There’s a Demon King Inside the Hero

Chapter 8: Memorize (2)

As the situation with the Half-Wolves was beginning to settle, one of the hunters who had emerged from the dungeon pounded his fist into the ground.

“Damn it, if only the leader hadn’t fallen into that trap!”

Frustrated, he gritted his teeth, and Suhyeon used Blink to appear right beside him.

“What do you mean?”

“Whoa! You scared me!”

The hunter explained that the scouting party had originally consisted of five members. As they were eliminating monsters while exploring the dungeon, the ground beneath them suddenly lit up.

The 2-star leader had noticed something unusual and quickly pushed the rest of the team out of the light’s range, saving them.

However, in doing so, the leader couldn’t escape and was engulfed by the light, disappearing without a trace.

Without their leader, they were overwhelmed by the monsters and had to retreat back outside.

“Engulfed by the light on the floor?”

“Yeah, who’d have thought there’d be a trap like that right at the start of an F-rank dungeon… huh?”

The young man he was talking to suddenly vanished.

“…What the—?”

Woosh!

Suhyeon used Blink to pass through the magic circle at the dungeon entrance and sprinted deeper inside.

As he ran, he looked around, taking in his surroundings.

Unlike the darkening evening sky outside, the inside of the dungeon was lit up as brightly as a sunny day, with plants growing from the rich soil beneath his feet. The dungeon ceiling emitted a sky-blue glow, radiating a warmth that felt like sunlight.

It was a surreal sight—like stepping into a completely different world, despite being underground.

“I’ve heard dungeons can be like this, but how is this even possible?”

[It’s impressive. So, the gate spell could create this kind of structure as well?]

The Demon King mused, thinking of how gate spells worked by warping the Akashic Record, the world’s memory. If it could summon creatures from another world…

[It seems it could also create a small world of its own.]

‘So, you’re saying this dungeon… was formed by summoning creatures from the demon realm and shaping it into a world?’

[Exactly.]

The dungeon had solid walls on both sides, except for the direction Suhyeon was heading and the ceiling above him.

These were the dungeon walls.

Low-level dungeons like this one typically had a linear structure, meaning the walls essentially served as a guide to help hunters navigate toward the end of the dungeon.

At the same time…

Crack! Snap!

The walls also served another purpose—producing monsters.

Roooaaar!

Grrraaaa!

The walls cracked and crumbled, and a group of monsters sprang out, blocking Suhyeon’s path. The walls then repaired themselves instantly.

‘I don’t have time to deal with you guys.’

Suhyeon used Blink again, teleporting behind the Half-Wolves and dashing further into the dungeon.

Yelp?

Roar!

He ignored the howls of the Half-Wolves behind him and focused on his mission.

‘Who the hell is responsible for creating something like this in this world…?’

Though he was frustrated, he pushed the thought aside for now.

Right now, the priority was rescuing the missing person inside the dungeon.

[Engulfed by the light on the floor, huh?]

‘Before going to Altera, I had no idea what that was.’

Suhyeon had heard of dungeons containing special traps, and some of these traps resembled the magic circles that appeared at dungeon entrances.

If that was the case, then it was likely a magic trap.

The 2-star hunter must have fallen into it.

As Suhyeon continued running, he sensed an unusual concentration of mana in one spot.

That was a sign that magic had been used there.

This must be the place.

Suhyeon knelt down and parted the bushes to reveal a magic circle.

[It’s a forced transfer magic circle.]

The Demon King quickly identified it.

[It’s a one-time use trap, but it’s still intact. If you channel your magic into it, it’ll activate again.]

“Why are you being so eager all of a sudden?”

[I know you’re desperate to save that hunter. As for me, I don’t really get why you care, to be honest.]

The Demon King smirked mischievously.

[But I’m curious as well.]

This magic circle was a trap, and activating it would likely transport them to a dangerous place.

That made it a perfect opportunity to test Suhyeon’s potential.

The Demon King had an insatiable desire to understand what he didn’t know. In the past, it had driven him to explore forbidden magic, and now it was this Hero’s magic that piqued his interest.

If they activated the magic circle, both Suhyeon and the Demon King could end up in a life-threatening situation.

[Come on, infuse your magic into the circle.]

But the shadow of death wasn’t enough to extinguish either the Demon King’s curiosity or the Hero’s resolve.

Suhyeon channeled his magic into the circle, and with a faint buzz, the magic circle activated, teleporting him.

