Chapter 2 - After the Ending
Chapter 2 - After the Ending
Clang!
The fate of the Central Plains hung in the balance as the Martial Alliance Leader and the Heavenly Demon clashed in their final duel.
At the moment their swords met for the last time, it was the Alliance Leader, So Seon-hwa, who lost her grip on her blade.
“Ugh!”
Disarmed and exhausted, she collapsed to the ground, glaring at me with eyes full of hostility.
Her jet-black hair flowed like silk, her jade-green eyes clear as crystal—a beauty that could steal the hearts of any man.
Truly, she was both the strongest and most beautiful woman in the world, the Jade Blossom Sword So Seon-hwa. Well, since I’d just defeated her, the title of “strongest” now belonged to me.
“Hear me, all who bear witness!”
I raised my voice, addressing the spectators who had gathered to watch the duel.
My roar, infused with inner energy, echoed so powerfully it could be heard ten li away.
I scanned the faces of those present.
The onlookers were divided into two factions.
One side consisted of the orthodox sects—the Nine Schools and Five Great Clans—while the other was made up of disciples of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
With my victory, the orthodox faction turned pale, while the demonic cultists erupted into cheers.
The two forces had vied for supremacy over the Central Plains for centuries.
After endless bloodshed spanning over a thousand years, the leaders of both sides had finally agreed to settle the conflict with a duel between the Martial Alliance Leader and the Heavenly Demon.
The victor would claim absolute authority.
And in that duel, I, the Heavenly Demon Baek Ui-cheon, had emerged triumphant.
No doubt the orthodox faction was inwardly cursing their luck, while the demonic cultists were already gleefully envisioning their conquest of the Central Plains.
But the declaration I was about to make would defy the expectations of both sides.
“As the victor of this duel, I have the right to decide the future of the Central Plains’ martial world. This was the condition you all agreed upon, and none can deny it.”
The crowd fell silent, their gazes fixed on me, urging me to continue.
In response, I—
Thunk!
—drove my sword into the ground. This blade would never be drawn again.
“I, the Heavenly Demon Baek Ui-cheon, hereby declare an eternal end to the conflict between the Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Cult! From this day forth, no more blood shall be spilled in the Central Plains!”
It took nearly a year to clean up the aftermath of my duel with the Martial Alliance Leader.
There were formal matters—negotiations between the high-ranking members of both factions to establish the terms of peace, drafting treaties, and so on.
And then there were the… unofficial matters.
The hardliners within the cult who rebelled against my declaration, the elders of the Martial Alliance who secretly plotted to strike back—
These reactionaries had to be “dealt with” appropriately, using the cult’s enforcers and the assassins of the Shadow Gate.
Now, at long last, everything was settled.
Sitting on my bed in the quiet of my chamber, I waited anxiously for something.
Ding!
[Congratulations!]
“It’s here!”
[True Ending: You Have Achieved Eternal Peace!]
Finally, the message I had been waiting for appeared before my eyes.
“I just wanna date someone…”
It had all started during my summer break in college.
That day, I had nothing to do, so I was just rolling around in bed.
My friend had just hung up on me after I called to ask if he wanted to hang out—he was busy with his girlfriend, apparently.
My high school homeroom teacher’s promise that “you’ll find love in college” had turned out to be a lie.
I was now in my 22nd year of being terminally single.
“Any good games to play?”
I turned on my phone and opened the app store.
“…Huh?”
There, under the “Recommended for You!” section, was a game I’d never seen before.
“Heavenly Demon… Simulator?”
I tapped the icon to check the store page.
Judging by the screenshots, it looked like a standard 2D stat-raising game.
Increase your attributes through actions each turn, make choices during events to progress the story…
Probably something like the classic Princess Maker series.
“Oh. There are heroines too?”
The description mentioned romance elements.
I had no idea who the target audience for a “raise your own Heavenly Demon” game was, but…
Well, I guess I’d be part of that audience now. Go get ’em, Heavenly Demon.
I installed the game and tapped the icon to launch it.
After the unfamiliar developer logo and title screen flashed by, a text box popped up against a black background.
[Welcome! Please input your wish!]
“?”
[‘Heavenly Demon Simulator’ is a reality-linked game. Upon clearing the game, your wish will be granted as a reward…]
What the hell was this? It reeked of a scam.
