Chapter 531: Chapter 531

“What are you doing?” Choi Yeonseung asked Valtor, but he received no response. Valtor seemed too distracted to even hear the question.

“You’re... not dead?” n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“I came here to repay the favor I have received from my master. You shouldn’t believe such ridiculous rumors. As a ruler, you should know better.”

“My... My judgment was faulty.”

Valtor’s subordinates were stunned to see their proud ruler blatantly admit his mistake.

“King Valtor! It’s not your fault, King Valtor!”

“That’s right! Why are you doing this?”

Despite the encouragement of his subordinates, Valtor looked as though something had taken hold of him. At this point, Choi Yeonseung realized what was going on with him.

‘...Does he worship Odaigon?’

It was ridiculous. After all, wasn’t Odaigon the ruler of a different realm? No matter what...

-Odaigon, just in case, try persuading him.

-What do you mean?

-Convince him to stop believing in the Greedy Owner of the Treasure House and pledge his allegiance to the Undefeated Incarnation of Training.

-...

Despite his firm loyalty, Odaigon didn’t understand Choi Yeonseung’s idea.

‘What’s the point?’

They were dealing with an insolent goblin who didn’t understand how blessed he was to receive Choi Yeonseung’s mercy. Was there any point in trying to persuade such a goblin? Perhaps it would be more merciful to just kill him.

“You’re making a mistake right now, young ruler.”

“Wh-what do you mean by mistake?”

“Serving the Greedy Owner of the Treasure House. It will lead to your ruination.

“...!”

Valtor’s eyes twitched.

In fact, Valtor himself was more worried about serving the Greedy Owner of the Treasure House than anyone else.

Few household members were blindly loyal to their constellation. Most of them would sometimes think about whether they were serving the right constellation.

The advice of Odaigon, the wise king, struck Valtor like a lightning bolt.

“Am I... Am I serving the wrong constellation?”

‘??’

Odaigon was slightly bewildered to see Valtor actually take his advice into consideration.

“That’s right. You’re serving the wrong constellation.”

“I can’t believe it...”

“The Undefeated Incarnation of Training is the one you should serve! Swearing allegiance to him is the only thing that will save you from damnation!”

At Odaigon’s whisper, Valtor gripped his spear tightly, his face contorting with agony.

Even Odaigon himself was surprised to see that his persuasion worked. This initial success made him even more fervent.

“Open your eyes! The Greedy Owner of the Treasure House can take everything away from you in the blink of an eye! He’s an unscrupulous constellation who seeks the wealth of his own household members! On the other hand, the Undefeated Incarnation of Training is generous. Look! Master could’ve taken your life, but he continues to show mercy!”

Valtor turned his head, and Choi Yeonseung gave a slight nod, awkwardly sitting there in silence.

After agonizing over what to do for some time, Valtor eventually said, “Seeing that Wise King Odaigon worships the Undefeated Incarnation of Training, it is clear that he is a constellation worth serving! I’ve made up my mind. I shall also serve the Undefeated Incarnation of Training.”

“...!!”

Choi Yeonseung was surprised.

‘I can’t believe it really worked...!’

Was it okay to just gain a territory like this??

***

As Choi Yeonseung was selling Odaigon’s reputation and eating up one territory after another, other companies were doing their best in their respective fields.

Unlike Choi Yeonseung, who had chosen the unique goblin territory, Banks International and Parker Group chose the biggest and most appetizing area.

It was only natural to try to occupy the largest area of the kingdom in order to become the winner. Besides, given that there were multiple competitors in this Abyss raid, going after the largest area felt like a no-brainer.

However...

Things didn’t go as planned.

“Two clans have been captured and are unable to get out.”

“What?! Tell those creatures to piss off! What are you doing? I have a long way to go!”

“Th-the demons are firmly insisting that this is the result of the contracts signed by the hunters when they entered.”

The hunters had chosen the territory of the demons that served the Greedy Owner of the Treasure House!

At first, the hunters were flustered by the sight of the demons, but they actually turned out to be surprisingly kind.

-You want to enter the realm? All you need to do is sign some simple paperwork.

-You want to do business here? All you need to do is sign some simple paperwork.

-If you want anything...

As rumors spread that this realm was easier to enter than other realms, several companies sent their hunters there. However, after some time, the demons revealed their true colors.

-Wait, it’s time. Now follow along and get to work.

-Huh? What’s going on?

-It’s in the contract. In return for allowing you to enter, you’ll work at the place we’ve set up until the end of the designated time.

-It didn’t say that??

-Ahh, really? Ugh, humans... Take a good look. It’s right here, written in transparent letters.

-......

-What kind of crazy nonsense...?!

[Your body is being restricted due to the oath of the blood contract!]

[...]

[...]

Demons were demons—the moment the negotiations seemed to be over, they showed their true colors and proceeded to exploit the hunters and company employees who had entered their area. Those who signed the contracts were taken away and forced to work.

“Can’t you send additional hunters to suppress them by force?”

