Chapter 19 – The Hero and the Saintess Are Not Chosen by the Gods

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The moment I swallowed the black sphere, an intense heat erupted from my body. 

Pain, as if flames were engulfing my entire body, surged through me. I couldn’t even breathe properly. My heart was pounding madly, and my head felt like it was about to explode.

“Aaaah!!!”

I screamed and fell to my knees. The searing pain that started in my palms and arms spread throughout my body. It felt like black flames were flowing through my veins.

When I looked at my palm, a sinister black pattern was glowing there. It pulsed as if it were pulling something out from within me.

“Eli!!!” Sion’s voice reached me, but I couldn’t even see his face. My vision was already filled with red light and black shadows. The noise around me faded, and instead, the sound of a massive heartbeat echoed in my ears. 

Thump, thump, thump.

‘What is this… something inside me… is breaking.’

A dark, mist-like energy began to pour out of my body. It quickly enveloped the ruins, freezing the air around us. The dark energy was cold and sharp, yet sticky and heavy at the same time. ‘Is this… demonic energy?’

“Everyone… stay away from me!!!”

I screamed, but my voice no longer sounded like my own. It was low and distorted, as if two voices were overlapping.

“Eli!” Claire’s urgent voice reached me. She tried to approach me, but the dark energy pushed her back. “Damn it, what’s going on?! What’s happening to you?!”

Ruan, holding the spirit, shouted from a distance in a trembling voice, “The spirit is terrified! That… that’s not just ordinary demonic energy!”

Linda shrank back in fear and said, “Sister… why is this happening… I’m really scared…”

I couldn’t answer them even as I heard their voices. The burning pain inside me was consuming me. Every time the dark energy surged from my body, it felt like a wave trying to swallow me whole.

Selena’s voice faintly reached me. “This is… this is the early form of the Demon King… The seed is fully awakening! We have to stop it! We have to stop it!!!”

‘The Demon King? What are you talking about… Am I becoming the Demon King?’

I clenched my fists, squeezing my palms as if trying to crush the pain. The pattern on my hand was losing its glow and turning black, intensifying the burning pain. Something inside me was breaking.

And then, in an instant, everything went dark.

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When I opened my eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling came into view. The surroundings were quiet, with only a faint candlelight illuminating the room. I tried to move, but my wrists and ankles were tightly bound. 

‘Restraints…?’

“Where… am I?”

I whispered. My head still felt like it was about to split, and my body was heavy. I tried to look at my palm, but I couldn’t see it in my bound state. ‘What about the black pattern? The demonic energy…?’

I slowly looked around and began to call out.

“Sion…?”

No answer.

“Claire? Ruan? Linda…?”

My voice trembled, but still, no one answered.

I struggled against the restraints, but they were tied too tightly to break free. My heart began to beat even faster.

“Is anyone there?! Where are you! Answer me!!!”

At that moment, a cold voice came from somewhere.

“You’re awake.”

I turned my head toward the voice. A strange silhouette slowly emerged from the darkness. The person looked down at me with an expressionless face and said, “Now we need to decide what to do with what’s inside you.”

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I turned my head toward the voice. The person walking out of the darkness was wearing a long black coat. His face was illuminated by the faint candlelight, and his expression was blank.

He stared at me intently and slightly raised the corner of his mouth. “Finally awake. The saintess… and the Demon King?”

His words sent chills down my spine. I clenched my bound wrists and said, “Who are you? And where am I?”

He ignored my questions and slowly walked around the room, observing it. 

“Honestly, you’ve exceeded expectations. When you swallowed the seed of destruction, I didn’t think you’d survive this intact. Well, maybe not entirely intact. I’m not sure yet.”

“Start by explaining why I’m tied up here.” I said, glaring at him. “And who you are.”

He smiled faintly at my words, then sat down on a small chair by the bed, crossing his legs. 

“My name… well, it’s not important to reveal. But if it makes you uncomfortable, you can call me Noah. That’s my name for now.”

“Noah?” I repeated the name, watching his movements. Instinctively, I could tell he was a dangerous person. His cold demeanor, tone, and piercing gaze all confirmed it.

“More importantly,” Noah continued, “you’ve become quite an interesting state lately. You still maintain the power of a saintess, but the energy of the Demon King is also growing inside you. It’s a very… rare combination.”

“What do you know about what’s happening inside me?” I asked through gritted teeth.

Noah erased his smile and looked down at me with sharp eyes. “I don’t just know—I understand it perfectly. Because I’ve been researching this phenomenon.”

