Episode 546. God (3)

Chwaaaak-

Wind swirled around the God of Betting.

Pushed back by an unidentified transparent barrier, Lee Hoyeon shielded his face with his hand, his eyes never leaving the God of Betting, no, the Demon King.

Even though his identity was revealed, the bastard remained adorned with chains all over his body. It seemed he had no intention of changing his appearance.

In the completely white space, the Demon King looked at Lee Hoyeon with a relaxed expression.

‘I didn’t expect to be found out… but it doesn’t matter.’

The Demon King waved his hand in the air. Then, a flamboyant cloak appeared and settled on the Demon King’s shoulders. Probably his taste.

‘Since you know my identity, I can’t just let you go. If you’re a mage, you understand your situation.’

The Demon King lowered his hand as if stroking the air.

Kwadeuk-

Kung-

Simultaneously, numerous polearms began to fall around Lee Hoyeon. Axes. Spears. Swords. Maces. They embedded themselves around him. The murderous intent and malice contained in each weapon were enough to make Lee Hoyeon tremble.

‘This is my mental space. Here, I am omnipotent. There is an insurmountable wall between you and me.’

‘A mental space…’

Lee Hoyeon clenched and unclenched his fist. He was right. The resistance of mana was fierce. It wasn’t entirely impossible to use magic, but in this space with strong restrictions, Lee Hoyeon couldn’t move freely. Even if the term ‘mental space’ was a lie, it seemed that being a god, he had managed to implement something similar.

‘He doesn’t seem to be just mentally aware.’ If he didn’t use divine power, even a Demon King would have a hard time breaking through Lee Hoyeon’s mental defenses. Although he was weakened from the battle with Lucifer, his mind was sharpened accordingly. Which meant this body was his true form. If he died here, it was game over.

‘This is our long-awaited first meeting, but you’re not showing me your true form?’

However, Lee Hoyeon wasn’t considering death at all. Instead, he looked at the Demon King with a confident stance.

‘You’re talking without knowing your place. Like a monkey in a zoo.’

The aggressive glare aimed at him and the frivolous tone, like a brat. It was exactly as he expected. For a god, the bastard was incredibly petty. Lee Hoyeon crossed his arms and looked at the Demon King.

‘Just like the image I had in mind. A petty and pathetic god. That’s why you brought me here after hearing some bad reviews.’

‘Watch your mouth? You’re alive only by my whim. If I get annoyed, I can kill you right now.’

‘Well. If I were you, I would have killed an eyesore like me immediately. Prolonging the bet offers you no advantages. So why am I still alive?’

‘…’

An immense pressure emanated from the Demon King before him. It wasn’t that he wasn’t afraid of the weapons embedded around him, but Lee Hoyeon was confident. The fact that this frivolous god wasn’t using his divine power and wasn’t killing him outright already provided the answer.

This world he was in was a fair ‘bet’ overseen by the God of Betting. The content of the bet was for Lee Hoyeon to resolve the main quest. The God of Betting, acting as the mediator, had guaranteed that the conditions of the bet would be equal. Yet, the god of this world, after possessing the Demon King, directly kills Lee Hoyeon and ends the bet? He hadn’t met them many times, but these gods were all anything but ordinary. If it was the God of Betting he knew, he would never permit such an ending. Because he’d probably want to kill the gods of this world who had already invited him into eight bets.

‘… Hmph. It’s just because it would be boring to end it like that.’

The God of Betting turned his head sharply with a displeased expression. Judging by his behavior, he was clearly a god with a low mental age. It was truly strange that such a guy was the god of a dating sim.

‘I feel like slapping him.’

Dugeun. Dugeun.

Even forcing his mana didn’t work properly in this space. It would be great if he could kill the Demon King after Lucifer, but that meant it was impossible.

‘Maybe I can extract some information through conversation?’

But no matter how frivolous he was, a god was still a god. It wasn’t likely he’d spill important information carelessly.

‘Besides, there isn’t much information I need to force out.’

All the information was already given. With Lucifer, the troublesome one, dead, the only remaining enemy was the Demon King before him. From now on, he just needed to prevent the Pandemic’s terror and wait until the Demon King’s invasion episode, summoned by Maestro, began. It would be good to know the Demon King’s abilities, but… no matter how stupid that guy was, he wouldn’t tell him that.

‘Then, escaping should be the top priority.’

First, avoid this situation. He could get information about the Demon King from Chiron.

Seureureuk-

Having finished his thoughts, Lee Hoyeon scanned the space slowly with his opened eyes. Since it wasn’t just Lee Hoyeon’s mind that was kidnapped, time flowed the same as outside, just as the bastard said. He didn’t want to be trapped for days. Having said something like he was going to confess something important and then suddenly disappearing, the other heroines would worry.

‘Since it’s made of mana, there must be a crack somewhere.’

His golden eyes read the Demon King’s mana. Revealing how this space itself existed and what it was based on.

‘Looking around won’t change anything. You can’t escape this mental space unless I permit it.’

