episode_0058

‘···Well, as I live, I hear all sorts of suggestions.’

When I first heard the offer to recruit the Demon King’s Army, of course I was confused.

Because I never dreamed that I would make such a suggestion to the warrior.

I’ve played over 900 times and this is the first time I’ve seen something like this.

Well, it’s true that there’s less that hasn’t changed since falling here. This kind of thing can happen. It’s because they’re real living creatures, not supporting characters made up of 0s and 1s.

Of course I was going to refuse.

It was a suggestion that didn’t need to be heard. It was nonsense. I tried to shake my head and dismiss it as such.

“······.”

But, unexpectedly, my mouth didn’t fall off easily.

Then suddenly an unpleasant question pops into my head.

···I know.

Why do I have to listen to this gossip and do this?

-Damn, you punk.

-Why was someone like that chosen as a warrior?

-The fate of the continent is also decided.

If I still listen closely, I can hear gossip and rumors whispering in my head.

These were not words made up of fiction, they were all words I had heard at least once.

This was my situation, this was my position, and yet I was swinging my sword for those who cursed me.

“If you join the Demon King’s army, you won’t have to worry about curses. Since it’s a curse related to the goddess anyway, it doesn’t seem to have much effect on us who are enemies of her. Even if it does have an effect, I’ll be there to explain it to you.”

In the midst of all that, what he said couldn’t help but be sweet.

At least, if you join the Demon King’s Army.

I don’t have to stress over useless things anymore. This world has already rotted away, and I can change it to my liking.

It was a self-evident fact that at least the treatment would be better than it is now.

But after thinking about it for a while, I eventually had no choice but to shake my head.

“···I refuse.”

“What?”

When I refused, the guy tilted his head.

Looking at his face, he had an expression that said he never expected me to reject him.

“I don’t understand. Why on earth would you throw away this great opportunity?”

Yeah, I wonder why I refused. I didn’t really know the reason, but I did give an answer anyway.

“I’m a human. I don’t want to be among monsters.”

“Oh, is that all you want? If so, if you stay on the side of humanity, you can have a proper conversation with them?”

“······.”

“In my eyes, humans and monsters. There is not much difference. There are many people in our Demon King’s army who can communicate, and even if not, I will not blindly oppose them. Are you worried about appearance? Don’t worry. There are many humanoid monsters in our Demon King’s army. Succubi can also provide you with some entertainment.”

“··· You really talk too much.”

I took up the holy sword.

“I’m a warrior. You’re a demon lord. Do you need any more reason to fight me? So shut up and come at me, you punk.”

“··· You will regret that choice.”

Perhaps he finally felt like fighting. The guy who had been keeping his mouth shut started drawing a magic circle again.

It’s a similar black magic circle to the one before. This time, they’re trying to use the corpse as an offering.

“You can’t leave it like that.”

Of course, I wasn’t the kind of person who would just sit back and watch that happen.

I see blood splattered on the floor. It’s a mixture of my blood and the monsters’ blood.

I immediately breathed my magic into it and activated one spell.

Blood transfusion.

What you want is fire.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The area that was filled with blood was transformed into a sea of fire in an instant.

The thick, blazing fire began to burn the corpses on the floor. This was to get rid of the corpses that were the offering material in advance.

With this, you will no longer be able to do things like offering food.

“···Hmm.”

The guy groaned as if he was uncomfortable.

The subsequent battles were the same. Monsters kept rushing at me, and I kept blocking them.

The occasional black magic attacks were annoying, but it was bearable.

Is it because he blocked the offering? It also took time for him to use major magic.

“Haa··· Haa···.”

That took a long time.

Before I knew it, the underground sewer was filled with heavy breathing. It was all my own breathing.

Even though they were clearly being slashed endlessly, the horde of monsters showed no signs of decreasing.

‘Is it really possible to get a refill somewhere···.’

There’s nothing really easy.

The voices were still playing in my head, giving me a throbbing headache.

It wasn’t just my physical strength that made me gasp for breath.

The curse of exhaustion.

It’s mostly because of the curse he added.

I glared at the guy.

‘It’s annoying, after all.’

If I didn’t deal with him first, I would die first. The problem is how to deal with him…

As I said before, the guy is surrounded by a lot of monsters. That means, to reach him, you have to first get through this group of monitors.

I already felt like swearing because it felt so intense······but I had to break through it, I guess there was a way.

So I ran towards the guy.

That was when.

[WARNING! WARNING!]

[A variable has occurred in the scenario!]

The system’s alarm bell rang and a warning message appeared in front of me. It was that damn warning sound that always came when things went wrong. It was here again.

I couldn’t help but be embarrassed.

What the hell, in this situation?

My head hurts so bad I’m about to die.

Suddenly, I looked at the guy and saw that black ‘fog’ was flowing out from his entire body. An effect that only Anmyeong has in this world. In other words, it is the power of the Demon King.

