Chapter 221 – The Temple of the Nephilim (4)

Miracle Blessing M. What was the most recurring topic among players? I can assure you. It was the final boss of the story, the Demon King.

It was an existence surrounded by rumors within the game communities. A typical mass-produced mobile game, where you could easily raise characters and reinforce equipment with real money, but despite that, there wasn’t a single user who had reached the final boss.

Ah, well, there were posts claiming it, but they were bait without proof. Even when supposed photos appeared, they turned out to be fakes.

At this point, players started saying things like Is the final boss of this game really the Demon King? Why does a mobile idle farming game become devilishly difficult at the end? Or is the game incomplete? Rumors and urban legends continued to spread through the communities.

Some more determined users contacted the game company directly. The response had been.

『The final boss exists, and it is the Demon King.』

The users exploded in anger. Wasn’t it obvious? In this kind of games, it was expected that the final boss would be a Demon King.

The problem was that, even reaching the final parts of the story, there wasn’t even a hair’s mention of the final boss. The only clue was that they referred to him as “he.” Based on that, it was assumed he was male, but there was no way to confirm it.

Well, since I wasn’t a hardcore player, it didn’t bother me much either. I had started that mobile game just to kill time; it wasn’t something I cared deeply about. Although, on the other hand, I was curious.

Miracle Blessing M, for a generic game, had an absurdly high difficulty.

The enemies that appeared in the final phase, the demon race and the Corps Commanders. Were they really created to be defeated? They were so absurdly strong that one wondered if it was even possible to beat them.

Then, how much stronger would their leader be? It was pure natural curiosity.

So, in my own way, I investigated on Namuwiki and on forums. Although I had no intention of getting there myself, because it required too much effort.

‘Of course I found nothing and gave up.’

If that was me, a casual player, how were the hardcore players doing? They dissected the game like surgeons, trying to uncover the Demon King’s identity.

There were heated debates in the communities. Some users, determined to show Korean willpower, spent entire weeks without sleep.

Games nicknamed “demon games” were little more than an afternoon’s entertainment for Koreans.

While in other countries people watched trailers and ate popcorn, Koreans tore off the final boss’s head in six hours.

Koreans are a race of gamers!

That unbreakable willpower was poured in without filters by the users. For a whole year! Enough time to smash and pick apart any other game.

However, the result was… as I mentioned before, the total defeat of the players. They couldn’t even solve the mysteries of Kuarne, the Second Corps Commander, or of Lycan, the First.

Though they tried hard, they made no progress. The more they dug, the more they got lost in a labyrinth. In the end, everything returned to zero. All of that was also part of the Demon King’s swamp.

The players became exhausted.

The forums, once bustling like a marketplace, fell silent, and even the most famous users began to disappear.

At this point, it was reasonable that, at least out of consideration for the players, they would release the mystery of the final boss. The few users who remained begged for that unanimously.

The game company ignored them.

They only repeated dryly that the Demon King existed. Thus, the greatest mystery of Miracle Blessing M disappeared along with the interest in the game.

An ancient, unresolved mystery.

Maybe, maybe I am the only player who ended up discovering it. Not only that.

‘And to think that the current representative of humanity that I was recently named……’

Was, in fact, the very great evil of humanity. Leaving aside whether it was true or not, the situation was simply atrocious.

It was a joke that wasn’t even funny.

***

The darkness that had fallen over the sanctuary robbed sight and strangled breathing.

Was it a hallucination or was it real?

Was it reality or an illusion?

In the midst of the spreading darkness, clac. The snap of fingers was heard.

And in that instant, the extinguished lights began to turn on one after another with dry clicks.

I regained my lost self-control for a moment and fixed my gaze forward.

Tap, tap, tap.

Each time Kuarne rubbed his fingers, the interior of the sanctuary lit up.

It was a clear vision. Erasing the madness he had shown before, Kuarne spoke with a calm face.

“Seems it was just a blackout caused by a gust of wind. I’m sorry. I’ll relight the lamps now.”

Kuarne smiled kindly.

And rekindled the extinguished flames of the sanctuary.

Was he really getting into his role as a priest? Seeing him like that, one could almost believe he truly was.

“With this, I end my story. Now you can ask me any questions you want. After all, that’s what a priest does, right?”

Kuarne smiled slightly. His smile and gaze remained immaculately white.

I locked my eyes onto the guy’s and asked.

“Did you know that the one who annihilated all the false gods is known among humanity by another name?”

“Yes, I know. In runes, he’s called ‘Hereb’ or ‘the Godslayer’. Although the most accurate name would be the ‘Sword God’.”

“Then why do you call him Demon King?”

Kuarne smiled sweetly. For an instant, his voice was so seductive one could doubt whether he was a man or a woman.