The new location was a large chamber shaped like a giant pillar. The floor was covered in plants, and the space above and around him was vast and open.

Roaaaar!

Grrrr!

Dozens of Half-Wolves were there.

At a glance, there were at least fifty of them.

‘So, it really was a trap.’

As soon as Suhyeon appeared, five Half-Wolves charged at him, aiming for his limbs.

He dodged using Blink, then fired off Magic Missiles at each monster, shattering the magic stones within their bodies.

If there was a magic circle here, then the hunter who had fallen into the trap must be here as well.

[There’s a certain elegance to this dungeon, isn’t there?]

‘What?’

[Look around. There’s no exit. You’re surrounded.]

‘So you’re saying…?’

[Yes, unless you take down that thing over there, there’s no way out.]

Suhyeon turned to look in the direction the Demon King had indicated.

There, a woman in her twenties was fighting off the Half-Wolves with a pair of daggers. She slashed through one monster’s head and immediately turned her attention to the next.

[It seems her 2-star rank wasn’t just talk. Her movements are far faster than those of the 1-star students at the dungeon entrance.]

However, both Suhyeon and the Demon King’s attention was focused elsewhere.

Something above the woman—something clinging to the sky-blue ceiling—was spreading its wings.

Suhyeon swallowed hard.

The creature had a lizard-like body with an elongated belly and wings three times the size of its body.

An E+ rank boss monster: a wyvern.

In every dungeon, there’s a boss monster, and these bosses are marked with a ‘+’ in their rank.

…That’s right.

In this F-rank dungeon, there was an E-rank monster.

Screeeeeeech!

The wyvern’s mouth began to gather a massive fireball, preparing to launch it at the woman, who was too focused on the Half-Wolves to notice.

“……?”

The woman looked around as if sensing something was off, but her gaze didn’t reach the ceiling.

[If you want to save her, now’s your only chance.]

‘I know!’

In an instant, Suhyeon used Blink ten times in succession, closing the distance between himself and the woman.

The woman’s eyes widened in shock as Suhyeon suddenly appeared right in front of her.

“You’re…?”

“Look up!”

The wyvern’s breath attack shot straight toward Suhyeon and the woman.

In one swift motion, Suhyeon shoved her out of the line of fire and used Blink to dodge the attack himself.

Boom!

A massive wall of flame erupted between Suhyeon and the woman, setting the surrounding plants ablaze as the wyvern’s breath ignited everything in its path.

Suhyeon wiped the sweat from his brow.

‘Damn it, I’ve overused Blink.’

His body’s magic reserves were noticeably depleted.

[So, in this world, your rank is tied to your magic reserves.]

‘What?’

Suhyeon barely had time to react as he slid away from an incoming claw strike by one of the Half-Wolves.

[Listen up while you dodge! This is important for you as a magic user. Your current magic reserves are at 1-star rank. At that level, you can cast around twenty spells of 3rd-class magic. However, there’s a serious drawback. Your magic reserves are insufficient to properly support the usage of magic like a true mage. When you use Body Enhancement Magic at 1-star, your physical abilities match that of a 1-star hunter. But once your magic reserves drop, your physical abilities also decline below that of a 1-star. Magic reserves aren’t infinite.]

Unlike most hunters whose magic is naturally fused with their bodies, Suhyeon’s magic operated independently, meaning the more he used it, the more drastic the drop in his rank’s effectiveness.

At this moment, his remaining magic reserves were struggling to keep up with the consumption.

Even if he now redirected all of his remaining magic to enhance his body, it wouldn’t raise his physical abilities beyond that of a 1-star hunter.

Using any more magic—whether it was spells or his martial arts—would only continue to deplete his strength.

“Damn it…”

The Demon King’s words resonated deeply with Suhyeon.

Fighting in live combat like this made it painfully clear how difficult it was to maintain his magic reserves. He wasn’t sure if he had enough magic left to defeat all the Half-Wolves in the chamber.

And then there was the wyvern.

Hovering in the air, the wyvern watched both Suhyeon and the woman, waiting for the right moment to launch another attack. If either of them focused too much on the Half-Wolves, the wyvern would seize the opportunity to strike again.

There was no exit from the chamber, no way to escape, and no help coming.

Death loomed over Suhyeon.

But…

‘So what?’

Suhyeon gritted his teeth and pushed his magic even harder, circulating it faster through his body.

Compared to fighting 1,000 monsters by himself to protect an entire village during his days as a Hero, this was nothing.

