Standing in front of Hyeonu was a human. He had a height of two meters and muscles bugling all over his body. It was the optimal body for battle.
‘No, a demon?’
The man had two large horns on his forehead. They looked like the horns of a buffalo, which were impossible for a human to have. The horns were very black in color and almost 30 centimeters long. Upon getting an ominous feeling from the man, Hyeonu wondered, “You want me... to stop?”
“Yes, let’s end it here. This guy must’ve reflected on it a lot. There are all sorts of rabble these days, so perhaps that is why he has lost his courage,” the man replied. He reached out to the still-breathing Teramas, and something amazing happened. The surrounding magic power swirled and rushed to Teramas, quickly starting to heal it.
“Right, I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Baler. I’m of the balrog species, and I have a hobby of raising demonic creatures.” The man introduced himself as Baler. The species...
‘A balrog?!’
Balrogs were one of the regulars in any game. They weren’t weak like goblins or orcs. Although they didn’t last very long in a battle, they were usually overwhelming when they first appeared. Now such a balrog was in front of Hyeonu.
“So... you’re not a demon?” Baler gazed at Hyeonu with a smile. No matter how he looked, Hyeonu didn’t seem like a demon. The aura he felt from Hyeonu was definitely similar to that of a demon. He could sense Hyeonu had magic power with a heavy dark attribute, as well as strong fighting energy and killing intent. Hyeonu gave off a dignified feeling that could only be felt from senior nobles.
‘A human?’ Baler wondered.
“You seem like a human…? A human has the guts to go to the demon world? This is the second time I’ve met a human in the demon world,” Baler said.
He really liked Hyeonu—a person who listened to his request. He also liked the energy he felt from Hyeonu. The aura of fire was particularly familiar to Baler, so he felt more comfortable.
Hyeonu didn’t hear anything else from Baler. He just remembered the last sentence and repeated it over and over again in his mind. ‘This is the second time I’ve met a human in the demon world.’
“The second?” Hyeonu spoke unknowingly.
Baler replied to Hyeonu, “Yes, it’s the second time. You are the second. By the way, is the level of humans so high recently? Ordinary nobles can’t even punch that guy.”
Unable to hide his expression of wonder, Baler gazed at Hyeonu like he was looking at an animal in a zoo. Hyeonu didn’t know what to say to such a Baler. Baler noticed Hyeonu’s expression and asked, “Am I just saying what I want to say? No... Isn’t this situation too embarrassing?”
Hyeonu blatantly shut his mouth. He was showing signs of discomfort.
“No, Baler,” Hyeonu responded with a sullen expression. He looked at the perfectly fine Teramas and realized that all his hard work had been for nothing.
“Is it because I interfered in your hunt? You are too narrow-minded to be a noble. Still, you listened to my request, so I will grant you one request.” Baler came up with an unexpected gift.
One wish—this had tremendous value. Based on the way he healed Teramas’ wounds, Baler definitely wasn’t an ordinary balrog. The reason why he gave Hyeonu such kindness was simple. It was the price he was paying for Hyeonu to spare his carefully raised Teramas. There was no meaning in fighting. The present result of Teramas still being alive was the only important thing.
‘He doesn’t seem like a regular balrog... Is he above a marquis?’ Hyeonu wondered. The only thing Baler did was talk, but his pressure was very sharp as he approached Hyeonu.
‘He feels like Lebron and the emperor?’
Hyeonu still wasn’t giving an answer, so Baler frustratedly opened his mouth to speak again.
“Is one request not enough? Then I’ll fulfill two requests. It is a great opportunity to make a wish to Baler, the best balrog in the demon world. You can rejoice a bit,” Baler said, revealing his true identity.
He was the demon world’s best balrog. It didn’t simply mean the best of the balrogs.
“Other people who know me also call me this. It is a nickname that I personally dislike. How to say... It’s embarrassing.” Baler stopped talking for a moment. Seeing how both of his cheeks reddened, it seemed he was really embarrassed. Baler raised his right hand and scratched the back of his head.
Hyeonu gulped and waited for Baler’s next words.
“I am the one who keeps the balance of the world—the first demon king, Baler.” The first demon king, who was ranked 1st in the demon world as the strongest demon—this was Baler’s other identity.
“Um... demon king...?” Hyeonu’s brain circuits froze. He couldn’t accept that the man in front of him was a demon king. There was one reason why Hyeonu couldn’t accept this fact.
‘Why is he a demon king?’
Perhaps the strongest being in Arena’s worldview was Baler. Yet this person...
‘He is completely like a neighborhood uncle.’
There was nothing extraordinary or charismatic about him. Rather, it was right to say he seemed unreliable. If Hyeonu didn’t know the identity, he would really think this person was a friendly neighborhood uncle.
‘Now that I think about it, the emperor and Lebeon are typical fantasy NPCs...’
The disadvantage was that they really loved alcohol, but they still had an imposing atmosphere around them. Then there were the dragons who always complained of tiredness, orcs and bears who had a weakness for children, and now a shameless demon king as well.
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