“The title of Demon King was given by the false gods he destroyed. They believed themselves the ‘Absolute Good.’ So, whoever cut and eradicated all that good had to be the Absolute Evil. That’s why he’s the Demon King.”

“Pretty manichean, isn’t it?”

“As I mentioned before, those false gods love to divide everything. They want to divide, separate, and make things clash. It’s their true nature.”

“…Why?”

“Because that way they make mortals need them. In a world at peace, without conflicts, mortals don’t seek gods. Dividing and making them fight each other was the only way.”

“Such damn petty gods.”

I clicked my tongue. Kuarne shrugged and added.

“Because they are incomplete divine beings. Sadly, we too were created by those narrow-minded gods, which is why we are unstable. If the Demon King had created us, we would be perfect beings.”

“I see…”

Talking like that, suddenly reality hit me. What the hell was I doing? Me, a Seven Stars hero, having a Q&A session so friendly with the Second Corps Commander of the Demon King? Thank goodness no one was watching.

What would others think — better not imagine it.

More than that, chatting so friendly with the head of the Demon King’s armies— Ah, right. By coincidence, the one residing inside me was the Sword God, that is, the Demon King.

The demon in front of me, whose gender I wasn’t even sure of, was his follower. It was natural we got along.

I didn’t know if Kuarne was aware of this strange relationship. Deep down, I hoped he would never discover it.

‘Everything this guy has said so far could just be unilateral claims or pure lies.’

I didn’t rule out that possibility. As a human, distrusting demons first was almost instinctive. Demons were perfidious creatures, a race that seduced and corrupted humans with sweetened words.

‘The words of a demon, huh…’

That thorn stayed stuck in me. I turned my gaze toward the old elf. I had almost forgotten him.

Though it left a bitter taste, this was a rare opportunity. I changed the subject and asked Kuarne.

“This old elf talked to me about a ‘collaboration between Lycan and the founding hero.’ Do you know anything about that?”

Kuarne’s eyes trembled subtly. He didn’t react to Lycan, but to the mention of the “founding hero.”

“I don’t know exactly.”

Kuarne awkwardly scratched his white eyebrows. Then he looked at Horn, and the corner of his eyes curved.

“However, if you continue your journey with this dragon young lady, I think you’ll find the answer soon.”

“……?”

“I’ll give you a hint — dragons are the only mortal beings whose soul doesn’t die. That is, their spirits can reincarnate over and over again.”

After saying that, Kuarne brought his hands together at solar plexus level, drawing an imaginary clock in the air, as if checking the time.

“I wish I could continue chatting, but it’s time to close the sanctuary.”

Saying this, Kuarne walked past us toward the entrance. I stopped him.

“One more thing. Kuarne, you and I are clearly enemies. So, why are you answering everything so kindly?”

Kuarne stopped, thought for a moment, and finally opened his mouth.

“Precisely because we are enemies. Currently, you are not on the level of the founding hero. With that strength, you’ll never be able to kill me. That’s why I can answer everything, while waiting for the day you come to kill me…”

I felt there was a melancholic tone in his voice. A brief silence fell. The air filled with that pause.

“The next time we meet, we’ll fight to the death.”

Kuarne broke the silence with a somber smile.

“Or maybe that battle will never happen. Because you might die first… at the hands of my brother, the Fourth Commander of the Demon King’s army, Fermush.”

“…….”

“Fermush enjoys slaughter. He loves to bathe in blood and has a hobby of collecting human bones. He’s an adorable little brother.”

Huff. I let out a long sigh.

The image of the kind priest who had welcomed me crumbled, replaced by the true face of a demon.

Does he have bipolar disorder? Although, being a Corps Commander, that was unlikely. No, that madness was simply his true nature.

That’s how different demons were from humans in terms of purpose and morality.

I am not someone moved by grand convictions. I just got dragged into this game world by accident, and by chance this body obtained overwhelming power.

Good and evil, black and white. I don’t care about those philosophical dichotomies.

It doesn’t matter if the power within me is that of a god or a demon king.

What matters is that I’ll use that power to face my enemies.

Anyone who threatens me, I’ll cut down without hesitation. That simple and selfish desire is what drives me.

Kuarne moved forward, his white robe fluttering. It was then that the demons around began bowing before him.

The chants and praises exploded throughout the sanctuary.

“Kuarne.”

Kuarne and the demons turned toward me simultaneously. Their eyes shone like those of wild beasts in the night.

“I’ll cut off Fermush’s head and throw it at your feet.”

The darkness covered even more of the temple’s interior. In a place where light and darkness were supposed to coexist, only demons remained.

But I was the only human there.

Kuarne drew a wide smile across his face.

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”