Ring!
【You have successfully summoned a demon.】
The summoning was a success.
But…
"Loy! al!!!"
"Whoa! You scared me!"
The sudden cry of loyalty—it was so loud that Ha-min was startled.
Why loyalty?
And then, right after…
"Reporting in. Demon Army combat soldier, Bellamon, assigned here via transfer as of XX month, XXXX year, on this XX day. Hereby re! port! ing!"
'What? A... transfer?'
Just absurd…
What is he talking about?
A sudden military transfer report…
"......"
It's been a really long time since I heard that. That damned military transfer report.
The demon summoned into Ha-min's studio apartment introduced himself as a Demon Army combat soldier.
Huh? But what about the visuals?
Tall height, golden hair, chiseled facial features—a classic Western-style handsome face.
And not just that…
He had the kind of unreal looks you'd only see in an anime. Yet from his mouth came fluent Korean.
"Loy! al!"
He didn't forget to salute at the end of his report, either.
"Ah! P-please keep it down!"
Ha-min was flustered by the booming voice.
It echoed loudly.
It was loud enough to be heard outside too,
"Yes! Understood."
He was a demon with a very sharp military bearing.
"Excuse me… may I ask your rank?"
"Private Bellamon!"
"Ah! So you're a private."
That probably explained why he was so stiff with matching military discipline.
To be honest, Ha-min had been quite nervous.
He'd thought of a typical demon when he heard "demon summoning," and had been mentally preparing himself for that… but then,
suddenly, a Western model popped out.
'What's going on here?'
Did the summoning fail?
No.
Just now, the system message clearly said,
【You have successfully summoned a demon.】
He'd seen it clearly.
But….
Well, calling him a demon was a bit… questionable.
'Then again, thinking that demons have horns on their heads or tails on their butts is pretty prejudiced, I guess.'
Private Bellamon.
From his appearance alone, he looked completely human.
"Um… Mr. Bellamon?"
"Private! Bel! la! mon!"
Full name and rank!
As expected of a private—his military bearing rang loud and clear.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ha-min, Kang Ha-min."
As Ha-min reached out his hand, Bellamon took it,
"Private! Bel! la! mon!"
…
No, no—this isn't the military, you know….
"Ah. You don't have to go that far, Mr. Bellamon."
"That won't do, sir."
'Sir?'
Is this that military speech pattern?
"No matter how relaxed the situation is, the summoner is still my master, sir."
Whoa, he even said "master."
The conversation just wouldn't flow smoothly.
'This is going to be a headache,'
It felt like a conversation between a sergeant and a private.
Come to think of it….
【The latest Korean patch has been applied.】
'Is that why?'
Didn't the patch get applied a little too strongly?
What's so great about the Korean military that they'd make a patch like this….
Ring!
▶ Demon Info
―Name : Bellamon
―Affiliation : Demon Army
―Rank : Private
―Branch : Infantry (Combat Soldier)
―Summon Duration : 8 hours
―Exclusive Skill : Abyssal Judgment
He is a low-ranking combat soldier of the Demon Army, nicknamed "Cheerful Bellamon." Originally a man of few words, he became the cheerful demon soldier he is today through his military life. In his original nature, he was a quiet, ordinary young demon who loved reading books in the demon realm. But one day, when the Demon Realm's «Demon King's Tower» appeared, his world began walking the path of destruction, and he was unwillingly drafted into the Demon Army, ending up here.
Bellamon's profile says his nickname is Cheerful Bellamon.
'Well, thanks to that military discipline, he's certainly full of energy.'
….
Just then,
Growl.
"Huh?"
That wasn't Ha-min's stomach growling.
Where was that sound coming from?
It was from Bellamon, standing in the "at ease" posture.
"Um, Mr. Bellamon, are you hungry by any chance?"
"Ah... No, sir."
Even as he spoke, his posture didn't waver at all.
'No, huh... He definitely looks hungry though?'
Growl...
The sound came again.
He seemed to be really hungry.
'Hold on, what do summoned creatures eat anyway?'
From what he'd heard, they were supposed to consume the summoner's magic power, but...
"Um, Mr. Bellamon?"
"Private! Bellamon!"
"Do you eat anything in particular?"
"..."
Uh... Was that a strange question? To be honest, Ha-min didn't have much food at home.
