Somewhere hidden far away from the populace, a black-clad man walks alone deep in a forest filled with nothing but darkness and anguished screams of different voices. Only after hours of walking in a straight path does the faintest speck of light showed in his vision.

Stepping out into the light, what he saw was a single door standing on a narrow road on top of a bottomless pit. Countless demonic beasts are flying around, preparing for any intruder to step on the path. Every single one of them gives off a murderous aura that no ordinary man can withstand. Nevertheless, the man in black walked towards the door with no regard for the circumstances laid in front of him. For him, this is an everyday occurrence. Whenever a beast attempts to go near him, it only ends up to pieces in a blink of an eye.

It was true until the man reached the door. Once he pushed the door open, all beast in the vicinity starts to flee. Although, for some reason, they are bound to something that stops them from doing so. This, in turn, created a mass hysteria of demonic beasts thrashing around. Even the strongest-looking ones begin to panic.

"What a mess just to open the gate of hell." The man in black impatiently commented while the bottomless pit starts to be filled up by a mystical purple light.

Weird tentacle shape figures shot out of the pit and grabbed every beast that failed to escape. It dragged them into the pool of light, ignoring the screeching screams of the struggling creatures. Even when he saw what happened, the black-clad man jumped passed through the door and jumped towards the light without any hesitation. It took several breaths before he stepped on solid ground.

Underneath, what awaits him was a crimson tunnel burning as one great furnace flamed, yet from those flames, no light but only darkness is visible. Deeper inside, souls could be seen roaming around. At the end of the road, a creature as small as a child welcomes the man in black.

"Jahnan, do something about those pests outside. It's annoying to deal with them every time."

"You know it's easier creating wild demonic beast than giving them any type of intelligence. Besides, they can barely do anything to you." The small creature named Jahnan replied to the banter of the black-clad man.

Both seem pretty familiar with each other based on their interactions, although It didn't take them long to get to the main point.

"So, what's new outside that made you came back?"

"They have moved."

It took only a few words before Jahnan understood the situation.

"Sigh~ They really have gone and done it huh. Those kings badly want to become their overlord. Such fools."

"So who's their Emperor now?" Jahnan asked, yet the man in black seems hesitant to answer.

"It's quite complicated. Currently, they have no one."

Jahnan looks confused after hearing his reply because moments ago, he felt the crystal act up, indicating that a new Emperor has been chosen. However, before he can finish drawing up his conclusion, the man in black continued.

"The Candidate that won the throne was someone that wasn't part of their plan, so they killed him."

Jahnan went to deep thought and tried to feel the crystal once again, but there weren't any changes that he noticed.

"Are you sure the recent Emperor is dead?" Jahnan becomes doubtful of the news.

"I confirmed it. I can't feel his presence in this world anymore."

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He wasn't satisfied with his answer but at the same time, he knows the man is telling the truth. At his current position, he can't do anything about it, so he bid the man farewell.

"For now, you can go back to the Demon Realm and report any movements from those kings. Meanwhile, I will report back to my superior." Jahnan then proceeds to slowly vanish into the air leaving no trace of their meeting.

'I guess it's time for another visit.'

*******

*Chirp~chirp~*

'What a horrible nightmare.'

Hearing the chirps of birds rippled, I found myself looking up towards an unfamiliar ceiling. Rays of sunlight passed through the only single window located in the room. Still feeling groggy from my sleep, I slowly struggled to get up. Halfway through, I felt a painful sting from my chest that forces me to lay down once again.

'What the Hell! Where did I get this!'

Thinking back to what I thought was just a nightmare, I understood that it wasn't any dream.

'So I died...'

Hold-up. If I remember correctly, souls should not be able to feel any physical pain at all. So why is Satan's name does it hurt? And why is there bandage on my wound? Where the hell am I? Should I be dead, right?

I got a lot of questions going on my head, but it was disturbed when a foreign-looking old man entered.

"***** **** ****"

The old man seems to be talking to me, but I can't understand what he was saying. I never heard this language even though he looks like a Humas.

"*** ***" No matter how I tried indicating that I can't comprehend anything that he says, he still carried on with his babbling.

"***"

Realizing that I can't understand him, the old man sighs and points towards something before leaving. Maybe he thinks I'm still recovering from my unconscious state that he gave up quickly.

