Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 496: Demon Kimaris

Kimaris was once a human. However, it was such a long time ago that it had already turned into an old story that he could not remember. It was a part of him that resembled Elpis. But unlike Elpis, who was forced to become a vessel for demonic energy, Kimaris willingly became a demon.

He used to be a soldier fighting desperately in the battlefield. And on the battlefield, Kimaris was the only black soldier in the entire continent, a continent that he could no longer remember the name of. His efforts in the battlefield were never recognized. Despite being a soldier, his disposition and aura were completely different from the rest. He was also faster and stronger than anyone in the battlefield. There was even a time when he successfully cut off the neck of the enemy’s commander, but his deeds were never recognized because of his status. Just because he was black.

Kimaris had lived a life of discrimination. He had always been ignored and trampled on, which made his anger against these people and hatred toward such an unfair world boil over. When he reached that point, Great Demon Verus appeared in front of him with his hands held out.

That was how he became a ‘demon’.

The demon Kimaris that everyone feared was now…

‘This is nice.’

…enjoying his leisurely outing on earth. His hatred for the world? It had been a long time so he had mostly forgotten about it. For him, it was just so fun and enjoyable to watch the flowers, trees and grass, things that were not present in the Demon World, sway in the wind.

[The Demon Summoning Ring’s summoning time has been extended.]

In the end, Kimaris was able to successfully extend his time here by another half an hour. The reason why Minhyuk extended his summons was because, ‘Even if we rack our brains right now, there’s no chance that we will be able to win his heart.’ He knew that nothing would change even if they summoned him at another time. Everything had to be settled today.

Hence, Minhyuk cooked a meal for Kimaris. The dish that he decided to make was none other than grilled pork belly, a dish that had an amazing scent when being prepared. He sat in front of Kimaris as he grilled the pork belly.

Sizzle—

He lined up a row of pork belly on top of the hot stone grill, before adding a row of well-ripened kimchi right next to it.

Sizzle—

The enticing sound of the pork and kimchi being grilled erupted as Minhyuk grabbed his scissors to cut the meat. Then, he clamped a piece of pork belly, dipped it in ssamjang and placed it in his mouth.

“Kghhhk~ This is very delicious. I think it’s much better than that centipede brain you’re talking about~ right~?”

He also chomped on a mouthful of steaming white rice, before following up with a spoonful of soybean paste stew complete with zucchini and tofu. He slowly savored the dishes that he put in his mouth.

Alas, Kimaris was not interested in what he was doing at all. Minhyuk recalled the people that had been seduced by his mukbang as he watched the uninterested Kimaris sadly.

Of course, they did not stop there. They tried a variety of methods.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap—

Beanie quickly approached Kimaris. He sat down in front of the demon and looked up at him with his big and shining eyes.

“Oiiiiiiiiink…”

Beanie was acting cute and pretending to be pitiful! However, instead of feeling pity, Kimaris just slowly took his axe from his shoulder.

“…hwiiiiik!” Beanie squealed loudly as he ran away at the speed of light.

The clock still continued to tick away but they still could not do anything. Even Minhyuk, who usually did not give up, could not find an answer.

‘Is it even possible to win a demon’s heart in the first place? Also, he doesn’t spend much time with either me or my vassals.’

He only had his third summon left. And it was just for thirty more minutes. It was impossible to change someone’s mind in that short amount of time. Just when Minhyuk and his vassals were about to give up, the most unexpected person made a move. It was Elpis.

Elpis sat next to Kimaris as he handed him his earphones and said, “Do you want to listen to it?”

“…What is this?”

“It’s a tool for listening to music.”

Kimaris was unfamiliar with the term so he just nodded as if he found it alright. Then, a beautiful melody flowed through his ears. The melody was not the usual ‘Swallowtail Butterfly’ that Elpis liked to listen to, but a beautiful and calm classical music. Elpis handed the other earphone so Kimaris could listen to the music fully. Kimaris looked around as he listened to the music. With the calm classical music, the surrounding scenery became more beautiful. It was quite a novel tool. He just put it in his ears yet it made everything around him more beautiful.

Then, Kimaris turned to Elpis with curiosity, “I want to hear your story. Diablo.”

