If there were foods that the gods of the Celestial Realm ate, they must taste like this...

Slurp—

The springy noodles slipped into his mouth with a delightful sound. That alone was entertaining, but—

Crunch!

The combination with the yellow radish that neutralized the spiciness was absolutely unparalleled.

As he finished the food and set down the empty bowl, Park Yeon glanced cautiously at Yeon-jun, who was organizing drinks in the fridge.

“So, the rumors were true.”

“What rumors?”

“Are you really going to feign ignorance?”

“I’m genuinely asking because I don’t know.”

Park Yeon stared blankly at the empty ramen bowl.

“The rumor that you plundered the Celestial Realm before descending to the human world.”

“That’s a rumor? First I’m hearing of it.”

“Ah, so it was true. This is the food of the Celestial gods, isn’t it?”

Seo-jun was at a loss for words.

Ramen, the food of celestial beings? If the gods themselves heard this, they would probably be dumbfounded.

“Well, as much as I admit ramen is delicious, I didn’t plunder the Celestial Realm.”

“Hmph! You can’t fool me! Look at this! Isn’t this a demonic beverage? Who are you trying to deceive...?”

Next to the ramen bowl sat a cup filled with a dark liquid. Park Yeon snorted as he pointed at it.

“You offer the food of the heavens to lull me into complacency, and then serve me this drink to corrupt me? Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Sigh. “That’s cola. And if I really wanted to corrupt you, I would’ve done it while you were unconscious.”

For a moment, Park Yeon’s eyebrow twitched.

He wasn’t wrong.

‘But I still can’t trust him.’

This man, though wearing a human guise, had once ruled the Demon Realm as its king—known even among demons as the Demon God.

He wasn’t easy to trust. As Park Yeon continued to observe him, Seo-jun suddenly gulped down the cola himself.

“See? Nothing happened. If you can’t believe what you see with your own eyes, then there’s no helping it.”

“Fine, I’ll believe you this once.”

Park Yeon lifted the cola and took a big sip.

And then—

Pffffft!

“You deceived me again!”

“...”

“Am I addicted? How can my throat feel so sharp?!”

Seo-jun couldn’t shake the regret of having brought him here.

All he wanted was to ask a few questions.

It was during this interrogation(?) that Yeon-jun arrived, heard Park Yeon’s stomach growl loudly, and kindly cooked him some ramen.

Even generously offering him cola—now practically worth its weight in gold since the upheaval!

Yet here he was, misunderstood again...

As if worried by Park Yeon’s antics, Yeon-jun approached with concern.

“Hey, are you okay, Mr. Park Yeon?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just do your thing. It’s only because it’s been a while since I had cola.”

“Right... I guess there wouldn’t be anything like cola in that forest.”

Once Yeon-jun, now free of suspicion, walked away, Seo-jun spoke again with a hardened expression.

“As I said, it’s cola.”

“Cola?”

“Think of it as similar to your continent’s Kotranthu beverage.”

Drinking Kotranthu after a meal was a common practice on his continent.

Other than the sharpness in his throat, there were no other effects on his body, so Park Yeon seemed to reluctantly accept it.

“Well, now that your stomach is full, how about answering my questions?”

“Residual energy?”

“Yes. You said you discovered residual energy in the dimensional rift I returned through. But I’ve never left any behind.”

“No. It was definite. I sensed demonic energy. Besides, you were the only demon who descended to the human world at the time.”

“Before we continue the interrogation, let’s clarify one thing.”

When Park Yeon raised a questioning eyebrow—

Smack!

A swift flick to his forehead made him glare in indignation.

“Don’t call me ‘demon.’ That’s no way to address someone who saved your life.”

“Saved my life?”

“On the continent alone, I spared you at least dozens of times when you came to take mine. If that doesn’t make me your savior, what does?”

“...”

“Well, carry on. As I said, I left no residual energy behind.”

“I sensed it... in the rift you returned through. I followed the trail and cast a dimensional magic spell.”

“And that brought you here.”

“Exactly.”

It was puzzling. Not what Park Yeon said, but the residual energy itself.

If it were truly his, it should have led to the Demon Realm.

After all, he hadn’t come directly to Earth but had passed through the Demon Realm before arriving.

But Park Yeon had come straight to Earth. That was compelling proof that the residual energy wasn’t his.

More importantly, Seo-jun didn’t make such beginner mistakes as leaving residual energy.

“Hmm.”

As Seo-jun pondered this, Park Yeon cautiously asked, “What are you planning to do next?”

“What do you mean?”

“This Earth... Are you planning to conquer it too?”

Seo-jun couldn’t help but laugh.

“No, I’m not doing that.”

“Then why are you here? Wasn’t this a reconnaissance mission?”

“If it were reconnaissance, I would’ve sent subordinates. And I’m not interested in conquest. I came here because this is my homeland.”

“Your homeland?”

“I’ve told you before. I used to be human.”

He must have said it hundreds of times to Park Yeon when the latter came to kill him.

The problem was that Park Yeon never believed him.

“My god... Was that really true? The continent would be thrown into chaos if this got out.”

Clink.

Seo-jun removed the ring on his finger and handed it to Park Yeon.

“So, you should head back now. This should serve as proof that you killed me.”

“Again with the humiliation.”

“This place isn’t where you belong. Go home.”

Park Yeon sighed deeply.

He scratched his head before muttering.

“...I can’t.”

“What?”

“I said, I can’t go back!”

Park Yeon’s explanation was simple.

To track Seo-jun, he had used a dimensional rift and cast a dimensional magic circle.

