The Immortal Graius
I checked the message once again.
The Immortal Graius.
An epithet brimming with blatant malice.
Who could call that lump of flesh right in front of me immortal?
Its skin was melting away, giving off a foul stench. Its body was so mangled it was unrecognizable, stirring disgust just to look at. A body alive only because it couldn't die. That's all it was.
And they weren't even treating it like a king. As if all its past glory had been forgotten, only the name Graius remained.
I clenched my jaw, staring at the message for a moment in response to what felt like utter disdain.
Clack.
How hideous it was. Even seeing the massive Soul Stone buried under the melted flesh didn't trigger my greed at all. I didn't want it one bit.
Graius the king's appearance was that pathetic.
Is that the final fate of one who chased immortality? Just the conclusion brought by a simple desire to live.
For some reason, it vaguely resembled my own future as I dreamed of becoming human. It pissed me off even more.
Grrraaahhh!!
The monster, having lost all language, chased nothing but gluttony. Seeing Graius desperately open its maw to not miss the prey right in front of it, I raised the Drake Soul Sword.
Graius! Your knight has returned!
Having inherited the soul of the skeleton knight who served him, in a way, wasn't I also one of Graius's knights?
Whatever!
Thud! Thud!
Grrraaahhh!!
Like a child throwing a tantrum, Graius—having judged me as food—charged with eyes rolled back, shaking its grotesque body.
Watching its jiggling belly fat, I quietly raised my shield.
BAM!
A tremendous impact soon overwhelmed my body. The synergy of its massive weight and charging speed was quite painful.
Clatter.
Shaking my head to barely regain my senses, I swung my sword right then.
Slash!
A horrific sensation transmitted through—like slicing into something soft and squishy.
Still, the attack succeeded. This should have definitely landed a solid hit, right?
But contrary to my expectations, Graius's body regenerated all the wounds in an instant.
As expected, this wasn't quite enough. There seemed to be too many annoyances piercing its infinitely regenerating skin.
Even after several more attacks, Graius healed too easily.
Hold on.
Watching it recover in a flash, a thought flashed through my mind.
No matter how much I attack, it just keeps regenerating?
Then, put differently, isn't it just a high-performance sandbag?
A sword imbued with the soul of a drake that survived for centuries while containing intense heat.
Its soft yet savage energy leads all things to ruin without discrimination.
Rage Burst: When damage inflicted on an enemy by the user accumulates, the sword's sealed power rampages. It unleashes a fierce whirlwind of flames, devouring everything around.
The special ability attached to the Drake Soul Sword.
I hadn't properly tested what kind of power Rage Burst held yet.
And for good reason—my battles so far had been about slicing enemies down in one go. It was pretty far from the concept of accumulating damage.
But unexpectedly, opportunity had arrived.
This was perfect!
Right before my eyes was a sandbag that regenerated without limit. Meaning I had plenty of leeway to rack up damage.
Grrraaahhh!!
Dodge!
I darted this way and that, evading the arms Graius flailed in rage.
All the while, not forgetting to pile on damage where I could.
And after several more attacks and dodges.
Honestly, Graius's attacks weren't sharp at all. Just a boss tricky to strategize against because it couldn't be killed.
But its stamina wasn't infinite—it soon grew tired.
Time to wrap this up?
Sensing the end had come, I lowered my head.
Confirming the Drake Soul Sword glowing red-hot, I untied the bundle I'd brought.
Torumo's potion from the lab.
I tossed the vial at Graius, and without even checking what it was, it gulped it down.
Gulp!
That greed-filled maw that devoured everything.
Had ultimately swallowed even its own doom.
Grrraaahhh—!!
The potion's effect was certain.
Graius's body began crumbling bit by bit.
Soon, the flesh that had covered it like melted ice cream turned liquid and scattered across the floor.
Confirming this, I gripped the red-hot Drake Soul Sword tight and charged at Graius.
Now was finally the time to use it!