Kimaris was a demon serving under Verus. However, he did not feel as if they were betrayed by Diablo. After all, Diablo was a human and not a demon. Besides, he was forcefully dragged into the Demon World. Minhyuk looked at Elpis worriedly. After all, an unexpected situation might suddenly appear around them.

However, Elpis just nodded at him slightly, ‘Don’t worry.’

There was nothing for Minhyuk to worry about between Elpis and Kimaris. Because Elpis was not weak enough that he would be beaten by Kimaris. The two of them headed toward the forest.

Kimaris asked, “Why are you serving a measly human?”

Elpis looked over the forest to where his friends were after hearing the question. Kimaris mostly understood Elpis. He understood why Elpis wanted to cut down the demons after they made him into a vessel for their demonic magic and turned him into a lesser demon. He also understood why Elpis was very furious at Great Demon Verus.

But, there was one thing that he could not understand. He did not know why Elpis swore his eternal loyalty to a human. Elpis answered, “Because he taught me how to be happy. And right now, I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

Kimaris’ face was filled with doubt. So, Elpis smiled and continued, “Look over there. Everyone is different.”

His words reminded Kimaris of the fact that everyone over there was truly different from each other. There was an old man that looked like he was going to have a hard time holding a spear and there was also a pig. There was even a member of the demon race that loved steamy novels and a crazy pirate. And right in front of him was Diablo, the Lesser Demon.

Throb—

Kimaris felt his head ache as memories of the past flashed in his head.

Because of his different skin and race, no one treated him kindly. In fact, none of them treated him like a human. That was why he ran away. The scene in front of him was completely unfamiliar.

“Everyone is different from each other. However, everyone is laughing and enjoying their time together. This is what the king that I serve made happen.”

Kimaris glanced at Elpis after hearing his words, ‘Kings that walked down this path usually walked the path of downfall.’ It was only natural. A king that was not cold-hearted, or one who was obsessed with emotions could ruin everything.

“Sometimes playful, sometimes greater than everybody, sometimes like a child, and sometimes stronger than a demon.”

Kimaris turned to look at Minhyuk as he listened to Elpis.

“That’s the king that I serve.”

Kimaris did not feel much or realize anything after hearing his words. However, it made him think that it was ‘interesting’. Then, he thought, ‘If I served such a man when I was still human then perhaps…’

Would my life back then change? Would I even be a devil?

Kimaris had lived for hundreds of thousands of years now and living this long was quite burdensome.

‘A final amusement…’

He could still have a bit of fun while he was still living. So, Kimaris took a step forward again.

***

Minhyuk and the rest of his vassals came to a final decision while Elpis and Kimaris were talking. They would put the final summon on hold. No matter what they thought, there seemed to be no way for them to get Kimaris’ heart. However, they did not necessarily have to remove the opportunity to summon him like that.

Then, Elpis and Kimaris approached them. Even though he was just walking, Kimaris, who looked like a huge black soldier, was emitting tremendous pressure. Kimaris looked around the vassals before turning to Minhyuk and saying, “I will not serve a human.”

Minhyuk smiled bitterly at his words. It was something that he already expected. But then, Kimaris continued to say, “But I want to enjoy the entertainment that your kingdom has for a bit longer.”

“…?!”

Minhyuk already realized that Kimaris’ words were a precursor to a new quest. Then, the notifications rang.

[Hidden Quest: Kimaris’ Loyalty]

Rank: SSS

Requirements: The One bearing the Demon Summoning Ring

Rewards: Kimaris’ loyalty.

Penalty for Failure: Kimaris will go berserk.

Description: The Demon Summoning Ring explicitly stated that you can have the demon as your subordinate as long as you subjugate or win their heart. However, Kimaris had chosen to take a new approach. He will now stay in your kingdom for a month. If you can win his heart within the month, you will be able to take him in as your vassal forever.

Minhyuk brightened up after hearing the notifications. The time that they were given during each summon was too short for them to do anything.

But what if they were given a month?

‘Are you telling me that I can really make a demon like that my vassal?’

The thought was enough to make Minhyuk’s heart pound. However, it was still dangerous to leave Kimaris alone since there was a chance that he would change his mind at any given moment. So, Elpis decided to stay with Kimaris at all times.

