God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 268: Episode _Legend of the Demon World (1)

1.

It was a scene that would have the Human Rights Commission lying down in the street in protest if they saw it.

“Alright. I’ll list the materials. I’m only going to say them once, so listen carefully, okay?”

Han Simin spoke in a relaxed tone as he spun the now-spotless twin swords in his hands.

Even though they had enough attack power to lop off a top-tier demon’s head in a single stroke, there was no tension in his dangerous little display.

That was probably because of the monster named Epia standing beside him, who had just forced thousands of demons into submission in barely thirty minutes.

“Epia. My throat’s tired, so you pass it along.”

Epia remained silent.

“My master’s will said so. He wrote that you might seem scary, but you’re actually a warm-hearted woman. That even if you grumble on the surface, you’ll listen to what I say. Honestly, I wasn’t sure at first, but now I get it. You really are a warm woman.”

She stared at him blankly.

With a few well-placed sweet nothings, Epia stepped forward.

Then she began to murmur softly.

Repeating what Han Simin told her.

Her clear, beautiful voice echoing through the suffocating silence was so pure that it made one doubt she was really the Demon King, but not a single demon enjoyed listening to it.

In a silence so brittle it felt like it might shatter, who had the luxury of savoring a voice that was barely audible?

Missing even a single word meant death.

They had to catch every last one.

In this way, the long list of materials Han Simin recited was passed on to the demons through Epia.

Of course, the demons had no idea what it all meant.

All they knew was that they had followed the top-tier demons here to overthrow the so-called Demon King in name only and usher in a new era for the Demon World.

But what they had actually witnessed was twelve top-tier demons having their necks sliced open in less than thirty minutes, and a Demon King muttering incomprehensible words.

They didn’t want to die, so they memorized everything for now.

She would tell them what it meant.

Epia summed up the demons’ hopes in a single word.

“Fetch them.”

Clean.

With that one word, she dispelled all questions and confusion.

The demons were awestruck.

’Ah! So that long string of words she had spoken—longer than the time it had taken her to kill the top-tier demons and trap tens of thousands of demons in an endless dream—had actually been the names of the things we’re supposed to bring back.’

No one let out an audible exclamation, but the demons slowly went over what they had memorized once more.

Then they frowned.

A few particularly hot-tempered upper-rank demons were so dumbfounded that they lost their composure.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. When are we supposed to gather all that? And a Demon World Black Crystal on top of it? That’s a special-grade gem that only the Demon King can collect in the Demon King’s own territory.”

He spoke for them all.

A few demons instinctively nodded along.

Considering that every demon gathered here was at least mid-rank or higher, it was a stark example of just how unreasonable Epia’s order was.

The list of materials was long, and that might have been fine.

The problem was the handful—no, the dozens—of absolutely impossible items mixed in.

Some things just couldn’t be done.

Humans might try to force the impossible, but demons did not.

“I’d rather die than do this.”

Was it really okay to torment a person—no, a demon—with such absurd demands?

The demon who had bravely spoken up spat on the ground.

It was an outrageously insolent act, but considering he was a demon, it was almost cute as far as rebellion went.

He was saying he would obey orders.

But at least give them an order they could actually carry out.

It was not an unreasonable request.

“Is that so?”

“Yes! Demanding something beyond the authority granted to us is a contradiction!”

Epia smiled as she asked again.

Her expression was full of interest.

Buoyed by the fact that he had been met with a question instead of immediate punishment, the demon answered in an even more confident voice.

However, what he received in return for his courage was dozens of blades of dark magic falling from the sky.

THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD.

He gasped.

The demon, who had risen from his prostration to a kneel and lifted his head just slightly, vanished on the spot without leaving so much as a drop of blood behind.

Annihilation.

The atmosphere, which had been loosening, turned even colder than before.

In that chill, Epia’s smile only deepened as she spoke.

“Good. I like that kind of courage. Brave ones are useful. We’ll have to invade the continent soon, after all. But I don’t like courage directed at me.”

The demons fell silent.

The demons swallowed hard.

The righteous indignation that had surged up with that one demon’s courage melted away like snow in the sun.

Demons were not afraid of death.

They were afraid of annihilation.

Death meant being reset, forced to start over as the lowest-tier demon after hundreds of years, but the horror of having their very existence erased made even that fate seem preferable.

That trait of demons made the meaning of annihilation all the more terrifying.

“If anyone has an objection, speak now.”

Silence answered her.

“I’ll send you off cleanly.”

She had provided a very clear example, and no demon dared raise a complaint.

Watching the Demon King at the absolute apex of the food chain, embodying the essence of survival of the fittest, Han Simin stepped forward slightly.

“Alright, alright, the mood’s getting a little too dark. No need to freak out. Just think of it this way. I know you all have at least one treasure stashed away at home, right? Just bring that. It’s not like Epia said she’d annihilate anyone for having something hidden, so what are you so scared of? This is all for the good of the Demon World, a stepping stone to invading the continent and then ruling the Celestial Realm. So buck up and get to it, okay?”

