Chapter 276: Awakening of the Eye (3)

Valerion had thrown a couple of enormous tasks at me. Not just him—others I’d met recently (Yu Sein, the Pope, the God of the Sword) had done the same.

However, each of those three had only made one request. The Lord, on the other hand, hit me with two back-to-back first about the Demonic Eye, then that I was the sword destined to slay the gods.

I had a lot of questions. But I had to choose carefully. One question could lead to another, and that chain could eventually lead to him blowing up this place and dragging only Horn back to the Demon Realm.

‘Even if the head of the Auditore clan vouched for Valerion…’

Guarantees like that aren’t handed out lightly. Not even among family. The patriarch making such a claim was, at the very least, reckless.

Regardless, I went with the most appropriate and least suspicious question at that moment.

“What exactly is the Inverse Demonic Eye?”

The Demonic Eye is an extremely rare ability, so even in Miracle Blessing M, information about it was scarce. I’d only learned of the “Eye of the Ring” during the basilisk hunt. So there was no way I could know about the Eye that Lycan, a character from 700 years ago, had possessed. Technically, I held it now—but still.

Valerion gave me his usual annoyed look and replied.

“Are you asking about the power of the Inverse Demonic Eye, or its origin?”

Obviously about the power, this guy…

I don’t like long explanations. I don’t like listening to them either.

“I think… maybe I’d remember the origin if I mulled it over.”

I faked touching my brow with a serious gesture. Part of the act. I know you have to adapt to your conversation partner, but that was the best I could do.

“But as for the power, I don’t remember a thing.”

“I’m not great at explaining. Is that alright?”

I nodded. I wasn’t exactly a gifted speaker either.

Valerion stroked his chin in silence, thinking how to explain it briefly.

Finally, he spoke.

“The pinpoint power of the Eye of the Ring is, so far, the most outstanding. However, the complexity and potential of the Inverse Demonic Eye surpass it. That’s what Lord Ouroboros said. The visible ability is ‘distortion.’ It sounds simple, but…”

Distortion sounds simple to you? That’s a powerful ability. Even more than the Eye of the Ring, if you ask me.

But what he said next helped me understand why the other one was considered superior.

“However, the object of distortion is limited to inorganics. That is, abstract concepts like time, space, and dimension. That’s why we call it the ‘Inverse Demonic Eye’—it distorts divine providence.”

In short, it doesn’t have a direct physical effect. Unlike the Eye of the Ring, which twists the laws of the world directly, this one creates a variation. Sounds even more complicated, but that’s the idea.

“Then why is it said to have more potential than the Eye of the Ring? That one sounds clearly stronger.”

Valerion shook his head.

“The Eye of the Ring consumes the user’s life. The Inverse Demonic Eye, on the other hand, depends solely on the user’s capacity.”

That said, the requirements to use it properly were incredibly demanding. Even its original bearer never fully mastered it.

“But it’s not just because it demands less sacrifice that we rank it higher. The true difference is this the Inverse Demonic Eye can interfere with timelines where the Eye of the Ring has no effect.”

That’s where he lost me. But I nodded as if I fully understood.

Valerion continued explaining the details of the Inverse Demonic Eye. By the end, he looked tired from all the talking.

“That’s all I can explain. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t know more. So let’s get to the point. We’ll begin the ritual to awaken the eye.”

“Now? Right here?”

“Yes.”

He stood. I tried to follow, but he gently pushed me back by the shoulder.

“No need to move. Stay seated and close your eyes. I’ll inject mana into your body and open all your inner channels.”

“W-wait a second. Inject mana into my body? Did I hear that right?”

“No need to open your auditory channels. You heard perfectly.”

I was speechless.

“My body is basically human right now. Isn’t there a risk of collapse if you inject mana suddenly?”

“You don’t need to worry. The first time I saw you, I checked your condition with my Demonic Eye. There’s no chance of that happening. In fact, if your body receives mana, it will reach a new threshold of power.”

Valerion locked eyes with me. His gaze was as firm as ever—the solemnity of someone who had lived for a time beyond human comprehension.

“I don’t like saying this myself, but Kuarne is strong. He was an angel who nearly ruled the heavens before Metatron appeared. And since accepting magic, he’s likely even stronger.”

He said this as a warning.

“That doesn’t mean you’re weak. To be honest, I’m amazed. You’ve reached this level of power with a human body, without using lightning magic… That’s worthy of admiration. Judging by your growth rate, it’s even faster than the Founder Hero’s. If you’ve come this far in a year, in two or three, you could face Kuarne.”

Maybe due to a shift in mood, his formerly stern demeanor softened notably.

“But there’s no time. I can’t say when, but that guy has been preparing for war for a long time. He could attack at any moment.”

“…And what’s Kuarne’s motive for preparing a war? With your Demonic Eye, Lord, you should be able to find out.”

Valerion gave an ambiguous expression.

“Even my eye can’t discern his goal. My power is limited to this world, so I can only assume his objective is tied to something beyond it.”

“…”

“But if there’s someone who can stop his plans, it’s you. And for that, you must awaken the ‘Inverse Demonic Eye.’”