“Ugh, it’s tough. It’d be troublesome to fight the demons in their own area. Besides, if a fight actually breaks out, the other competitors...”

“How many people have been caught? How can you say such careless things? It’s not just hunters, but also ordinary people who are in the demons’ clutches. The indemnification for the employees... How are they doing?”

“They say the demons are forcing them to work six hours a day.”

“Oh my god... Wait.”

The vice president was perplexed by the hunter’s report. In fact, his employees were working less in the realm of the demons than at his company.

“Where?”

“I heard they’re doing some paperwork at the demons’ headquarters...”

The vice president was relieved to learn that his employees were doing better than he had thought. Still, it was too early to let his guard down. Now that some of his hunters and employees had been captured, his movements were restricted.

“Contact the other side.”

“Will it be okay?”

“It’s not just our problem. We need to join forces with the others!”

***

“Send other clans.”

Alex Parker’s expression didn’t change after hearing the report.

“Now we know what kind of tricks the demons are using. The next hunters won’t be fooled. Tell the director to pack up and leave if he fails one more time.”

“I-I understand. The proposal to cooperate with the other side...”

“Decline it. That’s just the barking of the weak.”

Companies with fewer clans working for them were making a fuss about joining forces with Parker Group, but Alex didn’t need that. After all, he had been recruiting clans and employees exactly for this scenario. The fact that a few people had been dragged away by the demons wouldn’t stop him from achieving his goal.

“Contact the demons, persuade as many of them as you can, and purchase their goods. Don’t let the latecomers get in the way. Keep a record of their tactics so that you don’t get fooled twice.”

“Yes!”

As Alex Parker was preparing his next move, Banks was talking to Isabella Meyer at the scene.

“Two clans that I am proud of have just been captured,” Banks said with a stunned expression. “They were scammed with a contract! Does this make sense?”

“Some demons excel at fraud and trickery. The ones in this territory must be exactly like that.”

“Yeah, so I’ve heard. Please tell me there’s a way out of this.”

“They won’t release the hunters right away, which is a problem. If other companies send their own hunters to occupy this area first...”

Banks shook his head. It was dizzying to think that his competitors, especially Parker Group, would get ahead of them when it came to the demons.

“Is there a way to stop it?”

“Of course there is.”

“What...?”

At that, Isabella Meyer drew her sword and thrust it into the ground. Banks was surprised by the decisive message behind her action.

‘...The die is cast!’

“Alright, do what you need to do! We can’t just stand still!”

***

“Demons?” asked Odaigon.

“Yes,” Valtor answered obediently. The Greedy Owner of the Treasure House would be livid if he discovered his act of betrayal. In addition to surrendering and pledging allegiance to another constellation, Valtor was also divulging information regarding other areas in the Fourth Kingdom.

“Demons are generally diverse. What are the demons in the Fourth Kingdom like?”

“They’re mean and manipulative.”

“Ah. They like contracts.” Choi Yeonseung nodded knowingly. He himself had a few demons like that under his command.

They were the demons who served the Demon of Contract and Order!

After their constellation fell, those demons went under Choi Yeonseung’s wing and started roaming the Abyss again, stealing power of existence through various contracts and scams. Given how busy they were with their work, they didn’t show their faces in Choi Yeonseong’s realm often, but they were nonetheless great household members.

“I know some similar demons.”

“Then you must know that all these demons have become more anxious and fierce these days.”

“...?”

Choi Yeonseung wondered what Valtor meant by that.

“Has something happened in the Abyss?”

“It’s said that a specific group of demons has been sweeping up contracts in the Abyss these days. There’s a lot of division and competition between them. If only a few demons take up all the profit, the rest will naturally grow jealous.”

Odaigon and Choi Yeonseung nodded at Valtor’s logical explanation.

“Indeed...”

“It’s strange. What kind of constellation are they working for?”

“I don’t know that. But having heard a few demons complain, it seems that they constantly work in shifts, never really stopping. They created a unique system that evaluates each of them individually and pushes them to the limit. This is just the tip of the iceberg, but it gives you a rough idea of how powerful they are.”

As lazy demons just sat around in their respective realms and scurried off whenever their services were needed, these demons in the Fourth Kingdom used magic circles to instantly get to whoever had called them. Even when signing a contract, they didn’t take as much time as they used to.

These demons had turned exploitation into a science, using a comprehensive manual to maximize efficiency.

Valtor shuddered as he explained about these fierce, unheard-of demons.

“You’ll always find weird and violent bastards in the Abyss. Maybe these demons are like that. They must’ve signed a contract with a strange evil god constellation and lost their conscience in the process... Huh? What’s wrong?”

“...”

“...”

Choi Yeonseung and Odaigon had gone completely silent. At some point, they had realized who those demons were.

‘...They’re my demons...’

-They have been tainted by human culture.

The goddess of sloth clicked her tongue. There was a healthy degree of laziness, which even demons required. However, if these ones in the Fourth Kingdom had really forgotten what that was, the rest of the demon race would revile Choi Yeonseung.