He paused for a moment, then continued in a heavy tone, “Aren’t you curious? Why the saintess is the saintess, and the hero is the hero. What exactly is the difference between ordinary people and them?”

“…”

His words were unexpected. I stared at him, unable to respond. He nodded, observing my expression. 

“Of course, you’d be curious. The rules of this world seem simple, yet they’re complex. The hero is the chosen one, the saintess carries the will of the gods… They try to explain everything with vague settings like that. But I wasn’t satisfied with that.”

“What are you talking about?” I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Yet, every word he spoke drew me in.

Noah waved his hand and said, “To put it simply, I’ve been researching. What makes the hero and the saintess different? Why they were chosen, and why those who weren’t chosen can never reach that point. Aren’t you curious too?”

“Then, what exactly is this research you’re talking about?” I asked, responding to his words.

Noah smiled and answered, “To put it simply, I’ve been curious about phenomena like you. The fusion of holy energy and demonic energy, the source of power that the chosen ones possess. You’re a very good specimen.”

“Specimen?” I said through clenched teeth. “Are you saying you’re using me as an experiment?”

Noah replied expressionlessly, “An experiment? There’s no need to make it sound so scary. In fact, this could even help you.”

“Help?” I scoffed. “How can you help me when you’ve tied me up like this?”

Noah stood up and said, “Before the Demon King inside you fully awakens, you’ll have to make a choice. It’s my job to tell you what that choice is.”

He walked toward the door and added, “If you want to know why the hero is the hero, and why the saintess is the saintess… you can follow me. After all, you can’t walk an ordinary path in this world anyway.”

After he closed the door and disappeared, I sat there, replaying his words in my mind amidst the confusion. 

‘What does this… even mean? Is this guy a player too?’

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After Noah left the room, the bedroom fell silent again. But my mind was in turmoil because of his words.

‘Why is the hero the hero, and why is the saintess the saintess… and now I’m an experiment? What does this guy even know?’

I struggled against the restraints on my wrists and ankles, looking around the room. The bedroom was simple, but a desk and scattered documents were in the corner. The candlelight faintly illuminated the desk, and I stared at them intently, still bound.

A map was spread out on the desk.

‘Is that… Lucian Village? Riverden Village… and… what’s this?’

The map had the names of three villages marked, and in the middle, the words ‘Hero Party’ were written in red ink. The words were connected in a circle, with small notes scribbled around them. I tried to make sense of it.

Then, a document lying on the floor caught my eye. At the top of the document, the words ‘Experiment Report’ were written in large letters. I twisted my body, trying to read the document.

‘Experiment Results: Heroes are born under specific conditions. Saintesses can also be formed in a similar manner.’

My heart began to race wildly. The contents of the document only deepened my confusion.

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[Experiment Report: The Principles of Hero and Saintess Creation]

Conditions for a Hero: When a specific individual is believed to be a powerful legendary figure by at least 10 people with genuine faith, that person manifests the power of a hero. This belief must be based on life-or-death conviction, not mere admiration.

Conditions for a Saintess: A saintess is formed in the same way. However, the manifestation of holy energy depends on the individual’s inherent nature and the pure trust of the villagers.

An Irrefutable Law of the World: This phenomenon operates like a rule ingrained in this world, and it has been confirmed that the subject cannot defy it. However, if the number of believers is fewer than 10, the effect cannot manifest.

Additional Verification Required: A control group is needed, and for this, a current saintess must be secured.

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My gaze stopped at the last part of the report.

‘Securing a saintess…? A control group is needed… Does that mean me…?’

At that moment, the puzzle pieces in my mind began to fall into place.

‘Lucian Village, Riverden Village… and the Hero Party.’

I muttered to myself, recalling the connecting lines on the map on the desk.

“Don’t tell me… what he meant by ‘research’ is…”

I replayed the contents of the document in my mind.

‘Heroes and saintesses aren’t just chosen by the gods… They’re beings created by belief…?’

Cold sweat dripped down my back as I thought about the document.

“This is insane… Is this the truth about heroes and saintesses?”

And the last line of the report echoed in my mind.

‘Control group needed: Securing an actual saintess is necessary.’

I clenched my bound wrists tightly, gritting my teeth.

“So, I’m… their next test subject.”

Only then did I begin to understand the meaning behind Noah’s words, ‘what you’ll have to choose.’ But my mind was still a mess, and the word ‘experiment’ weighed heavily on my chest.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading!!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
I don’t blame you for dropping this story.

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