Chapter 185
Chapter 185
Ch. 185 .｡.:✧ The Demon World (2) ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The women I thought I had lost, the heroines I believed had vanished…they were within me, with me all along, and I hadn’t even known.
The realization warmed my heart. I wasn’t alone. They had been watching over me, protecting me.
I had thought my journey was a path of loss, but it had actually been a path of accumulation, building something within me, unknowingly.
“Gasp…”
My eyes snapped open. I could feel my body, Undecided’s hand in mine. My vision, though slightly dim, was clear.
I could breathe…
“Cough! Hack! Cough…!”
|Look at that. He breathes like a mortal. Someone remove the demonic energy from his lungs.|
|I shall.|
I inhaled deeply, and a wave of demonic energy filled my lungs, a searing pain making me cough up blood.
I thought I was going to die the moment I woke up, when a soothing touch passed through my body, the pain vanishing instantly.
“Thank…thank you…cough, cough.”
|Don’t mention it. He helps handsome men for free.|
|What are you-?!|
“…”
The playful banter eased my tension, but then I realized who they were, and my body stiffened.
The air was thick with demonic energy, threatening to consume me, and the beings before me, their every breath reeking of demonic energy, were…demons.
I had encountered such beings before. The Archdemon, Belphegor.
These demons felt…similar.
I held Undecided’s hand tighter, my gaze fixed on the ground.
“You are…”
|It seems you’re finally aware of your surroundings. Are you comfortable breathing? This is the first time a living human has arrived here, so we weren’t sure how to…teach you how to breathe…but you seem to be managing.|
“Demons. This is the Demon World.”
|Correct, human!|
I pushed myself to my feet, my body heavy. At the end of the dark cave, beyond a sliver of light, a waterfall of molten lava flowed.
Beside me stood two shadowy figures, their eyes burning with black flames.
They resembled Belphegor, but their gaze was far more intense, a predatory stare that made me avert my eyes.
|Let’s start with your names.|
“I’m Yoo-jin. And this is Undecided.”
|Yoo-jin…and Undecided…|
‘These are not like Belphegor.’
They were on a completely different level, beings that could crush Belphegor like an ant. Defying them here would be suicide, or worse.
They seemed…amicable for now, so I would play along, at least until I understood the situation.
“Is this…the Underworld?”
|Hmm. Yes and no. The Demon World is one of the four realms that make up the Underworld. It’s located in the north.|
“Then I wish to meet the God of the Underworld. Please.”
|The God of the Underworld…? Khahahahaha!|
“…?”
Had I said something funny?
I tilted my head as the two demons burst out laughing.
They finally calmed down, catching their breath, then leaned in close, their faces inches from mine.
|You’re looking right at him.|
“Excuse me?”
|The Underworld…is the God of the Underworld.|
“I know. Then…can he hear me?”
|You could say that. But he’s not your friend. He’s not going to answer just because you call-|
“…Come out, God of the Underworld.”
Rumble!
The entire Demon World shook as Undecided whispered to the ground. It was a brief tremor, nothing serious, but the two demons’ faces paled.
|Just now…|
|Yes. The Ten Kings said…he wouldn’t interfere…that we should…figure it out ourselves…|
|…|
|…|
They exchanged glances, their hands on the ground, then their gazes snapped back to us, a chilling intensity in their eyes.
I instinctively stepped back, and they were upon us in a flash, grabbing our arms.
|Who are you? What is your connection to the Underworld?|
|Why did the ‘Will of the Underworld’ answer a mere human’s call?!|
“…!”
Their black eyes, like bottomless pits, stared into mine, their gaze inescapable. I was trapped, their iron grip holding me in place.
|Fascinating…fascinating…so many fascinating things…|
“Ugh?!”
“…Ugh.”
Their uncontrolled demonic energy seeped into me, probing, analyzing, as if dissecting my body piece by piece. My body couldn’t withstand it, my heartbeat slowing.
‘Shit. I’m dying.’
I had survived countless trials, only to die from…curiosity?
It was absurd.
