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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 183: The Ten Kings of the Demon Realm
I swiftly concluded the negotiation while the manager was still reeling in confusion.
“Let's settle on a 90% commission rate.”
“……P-pardon?”
“Such a refreshing answer. Thank you.”
The best time to negotiate is when your opponent is caught off guard.
Having quickly raised the commission rate, I promptly exchanged the auction house voucher for Exchange Center notes and made my exit.
Quite a windfall.
According to Palge, this payout alone was enough to make even a wealthy merchant's eyes water.
It was at this moment that I understood why people were so desperate to enter the Demon Realm.
As we were returning to our temporary lodging, Zion suddenly let out a chuckle.
“Heh.”
“What's so funny?”
Zion muttered with a dumbfounded expression.
“Ah, I just remembered that manager's face. What kind of idiotic question was that?”
Makan, with his massive spear strapped to his back, nodded in agreement.
“He did have a strange expression. As if he'd lost all hope in the world.”
“Don't tell me he actually thought we were going to sell the spear?”
“Somehow, I think he did.”
“He's out of his mind. Who does he take us for?”
Zion was right.
Weapons like this are not meant to be sold.
Even if I hadn't given Makan the Orcus' Spear, it would be a loss to sell a weapon of this caliber.
Because if you keep it, its value will naturally skyrocket.
Still finding it absurd, Zion mumbled to himself,
“'Why bring it if you're not going to sell it?' he asks. Obviously, we brought it to show off. What a clueless fool.”
The rest of the Crazy Mage Squad nodded in unison.
As we passed through the heart of Keplan, I suddenly felt a pang of hunger and headed towards a back alley.
“Where are you going?”
“We got a hefty payout, it's time for a drink.”
Arin responded,
“Are you going there?”
“Hote's developed a new menu, I hear. It's supposed to be quite good.”
But lo and behold…
As I approached Hote's restaurant with anticipation, I couldn't hide my astonishment.
“Wow.”
The restaurant was packed to the brim, with not an inch of space to spare.
I had wondered why there were so many people roaming the usually deserted back alley.
This was like…
It felt like I was witnessing the early days of Donkey's restaurant's success all over again.
“What in the world are they selling here-nya? The smell is so stimulating, it's killer-nya. Sniff sniff.”
The aroma of savory fried food wafted from the restaurant.
Hote, drenched in sweat as he bustled about the restaurant, suddenly spotted us and waved with a welcoming smile.
“Oh, Brother Ruin!”
“Shh!”
Before anyone could recognize us,
I quickly placed my index finger to my lips.
Fortunately, the customers were preoccupied with their food and hadn't noticed us yet.
I approached Hote and said,
“I came for a drink, but it seems there are no seats.”
“Exactly. We suddenly got a lot busier.”
“Word must have gotten around, huh?”
“Wait just a bit. I'll try to make some space for you somehow.”
I shook my head.
“No need to go through the trouble. I'll come back next time.”
“Ah.”
Hote suddenly spoke up, as if he'd just remembered something.
“Or, Brother Ruin, would you like to eat at the branch?”
“There's a branch already? Business is expanding quickly.”
Hote nodded with a smile.
“It's in the pub district. It's at the very end, so the location isn't that great, but it's not bad either. It hasn't officially opened yet, so it should be pretty empty.”
“Where's the pub district?”
Zion replied,
“I know where it is, Commander. It's not that far.”
I looked at Zion and said,
“This is how you do business. Watch and learn.”
As Zion was about to retort angrily, Hote gave an awkward laugh.
“It's not like I actually did anything. Recently, I got a regular customer who offered to partner with me on good terms.”
“That's also part of business.”
“Go and wait there. I'll make the fried chicken myself and have it delivered.”
After following Zion for about 30 minutes, we arrived at a street lined with pubs.
The shabby tavern at the very end was the branch Hote had mentioned.
It was quiet inside.