To deliver a decisive finishing blow, I swung the sword wide.
The attack left a red trail.
The moment the Drake Soul Sword touched Graius's body, a massive explosion erupted.
———!
The raging flames devoured even the noise.
A quiet yet enormous blast.
Only after the explosion passed did a fierce wind follow.
Clack!
Closest to the epicenter, I lost balance instantly and tumbled across the floor for a good while.
Having been flung far away, I lay on the ground waiting for the dust to settle.
Of course, my mind was filled with pure joy.
This was practically a bomb!
The power was incredible.
My head still felt dazed.
But it wasn't all good news.
This wasn't the kind of power to use indoors or in a dungeon.
I'd have to be careful.
Thinking I'd need to judge situations before using it, I sprang to my feet.
The spot where Graius had been moments ago was utterly devastated.
A scene of violence like a gale had swept through.
Even amid its charred black body, seeing something twitch, I shook my head.
To survive that insane explosion.
Tough bastard.
Its performance was certainly top-notch.
Surviving even after that made me think it might truly be immortal.
Staggering toward it.
As I approached right up to it, Graius whispered lowly.
"Knowing death, I chased immortality. Am I... a fool?"
Regret flickered in Graius's eyes, which had wandered the void for so long.
His words gave me pause.
Humans are all fools.
They challenge even knowing defeat awaits. They try again and again despite knowing failure looms.
What's the difference between great figures who changed history and the failures who didn't?
Both are equally foolishly stubborn.
Maybe it's just my opinion, but simple luck might separate their success from failure.
Most things in this world work that way.
Luck.
So.
Graius was just unlucky.
I think fate was decided by that tiny gap alone.
"Was it a sin... to dream without the ability."
Is that so?
You can dream even if your abilities fall short.
I don't agree with Graius's thinking.
If greed is a sin, then every human in this world is guilty.
The sole reason humans live like humans.
The reason wretched flesh-bags could become rulers of the world.
I believe it all stems from excessive greed.
So I can't agree at all with Graius's pathetic excuses.
Looking at him with a skewed gaze, Graius let out a hollow laugh and asked me.
"You're different, then."
Of course!
Clack!
I declared proudly.
Because I'm special!
Like all the challengers before me.
I too believe I'm different from the rest.
I'll take everything I can!
And I'll become human in the end!
As if my greed had activated, I glared at Graius with eyes blazing with desire.
"...May you surely achieve your wish."
Offering me a brief smile, he closed his eyes quietly, leaving those words behind.
Soon, Graius's body began crumbling away.
With Graius's death, the flesh littering the floor vanished too.
All the other subjects linked to him had died as well.
Now I stood atop thousands of lives.
Having abruptly achieved the absurd feat of massacring thousands at once, I quietly bent down.
Where Graius's flesh had vanished, a massive Soul Stone glimmered.
Inheritance conditions have all been met.
A welcome message appeared, along with a familiar shape before my eyes.
Of course, the content was utterly unfamiliar.
Finally, a new inheritance!
Three choices in total.
I'd half-expected the first two.
Death Knight was probably what I knew: a boss-grade monster radiating menace in black armor. The ultimate image of undead, the pinnacle stage.
Next, Knight of Betrayal. Obvious without looking. The next in the knight series after Fallen Knight. The safest choice for stability.
But what truly caught my eye was something else.
Greed.
The word that suited me—dreaming of becoming human—perfectly.
A long silence followed.
Finally done deliberating, I lifted my head to the void.
I'd decided.
I choose the Star of Greed.
I'd just witnessed with my own eyes the story of a man who indulged in greed and met a pitiful end.
Yet I had no choice but to pick it.
Above all, a Star? First time seeing a star mark by a name!
It had to be something special.
Consuming material (Soul Stone - Immortal Graius).
Watching the messages scroll up, I thought.
Going beyond returning to human flesh.
I would possess everything in this world.
Synchronization beginning.
So I vowed.