Chapter 221 – The Temple of the Nephilim (4)
4m2OcIZMiracle 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.3Wld2
jLk5YIt 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.HnmI6
9nOmSsdAh, well, there were posts claiming it, but they were bait without proof. Even when supposed photos appeared, they turned out to be fakes.OhZY2
BxkCCtXAt 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.nrmmOt
icF5Some more determined users contacted the game company directly. The response had been.WZUj
PkaW3『The final boss exists, and it is the Demon King.』CLCOKiX
K17The 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.vGnNq8i
2krIThe 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.ascYzm
W25DAPWell, 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.VXH
1J9awAMiracle Blessing M, for a generic game, had an absurdly high difficulty.PUbAXV
l4NTThe 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.BQjTe
IoufNifThen, how much stronger would their leader be? It was pure natural curiosity.8VJJrXu
IYsSo, 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.ecdB9
6Mzfw‘Of course I found nothing and gave up.’N0en
Bk1lIf 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.sNi
gfDIThere were heated debates in the communities. Some users, determined to show Korean willpower, spent entire weeks without sleep.536CpH
bVWGames nicknamed “demon games” were little more than an afternoon’s entertainment for Koreans.QJvYy
X3ntWhile in other countries people watched trailers and ate popcorn, Koreans tore off the final boss’s head in six hours.ACrV
x3HSu8XKoreans are a race of gamers!AVJ9
g7mThat unbreakable willpower was poured in without filters by the users. For a whole year! Enough time to smash and pick apart any other game.pvFs
eXDYcaAHowever, 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.NDzMohh
oeNcvrThough 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.5YRpm3V
0t68The players became exhausted.AXY6Pe
zfmYcUThe forums, once bustling like a marketplace, fell silent, and even the most famous users began to disappear.M8E401I
zx8XAt 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.DQj
taDThe game company ignored them.iaO3Jz
PIPenThey only repeated dryly that the Demon King existed. Thus, the greatest mystery of Miracle Blessing M disappeared along with the interest in the game.5DUH
2gkHtmyAn ancient, unresolved mystery.fCte
ykQjMaybe, maybe I am the only player who ended up discovering it. Not only that.daGI
mbIP8‘And to think that the current representative of humanity that I was recently named……’rZM3zeR
S29ZWas, in fact, the very great evil of humanity. Leaving aside whether it was true or not, the situation was simply atrocious.oKrsxC
6ZGmLBIt was a joke that wasn’t even funny.Pk8
2t2***IrKmj
C1r2The darkness that had fallen over the sanctuary robbed sight and strangled breathing.XyYKkMF
KL8NWas it a hallucination or was it real?Zlrj
ufQnjOOWas it reality or an illusion?Ahgqj
9uITIn the midst of the spreading darkness, clac. The snap of fingers was heard.f15
VcGAnd in that instant, the extinguished lights began to turn on one after another with dry clicks.QgOMw
fW1I regained my lost self-control for a moment and fixed my gaze forward.odJcZiC
aSkTap, tap, tap.ZxZZy86
r2PCEach time Kuarne rubbed his fingers, the interior of the sanctuary lit up.QnKUs
LG7TIt was a clear vision. Erasing the madness he had shown before, Kuarne spoke with a calm face.i7X
rpUETA0“Seems it was just a blackout caused by a gust of wind. I’m sorry. I’ll relight the lamps now.”RxLCmw
tPrU1Kuarne smiled kindly.8a4SQFa
nEGAnd rekindled the extinguished flames of the sanctuary.pTC8
FX02Was he really getting into his role as a priest? Seeing him like that, one could almost believe he truly was.vFFVh
uv4EJL“With this, I end my story. Now you can ask me any questions you want. After all, that’s what a priest does, right?”R4ylL6
n34vKuarne smiled slightly. His smile and gaze remained immaculately white.vLt
Bb9I locked my eyes onto the guy’s and asked.tKp
D7cqPjH“Did you know that the one who annihilated all the false gods is known among humanity by another name?”nBFD2oY
AMzpc“Yes, I know. In runes, he’s called ‘Hereb’ or ‘the Godslayer’. Although the most accurate name would be the ‘Sword God’.”MIADLw
Xlc“Then why do you call him Demon King?”e6UxD
ymAonKuarne smiled sweetly. For an instant, his voice was so seductive one could doubt whether he was a man or a woman.1zz7mh
Au8“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.”srp8nT
wFlpsD“Pretty manichean, isn’t it?”8IxtzeB
kRlWw“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.”ZeAV5WV
RsRx“…Why?”SH0