We explained the situation to the man in the kitchen, took a seat, and while we were waiting, a delivery boy brought us a generous plate of fried chicken made by Hote.
As soon as I took a bite, a satisfying crunch echoed, followed by a savory, lingering flavor that filled my mouth.
“It's still crispy even though it's cooled down. Your skills have improved.”
“Wow, this is really delicious-nya.”
The man from the kitchen brought us some moonshine.
“I heard you like this, Crazy Mage Commander.”
As soon as I took a sip, the burning sensation as it went down my throat washed away the richness of the fried chicken.
Lastly, a sweet fragrance lingered in my nose.
“Ah, reminds me of Brother Donkey.”
The combination of the moonshine and the fried chicken was so good, it brought back memories of Brother Donkey after all this time.
I said to the man, who was smiling warmly,
“You said you wanted to partner with Hote?”
“That's right.”
I looked at the clean white clothes the man was wearing and said,
“Working in the kitchen, your clothes will get dirty quickly.”
“I plan to hire a separate chef.”
I nodded.
“Anyway, you have good foresight. Being the first to establish yourself is also a skill.”
“Thank you. Then please enjoy your meal.”
With those words, the man returned to the kitchen.
Arin suddenly murmured with a curious look on her face,
“He's good at reading the room. He looks young, too.”
Of all the people who figured out our identities today, this man was the only one who didn't make a fuss.
He wants to make sure we're comfortable, which isn't a bad impression.
To run a restaurant, you need to be quick-witted.
“Ah, now I feel alive-nya!”
I glanced down at the plate and saw that half of the fried chicken had already disappeared.
As I stared at Palge with a dumbfounded look, Zion smacked him on the back of the head.
“Ha, you gluttonous bastard.”
I was about to hit Palge on the back of the head too, but I suddenly burst out laughing.
“Hey Commander, you think this is funny? This idiot ate it all by himself again… Keuh.”
Zion also started laughing, as if he was choking.
“Ha. Haha.”
Makan let out a silly, broken laugh, and Iron and Ain followed suit.
Arin also awkwardly smiled, the corners of her mouth lifting involuntarily.
We laughed like fools for a while, and after the delivery boy brought us more fried chicken, we started passing around the moonshine.
As we drank, the day gradually grew darker.
I happened to glance outside and saw snowflakes falling from the sky.
“It's snowing.”
“It is.”
When was the last time I saw snow?
I was sure it was so long ago that I couldn't even remember.
Ever since I entered the Demon Realm, experienced those events, came back, and focused on training, I never had a moment of peace.
It had been that way ever since I heard the name 'demon' from Parin.
This was the first time in a long time that I felt at ease.
I drank, gazing at the falling snowflakes.
Zion, drunk, rambled on about nonsense, and Makan took out his spear and examined it.
Iron and Ain also opened up to each other, their conversation flowing like a comedic dialogue.
I also shared something that was on my mind.
“You bunch of fools have terrible drinking habits. Azka did a good job training the squad members.”
“Who's Azka?”
“Your senior.”
“Bring him here. Azka or whoever, I'll train them.”
“Bullshit.”
I found myself laughing, so this time I covered my mouth with my hand and looked around.
“Don't get cocky just because you've reached the 5th Circle. This is just the beginning.”
Those words were also meant for myself.
As the bottles continued to empty, I climbed onto the table and sat cross-legged, feeling like I was getting back to my roots.
Whether the day is good.
Whether the day is not good.
…Peace of mind.
One by one, the fools followed me onto the table and sat cross-legged.
Drinking meditation.
Not bad.
For some reason, I felt particularly focused today, and suddenly, my vision seemed to brighten.
“Hmm?”
As soon as I opened my eyes, the dark sky began to flash like lightning.
“What's that?”
As the fools opened their eyes simultaneously, a tremendous roar filled the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Bang—!
We stepped out onto the main street of the city center, where people had gathered and were looking up at the sky.
