Chapter 62: The Calamity (1)

My heart was pounding. An unfamiliar emotion surged to my head, tightening the back of my neck like a rope.

The sensation of air barely reaching my lungs was suffocating. With all my strength, I twisted my body to free my limbs from the invisible magic that held me trapped.

“Gah…”

I pressed my hands against the ground, struggling to suppress the urge to vomit, gasping and grimacing until I managed to lift my upper body.

Even then, the nausea continued to invade me, forcing me to cover my mouth to steady myself.

What the hell is happening?

The blood flowing from the corpses had formed a viscous layer that enveloped Lei Shen.

And what happened next… is this abomination.

At first, I thought it was some sort of desperate attack from Lei Shen, but judging by her reaction, it didn’t seem like something she had planned. Her face held the same vacant expression as a soul descending into a bottomless abyss.

I raised my gaze slightly and observed Lei Shen floating in the air.

With her arms stretched out to the sides, her body was suspended unnaturally.

The deep red of the blood coating rose to her ears, soaking her completely.

The light in her eyes was slowly fading, indicating that Lei Shen didn’t have much time left.

“What is… that?”

My mind was in chaos. However…

‘Reflect on your memories, ☐☐. Even the most insignificant pieces sometimes serve as a mirror to see the future.’

Why did the words of my first master suddenly return to my mind?

I gathered my scattered concentration, striving to analyze the situation calmly.

My greatest advantage in this world was, undoubtedly, my knowledge as a player of *Miracle Blessing M*.

My memories of the game allowed me to foresee future events and prepare for crises that had yet to occur. That knowledge was the key to my survival.

My mind worked quickly.

Even as waves of magic cut into my skin, my body didn’t flinch. Instead, I straightened my back and faced the situation head-on.

In this critical moment, the calm with which I assessed the situation must have been thanks to the Blessing of the Sword God.

There was a reason it was called a blessing. Sometimes, it felt as though something invisible was protecting me.

I even thought that whoever granted me this blessing must be watching me.

I shook off those thoughts and focused on the recent events, reviewing them quickly in my mind as if I were watching a movie.

The agitation within me began to dissipate, and a cold logic settled in my chest.

Suddenly, a thought emerged in my mind, and I murmured it softly.

“A semi-demon transformation?”

I wasn’t sure, but something this horrifically powerful had to be extremely rare in this world.

The space seemed to tear apart, and screams echoed everywhere.

A malignant current spread through the area, as if it were trying to erase everything that had happened so far.

Even the demon siren’s magic I had fought before, which seemed formidable at the time, was nothing but child’s play compared to this monstrous presence.

However, a semi-demon transformation wasn’t something grand enough to cause a spatial distortion of this magnitude.

Even if someone had made a pact with a demon commander, a semi-demon was still human.

They couldn’t surpass human limitations simply by signing a contract. And if this wasn’t a transformation planned by Lei Shen…

…There was only one possibility left.

The blood spilled from the corpses had formed a strange pentagram that wrapped Lei Shen in a dark, reddish layer.

This wasn’t a simple transformation. Lei Shen and her subordinates had been used as sacrifices for a demon commander to descend directly.

“Damn it…”

When I understood what was happening, my emotions finally caught up with me, and a wave of nausea escaped my mouth.

This wasn’t a metaphor — we were literally screwed.

The resolve I had been building in my chest to face the situation faltered under the weight of despair.

Even so, the magic in the atmosphere grew heavier.

I looked at Lei Shen again, who seemed on the verge of completing the ritual.

Breathing was becoming more difficult, and the burning sensation in my limbs intensified until it was unbearable.

“Damn it, surviving in this world is ridiculously hard.”

I let out a curse as I exhaled. Then, I gripped the sashimi knife still streaked with blood and tried to clear my emotions by swinging the blade through the air.

“Well, I’m already here. If I have to die, I’ll at least try something.”

I couldn’t give up so easily. Although the situation was absurd, the only thing I could do was give it my all in one final effort.

‘I have barely 9 seconds left.’

I had wasted 41 precious seconds fighting the Undertakers.

It wasn’t my fault, but no one could have imagined that this desperate chain of events would unfold so quickly.

…If I had known, I would have reserved at least 5 seconds of my time. But it was too late for regrets.

I needed to stay conscious. Running wasn’t an option. I knew that if I tried to escape, I would die without even putting up a fight.

It was better to risk everything.

Boom!

Suddenly, a red bolt of lightning exploded through the gray clouds.

The pressure in the air intensified, weighing down my shoulders under an invisible force, while even the golden glow of Yggdrasil began to dim.

‘It’s here.’

Lei Shen slowly opened her eyes, revealing only half of them. Even with that faint glint in her pupils, it was clear that she was no longer Lei Shen.

A long, intense red light emanated from her eyes.

Instead of the clothes she had been wearing before, her body was now covered in a thin layer of molten blood, woven like silk, forming a red dress that clung to her skin.

With just a glance exchanged, a mind-shattering tremor coursed through my bones. It was like being trapped in an indescribable nightmare. Though my resolve, forged by all the previous adversities, should have prepared me for this, an uncontrollable fear rose inside me.

“Haa…”

I exhaled deeply. Despite it being a hot early summer day, a cold, white breath escaped my mouth and vanished into the air.

Thud.

The feet of “that” touched the ground, interrupting its levitation.