But this was the official app store—surely they wouldn’t let something like this slip through?
“…Hmm.”
Curiosity got the better of me. Just how far would this shady app go?
I typed I want to date someone in the wish box, then erased it. Might as well dream big.
[I want to live my life surrounded by a harem of beautiful girls who only have eyes for me!]
That was the final wish I submitted.
“Alright, let’s see how you plan to deliver.”
[Your wish has been confirmed! Now, let me explain the game.]
[The goal of ‘Heavenly Demon Simulator’ is to successfully raise the Heavenly Demon ‘Baek Ui-cheon’ and achieve an S-rank ending!]
[Upon reaching S-rank, your wish will be granted.]
Of course. They were really committing to this premise, huh?
[The game will now begin! After synchronization, you will start a new life as the 17-year-old Heavenly Demon Baek Ui-cheon.]
…Wait, what?
[Please maintain strict role-playing as the Heavenly Demon. Penalties will be applied for breaking character.]
[Good luck!]
And then, my consciousness faded.
When I opened my eyes again, I had already become the Heavenly Demon.
What followed was a cycle of days I didn’t even want to think about.
[Bad Ending 01. Captured and executed by the Martial Alliance’s Heavenly Blossom Unit.]
[Bad Ending 02. Poisoned.]
[Bad Ending 04. Assassinated by the Shadow Gate’s killers.]
[Bad Ending 18. Defeated in a life-or-death duel with the Stormblade Wanderer.]
…
The life of the Heavenly Demon Baek Ui-cheon was nothing but unfairness incarnate.
The Martial Alliance, the Four Great Sects, nameless wanderers, even traitors within the demonic cult—
Every lowlife under the sun tried to kill me, and each time I died, I had to regress and start over from the beginning.
It was hell—an endless loop of death with no escape.
But I clung to one sliver of hope.
The promise that achieving an S-rank clear would grant my wish.
That was the only thing that kept me going. The harem didn’t matter anymore. I just wanted this loop to end.
And so, I pushed past the bad endings, reached the normal endings, then the good endings…
Until finally, in this moment—after who knows how many loops—I had achieved the true ending.
“YES!!!”
I shouted without thinking, then flinched before relaxing again.
There was no one around, so I didn’t have to keep up the Heavenly Demon act.
Early on, I’d often forgotten my surroundings and blurted out words that didn’t fit the setting.
Each time, I was hit with excruciating pain—like my entire body was burning—as a “penalty” for breaking character.
“Anyway.”
I’d finally reached the true ending. Which meant…
[Calculating score…]
[Congratulations! You have achieved S-rank!]
At last.
I could finally escape this game.
[Well done! You have now fully cleared ‘Heavenly Demon Simulator.’]
Spare me the praise. Get to the point.
[‘Heavenly Demon Simulator’ will now conclude.]
[As a reward, the wish you submitted at the start of the game will now be granted!]
My wish.
Now that I thought about it, I’d completely forgotten about that.
‘I want to live my life surrounded by a harem of beautiful girls who only have eyes for me!’
I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d been so young back then, making wishes like that.
Of course, I didn’t need that now. I just wanted to leave this godforsaken world.
“Forget it. I don’t need it. Just send me back to where I came from.”
[Analyzing user’s current state… Searching for a suitable world to transfer to…]
But for some reason, the system ignored my command and kept going.
What the hell? It usually responded to the most trivial comments.
“Are you deaf? I said stop.”
[Signal detected from World RF-129, calling for the user!]
“Huh? I said don’t—!”
[This world contains a high concentration of attractive heroines, making it highly suitable for fulfilling the user’s wish.]
“Wait, stop! What are you—?!”
[Removing RP restrictions currently applied to the user. Beginning transfer.]
[As a clear bonus, all stats and martial arts acquired in this playthrough will be carried over to your new 17-year-old body!]
“No, don’t—”
My consciousness blurred. It felt just like when I’d first been pulled into this game.
Once again, I blacked out…
[Sending Data ‘Character_CheonMa’ to RogueFantasia.exe…]
……
[Welcome, adventurer, to the continent of Tarkma.]
[In this world of ‘Rogue Fantasia,’ you must overcome countless dangers and defeat all who stand in your path. Along the way, you will meet comrades, lovers, rivals… and forge countless bonds.]