As is usually the case for a poor student living alone, what he had right now was...
"Um, would you like me to boil you some ramyeon?" (ramyeon = ramen/instant noodles)
"I would be very grateful, sir."
"......"
***
Sizzle sizzle
The ramyeon was boiling.
Slurp slurp slurp
"Ah~"
Bellamon inhaled it without pause.
'Come to think of it, he's Western-looking but he sure eats ramyeon well. No, he's a demon, but...'
Even though it was fairly spicy ramyeon....
'Is this also the power of the Korean patch?'
Sure enough, he even ate kimchi well. He ate so deliciously that he could easily be mistaken for a Korean.
Then again, K-food was so popular these days that foreigners who could eat like this were now quite common.
"Does the ramyeon suit your taste?"
"It's totally delicious, sir. Hehe."
"..."
At any rate, it was good that he enjoyed it.
"Sorry. I only had ramyeon at home..."
"Private Bel! la! mon! Kimchi and ramyeon is more than enough, sir!"
This was totally a Korean mindset.
The Korean patch had definitely taken effect.
Slurp slurp slurp
Bellamon even finished all the ramyeon broth.
"Loyalty! I ate well. I'll do the dishes."
"Ah. You don't have to go that far... Just leave them there. I'll do them all at once later."
"That won't do, sir. And from next time, I'll boil the ramyeon myself."
He got up from his spot and began washing the dishes skillfully.
Swoosh swoosh
His movements were so natural that Ha-min found himself staring blankly for a moment.
What's so surprising, you ask? Wouldn't you be surprised if a summoned creature was doing dishes in your house?
Have you ever seen a summoned creature like this?
'Hmm......'
Ha-min quietly prepared some sweet mix coffee.
...A moment later,
"After all, sweet mix coffee is the best, sir."
Slurp
"Ah! Hot!"
"Drink slowly."
"......"
Perhaps thanks to being fed, Bellamon's atmosphere had become more relaxed than before.
"Mr. Bellamon, I've been thinking."
"Private! Bel! la! mon! Master Summoner! Please speak, sir."
"Um... 'Master Summoner' feels too burdensome. How about we just call each other by our names? Just 'Hamin-ssi'?"
"...That won't do, sir."
"Then what would be good?"
"At the very least...... let me call you 'Hamin-nim,' sir." (T/N: -ssi is casual polite, while -nim is formal respectful, used for superiors or honored persons.)
"Fine. Let's do that then."
At least that was something — he felt relieved.
So the titles were settled for now, and Ha-min asked what he was curious about.
"Mr. Bellamon... you're a demon, right?"
"Private Bel! la! mon! Yes, that's correct."
"What kind of beings are demons? You're quite different from what I imagined."
"Hmm... How should I explain it? Simply put, we are beings who live in the Demon Realm, sir."
"The Demon Realm?"
"I used to live in the Demon Realm, sir."
"...'Used to' — meaning you don't anymore?"
"Now I belong to Hamin-nim."
"Then what about the Demon Realm?"
"It has already been destroyed."
"...Ah."
What was he supposed to say to that... No, wait — if demons were destroyed, should he be happy about it?
"How did that happen?"
"The Tower collapsed, sir."
Come to think of it, the profile earlier did say that the «Demon King's Tower» had appeared...
"Then by any chance, do you know anything about my unique trait? 「Absolute Command」..."
"Hmm..."
"What kind of power is this, exactly?"
Ha-min was extremely curious.
What was the true nature of the 「Absolute Command」 trait?
"......"
Bellamon paused for a moment, looking as if it was difficult for him to speak.
"Why? Is it hard to talk about?"
"No, sir. To be honest, I don't really remember what that trait it."
"Pardon?"
"I'm sure I knew it before... but I can't recall it, sir."
What was this now...
"I apologize, sir."
"Ah. No! It's fine if you can't remember. You don't have to apologize..."
Then, the next question,
"By any chance, are there others where you originally came from?"
"Yes. There are a great many, sir."
"What are they doing?"
"Well, it's hard to explain in words... They just exist."
"They just exist?"
"Yes. They just exist."
"Um... By any chance, among those there, is there a healer?"
To be honest, this was the real point of the question. Ha-min wanted to summon a healer more than anything. And it wasn't just because of money. Ha-min had his own reasons.
Flinch!
