After the dungeons appeared, the company extended its reach into the monster and hunter-related business, and Suhyeon’s uncle held a department head position there.

Suhyeon explained the situation to the woman at the reception desk and was led to a meeting room.

When he opened the door, a man with a wide grin raised his hand in greeting.

“Ah, you’re here, Suhyeon.”

“Yes, hello.”

His uncle, Song Hyunho, with graying hair and wrinkles showing his age, sat at the table.

Suhyeon took a seat across from him. Hyunho, glancing around cautiously, pulled something out of his bag and placed it on the table.

It was a thumb-sized, oval-shaped crystal with a faint purple hue.

“This is the magic stone you asked for. A stone this size is practically abundant in the monster storage room, so it’s no problem to slip one out.”

“Uh?”

Suhyeon had originally just asked to take a look at the magic stones, hoping to avoid suspicion, but now his uncle was offering him one outright?

“I only asked to observe it.”

“Just take it. You’ve barely spoken to me since your parents died, and you’ve never asked me for anything before. Since this is your first request, I want to help.”

How gloomy must I have been 105 years ago?

[Things are going well.]

Hyunho leaned on the table, fixing his gaze on Suhyeon.

“I’m sure you have your reasons for taking the magic stone, but I won’t pry. If it’s unrefined, it’s just a normal rock. It just seems like you’re finally trying to do something since your parents passed.”

He must have known me well back then.

Suhyeon wanted to say something, but with his memories of Hyunho hazy, all he could offer was a polite expression of gratitude.

Even though he managed to return home with the magic stone, it didn’t feel great, as if he had used his past self to get it.

[You had no problem threatening me, but now you feel guilty about this?]

‘Comparing you, a mass murderer, to someone as decent as him is an insult, don’t you think?’

Once home, Suhyeon sat cross-legged on the floor, holding the magic stone in his right hand.

The Demon King had warned him that trying to use mana simply as a means of releasing power would make it harder to control.

During his time as a hero with high magical affinity, Suhyeon and a few others with talent could use magic without overthinking it, but now, back in the real world, his magical aptitude was nonexistent.

He needed to grasp the true concept of magic now.

The Demon King had explained that all mana in the world was interconnected, organically sharing the world’s memories like a network of nerves.

He had told Suhyeon to think of mana as the “Akashic Records,” containing the memories of all past, present, and future events, thoughts, and emotions, and to embrace mana with that in mind.

Mana is the Akashic Records, and the Akashic Records are mana, the Demon King had said.

‘What kind of nonsense is that?’

[It’s the fundamental thing you need to know when you start learning magic.]

It was like understanding what math is before starting to learn how to add and subtract.

[You remember the method I taught you to unlock your magic, right?]

‘Of course.’

[To unlock magic, you must first absorb the flow of mana and anchor it in your heart. Then, you circulate the magic through your nerves and spread it throughout your body. Since you have memories of using magic during your time as a hero, it should be easier for you. Focus on recalling how you wielded magic as a hero.]

Suhyeon closed his eyes, focusing all his attention on the magic stone in his hand.

As he recalled the feeling of using magic in the past, he remembered that the flow of magic starts from the heart. The goal was to absorb the magic and settle it in his heart.

The magic wrapped around the stone began to unravel like a thread and slowly crawled up the nerves in his right arm.

Step, step.

Hmm?

He abruptly opened his eyes and looked around.

[Why the sudden reaction?]

‘Didn’t you hear footsteps?’

[Impossible. You’re the only one in this house.]

What was that?

Suhyeon, still puzzled, shook his head and closed his eyes again.

Step, step, step.

It wasn’t his imagination. In the pitch-black darkness behind his closed eyes, something was walking toward him, stopping right in front of him.

The silhouette took on shape and shadow.

A thin figure with unkempt black hair and dull black eyes.

That… was me.

It was him, Suhyeon, staring back at himself. After a moment, the figure opened its mouth.

“Why are you trying to unlock your magic and become a hunter again? No matter what you do, your parents won’t come back.”

With that one sentence, Suhyeon realized what was happening.

“You’re… the me from before I went to Altera.”

It was the 24-year-old version of himself, lost and unable to cope with the grief of losing his parents.

Tears welled up in the other Suhyeon’s eyes, a quiet yet deeply festering anger bubbling beneath the surface.

So, this is what I used to look like.

“This is meaningless!”

The other Suhyeon’s blazing gaze bore into him.

Ignoring it, Suhyeon stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You already know why I want to become a hunter again, don’t you?”

The other Suhyeon shoved his hand away roughly.

“Do you even understand reality? In this world, you’re not a hero, and the Demon King is already dead. You’re planning to become a hunter without that god-given cheat strength? You fool.”

Despite the sharp retort, Suhyeon shrugged.

“So what?”

“…What?”

“You’re right. I don’t have any power or ability right now. But I lived as a hero for over 100 years. Is it so crazy to dream of something like this?”

“You think I want a cheesy answer like that?”

As if waiting for that response, Suhyeon laughed.

“Haha! Yeah, it’s a bit cheesy. Almost boringly so.”

He spoke with a lighthearted tone.

“Even the hero legends passed down in Altera were the same.”

There were stories like that in Altera, the kinds of tales parents told their children before bed.

Simple, heroic legends of a hero chosen by the gods, defeating evil and saving the world—stories of justice prevailing over all.

But it was those simple, idealistic stories that made heroes the idols of everyone.

More importantly, the legends were true.

Suhyeon himself was living proof of that.

“So what can I do? The memories of being a hero are still fresh. Why not give it another go?”

“…”

The other Suhyeon didn’t respond.

“Is that enough of an answer?”

“…”

A slow smile spread across the other Suhyeon’s face.

His body began to turn translucent and then merged with Suhyeon’s own form.

The thread of magic wrapped around the stone unraveled faster, quickly coiling around Suhyeon’s nerves as if it had always belonged there.

The magic settled near his heart, coiling in layers, and Suhyeon, recalling his experiences using magic as a hero, carefully spread the magic through his body.

Feeling the magic flow through his nerves like a stream, Suhyeon opened his eyes.

“It’s done.”

[What are you talking about? You’re already done meditating? It’s only been five minutes.]

“I said I’m done. Channeling magic to my heart wasn’t that difficult.”

[Don’t be stupid…!]

Sensing the magic flowing through Suhyeon’s body, the Demon King’s voice quieted.

This can’t be…

The magic was circulating through Suhyeon’s body, coursing through his nerves, and emanating from his heart.

[You really did it?]

‘Why would I lie about something like this? Although something strange happened. While meditating, the past me started talking to me.’

[What did you just say?]

For someone with normal magical aptitude, forcibly unlocking magic could take anywhere from two to three weeks, or up to a month.

The Demon King, a prodigy who had mastered magic since birth, had never heard of someone with average magical talent unlocking their magic in five minutes.

‘What is going on…?’

And the idea that his past self spoke to him while meditating? That was unheard of. If such a thing had happened before, someone would have recorded it.

The Demon King, who had read many magical tomes, had never come across such a case.

Normally, one would only feel the strange sensation of mana slowly forming the magical circuits in their nerves.

[……]

The Demon King, taken aback by something beyond his knowledge, fell silent. But Suhyeon was unaware of this.

‘Hey, Demon King, did you change your mind because my magic is too weak?’

“Say something. Why are you so quiet? Did something go wrong?”