But no matter how skilled he was, even he couldn’t activate a dimensional magic circle alone. It required the help of archmages.

Naturally, activating one alone was impossible.

“I can help you.”

When Seo-jun offered, Park Yeon shook his head.

“I don’t have the coordinates to return.”

“...”

“Though I’ve lost to you numerous times, I’m still a supreme being. Surely there must be a place for me in this world. Don’t worry about me.”

“I’m not worried.”

“Anyway, it’s been a pleasure. It’s unfortunate I couldn’t kill you... but perhaps there will be another chance someday.”

Just as Park Yeon was about to leave, he paused as if something had come to mind.

“By the way, why do you live hiding your identity and power? Even your brother doesn’t seem to realize what you truly are…”

“Living a normal life is the hardest thing. I just want to live normally.”

“You’re speaking in riddles.”

Park Yeon finished speaking, waved his hand, and left the shop without hesitation, thinking he’d shown enough flair to not lose face in front of the Demon King.

A short while later, Yeon-jun approached.

“Where’s Park Yeon? Did he leave?”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye. I wanted to treat him to a proper meal, not just instant noodles…”

“There’ll be another chance.”

Little did he know that chance would come much sooner than expected.

The world Park Yeon saw was like another dimension.

People were all carrying stick-like objects. When those sticks spewed fire—

Bang!

It sounded like thunder. However, what caught Park Yeon’s attention was something else entirely.

“...A grocery store!”

Though the sign was written in squiggly letters, the items displayed inside made it unmistakable: a grocery store.

It had everything imaginable. As if bewitched, Park Yeon entered the store.

“They said it tastes exactly like Coatranth beverage…”

He couldn’t forget the taste of the drink he had seen earlier. The tingling sensation it gave as it went down his throat.

“Welcome!”

“Do you have the devil’s bev—”

“Sorry?”

“No, I mean, do you have a drink called cola?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Where is it?”

The clerk, eyeing him suspiciously, brought a cola from the fridge.

“That’ll be twenty thousand won.”

“Twenty thousand won?”

“You don’t have money, do you?”

What does she think I am—a beggar?

Park Yeon, who had once been called the Guardian of the Continent, was no pauper. If anything, he had money in abundance. The problem was...

“I don’t have it right now.”

“So you don’t have it, period?”

“...You could say that.”

“Then please leave.”

“What about the cola?”

“Obviously, if you can’t pay, you can’t have it.”

The store’s guards began approaching Park Yeon.

Using force would make short work of them, but that would go against his principles as the Guardian of the Continent.

How would that be any different from robbery?

In the end, Park Yeon left the store.

“I need money.”

To drink the devil’s beverage, he needed money. But how could he get it?

As he was deep in thought—

“Is this your first time in District 12?”

“Are you talking to me?”

“Yes. Your attire is unusual.”

“Well, I guess you could say it’s my first time here.”

“Do you have any family or friends waiting for you in District 12?”

“None.”

“Oh dear. If you don’t mind, could I act as your guide? There are surprisingly many things to see in District 12.”

“I don’t need a guide. But I do have a question.”

The man’s eyes gleamed with interest.

Gotcha.

“Go ahead and ask.”

“How can I get money here?”

What’s this? Is he an idiot?

The man, who was about to grumble, noticed the ring on Park Yeon’s finger.

He had the ability to identify the properties of metals. His ability told him it was gold.

“You could sell that.”

“My ring?”

“Is it precious? A wedding ring, or maybe something passed down from your parents?”

“No.”

“That’s gold, isn’t it?”

Park Yeon nodded.

“That’s a shame. Gold’s value has plummeted lately, so you won’t get much for it. If it were silver, that’d be a different story.”

“Then what should I do?”

“How about selling it to me instead?”

“To you?”

“Yes, I’ll give you a good price.”

Park Yeon fiddled with the ring.

In the end, it was just a piece of jewelry to him. He took it off.

“What’s a ‘good price’?”

“How much do you want?”

They said cola cost twenty thousand won. He wanted to drink at least three bottles on the spot. That would mean...

“Sixty thousand won?”

The man nearly burst out laughing.

As expected, he’s a fool.

“I said I’d be generous, but that’s way too generous.”

“Then... forty thousand?”

“Fine, fine. I’ll take it for forty thousand.”

Handing over the ring, Park Yeon immediately headed back to the store. When the guards blocked him, he showed them the forty thousand won.

“I have money now.”

“Ahem.”

Buying two bottles of cola, Park Yeon stepped outside.

Gulp, gulp.

“Ahh.”

This was truly the devil’s beverage.

What an incredible taste.

After finishing the cola, Park Yeon wandered aimlessly. At first, it felt like an adventure, and it wasn’t bad.

Honk!

“Hey, you lunatic! Do you know how much this car costs? Don’t just run into the road!”

He saw metal carriages.

Chug, chug, chug.

And massive dragonflies flying in the sky.

But two days later...

He was starving.

To eat, he needed money. But he had no idea how to earn any.

After much deliberation, Park Yeon finally returned to where he had been.

“What brings you here?”

Seo-jun, who was sweeping in front of the shop, frowned as he asked.

“Well... ahem.”

“Is something wrong?”

“I was wondering if I could get some food...”

“Food?”

Growl.

Seo-jun took a fresh look at Park Yeon’s appearance. He looked far more disheveled than he had a few days ago. The large gold ring he had worn was nowhere to be seen.

The situation was clear to Seo-jun, who chuckled quietly.

“Come inside.”