Pure white snowflakes blanketed the city in white…
Bang—! Boom! Boom! Boom! Bang—!
“Wow……”
The towering clock tower.
Around the cone-shaped Magic Tower Alliance headquarters built atop it, dazzling, multicolored fireworks embroidered the snowy night sky.
Bang—! Boom! Boom! Bang—! Boom! Boom! Boom! Bang—!
“Wow……!”
“Fireworks?”
“What's going on all of a sudden?”
As the people who flocked to the streets marveled, unaware of the reason, the voices of seasoned mercenaries could also be heard.
“No way, are those celebratory fireworks?”
“I never thought I'd see such a sight in my lifetime!”
“Oh my. The Ten Kings have changed? Could it be that the Demon Realm……?”
“There's only one clan that could pull off something like that.”
“Holy crap! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
I exchanged glances with the Crazy Mage Squad members, clueless, then approached an elderly mercenary at the edge of the main street who was gazing at the night sky with a face full of joy.
“Old timer. Do you happen to know what's going on?”
“Celebratory fireworks have gone off. It means the Ten Kings of the Demon Realm have changed.”
“What do you mean by Ten Kings?”
The old soldier murmured with a face filled with joy.
“The rankings. It means there's been a change in the top 10 rankings. For someone to surpass the Nine Great Clans…… I never thought I'd see this in my lifetime. The winds of change are blowing across the continent.”
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind like lightning.
The Crazy Mage Squad members also seemed to have the same thought, their eyes widening.
“No way?”
“Let's go.”
I immediately ran towards the Magic Tower Alliance headquarters.
***
Magic Tower Alliance Headquarters.
The guards at the main gate of the headquarters, covered in a thick layer of snow, looked at us and asked,
“What brings you here?”
“We'd like to check the rankings.”
“Please come back tomorrow morning……”
Suddenly, one of the guards noticed us, his eyes widening.
They whispered something to each other, and then one of them went inside.
Shortly after, the same guard captain slowly walked out.
“It's been a while, Crazy Mage Commander of Samael.”
“It has.”
“Back then, I thought it was just reckless behavior, but now I see it was all calculated. Though it feels like I was dragged into it…… it feels like I've had my eyes opened.”
The guard captain gave an awkward smile.
Was his name Powell?
I also have a decent impression of this man.
Although he's rigid, he has an ingrained attitude of trying to handle things fairly.
The way he tried to protect me from getting caught up with Vaph and have me interrogated within the Alliance was impressive.
“Can we go in?”
“Of course. Samael has already been granted free access. Feel free to look around.”
As the Crazy Mage Squad and I headed inside, the guard captain added,
“And, congratulations.”
As before, we entered the administrative office where the Demon Realm ranking board was located through the magic circle in the corner of the first floor.
The White Magic Tower administrative staff who were working late on one side simply glanced at us and continued with their work.
Meanwhile, Zion, who had approached the wall where the ranking board was located, burst out in exclamation.
“Holy shit!”
Following him, Arin also let out an exclamation without realizing it.
“Holy mother of……”
For Arin to exclaim like that……
Somehow, I felt anticipation building, and the moment I checked the ranking board, the corners of my mouth lifted involuntarily.
“Sob……”
Suddenly, Palge burst into tears and started sobbing.
“Finally…… Finally…… I too…… Sob……”
“What's wrong?”
I thought Palge's mournful wailing sounded a bit strange, but I focused on the ranking board in front of me for now.
[10th Place: Cecilia Mercenary Corps, 1,193,420 points]
[9th Place: Bellusia Clan, Contribution Points: Private]
[8th Place: Private]
[7th Place: Private]
[6th Place: Ardehain Clan, Contribution Points: Private]
[5th Place: Samael Clan's Crazy Mage Squad, Contribution Points: 3,723,572 points]
[4th Place: Hyark Clan, Contribution Points: Private]
[3rd Place: Private]
[2nd Place: Private]
[1st Place: Private]
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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