‘Lies. A mental space? That’s a ridiculous deception. Compared to the abilities the real God of Betting showed, this is garbage.’

Lee Hoyeon recalled the time he met the God of Betting. Even though he was far less skilled magically back then, the space he showed him then was completely indecipherable. To be precise, he didn’t even feel the need to decipher it. It was truly an act only a god could perform.

‘The God of Betting…! Don’t mention that bat-like bastard’s name!’

The Demon King glared at Lee Hoyeon, his eyes flashing. The reason he himself came to this world possessing the Demon King was all because the God of Betting had manipulated the bet behind his back. It was absurd, but he judged that if things continued like this, it could become truly dangerous. Lee Hoyeon’s progression speed was abnormal, and the heroines’ high affection levels and Lee Hoyeon’s strength were strangely high.

‘If it weren’t for him, an irregular like you wouldn’t exist. To read my power in the world I created, what the hell are you doing?’

‘It’s your fault for endlessly summoning innocent people. How angry must he have been for the Arbiter to do this.’

‘That’s the God of Betting’s role! A guy who just cleans up after gods dares… Besides, what do you know to judge the world I created!’

‘Anyone would think you’re Zeus. A country bumpkin among gods.’

No matter what, wouldn’t the God of Betting, who handles the domain of bets, be a higher being than the god of some dating sim world? Lee Hoyeon liked the heroines and people of this world, but the original game was definitely trash. He still didn’t regret his negative review.

‘Th-this bastard, what did he just say…’

The Demon King, in the guise of the God of Betting, widened his eyes. He was the creator and absolute ruler of this world. A country bumpkin god, what kind of insult was that?

‘Still, I’m relieved you showed up. It seems there are no other tricks, and I just need to kill the Demon King.’

Lee Hoyeon inwardly let out a sigh of relief. Since so much had changed from the original work, he had worried a lot about what kind of bullshit would happen until the end. This much was satisfactory. And he now had a clear target: the Demon King, who was the god of this world. Just like the God of Betting said, defeating him would solve everything. Of course, since the god of this world possessed him directly, it would be much harder than the original, but he had to account for the increased difficulty. He managed to kill Lucifer, so he could kill the Demon King too. Lee Hoyeon just thought that and acted.

‘If there are no other variables, there’s only one reason he’s showing himself to me now.’ Lucifer. Lucifer, the Demon King in the original work and the strongest apostle summoned by Maestro, must have died, advancing the scenario to the next stage. The final scenario: The Demon King’s Attack. The Demon King, who hadn’t been able to exert influence until now, could now interfere with the world due to Lucifer’s death.

‘I don’t know what you did to infiltrate the Demon King’s body, but you seem quite desperate.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Because you were in a hurry, you not only possessed the Demon King’s body but also appeared before me to tell such lies. Isn’t that right?’

Lee Hoyeon smiled deliberately. If that weren’t the case, there would be no need for a god to directly interfere in this world.

‘… Think whatever you want. The fate of the world I created won’t change anyway.’

‘Even in the trashy original work, the protagonist wins. Don’t you know the ending of the world you created?’

Kwang. Kwa-ang-!

The space shook, and the polearms stuck in the ground aimed at Lee Hoyeon. He seemed enraged by the insult to the original work, but Lee Hoyeon knew he couldn’t harm him anyway. Besides, there wasn’t much time left for such a display.

Jijik- Hudeudeuk-

Cracks appeared in the white space, and it slowly began to collapse. The time limit was up. Lee Hoyeon calmly endured the Demon King’s rage. The Demon King, face contorted in frustration, spat out words.

‘That ending doesn’t exist anymore. The Demon King won’t be careless, and the incompetent protagonist will die disgracefully, clinging to the skirts of women. I’ll make it that way.’

Watching the Demon King spew curses with a frown, Lee Hoyeon smiled and gave him the middle finger.

‘Fuck off.’

Lee Hoyeon’s and the Demon King’s bodies. And the space made of mana collapsed simultaneously. The Demon King’s form vanished, and the white space slowly darkened. The conversation with the Demon King he met unexpectedly was quite helpful. His growth was steep enough to frighten the god of this world, and just as Lee Hoyeon was desperate, so was the other side.

‘Still, the disadvantage is unavoidable… but I should be satisfied with this much.’

The probability of clearing the main quest was 6%. He had repeated life-or-death battles several times, but it was still not enough. The Demon King’s power was overwhelming compared to Lee Hoyeon’s.

‘If I can’t do it, I’ll die anyway.’

He had succeeded until now, so he could succeed one last time. All Lee Hoyeon could do was believe in himself.

In his fading consciousness, Lee Hoyeon recalled the faces of the heroines waiting for him. He hoped they wouldn’t be too flustered by his sudden disappearance. He cleared his mind of the distractions that arose from meeting the god of this world. He needed to show his true feelings to the heroines again.

‘It might even be more important than catching the Demon King.’

Feeling himself being sucked somewhere, Lee Hoyeon closed his eyes for a moment.