“I didn’t know you would use the power he gave you already. I salute your ability.”

As I looked at the guy with a serious face, he began to manifest magic. An ominous energy was surging from his hands. It was even more ominous than when he had gained magic power through offerings.

Finally, the guy who completed the magic attacks me.

I tried to block it, but this time too, it was a curse type magic so I couldn’t block it.

Immediately after.

“Kkaaa …

A terrible pain weighed on my mind.

It’s so loud I feel like my head is going to burst!

The noises that had been ringing continuously had become dozens of times louder than before!!

“Do you know that? That curse is a stacking curse. If you’re going to tell someone something they don’t want to hear, wouldn’t it be more effective to repeat it hundreds or thousands of times? In the old days, this was used to drive many people crazy.”

The guy says with a hearty laugh.

That wasn’t all.

“As a bonus, I’ve included a small gift to make you more honest. It’s a friend called Whisper of Desire. ”

It was just as the guy said.

Among the countless gossips, I hear a voice that sounds like mine.

-I want to stop.

-I’m tired.

-Does this make any sense?

These were sentences that I had once thought of unconsciously. They sounded strangely clear even in my shattered mind.

Chomp!

Even in the midst of all that, the monsters kept rushing at me, and it was driving me crazy.

“What a dark image. Maybe it’s because of the curse, but you’re really tired.”

After suffering like that for a while, the guy opened his mouth again. It seemed like I wasn’t the only one who could hear the voice inside me.

“They are all dark and full of negative emotions. It’s so pitiful.”

“Keugh··· Shut your mouth. Please.”

“Do you know what the most evil thing about the curse related to the year is?”

He looks at me.

“Do you often have conflicts with people? Do you not cooperate? Do you have misunderstandings? No. Those are just additional problems. In the end, the biggest problem is that it feels unfair and shitty.”

Continue speaking.

“Stress. It seems so trivial, but it is so effective in killing people. Too many people overlook the power of this weapon. In reality, it is stress that kills as many people as the Demon King’s army.”

Before I knew it, the guy’s eyes were filled with compassion.

It feels more like looking at a child on the side of the road than an enemy.

“Lastly, I advise you to come into the Demon King’s Army. This is not for us, but for you. If you come in, I will also turn off those loud words ringing in your head.”

The second word of advice I hear.

But this time, it was incomparably sweeter than before.

All else aside, if you just accept it, you can make these damn voices go away.

And just like the guy said······.

I was already very tired.

The whole world is your enemy.

Wherever you go, there are enemies and antagonists everywhere, and building relationships with people is out of the question.

Sometimes, just occasionally, I get the vivid feeling that everyone hates me.

Regardless of my sexual orientation, there were times when my nose would get itchy and my throat would get blocked.

If you give up like the guy said, you might feel better.

But strangely enough, something else came out of my mouth.

“No, uh···.”

Why?

I don’t know why. Why I refuse.

I don’t know if I should continue the fight while holding onto this head that feels like it’s going to break.

I guess the guy didn’t understand either.

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

I took up the holy sword.

I see monsters ahead. My countermeasures haven’t changed. I break through the monsters and kill them.

Even in the midst of all this, the guy continued talking.

“Is it worth it? No. Why would you want to walk that thorny path?”

Strangely, my vision was blurry. In short, I was crying.

I couldn’t tell if it was because of the pain or because I sympathized with what he was saying.

“There is no glory on your way.”

embrace.

“There will be no honor.”

I know.

“Even if you catch the Demon King, your future is already obvious. You will die alone. No one may know your hard work. In the end, there will be nothing but emptiness.”

“I know.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. It was a fact that everyone knew.

Even if the goddess were to save me, my achievements as the warrior ‘Luke’ might be belittled and disappear.

In the first place, it was unknown whether I would be able to reach the Demon King.

My choice may be rationally foolish.

however.

“But what the fuck··· First of all, shouldn’t we save the people?”

Someone has to pick up the sludge.

That’s just what happened to me.

It was unfair and shitty, as the guy said, but if I ran away like that, there was no one to take responsibility.

Even if they scratch me with harsh words.

There was a landscape I also wanted to protect.

The chattering voices of children that can be heard as you walk down the street. The bright smiles of street people.

The many cheerful words that were actively echoing in places where I was not present. Even in this rotten world, happiness blooms anywhere.

Even if I didn’t experience it, it was worth protecting.

So bend it.

Whack! Whack!

Cut and stab the approaching monsters as you advance, one step at a time.

The guy muttered in an admiring voice.

“He’s an iron man. In many ways···.”

“You foolish beggar, like a cripple.”

That took a long time.

I gradually felt that the time had come.

I hope that the pain that has built up inside me will slowly be released.

I stretched my right hand forward.

Then I used one of the spells I was most confident in.

[Use ‘Painful Memory’!]

In an instant, everything in front of me was torn apart.