Without taking more questions, Valerion quickly moved into action. With the thumb of his right hand, he pressed the center of my forehead.

I hesitated for a moment, then decided to cooperate. I sat in a lotus position and closed my eyes.

“If you die, we all die. Even though we were born enemies, we are one of the two pillars that support this world. In other words, without this world, we wouldn’t exist.”

I could feel that, beyond the instinct to protect himself and his race, he spoke with genuine concern for the future. Maybe that’s why he was so talkative—something unusual for him.

“If it’s for that, I won’t regret it even if I have to give you all my magic…”

While speaking, Valerion gave a short laugh. He murmured with a mix of sarcasm and melancholy.

“…So this is how Lord Ouroboros felt when he gave the ‘Eye of the Ring’ to the Founder Hero.”

In an awkward silence, human and demon met each other’s eyes.

Just before injecting the mana, the Lord shared his deepest thoughts with me.

“Remember your lost past, Lycan. You were never wicked enough to be truly evil, nor righteous enough to be a virtuous man. That’s why you were the pride of the demons.”

At that moment, my vision—though my eyes were closed—turned white. My entire surroundings began to bend, as if folding inward from all directions.

“Oh, King of the Demon Realm… open your eyes and show the true face of evil.”

Before I could fully grasp that white, curving space, the ground beneath me collapsed.

Feeling both a sudden weakness and a sharp sensation of falling, I found myself plunging deep past the bottom of that place, into the abyss.

***

They had already been in the adjoining room for two hours—Kang Geom-Ma and Valerion.

Choi Seol-Ah couldn’t stay still.

She paced nervously in front of the door, a mixture of worry and curiosity twisting in her chest.

‘Can’t hear a thing. That probably means he cast a silence spell.’

According to what Horn had told her before, the Lord was the quiet type. But even so, that same Lord had been talking to Kang Geom-Ma for two whole hours. With no signs of life from inside, they might be locked in a battle of wills.

Well, fine. But this is my house! I haven’t even finished paying off the lease! Sure, there was insurance coverage for accidents, but even that had its limits.

Insurance only covers the living. For the dead, it’s useless. And the same goes for property. If the whole place gets blown away, that’s it.

‘Aaah…’

There was a time when Choi Seol-Ah had plenty of money. Just six months ago, she could feel satisfied just by looking at her account balance.

The problem was, during that time, she spent recklessly. Her biggest expense was luxury items. Wearing branded clothes made her feel like her own worth had increased.

But now? Not only had her income streams dried up, but two-thirds of her assets had been stripped away by her lord. Luxury was out of the question—she could barely manage her fixed monthly expenses.

She had never imagined living was this expensive. Now, she truly understood the plight of the common folk.

This year, interest rates had soared. Her loan interest was snowballing, and to make things worse, she had another mouth to feed. And not just any mouth—despite a scrawny body, it ate like an elephant.

Suddenly, Choi Seol-Ah glared at Horn. Though he too looked uneasy, his well-oiled belly gleamed under the fluorescent light.

‘Well fed, aren’t we?’

She considered saying something, but held back. It wasn’t smart to air complaints in front of the Patriarch of the Auditore clan. Oh right, that dragon was Horn’s grandfather. Not only did he have a belly, he had powerful backing too.

‘I’ll endure. Just hold on…’

That’s when her eyes landed on the black bag on the table. The beef her lord had told her to grill while they talked. She’d been so rattled she had completely forgotten.

Choi Seol-Ah broke into a wide smile. She glanced once more at the door and then stopped worrying. Whatever happens, happens. Living in the moment is the most villainous way to live, right?

Besides, as the indigenous saying goes, “If worrying solved problems, you’d have no problems left.” So, might as well enjoy the moment with her mouth instead of standing there fretting. She gave in to resignation.

She turned on the stove and heated the pan. She watched as two slices of beef—marbled like blooming flowers—sizzled against the metal. Chiiiiii—like blessings raining down on the skillet.

“Ah, that sound, that smell…”

Choi Seol-Ah took a deep breath, savoring every bit of the aroma. Her anxiety and stress melted away along with the beef’s fat. Her lips softened, along with her mood.

And just as she was basking in that fleeting bliss—

Boom!

A blast. The door to the adjoining room, where her lord and the Dragon Lord had gone in, exploded and flew off its hinges. A burst of compressed mana had detonated like a gas leak.

“……!”

All eyes turned toward the epicenter of the explosion. Choi Seol-Ah’s face, in particular, went deathly pale. A chill raced down her spine. Oh no… my house.

But what happened next stunned her even more.

The backdrop turned a pale, ashy white. Wooden splinters floated midair, then began reassembling like a puzzle. Time was rewinding.

As time flowed in reverse, she stood there with her mouth hanging open.

The once deliciously cooking beef became a lump of char. Goodbye, insurance payout. Goodbye, SSS-grade beef.

Choi Seol-Ah was on the verge of tears.

Life really was a continuous string of suffering. And for someone who had fallen from nouveau riche to just another face in the crowd, those words hit painfully deep.