The Returnee’s Guild Must Grow Properly

I barely managed to swallow the string of curses threatening to spill out.

“Godslayer, who exactly…?”

“…”

There was no salvaging this situation.

Rubbing my face, I sighed deeply, exhaling my frustration.
“Fine, I’ll just go with it. Yes, I’m an angel. Let’s leave it at that. But I have a few questions for you.”

“Questions? Oh, yes, of course. Ask me anything,” Woo Mahan replied earnestly, looking eager to help.

Smiling slightly, I asked,
“Do you believe that both your brother and I are Returnees?”

“I do.”

His immediate answer made me tilt my head slightly in surprise. Woo Mahan elaborated,
“People who are non-Awakened, or non-Candidates, don’t have what we call ‘STATUS.’ That’s the commonly known status window, which I can see as an Awakened individual.”

I recalled hearing Do Hain grumble once about how Woo Mahan’s eyes were a pain because they never missed anything.

“Right now, my vision tells me that I can’t discern your status, Godslayer. The same goes for my brother—it labels both of you as non-Awakened.”

His perception was accurate, though there was one key thing he couldn’t see:

【HIDDEN STATUS】

This unique trait is exclusive to Returnees, something beyond Woo Mahan’s sight.

“But then there’s my brother, flying through the air, levitating objects, and…”

He paused, muttering quietly,
“…Acting like a middle schooler claiming to be a Demon King.”

“…”

So the Demon King had been showing everything without any restraint.

“Regardless, I’ve decided to believe him. Despite… everything.”

“What have I done to warrant such words?” the Demon King retorted.

“That tone! That ridiculous behavior!” Woo Mahan shouted before clearing his throat.

“I don’t know much about your guild. Only that your username is Godslayer, and your guild members include the 9th Circle Archmage, the Northern Grand Duke, the Hero, the Dragon Slayer, the Spirit Master, and the Greatest Martial Artist.”

“…”

“Oh, and that all of you are Returnees. That’s all I know.”

That’s… quite a lot.

Is this what it feels like to have your private information leaked without consent?
Suddenly, his earlier comments about “concept-obsessed weirdos” made more sense.

I turned to glare at the Demon King, a dangerous smile on my lips. Raising a finger, I drew it mockingly across my throat.

I’ll make sure to end you someday.

The Demon King avoided my gaze, busying himself by cuddling the Cerberus pup. At this rate, he was going to get bitten—

“Ow!”

Oh, he actually got bitten.

Unbelievable. Scowling, I moved toward him. Or rather, I tried to.

[The Constellation, ‘Greater Lord of Hell than Satan,’ sends a warning.]
[The Constellation, ‘Greater Lord of Hell than Satan,’ apologizes for failing to prevent this occurrence.]

“Mahun?”

I stopped Woo Mahan, who was holding his son’s hand and attempting to approach the Demon King.

“Godslayer?”

I gently pushed him back and fixed a hardened gaze on the Demon King.

[The Sanctuary, , is in turmoil over the appearance of a foreign god challenging the throne!]
[The Sanctuary, , is in chaos as a god from another dimension tears through the fabric of space!]
[The Sanctuary, , trembles at the emergence of an otherworldly god breaking into this dimension!]

“…Woo Mahan.”

He looked at me with worry written all over his face. I tilted my head slightly, smirking as I tightened my chains.

[‘Dekhion’s Demon God, ‘■■■,’ manifests in this world!]

“Run as far as you can.”

Of course. With a guild member involved, why did I ever think this quest would end smoothly?

Breaking News
Seoul ○○ construction site toxic gas leak… area inaccessible.
Cause unknown: possibly due to dungeon emergence or nearby research facility accident…

A short-haired woman scratched her brow before stepping away from the counter.
“Yoo Daegong, watch the store for me.”

“What?”

“I said, watch the store.”

“Boss, are you heading out?”

“Yep.”

The man cleaning a table glanced up as the woman slipped on her fingerless gloves, mumbling,
“I’m off to catch the Demon King.”

“…?”

Leaving her new part-timer in charge of the store wasn’t ideal, but dealing with the Demon King took priority.

[The ‘Hero’ must fulfill their duty.]

So chaotic. What a mess.

* * *

“Cough…!”

Damn it. This hurts like hell.

Every cough brought the taste of iron to my tongue.

No sooner had the manifestation notification disappeared than I was hit with an attack, giving me no time to dodge.
Not that I had planned on dodging anyway.

I just hoped Yubin’s dad got away safely with his son. The attack I took should’ve bought them enough time to escape.

I only worried about how the father was taking it. Finding out your younger brother attacked your family must be devastating.

―To think you’re still breathing. Impressive for a human.