[May fortune favor you as you take your first step into this adventure.]
[Loading character data…]
[Load successful: Character ‘Heavenly Demon Baek Ui-cheon’]
[Adjusting initial character settings.]
[Changing character age from 44 to 17. Stats adjusted to match new age. Skill tree updated with ‘Basic Martial Arts,’ ‘Demonic Arts,’ and ‘Heavenly Demon Divine Arts.’]
[…]
[Adjustments complete. Beginning game.]
When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in a thick fog.
Squinting, I quickly assessed my surroundings.
The fog obscured my vision, but I could clearly make out two things nearby:
A blood-drawn magic circle beneath my feet, and a corpse bleeding profusely.
“…”
I picked up the dagger lying next to the corpse.
The clothing, the man’s features, even the dagger’s design—
None of it resembled anything from the Central Plains.
Before I could figure out what was going on or where I was—
“…!”
My combat senses picked up multiple hostile presences approaching.
Swish!
Reflexively, I swung the dagger, sending a blade of energy toward the source of the hostility.
“Ah—!”
For a moment, I wondered if I’d acted too hastily, but I quickly steeled myself.
Whoever they were, they meant me harm—this was self-defense.
Crash!
A sound like shattering glass echoed through the cavern, followed by an unfamiliar man’s furious shout.
“How dare you draw your blade against the knights of the Radain Church, who act upon the will of the gods!”
The language wasn’t Korean or anything from the Central Plains, yet I understood it as if it were my own.
The system’s earlier message about finding a “suitable world” came to mind.
Radain Church. I’d never heard of it—not in real life, nor in my time as the Heavenly Demon.
Damn it. Another new world, huh?
I was going to lose my mind.
I finally cleared the game, and as a “reward,” I get dumped into another strange place?
And the moment I arrive, there are already people trying to kill me?
“Ha…”
Fine. I don’t know who you are, but let’s see your faces.
Gripping the dagger, I walked toward the source of the voice.
They were probably enemies. I couldn’t afford to underestimate them.
I steadied myself, recalling the countless deaths I’d experienced when I first reincarnated into the Heavenly Demon Simulator world.
“Gods, you say? I stand before you now. Who dares impersonate divinity?”
As I stepped out of the fog, I delivered the kind of line befitting the Heavenly Demon.
…Oh, right. The RP restrictions were lifted.
Whatever. Playing the Heavenly Demon was what I did best—might as well roll with it.
At the same time, I got my first look at those who had come for me.
Knights clad in ornate armor of silver and gold.
And the silver-haired nun in a deep blue veil they were escorting.
Before I could even admire her beauty—
“Draw your blades! In the name of Juten, eradicate this evil!”
The knights charged at me, swords raised.
“Tch.”
Annoying from the get-go.
“Kneel, insects.”
[Heavenly Demon’s Aura activated!]
My voice, infused with demonic energy, forced the knights to their knees.
“Guh…!?”
“W-what is this…!?”
Overwhelmed by the demonic pressure, they dropped their swords and collapsed, unable to move.
“I don’t recall permitting you to move.”
Count yourselves lucky. I’m sparing you only because I’m still figuring things out.
If I were fully in character, I’d have started by cutting your throats.
“Y-you…! What are you!?”
Ignoring the frantic shouts of what seemed to be their commander, I approached the nun.
Unlike the knights, she showed no signs of being affected.
And judging by how the knights treated her, she was likely their leader.
“Forget the small fry. You—what’s your name?”
The nun remained perfectly composed, unfazed by my attention.
“I am Euria Radain, Saintess of the Radain Church. May I ask your name in return?”
The title “Saintess” made me flinch internally.
I’d guessed as much from the armored knights, but this really was some kind of fantasy world.
“You have no need to know my name. ‘Heavenly Demon’ is title enough.”
“…Heavenly Demon. I don’t know who you are, but would you release my holy knights?”
“And if I refuse?”
“…Then I will have no choice but to resort to force.”
Huuuum…
Brilliant strands of light began gathering in the Saintess’s hands.
The light coalesced into a massive hammer, nearly as tall as a person—
“I apologize in advance. This will… hurt!”
With both hands, she swung the hammer down toward my head with all her might.