'What did he point to anyway?'

I looked towards the direction he indicated and saw the ring if I remember, the hero gave me. It lacks the luster of gold compared to the last time I remember it. I should be happy that something I recognized something. However, it also made me remembered the events that happened before I blacked out.

'Arghhh!!! I can't believe that just happened. It's infuriating to think about how they got me so easily.'

I wiggled in frustration, thinking back to those bastards. Neglecting the wound in my chest, it starts to open up for every time I move. Though, the pain only made me angrier of what already is my most furious instances.

Nevertheless, I calmed down after a few minutes partly because it really starts to hurt. I was able to collect my thoughts afterward and turn back to my current situation.

I wore back the ring putting it on my left middle finger, and without any particular reason, I felt a sense of comfort after wearing the ring. The fatigue hit me hard a second later. I was back asleep. Thankfully, no nightmare or any sorts have disturbed my deep slumber.

Hours later...

I woke up the second time by the footsteps of the same old man. Now the only source of light that could be seen is from the candlelight he brought and placed on the tabletop beside my bed.

He grabbed a chair nearby and prepared the items of what seems to be a salve of an unknown liquid and a bowl of hot water with a fresh set of bandages.

He tended my wounds and smeared the mysterious liquid directly on the punctured part of my chest.

'What did he just put? It feels weird, ticklish, and good at the same time.'

In a little while, I saw my wound visibly close at a slow rate. It was then followed by a dim glow of green light that radiates a warm heat. During the process, the old man whispered to himself quietly but enough for me to hear.

"It's incredible how he still alive even with a hole in his heart."

"!!!"

I was shocked by what the old man said. Not because I have a hole in my heart. Instead, his words were intelligible. (Well maybe I'm a bit surprised by my heart condition.)

"How did you..."

"Oh, so you can speak lad," The old man replied, ignoring my initial question.

"How did you do it, old man."

"Hey, I'm not that old to be called that besides, I've got a name, and it's Jo Shiro. And if you're talking about this, it's a B - Grade Healing Potion." The old man, Jo Shiro, introduced himself while dangling the empty flask.

"No. I'm talking about your words, old man. I never understood a single word you said while ago, but now you're speaking clearly."

"Stop addressing me as an old man, and what are you talking about? I have talked like this since forever. Maybe you lost to much blood that it began to affect your head."

What the old man said makes sense. Perhaps my mind wasn't itself after those horrible events or, like he said, my deep wound.

"The thing you called healing potion, where did you get it? I have never seen such an effective medicine anywhere. Unless of course, it's the most renowned doct- Don't tell me you're Averitt the Needle Hero!!! But I never heard that he was an old man."

My curiosity about the effects of the potion had led me to believe that there can only be one person across the continent that can create a miracle drug. He must be hiding his identity like many other Humas heroes. That explains why a shabby-looking man can have prized possessions.

"There really is a problem with your head. Who are you talking about? I said my name is Jo Shiro. Have you never encountered a potion before? It's pretty common to have one even if it's the lowest grade."

"You have more of them!?!? Is it possible that you can give some to me, old man?" I shamelessly asked.

"No, that was the last B - Grade potion we had. High-grade potions like this are quite expensive and rare... And if you call me old man one mo-"

"OLD MAN! Thank you very much! And I'm sorry for asking more. I can't believe you used such precious items on me. How can I ever repay you."

Knowing the true value of the potion, I wasn't able to stop myself from standing up and bowing down ninety degrees to show my appreciation even though it hurts.

It's a big humiliation for the Demon Emperor to bow down to any Humas in any circumstances even with death, but I don't care since the man gave up his treasure to save me, a stranger for him. Besides, I'm probably not the Emperor anymore.

Not hearing any type of response, I looked back to him only to see the irritation in his face.

"I guess you're healed enough for a quick discipline." The old man said calmly but I can sense that he is pissed.

"What are you talking about?" Trying to grasp the situation, I saw him moving his hand erratically while mumbling what seems to be a chant. Afterward, A red flame bigger than my head appears in his hand.

I thought it was my mind playing tricks again, but it was quickly dismissed when I felt the heat a meter away from him.

"Brat, how times do I need to tell you NOT TO CALL ME OLD MAN!!!"

An old man throwing a ball of fire was the last thing I remember before getting unconscious for the third time.