LarMXL“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.”pGgq
794NNP“Such damn petty gods.”s50ob
AYPhGI clicked my tongue. Kuarne shrugged and added.4dKCiPc
ByvS“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.”6duJb7
opb“I see…”AmRVE8
EWHrbqTalking 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.plO5
3DYFRWhat would others think — better not imagine it.yPy
eJ3More 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.eeDI31
g3HThe demon in front of me, whose gender I wasn’t even sure of, was his follower. It was natural we got along.xJH134t
UlblTjI didn’t know if Kuarne was aware of this strange relationship. Deep down, I hoped he would never discover it.4cc
X29qF‘Everything this guy has said so far could just be unilateral claims or pure lies.’YI2Q
ZfvelI 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.H0c9Zn
ExRwUA‘The words of a demon, huh…’JcnZG
G4IgCOThat thorn stayed stuck in me. I turned my gaze toward the old elf. I had almost forgotten him.hQfO
OktOKlThough it left a bitter taste, this was a rare opportunity. I changed the subject and asked Kuarne.nOEKJtH
Hpi“This old elf talked to me about a ‘collaboration between Lycan and the founding hero.’ Do you know anything about that?”0Xksi
fG836YKuarne’s eyes trembled subtly. He didn’t react to Lycan, but to the mention of the “founding hero.”P4jTa
pcco3“I don’t know exactly.”DvruPx
UVOOP6Kuarne awkwardly scratched his white eyebrows. Then he looked at Horn, and the corner of his eyes curved.nKYP799
zJq“However, if you continue your journey with this dragon young lady, I think you’ll find the answer soon.”8T54m
NAskN“……?”MwGbk
Q0o“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.”4ZPW
0jwAfter saying that, Kuarne brought his hands together at solar plexus level, drawing an imaginary clock in the air, as if checking the time.iS6
0PCJe“I wish I could continue chatting, but it’s time to close the sanctuary.”Shd
ZFRWdkbSaying this, Kuarne walked past us toward the entrance. I stopped him.OSH
RxoX“One more thing. Kuarne, you and I are clearly enemies. So, why are you answering everything so kindly?”Vc303jA
vLkkCmNKuarne stopped, thought for a moment, and finally opened his mouth.MdcroFS
wbKb“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…”KQ4sbz
Y9QI felt there was a melancholic tone in his voice. A brief silence fell. The air filled with that pause.xpg9
P3kCWJa“The next time we meet, we’ll fight to the death.”jhQJ
bzjzKuarne broke the silence with a somber smile.yLdmWVN
Krn3fI8“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.”PUECTaT
kqgWMDm“…….”WjnD
Wdz4eQY“Fermush enjoys slaughter. He loves to bathe in blood and has a hobby of collecting human bones. He’s an adorable little brother.”M1o1dBs
NzBuHuff. I let out a long sigh.1T5f
GMDM5AThe image of the kind priest who had welcomed me crumbled, replaced by the true face of a demon.kR87
3KrDoes he have bipolar disorder? Although, being a Corps Commander, that was unlikely. No, that madness was simply his true nature.CQg5T3t
Qm5FZMThat’s how different demons were from humans in terms of purpose and morality.1Nl3
Bs1JI 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.k1YYu
egTN4s2Good and evil, black and white. I don’t care about those philosophical dichotomies.JR5
AVqIt doesn’t matter if the power within me is that of a god or a demon king.F58S
pb3NaWhat matters is that I’ll use that power to face my enemies.z4J1Fk
986Anyone who threatens me, I’ll cut down without hesitation. That simple and selfish desire is what drives me.zCmrLiW
pgCKCBoKuarne moved forward, his white robe fluttering. It was then that the demons around began bowing before him.s5U
MUMGZM7The chants and praises exploded throughout the sanctuary.1V5gMC
kqLi“Kuarne.”ijJA9
YU62Kuarne and the demons turned toward me simultaneously. Their eyes shone like those of wild beasts in the night.igS0iJ
DKp“I’ll cut off Fermush’s head and throw it at your feet.”VlsOur
hXtAcyyThe darkness covered even more of the temple’s interior. In a place where light and darkness were supposed to coexist, only demons remained.KOJkjz
wnxcWCFBut I was the only human there.MjFe6Q
gyzNHlKuarne drew a wide smile across his face.HsrpI
y7Xse“I’ll be looking forward to it.”vCK
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Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaNow story is getting interesting and deep.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaI’m guessing he is referring to that girl Kang geom saved from angels who try to kill her I don’t remember her name.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaHow is that adorable it’s madness.