The voice reverberated, drilling into my eardrums.

Grimacing, I raised a lopsided smirk.

《The title ‘Saintess’ has been unsealed.》

My entire body went numb. I must’ve sustained some serious injuries for this title to activate.

I never imagined the sealed title ‘Saintess’ would unlock like this.

[Authority, ‘Healing,’ is activated.]

The pain ebbed away as I slowly got back to my feet.

[Authority, ‘Purification,’ is activated.]

The stiflingly toxic air cleared, becoming breathable again.

―Ho, interesting. So, you’re a Saintess?

“What? Never seen one before?”

―Of course I have. Among those who came after me, some were Saintesses.

“…”

I suddenly understood where the Demon King had picked up his tone of speech. He must’ve learned it from this Demon God.

Whatever life the Demon King led in Dekhion, it couldn’t have been easy. Not much different from mine, I’d wager.

Sighing, I took another step forward.

[Authority, ‘Sanctuary,’ is activated.]

Boom.

The oppressive force of gravity emanated from me, causing the Demon God—or rather, the Demon God inhabiting the Demon King’s body—to stagger.

―Do you think this body will succumb to such trifling power?

He raised one hand to cover his left eye, and I scowled.

What, does he have a black dragon sealed in there or something?

―Finally! Finally, I reclaim my rightful vessel! Do you know how long I’ve waited for this?!

“I don’t know. And I don’t care, you bastard.”

―…!!

What, never seen a Saintess swear before?

For a split second, his stunned expression looked almost like the Demon King’s. Then again, it was the Demon King’s face, so of course it would.

I moved the chains binding me as I spoke, addressing the interloper.
“Why are you making a mess in someone else’s world? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

[The Constellation, ‘Greater Lord of Hell than Satan,’ nods in agreement with the Godslayer’s words.]
[The Constellation, ‘Greater Lord of Hell than Satan,’ adds that it’s disgraceful to hide in someone’s pet.]

Wait, the Demon God was hiding inside the Cerberus pup? That’s why the Demon King said the dog had absorbed his power?

Clicking my tongue in disgust, I muttered,
“Really scraping the bottom of the barrel, huh? Must be one pathetic god.”

―You insolent wretch! This body is the ruler of Dekhion’s great darkness! I could reduce you to ash with a single thought!

“Don’t care.”

CRACK—!

The ground beneath my feet shattered.

My lips parted slightly in surprise, though it seemed the Demon God was equally shocked.

―I aimed for your throat…!

The furious voice echoed as I raised one corner of my mouth in a mocking smirk.

Right. Chatting politely with a Demon God wasn’t on my to-do list today.

Kicking off the fractured ground, I lunged forward, hand outstretched.
“Do you know what kind of requests the Constellations have been sending me?”

With a single motion, I grabbed the Demon God—or rather, the Demon King’s face, which the Demon God was inhabiting—and sneered.
“They’re asking me to kill the Demon King and throw you out.”

But, of course, that wasn’t an option. The Demon King’s only crime was raising my blood pressure.

Besides, the request from Greater Lord of Hell than Satan wasn’t finished yet. And I always finish my quests first.

[Authority, ‘Divine Punishment,’ is activated.]

Blue lightning erupted violently as I slammed the Demon God into the ground.

―Gahhh…!!

Even though it had manifested in this world, the Demon God was using the Demon King’s body as a vessel. That limited how much power it could wield.

Still, I didn’t expect Divine Punishment to work this effectively.

―You foul-mouthed Saintess!

Just as I tightened the chains to further bind the Demon God, a surge of dark energy shaped like a jagged spear streaked toward me.

I jerked back, narrowly avoiding it. A sharp pain grazed my cheek, leaving a trail of blood that stopped almost instantly.

―Do you think a wretch like you can truly hinder me?!

“I seem to be doing a good job so far.”

Thunder roared as lightning bolts rained down from the sky, striking indiscriminately.

Damn lunatic.

[The Constellation, ‘Local Casanova,’ is furious at the Demon God’s encroachment on their domain!]

Alright, old man, calm down! This is already chaotic enough without your interference.

Scowling, I focused my glare on the Demon God.

It seemed it had grown accustomed to the Sanctuary, moving more fluidly now. I could increase its strength, but… that would likely destroy the Demon King’s body.

I grimaced. Let’s not imagine that.

Just the thought of strawberry jam splattering everywhere made me shake my head.

Suddenly, the chains I controlled snagged on something.

CLANG!

The sharp sound echoed, making me wince.

The obstruction? A cracked skull.

―Ha-ha! You’ve done well to last this long. Let me commend you!

Its hollow eye sockets flared with fire before a massive burst of flames engulfed my vision.

BOOM—!!