[Yes, that’s it!]

When faced with life-threatening danger, most people either crumble, become consumed by fear, or charge forward recklessly.

But not this Hero.

In fact, it was in moments like these that Suhyeon’s calm and calculated fighting spirit burned the brightest.

To him, this wasn’t even a crisis. As a Hero, he had faced countless more dire and terrifying situations, many where death had seemed certain.

He could overcome this.

The mana, which existed as the Akashic Record, documenting all things in the universe, became increasingly intrigued by Suhyeon’s unwavering spirit, the memories stored within his mind, and the heart that held them.

The whispering voices returned, only audible to Suhyeon and the Demon King.

The Demon King was thrilled—everything was falling into place.

The fuel was ready, all that was left was to strike the match.

‘I never thought I’d end up helping the guy who killed me like this.’

The Demon King felt as excited as a child about to unwrap a long-awaited present.

He couldn’t wait to see just how far Suhyeon could push his magic, relying solely on his memories rather than any formal magical education or inherent magical talent.

[Are you scared?]

‘If I got scared of something like this, I never would’ve become a Hero.’

[Do you hear the mana speaking to you?]

‘Yeah, this is the first time I’ve heard mana talk. Must be because I’m a mage now.’

Suhyeon chuckled to himself.

He had no idea what he was doing or the magnitude of the situation he was in.

The Akashic Record, the great compendium of the world’s memories, was speaking directly to him. If any other mage heard of this, they would be astounded.

But Suhyeon, who wasn’t bound by the conventions of typical mages, was taking it all in stride.

This delighted the Demon King even more.

Mages were like mathematicians—they locked themselves away to study formulas, testing and refining their knowledge before using it in practical situations.

Teaching magic in the heat of battle was practically unheard of.

But this Hero wasn’t like other mages.

And so, the Demon King would adapt to him, teaching in his own way.

[Now, we begin your Memorize lesson. This time, don’t command the mana to retrieve someone else’s memories. Instead, let it fully access and absorb your own memories, completely and without reservation.]

“All of my memories? I’m not asking the mana to retrieve anything?”

[Exactly.]

Following the Demon King’s instructions, Suhyeon connected with the mana in a way that was the exact opposite of what he had done before.

Suddenly, the mana stopped resisting and began rummaging through Suhyeon’s mind.

“Ugh!”

Hundreds, thousands, millions of voices flooded Suhyeon’s ears as his memories—24 years of life, plus 105 years as a Hero—flashed through his mind at breakneck speed.

Humans are creatures of forgetfulness.

But now, the mana was prying open his memories, forcing every single one to the surface.

The moment he was born, his first steps, his first day at school, the day his parents died, the years he spent in Altera, the day he killed the Demon King.

Every memory, even the faintest, long-forgotten ones, suddenly felt as vivid as if they had happened yesterday. Overwhelmed by the flood of memories, Suhyeon stumbled, feeling dizzy from the sudden influx of information.

But then…

Thud!

He stomped his foot to steady himself, shook his head a few times, and regained his balance.

“It’s all coming back to me now… I’ve lived a pretty extraordinary life, haven’t I?”

With a voice that was both proud and self-deprecating, Suhyeon refocused on the wyvern.

In the span of just three seconds, he had reviewed every moment of his life through the mana’s influence.

[Can you take down the wyvern now, Hero?]

Suhyeon smirked and mimicked the motion of drawing a bowstring.

A glowing white bow and a single arrow materialized in his hand through a substitution spell.

He mentally responded to the Demon King, as if questioning why he even needed to ask.

The fierce intensity in his eyes from earlier had vanished, replaced by a sense of calm confidence.

‘Why wouldn’t I be able to? I have a clear memory of killing a wyvern before.’

A circle of light began to form in the center of the arrow as wind slowly gathered around it.

The memories were sharp and clear.

Suhyeon recalled the time he joined a knight order and was sent to aid an elf forest that had been attacked by a group of wyverns. In that memory, knights and elves had worked together to defeat the wyverns.

Back then, Suhyeon had led the knights on behalf of his order, tasked with eliminating the monsters in the forest.

The elves had used a spell to bring down the wyverns.

A 4th-class advanced magic spell known as Storm of Arrows.

And now, Suhyeon was casting that very spell here.

The Demon King struggled to contain his excitement.

As Suhyeon’s memories of the wyvern-slaying mission played out in his mind, the Demon King’s voice echoed in his head.

[Remember this well. This is your Memorize.]