Only I Am A Reader

Using the following month to unwind, the negative effect brought by both political and physical conflict was washed away from their body as the black ship crossed the sea, arriving at the port city that looked even worse than the time they left it…

'The situation is starting to regress as expected.'

Picking up some news from the mouths of the port city's residents, Leo confirmed that the invaders hadn't sat still while they were on their little advancement trip. Just as humans finally managed to make a comeback with the motivation provided by the Monster Hunter Association, the opening frequency of cracks shot through the roof after the First Calamity's descent!

The main theory was still that more monsters crossing over were still the cause, but Leo knew that the invasion's continuation was inevitable. In order to stop everything once and for all, the cause behind it had to be destroyed…

Proving how dire the situation was, the group's return journey wasn't uneventful, coming upon several monster encounters before they finally managed to reach Mount Heaven. Though it didn't pose much of a threat to the powerhouses and their flowering students!

Once again Leo and the others got to return through the front gate, announcing their fruitful return to the Heavenly Strength Society starting by reporting to none other than the Heavenly Demon himself.

"So, how did it go, Jeong?"

Even for a strong organization like theirs, the tension could be seen in everyone's eyes as the ones who sought to destroy the monsters the most. However, the Society Leader's complexion was as calm as it could be.

"Their situation was more or less as we expected so the alliance plan worked without problems, although we did encounter a strange mutant that seemed to be a hybrid between a Phoenix and one of these weird humanoid monsters."

As the core of this adventure, this time, Leo, Yeon, Sohee, and Yong weren't excluded from hearing the details that they already had knowledge of, though Cheon Jeong still chose to share the rest of the story using Sound Transmission.

"Quite the interesting creature… The scope of their activity had expanded as expected. According to this pace-"

Just when the Heavenly Demon seemed like he would spill the beans that Leo was interested in, he took a pause as he scanned through the four seedlings.

"Right, let's do that first so I can speak more freely."

Thanks to his recent advancement, Leo no longer had to endure the full brunt of the pressure domain that the Heavenly Demon automatically emitted. However, after he finished his words, the amount of pressure was immediately amplified, almost causing Leo's stance to break.

"Great, I must say that you didn't disappoint my expectations, the war generation is truly the most promising."

'More like a protagonist's generation just has to be special…'

"With this level of ability, you qualify for your first promotion. From this moment onwards, you shall be recognized as Scarlet Sky Warriors!"

'Here it is!'

Their due promotion had come!

They were at least a year ahead of schedule, but by achieving transcendence, any core Martial Artist of the Heavenly Strength Society would be acknowledged to have surpassed the mid-ranks!

'Some authority at last!'

Compared to the old Heavenly Demon Cult, a Scarlet Sky Warrior was the equivalent of a 'Great Demon'. Those who received this title were not only no longer bound to a certain squad, but they also obtained the ability to command some members below their ranks, being interchangeably referred to as Scarlet Sky Commanders.

Although core seedlings like them didn't have to answer to anyone other than the four pillars by the Heavenly Demon's designation, reaching this point was a milestone for many. At this point, the nameless orphans picked up from the streets could be said to have finally made it out in the Heavenly Strength Society.

"You now also have the right to listen to our discussion. So, as I was saying, according to the records, a larger scope and a higher dimensional activity mean that the advent of the Demon Lord is near."

'So he does know!'

The Heavenly Demon's blatant words immediately cleared the doubt that Leo had. Unlike the rest of Murim that was clueless about everything from the start, the Heavenly Demon and the top brass under him knew the most critical details behind the monsters' invasion!

"One of the major reasons for our Society's founding was exactly to deal with these fake demon monsters, so we mustn't let them gain the advantage. However…"

The demonic monsters were truly the mortal enemies of the Heavenly Strength Society as Leo had previously guessed! With this piece of information in place, the progression of the novel's following event finally made sense!

"This is not necessarily a bad thing. The faster their so-called Demon Lord crosses over, the earlier we can get rid of these annoying pests."

'Indeed…'

A Demon Lord! Although the being they were referring to wasn't an actual demon, this was but one of the ways used to refer to the key piece behind the entire invasion!

As the one with the greatest caliber within the entire monster community, a good amount of time was required before he could cross over just as was the case for the Poison Dragon. His descent was bound to bring about endless disasters, but it was also the only chance humanity had to repel the monsters back to where they came from.

Only by killing the only being capable of opening up cracking between worlds could the invasion truly come to an end!

"This probably sounds ambiguous and you do deserve to get some context now that you have come this far, so I will be granting you access to view some of the relevant records. Jeong…"

"I understand."

"Well then, it was fun meeting you all once again. Especially you, little queen. I look forward to your awakening, hopefully… It wouldn't be too late, both for your and our Heavenly Society's sake."