[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-adventures-of-hulim":3,"chapter-the-adventures-of-hulim-the-adventures-of-hulim-chapter-504":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Adventures of Hulim",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1882405,2498,"Chapter 504 Urgent Intelligence and Council Meeting","the-adventures-of-hulim-chapter-504",504,"\u003Cp>Inside the garden pavilion,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a delicate fragrance wafted from the teapot, curling gently above the stone table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mere scent of it calmed the heart without effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……It feels like ages since I’ve shared tea with you like this, Hulim.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glug, glug~.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tea poured slowly into two porcelain cups.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once filled, Irus set down the pot and pushed one cup toward Hulim Heyerar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here you go. I haven’t experimented with any new flower blends lately, so this is one you’ve had before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim lifted the cup and took a quiet sip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A look of quiet pleasure crossed her face at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m glad you like it~.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It would be even better with some sugar cubes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…… You’d be perfect if you didn’t have that little quirk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t consider it a quirk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re hopeless~.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irus smiled and lifted her own cup, taking a light sip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Phew~.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A look of relaxed contentment settled on her face too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, the garden was wrapped in a peaceful, leisurely atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……This is so calming.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irus let out a languid sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It feels like I’m back at my shop, just lazing about as the owner again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim set down her cup and looked Irus straight in the eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you’re finally admitting no one visits your shop?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh???”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not what I said! Don’t slander my business—I have plenty of customers, thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re lying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In three whole years, I never saw anyone but me step foot in there. And your shop doesn’t even have a sign.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gak!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irus reeled back, looking utterly devastated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t believe…… as you’ve grown taller, your tongue’s gotten sharper too. Where’s my sweet, easygoing little Hulim? Give her back——”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim stared at the feebly acting Irus with deadpan exasperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you an idiot?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eh——!!! M-Me?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irus clutched her chest and slowly slumped over the stone table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hulim, do you hear that……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hear what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The sound of my heart breaking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh…… Lame.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah! Ah! Honestly, you’re no fun at all. Naughty children need to be punished~!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few minutes later,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irus lay defeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sniff……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She whimpered, sprawled on the garden grass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t even win a fight against you anymore…… sniff……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the pavilion, Hulim acted as if she hadn’t seen a thing, sipping her flower tea calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really, sugar cubes would make this perfect……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh——!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure streaked across the sky at high speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It shot past the garden, then screeched to a halt and doubled back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Irus! Hulim! I finally found you two—something terrible has happened——!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Laki landed in the garden, her voice tight with urgency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the city’s council chamber,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the air hung heavy and solemn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one could stay optimistic in the face of the urgent frontline report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bongisto…… has fallen?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charkin stared in utter disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is that possible? How could the Demon Lord’s Army advance this quickly? Didn’t the Himril Forbidden Zone work?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Himril Forbidden Zone—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a world-scale magic cast by the gods of Tiramsuin, centered on the demons’ landing site on the Demon Continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its core effect: unbridled suppression of all non‑native life of Himril—meaning demons. The stronger the demon, the more severe the suppression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the suppression was not uniform across the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demons’ landing site, where the Demon Lord’s Castle stood, had been fully corrupted by the Demon Realm and torn from Himril’s dominion. No suppression applied there—it was a safe zone for demons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest of the Demon Continent imposed low‑tier suppression, cutting most demons’ power by more than half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any land beyond the Demon Continent applied high‑tier suppression, crashing a demon’s power to a tiny fraction of its original strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, even an S‑Rank High‑Rank Demon would be reduced to barely B‑Rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the suppression was not permanent. Given time, demons would gradually adapt to the world and shake off its effects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once that happened, they could spread across the entire world and launch a full-scale invasion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that light, the Forbidden Zone might seem ineffective—but its true purpose was always to buy time. To let the people of Himril, especially the Heroes, prepare fully for the war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This period usually lasted three to four years—more than enough for Heroes to grow to their peak and face the invasion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Less than a year had passed since the Demon Lord’s arrival, yet a Demon Lord-Class demon had led a full army across the sea to invade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By this point, the Allied Forces hadn’t even finished continent‑wide conscription and mobilization. Defensive lines were only just being built. Some Heroes hadn’t even reached S‑Rank yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unsurprisingly, the demon surprise attack had routed their forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Bongisto—their most critical forward base—had fallen……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Charkin, I understand your confusion. But you may be mistaken about one thing: the demons——”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“actually have a way to counter the Forbidden Zone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing widespread confusion on the faces around the table,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irus could only continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Very well, I will explain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Among demons, there exists a ritual to transfer harm. It can forcefully shift negative effects—curses, bindings, and the like—onto another being.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This ritual works on the Forbidden Zone’s suppression too. They can use it to free select demons from power restrictions early.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several council members gasped in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Demons have such an ability? Why did we never know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because the ritual is far from reliable—or rather……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It falls under the category of curse magic, and several strict conditions must be met to cast it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First condition: the recipient of the transferred effect must match the original subject in strength, race, and gender.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Demons come in countless species, and many are powerful—but few belong to the exact same race. As a result, most High‑Rank Demons cannot meet this requirement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second condition: the recipient must volunteer willingly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The cost is enormous, however. Accepting the transfer extends the Forbidden Zone’s suppression on the recipient tenfold or more outside the Demon Continent. In practice, they would be trapped there until the war’s end. Few demons would agree to that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In past wars, the Demon Lord’s Army used this ritual, but only to send small, elite squads—for harassment, sabotage, or espionage. It had little impact on the greater war, so records are scarce. Only those who lived through it or studied ancient texts would know of it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Irus finished explaining,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the council members exchanged uneasy glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If that’s the case…… then why has this happened now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>one man asked, baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can think of two possible explanations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irus held up two fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The first is the worst-case scenario.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1106,"2026-06-10T06:36:51.451Z",1,"novelbin.me","17929a7b653b6c474ab4638c0fbf937d960e87cf5518e86ea81fc632d9dd93d5","the-adventures-of-hulim-chapter-505","the-adventures-of-hulim-chapter-503",528,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-adventures-of-hulim-cover.jpg"]