Immediately, all the flow of nature ceased. The wind stopped blowing, the stream’s water became still, and the sounds of life vanished as if someone had turned them off.

The unsettling silence settled like a heavy blanket over the entire place.

“Ah…”

It emitted a single syllable. Then, it began to open and close its hand repeatedly, as if rediscovering how to use its body, before breaking into a deranged laugh.

“Puahaha!”

A euphoric and disturbing laugh resonated in the air. Even that simple laughter seemed magical, as if it crushed everything in its path. It was like an insect being crushed under a human’s careless step.

Hearing that laugh, my eardrums felt like they were tearing, and I felt blood trickling down from my earlobes to stain my neck.

With no free hands to cover my ears, I gripped the knife I held so tightly that my fingers began to hurt.

When it finally stopped laughing, “that” glanced around quickly before fixing its eyes on me.

Its gaze narrowed, and to my surprise, it raised its hand and greeted me cheerfully.

“Hello, little one.”

“…”

“Hmm, isn’t that how I should greet you? It’s been 700 years since I left the Demon Realm, so I’m not very familiar with human customs.”

With a mocking tone, “that” looked at the corpses lying on the ground and, with a twisted smile, spoke again.

“Did you do this, little one?”

Without waiting for a reply, it continued talking as if holding a conversation with itself.

“Impressive. I suppose the fact that you’re still conscious after seeing me means you’re not an ordinary human.”

Its voice echoed in my ears like a constant buzzing, a kind of hypnotic echo. I felt dizzy, but I blinked several times, struggling to keep my composure.

Noticing this, it let out a mischievous laugh.

“Wow! You can resist a mental spell? You’re not just any kid, huh? How about we make a deal? Well, you still look like a kid, but I think you have potential.”

As it said this, it licked its red lips with its tongue, and then its gaze lit up as if it remembered something.

“Oh, right, I haven’t even asked for your name. Humans usually introduce themselves first, right? Well, I am Agor, commander of the Fifth Army. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Now, will you tell me your name? I tend to remember the names of all my slaves because I’m a very kind mistress, you know?”

Hearing its name, I swallowed dryly.

I had anticipated that this might happen, but hearing it directly was something entirely different.

Agor.

The lord of the succubi, known as the King of Dreams, and the commander of the Fifth Army of the Demon King.

A demon who mastered fire magic, one of the five elements. Although its physical strength wasn’t remarkable compared to other commanders, it was the absolute master of mental magic.

I couldn’t underestimate it. Even though Agor was “less prominent,” it was a living catastrophe. Its mere presence was enough to obliterate a small country.

As a demon, it followed only its instincts and desires, using dreams as a catalyst to deceive humans and consume their life energy.

I had stopped playing the game halfway through, but since it was a lustful succubus that men dreamed of, I skimmed through its lore on Kkum Wiki.

“Ufufu, you know? It’s an honor for me to speak to you personally. It’s been 700 years since I’ve done this. I’ll grant you the privilege of becoming my slave, little one.”

“…”

Agor lifted the hem of its blood-drenched dress slightly, letting out a seductive moan laden with an overwhelming concentration of magic.

“In the end, you humans aren’t so different from me. You pretend to be noble while judging and classifying each other, seeking your own benefit, hurting and killing others. Why not dream a glorious dream with me?”

With its foot, it lightly kicked one of the Undertakers’ corpses while continuing to speak in a hypnotic tone. Its sensual voice oscillated between reality and hallucination, drawing me into its words.

Yes, if you think about it, Agor is right.

Humans judge and classify others for their personal gain. The strong exploit the weak without giving them anything in return.

Humans are the ones who see injustice, tolerate it, and even go to war for practical benefits.

I remembered the days of my previous life when my father’s debt destroyed my family in an instant.

Banks posting red notices all over the house, and society stripping us of any chance of recovery.

‘However…’

I shook off those illusions and, quite literally, cut through the spell with a swipe of my knife.

A sensation of breaking spread through my body, and my mind regained clarity immediately.

I pushed aside unnecessary thoughts and adjusted my grip on the knife.

With determination, I planned to cut through both the seductive magic and the fear looming over me.

“Oh, why does it seem like my spell isn’t working? I used a higher level this time.”

“…”

“Could it be because of this mediocre body? Damn it, they asked me to do a favor, and I ended up trapped with this. What can I do with such a useless possession?”

“Hahaha.”

With Agor muttering something in front of me, I let out a brief, audible laugh.

Agor looked at me silently for a moment and tilted its head to the side.

“You’re laughing? You dare laugh at me?”

“Yes, what you’re saying is so absurd that I couldn’t help it.”

Silence fell like a shroud over the place.

Agor’s eyes, filled with fury, pierced me as if trying to crush me.

Accepting it would have been the most logical thing. Joining it would make my survival much easier.

Besides, my ultimate goal of staying alive would be far simpler if I sided with the Demon King’s army.

But that’s the devil.

It was a demon. Not just any demon — it was Agor, commander of the Fifth Army and queen of the succubi.

A creature that would betray me the moment I was no longer useful.

It lived solely to manipulate and devour.

I would rather fight with everything I had than live in humiliating submission.

With that decision made, I wiped my knife and said coldly.

“That thing about becoming your slave…”

Shing.

Unlike before, a faint light appeared on the sashimi blade.

For some reason, I laughed in a situation where death was imminent.

“Go fuck yourself..”