Minhyuk immediately logged out, boarded their private jet and promptly fell asleep as they set off for America, completely unaware of the impending disaster that was coming their way.

***

There was a story about fifty troops from Lumae Kingdom, the Warrior’s nation, assassinating and killing tens of thousands of enemy troops that circulated in the continent. This story was considered as a myth by most, but it was actually true. King Raldo and his kingdom knights truly assassinated their enemies with their measly numbers.

Warrior King Raldo was also known as Overlord Raldo. He was a living and breathing legend; even Sword Emperor Ellie could not deal with him easily. He was also one of the Absolute Supreme NPCs, just right below Ellie in terms of position.

King Raldo was the owner of a passive skill that could break the limits of another, which was why the Lumae Kingdom was filled with countless warriors. Even the number of the legends in their kingdom was comparable to Eivelis Empire.

Right now, the three hundred elite knights that Raldo had personally raised were now lurking outside Valencia. Their mission was simple. All they needed to do was remove the core forces of Beyond the Heavens Kingdom in Valencia before Prince Votto made his move. Most of them were guardians and since the guardians’ lives were not infinite, they had to make sure that they could take away those guardian’s lives and completely remove the core of their power.

There were five leaders that were leading these troops: legendary NPCs hailed as the Undefeated Knights. They were knights that could cut down more than a thousand enemies by themselves. Among them was Arca, the person closest to the Sword Saint in power and was this mission’s general commander.

‘Beyond the Heavens Kingdom is full of exaggerated rumors,’ Arca snickered.

There were many legendary existences in Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. However, the stories that surrounded them were too exaggerated. From what they heard, there was an old man that pierced the body of a black dragon in one go, a young boy that taught the Knight’s Tower’s tower master swordsmanship, and the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom’s shield that even the great demon Verus coveted.

‘I’m pretty sure Beyond the Heavens Kingdom created these rumors so they could protect themselves,’ Arca thought as he divided his troops into five and sent them away. The Undefeated Knights would lead the knights and do five separate raids.

Just when Arca was about to move with the fifty knights in his troops, they heard the sound of a blade cutting through air. Arca immediately raised his hand to signal his troops to stop. That was when he saw an old man trying to catch his breath after practicing his spearmanship at this late hour of the night.

‘How can an old man like that…’

Why was the old man so lively and energetic? In fact, the bulging muscles that were highlighted by the drops of sweat flowing on them were very attractive. Even the old man’s gaze was very sharp.

This old man was none other than Ghost Spear Ben. He had been practicing until late into the night after realizing the limits of his power, ‘The enemies that we’re going to face in the future will only get stronger. However, it’s very hard for me to break through my limits if I stay still. I want to get stronger, at the very least as strong as Elpis and Brod.’

Ben wanted to protect Minhyuk and the kingdom that the boy built. He was aware that his strength was still lacking, that was why he was training and practicing his techniques, even at his age.

Arca, after looking at Ghost Spear Ben, realized that the old man in front of him was the Ghost Spear of the rumors. The very same old man that was said to have pierced through the body of a black dragon. Arca wanted to duel with the old man. But he held himself back. He knew that the element of surprise was very important in their mission. After all, a kingdom war was already on the brink of breaking out.

‘That old man’s power is just something that those rumors blew out of proportion anyway,’ Arca thought as he tried to look back at his men to give them his secret orders.

But just when he was about to look back…

“I have never allowed you to step foot in His Majesty’s lands.”

Stab—

…a member of the knight order collapsed on the ground.

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

And…

Stab, stab stab, stab—

Five knights fell down one after the other. And along with that, a chilly voice rang behind Arca, the person known to be the closest to the Sword Saint.

“Die.”

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

The spear moved in a ghostly manner as it attacked Arca dozens of times. All Arca could do was swing his sword to block the attack.

Spurt—

Blood spurted out of Arca’s mouth as his body was sent flying back from the impact of one of the attacks.

“Urk!”

The old man, who looked to have wielded his spear for over forty years now, did not lose his ground and was even ferocious as he fought against a knight of Arca’s caliber. That was when Arca realized, ‘Legend…? No, he’s more than a legend. What in the world is that old man?’

A legend above legends. That was Ghost Spear Ben, Minhyuk’s first vassal and personal barista.

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