The demons stared in disbelief.

The very picture of a wicked mother-in-law.

The brazen confidence of someone talking big because it wasn’t his own property on the line.

“Alright! Move out!”

But what could they do?

The Demon King had already given the order.

Unless they wanted to follow the first demon down the road to oblivion, they had to do as they were told.

One by one, the demons got to their feet and began to shuffle off.

“Oh! You only get three hours. We’re short on time. And if you come back empty-handed or short on materials, we’ll just source what we need on-site. So think carefully and work hard to bring enough.”

The demons froze.

Their sluggish steps suddenly sped up.

The demons spread their wings and took to the air in a desperate scramble to survive.

“We’ll source it on-site.”

What that meant became obvious if one remembered that over seventy percent of the materials were demon organs and other body parts.

“I must be really lucky. How often do the materials just come crawling to you?”

Kang Yeseul looked at him.

“When you say it like that, you really do sound like a demon.”

“That’s just how it is. When in Rome, do as the Romans do; when in the Demon World, follow Demon World rules. There are only two kinds of people in this world: the powerful and the powerless. If you don’t want to be powerless, you have to be powerful.”

Han Simin sat down, leisurely soaking in the auspicious energy of the spot as he prepared for the +14 enhancement, and muttered with sad eyes.

“From where I’m standing, you’re more like the third party who scams them both. That’s why you seem like an even bigger piece of trash.”

He didn’t respond.

Behind him, Kang Yeseul delivered a heavy blow to the back of his head with the pure, unadulterated truth.

*

Before Han Simin came to the Demon World—or rather, before his arrival prompted Epia to step out of the Demon King’s castle so openly—the Demon World had been in considerable chaos.

To the point where one had to wonder if this was really what the Demon World should look like on the eve of a united invasion of the continent.

It was inevitable.

There had been no communication between the Demon King, who should have been the central figure and commander, and the top-tier demons. As a result, the top-tier demons had come to see the Demon King as a weak scarecrow, and the upper-rank demons who dealt with them naturally adopted the same view.

In a way, it was Epia’s fault.

But all of that changed in an instant.

This was the beauty of a world ruled by survival of the fittest.

Everything had started with Epia ascending to the throne and the doubt over whether she truly possessed the overwhelming power and qualifications to sit on it.

Since the chaos had begun with that doubt, all it took to resolve it was an opportunity to clear things up.

Epia had, perhaps without fully intending to, set that stage perfectly and put on a show.

And rumors—especially in the Demon World—spread faster than wildfire.

That was inevitable when thousands of upper-rank demons scattered across the realm in search of materials.

The remaining top-tier demons, who had stayed neutral and watched from the sidelines, heard the news as well.

Quick-witted, opportunistic top-tier demons hurried to gather around Epia and curry favor.

Even in a world ruled by survival of the fittest, not every demon was a mindless berserker.

The fact that twelve top-tier demons had joined hands proved that.

Just as the Demon King needed a race to support her and a Demon King’s castle to solidify her power, the same was true for top-tier demons.

Overwhelming strength was one thing, but even among top-tier demons, they tried not to create unnecessary enemies.

The best way to do that, of course, was to line up behind the Demon King.

“Demon King. I heard you needed materials, so I raided my warehouse and brought these.”

“Give them to that human.”

“Yes, Demon King. I have always supported you.”

“Good. I like you.”

“Thank you.”

Demons gathered in a grand show of unity.

The worst—and strongest—Demon King in history.

Rather than trembling in fear and watching from afar, the wise demons decided it was far safer and more profitable to enjoy wealth and glory under her.

Thanks to their efforts, materials for a +14 enhancement—enough for a full set of Epic Legendary-grade weapons—steadily piled up.

It was the obvious outcome.

If they tried to play dumb, they were on the verge of being dismantled into materials themselves, and on top of that, the top-tier and upper-rank demons flocking to the Demon King’s side were egging everyone else on.

What good would it do to ask where to find the stuff?

They just had to pick fights with any demon they came across and take what they needed.

As time passed, more and more top-tier demons gathered around the Demon King.

They puffed out their chests and glared around as if they were her personal royal guard.

Han Simin walked up to them.

“Hey, you lot. Quit loafing around and go get more materials. I’m already pissed off about the shortage, and you’re just standing there doing nothing right in front of me?”

The demons looked confused.

The top-tier demons frowned at the outrageous behavior of this human, who hadn’t slept in days as he sorted the incoming materials and laid them out in the exact order needed for enhancement.

They were about to step forward when Epia’s voice cut in.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you doing as you’re told?”

’So he really hasn’t changed at all, even after reincarnating.’

Watching Han Simin’s true nature emerge, Epia’s pleased smile only grew wider.

*