Even Today, the Ranker Dreams of Retirement

Escaping the swarm of demons, Habin arrived alone at a balcony-like area.

“Sigh… Please, just let me catch my breath.”

It was a space separated from the banquet hall by a folding door. Beyond the railing, the garden and the Demon Realm sky were visible.

‘Demon God!’

‘Where did the Demon God go?!’

The murmurs of demons searching for her could still be heard from inside. That fervent passion, as if they might find her at any moment! Feeling an eerie sense of crisis, Habin grabbed the doorknob.

“I’d better lock the door too!”

Click, click.

Having successfully locked the door, she sat wearily on the railing.

“…Ugh, it’s draining.”

She carefully placed the canapé she had brought on the railing.

“Phew. Now I can finally eat something!”

For some reason, every time she tried to eat something earlier, everyone kept talking to her and causing a fuss. Fortunately, the kind Kriksha had tried to bring her food in between.

“Just when I was about to eat the food Kriksha had prepared, suddenly that Hermit or whatever guy started bothering Ipsine!”

So she hadn’t been able to take a single bite until now!

At this point, could it be that some law of the universe was working against her? Habin sighed deeply and rested her chin on her hand.

“Based on my experience being treated at Ipsine’s house yesterday, Demon Realm food was quite a delicacy. This being the Demon King’s castle, they must have prepared even more amazing food, right?”

Habin picked up one of the canapés in front of her. A food with black, round grains on top of white cream cheese.

“Look at this. They say this canapé is made with Demon Realm shark eggs! Isn’t that like caviar on Earth? I can’t miss the chance to taste something like this!”

Habin took an excited bite, but immediately frowned.

“Ugh, it’s fishy!”

Ptooey, ptooey.

It seems she had failed in her menu selection. Habin’s face fell.

“Libe ate it just fine though. I guess dragon and human tastes are different after all.”

[Did you really run away here just to eat some food?! What’s the big deal!]

“What? I feel like I’m going to die of hunger right now! You know, humans need to fill their stomachs properly before they can do anything!”

Grumble.

Right on cue, her stomach growled. Habin opened her inventory with a disgusted expression.

She pulled out a steaming cup of instant noodles. Emergency rations she had packed from home before departing, just in case!

“I prepared this perfectly, pouring hot water and waiting 3 minutes just before putting it in. You know, cup noodles are the best when you’re traveling and the local food doesn’t suit your taste.”

For Koreans, the essentials for overseas travel are gochujang and spicy cup noodles. The meticulous Habin hadn’t forgotten this.

She snapped apart the wooden chopsticks and stirred the noodles, speaking as she did so.

“I should quickly eat this and then go look for Jise unni. Earlier, I saw a demon sticking close to Chae-ssi that looked like Jise-unni… When I go out, I should ask Chae-ssi. I also need to think about how to get back home.”

Even while fleeing, it seems Habin had been observing Chae Jiseok and his surroundings.

The demon whispering with Chae Jiseok, and Jiseok’s rather familiar expression towards her. Above all, that demon’s proud expression when looking at Habin.

‘It was exactly the same as Jise-unni’s expression.’

To her speculation, Ahezar interjected, sounding surprised:

[You were actually thinking amidst all that?]

“Huh? What do you take me for! I’m inherently a person with plans! Look at this. I even brought a beam projector and cup noodles to the Demon Realm. Show me another hunter who came this prepared!”

[In the first place, what kind of person brings such things when coming to the Demon Realm!]

“Right? Everyone else lacks preparedness! There’s no one like me!”

[No, that’s not what I meant……]

“Ah, I should eat quickly. It looks delicious!”

Habin, who had been bickering with Ahezar, quickly turned her attention back to the cup noodles, apparently really hungry.

‘Nice view, nice breeze. And the noodles are perfectly cooked.’

The view overlooking the Demon Realm landscape was surprisingly spectacular. With a crimson sky spread out like a sunset as the backdrop.

Just as she was about to take her first bite, blowing on the noodles…

Click.

The sound of the balcony door opening was heard.

Thud, thud.

Followed by the sound of footsteps.

[Hyun Habin, someone has come in here!]

‘Ah! Why again! Who is it!’

