Chapter 2: Legadon

Legideon

My vision was cluttered.

It wasn’t because my thoughts were complicated or for any similar reason.

In fact, my eyes were filled with unfamiliar things.

‘A notification window?’

They were very similar to the notification windows I’d only ever seen in games.

‘How do I get rid of them?’

There was no separate confirmation or X button visible either.

I quickly scanned their contents.

Strangely, as soon as I registered the content, the notification windows vanished without a trace.

My vision instantly broadened.

In the center of it all was the Demon King, Lashian.

The problem was this very situation.

The sudden possession of a game character was baffling enough, but the timing was an even bigger issue.

Held awkwardly in my arms, she wore a blatantly displeased expression.

“…”

I could feel it instinctively.

Her gaze contained murderous intent.

Considering her personality, it was a natural reaction.

However, I wasn’t prepared to simply accept that murderous intent as a given.

It was something I had done without considering the aftermath in the first place.

But how did things end up like this?

‘I’m screwed.’

An awkward silence settled.

The tension was akin to walking on thin ice.

Her dark crimson eyes glared at me, as if to tear me apart.

Just meeting that gaze was enough to choke me.

Just then, a new notification window popped up.

[Your mental state is unstable.]

[Correcting unstable state with overwhelming Mental Power.]

“…!”

As soon as the notification window appeared, my head cleared up as if by magic.

It was a blessing in disguise.

Who knew maxing out my Mental Power would be so helpful.

However, this volatile situation remained unchanged.

The only difference was that I could now calmly meet her murderous gaze.

Her eyes narrowed further.

A silent pressure for me to quickly explain why I had embraced her.

It felt as though she would twist my neck at any moment.

I took a deep breath inwardly.

I needed to recall.

What I had done with this character.

And what I should do from now on.

“That’s enough.”

I calmly set the Demon King back down.

As soon as she touched the ground, she brushed off the areas I had touched, as if displeased.

“I believe I asked what was going on.”

I shrugged my shoulders as if it were nothing and replied.

Meanwhile, my arm felt stiff. I’d only been holding her for a few minutes at most.

It must have been because I hadn’t put any points into Physical Ability stats.

If I had known this would happen, I would have invested in Stamina as well.

“You must have been through a lot.”

Words I blurted out haphazardly.

At that, the Demon King’s expression stiffened even further.

At that moment, my chest tightened.

A hot pressure was being exerted throughout my body.

The cause was the demonic energy flowing from her body.

It was slowly coiling around the surroundings.

My body felt like it was slowly being crushed.

It was like being compressed by a hydraulic press in real-time.

But.

‘That can’t be right.’

She wouldn’t actually try to harm me.

There were two reasons.

First, I had a track record of having helped her until now.

Second, because I was still standing here perfectly fine.

My current body was extremely frail.

Furthermore, the owner of this sinister demonic energy was none other than the Demon King herself.

If she truly intended to kill me?

Mental power or not, there’s no way I’d be able to stand like this.

Once my thoughts were somewhat organized, a voice so calm it made me wonder if it was even appropriate flowed from my lips.

“Don’t you feel strange lately?”

Oh, listen to that voice.

A moderately slow yet deep bass resonated through the space.

A concise yet powerful voice.

Even to my own ears, it had a rather convincing resonance.

It was likely the result of my maxed-out Charm stat.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ll find it hard to focus on your tasks, and other thoughts will creep into your mind.”

Look, even now.

Even with this endless string of vague words, she was obediently listening to me.

This was a stark contrast to the treatment reported by community users who claimed to have been beheaded for a single misspoken word.

The problem was that I didn’t even know what I was saying myself.

In truth, there was no way I had anything substantial to say.

Because I couldn’t honestly tell her I picked her up for 500,000 won.

If I did, I’d probably be instantly killed.

So, I diligently rummaged through my past memories.

A long time ago, I once went to a fortune teller with a friend.

It was a place rumored to be so uncanny that they warned me not to be surprised if they recited my past just by me sitting down.

What the fortune teller told me back then was exactly like this.

Things anyone might have experienced, words that could apply to anyone.

Words that people couldn’t help but be drawn to.

Of course, in South Korea, where information overflows, many people have become suspicious of such words.

But in this world, there was no such thing as fortune-telling.

So, isn’t there a chance this nonsense I’m spouting might actually work?

Just then, something appeared in a corner of my vision.

I quickly checked it and inwardly rejoiced.

The way to add persuasiveness to nonsense is simple.

To mix just enough truth within the sophistry.

“Wordplay is—”

A denser demonic energy surged from the Demon King’s body.

I quickly continued speaking.

“There must be someone you suspect.”

“…What?”