At that, Bellamon's body flinched. He was gauging Ha-min's reaction.
"Um... Why do you ask that, sir?"
Bellamon was worried that Ha-min might cancel the summoning.
Then suddenly!!
"Hamin-nim!! Please spare me, sir!!"
Bellamon grabbed hold of Ha-min's pant leg.
"Whoa!! Whoa!! What are you doing?"
"I'll really work hard, sir! If you trust me and give me a chance, you'll see! I'll serve you with all my heart!!"
"Aaagh!! Wait a second! My pants! My pants are falling down!!"
"Please, just don't cancel the summoning, sir!!"
He seemed to have seriously misunderstood something.
"No, that's not it. Cancel the summoning?! I'm not doing that!"
"Huh? Did I mishear you?"
"I was just asking if there was a healer too. So that I could summon one next time..."
"Ah. I see."
Bellamon looked embarrassed.
"Don't worry about that, sir. There are healers belonging to the Demon Army!"
"Ah, really!?"
As expected, there was one. A healer!
...
Alright then, let's see,
Ring!
▶ Compendium
―Max Capacity : 1 (Currently 1)
The Demon Army Compendium summons demon army members at random.
Currently, the summonable capacity is 1 — but he'd already used it, right? This seemed to be why Bellamon was so afraid of having the summoning canceled.
"Um, but... sir."
"Yes?"
"By any chance, are you not planning to enter the Tower?"
Gulp!
Suddenly, Bellamon leaned in.
To be honest, Ha-min had been conflicted about this part too.
Climbing the 「Demon King's Tower」 —
As a 「Breaker,」 it was the natural course of action.
But,
"Haha... Well, actually..."
Ha-min stammered,
"To be honest, I'm a little scared."
!!!????
Bellamon heard an unexpected answer.
"Uh... s-scared, you say?"
"Yes. Because I'm scared. In that Tower, you can lose your life..."
In reality, there were many cases of people losing their lives while climbing the Tower. Of course, these days, various methods, strategy guides, and Tower items had been made public, so such incidents had decreased significantly — but the Tower was still dangerous.
"I see. Th-that's important, sir."
Bellamon was visibly flustered by Ha-min's unexpected answer. This was because he had never encountered this type of summoner before. Most were desperate to get in but couldn't.
"By any chance, Mr. Bellamon, have you been summoned before?"
"Yes! Though it was a long time ago, it happened from time to time."
"Then what happened to those summoners?"
"......"
At that moment, Bellamon couldn't answer.
Why?
Because naturally, all those summoners had died... which was why he was here now.
"H-ha... Well, they're probably all getting by just fine. Hahaha"
"'Probably'... you say?"
As expected,
Ha-min roughly caught on.
"That's why I'm not going anytime soon!"
"Ehh?"
Just because he had awakened, he didn't plan on climbing the Tower recklessly. For one thing, it hadn't even been a few days.
"Um... Still, perhaps you should think it over a little more..."
Bellamon tried to gently coax Ha-min.
"By any chance, Mr. Bellamon, are you strong?"
"Private! Bel! la! mon! I! am! ex! treme! ly strong, sir!"
A confident answer,
But are privates normally strong?
He's not even a sergeant, right??
Ha-min had also completed his military service. So it was only natural that he had such questions.
"How strong, exactly?"
"To be clear, up to the 20th floor is a complete piece of cake, sir."
"As high as the 20th floor?"
Ha-min was startled by those words.
"Yes! That's right."
In fact, there were many 「Breakers」 who couldn't even reach the 20th floor.
'When he puts it that way, it's tempting.'
Still, now that he had awakened, shouldn't he at least enter the Tower once?
"Hamin-nim, just trust me, sir!"
Bellamon said confidently. And with him talking like that, Ha-min's ears began to perk up.
'Should I really just go in once, just the 1st floor?'
Ha-min started to seriously consider it.
To be honest, Ha-min hadn't planned on never going in. After all, he had 「Absolute Command,」 and its power needed no explanation.
But Ha-min was the biggest coward of them all... He was still scared.
Just then,
"Hamin-nim? If you're really that unsure... I could go alone and come back, sir."
!!!???
Huh? What did he just say?
"Pardon?"
"Huh?"
"Ehh?"
They both looked dumbfounded at each other.
"......"
***
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