Let me eat my noodles!

Habin raised her head with a thoroughly annoyed expression.

‘Who on earth has come to ruin my happy noodle time?’

She had barely taken one bite. Habin sighed inwardly.

“Even dogs don’t bother you when you’re eating…”

She turned around. Finally, the face of the demon who had entered the balcony came into view.

The newcomer was one of the many attendants in the ballroom.

A demon with silver hair and red eyes, holding a cocktail tray. It seemed he had come to offer drinks.

Habin waved her hand as if telling him to go back out.

“I don’t need any drinks, so you can go.”

[But you might get thirsty while eating noodles, right?]

‘Huh? Since when does Kim Jaljal give such important advice?’

That’s quite reasonable, isn’t it? Should I just ask for one glass?

As Habin tilted her head slightly, lost in thought, the silver-haired demon elegantly closed the door he had entered through.

Click.

As if confirming the door was locked, the demon glanced at the doorknob and spoke.

“No. I’m not here for the drinks. I came to see you.”

“…What?”

Habin’s expression hardened upon hearing the demon’s tone. She asked Ahezar again, as if to confirm:

‘Did he just speak informally to me?’

[He did.]

‘I didn’t hear wrong?’

[I heard it too!]

“…Hmm.”

Habin’s expression sank gravely.

‘An attendant speaking informally to the Demon God?’

It wasn’t that she felt particularly offended or thought it was arrogant. After all, Habin wasn’t the real Demon God. She couldn’t care less how anyone treated her.

However, the very situation of an ‘attendant’ speaking informally to someone of ‘Demon God’ rank was extremely unusual in the Demon Realm.

The Demon Realm society, thoroughly governed by the law of the jungle and hierarchical order.

Thanks to this, most other demons Habin had observed so far had reacted by prostrating themselves flat before Demon Kings or the Demon God.

There were those like Hermit who confronted the Demon God, but even he was a powerful being at the ‘Demon King’ level, and he did so with the intent of ‘challenging’ to overturn the hierarchy.

To begin with, only those at the Demon King level would be strong enough to challenge the Demon God.

‘But there was no Demon King with a face like that.’

Habin remembered exactly the appearances of the seven Demon Kings that Chae Jiseok had shown her.

‘Then there are two possibilities.’

Habin tilted her head as she looked at the silver-haired demon who still maintained a calm expression.

First, he could just be an overly gutsy demon.

‘If not that.’

Then he must be truly that powerful.

Habin’s eyes narrowed.

This demon had something about him. His leisurely gait, his indescribable aura. He might not be an opponent to be taken lightly. Even Ahezar was visibly on guard.

Just then, the silver-haired demon spoke.

“Actually, at first I was curious to see who dared to impersonate me, so I watched.”

The man set down his tray on the railing with a click and raised his head.

Despite the light smile on his lips, his eyes were anything but light.

Somehow, at that moment, Habin involuntarily recalled what she had heard about the Demon God.

‘No one knows what form he’ll take or how he’ll appear.’

The man’s eyes met hers, and he grinned.

“It seemed too much of a waste to kill you.”

“……”

“I was contemplating how to kill the fool who dared impersonate me… but seeing you just now, you don’t seem like an impersonator, but rather a junior.”

“What?”

‘What nonsense is he spouting?’

A junior, he says.

I’ve never had a senior like you.

In contrast to Habin’s expression, which was progressively souring, the man seemed to like the sound of ‘junior’, as he placed a hand on his chin with a contemplative expression.

“Yes, I’ve been struggling to find a suitable successor for five thousand years… They say it’s darkest under the lamp, but to think one would come to me on their own feet.”

‘Ha, this is a mess.’

By this point, even Habin couldn’t misunderstand the situation. The statement about ‘impersonating himself’, the claim about ‘searching for a successor for five thousand years’.

Anyone hearing this could guess this fellow’s identity.

[The constellation ‘Demon God Glitch’ is watching you!]

Right. Even without such a notification popping up, it was clear.

…The real Demon God had appeared.

Habin glared at the Demon God’s eyes, which were smiling beyond the notification window.

◆◇◆◇◆

Immediately after Demon God Glitch revealed his identity to Habin.