“Didn’t you already know?”

I paused for a moment to catch my breath, then continued.

“I’m talking about the rat hiding and listening even now.”

[Urgent Quest]

[Legideon has infiltrated the Demon King’s Castle disguised as a demon.]

[He is currently eavesdropping on your conversation and preparing a surprise attack.]

[His target is you. Eliminate him within the time limit.]

[Time Limit: 10:00]

[Reward: Ciel Stone*3]

[Failure Penalty: Death]

An Urgent Quest.

It was an event that occurred when specific conditions were met.

By the way, Legideon.

My heart thumped even as I spoke calmly.

I had heard of him.

He was an infamous demon assassin, rumored to have slain over a thousand demons.

He was a monster mentioned several times in the story.

Why was someone like him here?

It was incredibly fortunate that I had noticed his presence thanks to the quest window.

The failure penalty was a bit, no, quite bothersome, though.

I checked ‘Aura’, the only skill in my skill window.

A special achievement completed upon contact with the Demon King.

As a reward, my Dignity stat had exceeded its maximum, and this new skill had been generated.

The description was simple.

[Aura (Special Skill)]

[Dominates the surroundings with overwhelming dignity.]

The word ‘dignity’ did bother me a bit.

Because the word itself somehow felt disconnected from combat.

But I wasn’t in a position to be picky.

I immediately activated it.

But then.

‘Huh?’

The status window in a corner of my vision.

The Mana displayed there began to drain at a frantic pace.

A strange chill instantly ran down my spine.

It felt as though all my senses were becoming extremely acute.

Soon, something began to shimmer in my vision.

“?”

A hazy mist seemed to be enveloping my body.

‘No, that’s not it.’

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t enveloping my body.

I was the source.

An intangible energy was explosively gushing out from deep within my body.

Tearing into countless tendrils.

It had no clear color or form.

Yet, they undeniably existed.

The intangible energy stretched out to the ground and sky, instantly dominating the space.

I glanced at the Demon King.

But her eyes remained fixed on me.

‘Can only I see this?’

Anyone would see suspicious, smoke-like tendrils spreading, so her reaction couldn’t possibly be this calm.

Then this energy must only be visible to my eyes.

Even in games, there were special skills visible only to the user.

‘Aura’ seemed to be one such type.

In a fleeting moment.

A special, semi-circular space was created.

But.

‘…’

‘Is it working?’

Doubt crossed my mind.

The Demon King before me still didn’t show the slightest movement.

Her cold gaze also remained unchanged.

However, my worries were unfounded.

The moment the Mana in my body was completely depleted.

From the empty space in the opposite corner of the ceiling, something suddenly dropped with a thud.

‘…!’

A figure disgracefully tumbled onto the floor.

It was none other than the Empire’s assassin, ‘Legideon’.

At that moment, the Demon King’s gaze drastically changed.

Her dark crimson eyes instantly turned a chilling scarlet.

It was a change that occurred when she entered combat stance.

Her leg seemed to lift slightly, then she slammed it down hard onto the ground.

Thud!

With a thunderous roar, the ground violently shook.

A massive tremor, as if an earthquake had struck.

The ground cracked open, and fissures appeared everywhere.

Simultaneously, an immense amount of demonic energy burst forth from her body like a storm.

It was truly an overwhelming sight.

The demonic energy slowly devoured even the surrounding light, asserting its presence.

It felt as if the world’s brightness had dimmed by a notch.

“…”

That I could stand perfectly fine beside her even in this situation must have been thanks to her meticulous control.

At that moment, the Demon King’s form blurred.

Before I knew it, a long crimson sword was clutched in her hand.

‘When?’

It was a speed I couldn’t even begin to perceive in my current state.

As her arm rose, the previously released demonic energy was sucked back into her sword.

Soon, the sword was enveloped in black energy.

She then raised her arm further.

Consequently, the demonic energy distributed throughout the sword instantly converged at its tip.

And then, her arm swung.

It was beautiful.

Every movement was flawless, like flowing water.

The demonic energy, now condensed into a single point, shot out like a flash of light.

Legideon saw it and desperately tried to get up. But it was already too late.

CRAAAASH!

A deafening roar engulfed the earth.

And a moment later, the dust that had blurred the air slowly began to clear.

“…”

The sight that was revealed afterward was truly shocking.

The entire wall on Legideon’s side had cleanly vanished.

As if it had never existed in the first place.

It was truly overwhelming power.

I already knew her strength.

However, the gap between witnessing it on a monitor and actually facing it was immense.

Had I been holding such a monster?

It was enough to make me let out a hollow laugh.

Legideon, the Empire’s named assassin.

He vanished without leaving a trace in the vast demonic energy.