I gasped, struggling to breathe, when…
|That’s enough. You’ll kill our guest.|
|Oh…|
|W-What have I done…? I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you! I’m really sorry. Cute human and…hmm…corpse child? I’m really sorry.|
The lava waterfall receded, revealing a passage, and another shadowy figure emerged.
The pressure on my body vanished, but his presence alone made my head throb, my vision blurring.
|Hmm. Are you struggling?|
“No…”
Even with the Mental Fortitude trait, this was…intense. The strongest impact since my conversation with the God of the Underworld.
I quickly covered Undecided’s eyes and closed my own.
|A quick thinker, I see.|
“I’ve met…your kind…before.”
|I’m glad to hear that. I was wondering if I would have to communicate through these…imbeciles. Have you heard their names yet?|
“Not yet.”
|These two…tsk. My apologies. They’re rather…inconsiderate. You have the misfortune of awakening while they were present. I am Wrath. Or…Satan.|
“…”
His name sent a shiver down my spine.
Satan.
During the game’s development, we had planned to make him the final boss of the sequel.
|What have you done besides harassing our guest since his arrival?!|
|It’s not fair! We were going to explain everything, but he suddenly summoned the God of the Underworld!|
|Yes! It’s his fault for smelling so delicious!|
|I should have entrusted the mana stones to a fire dragon. Putting you two in charge was a mistake…|
Satan made the two demons kneel, shaking his head.
Though I was currently being treated as a guest, I knelt as well, Undecided beside me, respectfully listening.
I didn’t understand why the would-be main villain of the sequel was being so courteous, but I wasn’t complaining.
He explained that this was the Demon World, one of the four realms of the Underworld, located in the north, corresponding to the northern pillar in the formation we had used to summon the God of the Underworld.
Though technically part of the Underworld, I couldn’t contact the God of the Underworld from here. My previous encounter had been a special case, a temporary alliance to capture a fugitive.
He hadn’t been interested in me personally. And while my arrival in the Demon World, in a living body, was unusual, the God of the Underworld, a being of pure justice, couldn’t help me.
He had told me to escape on my own and had remained silent ever since.
|I’ll ask one more time. How did you traverse the dimensional void and arrive here?|
“All sentient beings possess an inner world, don’t they?”
|Indeed. We call it the microcosm.|
“I expanded it. Within the dimensional void, I expanded it until it reached another world.”
|…|
Silence.
Satan stared at me, then, as if remembering my sensitivity to his presence, averted his gaze, his expression thoughtful.
|So…you didn’t…travel through the dimensional void? You weren’t guided by a Great One? You did it…alone?|
“Yes…”
|I don’t understand…I’ve heard of manipulating one’s inner world, but…expanding it to such an extent, to bridge the dimensional void…that’s unheard of…|
“I was lucky.”
Satan massaged his temples, as if I had given him a headache. He was treating me like I had accomplished something extraordinary, but it was just luck.
The dimensional rift created by Longinus’s Lance had happened to be close to the Demon World.
If it had been even slightly further, I would have vanished, my expanding inner world unable to reach another dimension.
‘I can’t go back that way.’
Returning to the mortal world using the same method was impossible.
I wasn’t dead, so I wasn’t being pulled towards the Underworld, but the distance between the mortal world and the Underworld was too vast, even for my expanding inner world.
I would have to fill the entire void with my inner world, and that…that would make me a god, not a human.
|You not only brought another person into your inner world, but you filled the void with it…I apologize for my bluntness, but…you’re truly insane.|
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
|Well, since you’ve arrived in the Demon World, consider yourself our guest. We’ll make sure you’re comfortable. A living body…that’s a first for all of us. Most demons will react…similarly to these two. So, I’ll…educate them on how to…interact with a living being without…killing it.|
“I’m grateful for your hospitality.”
I was incredibly lucky.
Arriving in the Demon World, and its ruler, not only being amicable, but also treating me with such respect…I could adapt to life here while searching for a way back to the mortal world.
But…
“Then…would you also be willing to…assist me in my research on…returning to the mortal world…?”
|How about we arrange a marriage instead? Some demons might be hostile towards a living being, but marrying into my bloodline will…eliminate that problem. It could be just for show. What do you think?|
“…”
It seemed he had no intention of letting me go.
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