“…Ah, is that so? So you were that legendary Demon God?”

Habin finally broke the silence with a nonchalant reply. Then, without batting an eye, she turned her attention back to her noodles.

“First of all, I’m really sorry for the impersonation. I had my reasons… But for now, let me eat my noodles first!”

“…?”

[…?]

Silence.

Glitch quietly watched Habin, as if unable to interpret her words.

After a brief silence, he asked in a sharp voice:

“You’re saying you’re going to eat that… ramen, with me right in front of you?”

Slurp.

Habin put another mouthful of noodles into her mouth without answering.

“Yesh (Yes).”

“……”

[Hyun Habin, what are you doing! Eating ramen in this situation? No matter how strong you are, disrespecting the Demon God is clearly a mistake! He’s the ruler of the Demon Realm, he could turn the entire Demon Realm against you.]

‘When did I disrespect him?’

Habin shook her head. She reflected on the Demon God’s words.

‘…He said I looked like a junior after watching me.’

The current Demon God is favorable towards Habin. He said he had been looking for a successor candidate and even appealed that he had no intention of killing Habin, his ‘junior’.

‘What did he see to think that way? Because he saw me use the Void Contagion skill on Hermit earlier?’

Or did he notice that Habin is a living error?

Ah, my head hurts. It’s information we can’t know for now anyway, so let’s not think too deeply about it for now. I’m too hungry right now, and also…

‘Kim Jaljal, you know I’ve met a lot of people who acted like seniors while I was doing part-time jobs, right?’

[Hm? What’s with that sudden…?]

‘Eight or nine out of ten were narrow-minded old fogies.’

People who had been working as porters before. Some of them, claiming to be seniors, would nag at newcomers over every little thing. For no reason, just because they were juniors.

‘Seniors who try to enforce discipline or have nasty personalities are worse than not having them at all! You shouldn’t even get close to them!’

[This isn’t about getting close or not! This person is the ruler of the Demon Realm, the Demon God! You can’t simply turn him into an enemy……]

Unlike the urgent Ahezar, Habin calmly shook her head.

‘Huh? No? I didn’t say anything about turning him into an enemy?’

There were people who nagged claiming to be seniors, but there were also people who tried to take care of you more, claiming to be seniors. Kind people who helped you adapt to difficult jobs.

‘If it’s a senior who buys you meals and takes good care of you, they’re always welcome! I’ve told you before, haven’t I? The world runs on blood ties, regional ties, and school ties!’

So let’s see which side this one is on.

Habin, who had just swallowed her second mouthful of noodles, raised her chopsticks. She opened her mouth.

“Hey, senior!”

“…!”

The Demon God’s eyebrows shot up, apparently not expecting the sudden use of the word ‘senior’. Habin continued:

“As you know, it’s the culture here for seniors to buy meals for juniors, share study materials, and such. So at the very least, you shouldn’t interfere with your junior eating, right?”

“…What? Ha.”

Habin’s attitude was beyond calm, bordering on brazen. Demon God Glitch, seemingly not offended, gestured with his chin as if telling her to continue.

Habin smoothly continued without stopping:

“I’m truly sorry that I can’t have a conversation with you, senior, but if I don’t eat this right now, a terrible disaster will occur, so I have no choice.”

‘A terrible disaster, you say.’

Glitch tilted his head. He was Glitch, who had ruled the Demon Realm for thousands of years. A being called a living calamity by name alone. Yet in front of him, she speaks of a ‘terrible disaster’?

He asked with an intrigued expression:

“If you don’t eat that? What kind of disaster will occur?”

“The noodles will get soggy.”

“……”

Silence again.

To the dazed Demon God, Habin suddenly asked as if something had just occurred to her:

“Oh, do you perhaps have a skill that prevents noodles from getting soggy, senior?”

“No……”

“You don’t, right? Then I’ll eat first for now!”

“……”

Slurp, slurp.

Glitch could only stare blankly at Habin as she immediately began slurping up the noodles.

Whether a senior comes or the legendary Demon God appears. No one can fill a hungry stomach, nor prevent precious ramen from getting soggy!

That was an extremely important fact.