The Cruel Reality

Shin Jin-pae remembered that moment.

The moment he was cast down by Yeodre.

The face he had looked up at, that figure—it wasn't just a man, nor even a demon, but rather...

Shudder.

Shin Jin-pae trembled and looked at the junior sitting in front of him. Nakamura, who had been roughly briefed on the full story of what happened between him and Yeodre, still wore a look of disbelief.

It was understandable.

Shin Jin-pae thought that if he were in Nakamura's shoes, he would have grumbled at the storyteller to make it more realistic, and if it were a novel, he would have cursed the lack of probability.

"S-so, is that how you two survived?"

Nakamura said, looking at the chairman, 'Kang Gu-han,' who had just entered the office. If Shin Jin-pae's story was true, this was the most shameful chapter of his life. Did telling such a story mean that if he really messed up, he would be disposed of one way or another?

As cold sweat trickled down his back, he felt a surge of defiance, wanting to see them try, but Shin Jin-pae just laughed.

"No."

He, too, glanced at 'Kang Gu-han' and muttered in a voice mixed with laughter.

"Only I survived."

"...Excuse me?"

Nakamura’s eyes went wide, unable to comprehend, but Shin Jin-pae seemed to have no intention of saying more. Instead, he simply stated:

"Anyway, Yeodre was always at his most terrifying when you thought you had him cornered."

"......"

"The royal family of the succubi. The Incubus King... even that monster, who possesses abilities that not even a hundred or a thousand of someone like me—who is nearing the rank of a User Ranker—could guarantee a win against..."

Maybe Yeodre couldn't be beaten.

Shin Jin-pae didn't bother to voice that thought.

BOOM!

What is this? The world is shaking. An earthquake? No. Mountains.

Hundreds of mountains are falling from the sky. Unlike before, they possess clear, physical substance.

CRACK! CRUNCH!

Even if I cut them down with my sword, there is no end. The quality and quantity of the power have amplified to an absurd level. Is this his Simgye Seonpo?

"Kneel."

Grrrk.

Not content with trapping me under mountains, a new attack strikes. Gravity crushes my body.

This is ridiculous. Just how many techniques is he using? But it’s not like there’s no way out. I can't see him because of the mountains, but I can feel him. Measuring the distance. Spatial Sword.

Mixing in the Cutting Sword appropriately...

WHOOSH!

"You trash...!"

Good. I couldn't see him in my field of vision, but I felt the impact. Taking advantage of the moment his pressure lightened, I sliced through the mountain and soared into the sky. Using the 'Void Shield' I learned from Apiz as a foothold, I leaped and swam through the air. As I climbed to the dizzying heights, I glanced down.

Wow.

What a spectacle.

Tidal waves. Lava. Clusters of stars. A swarm of insects that looked dangerous at a glance. Mountains of sharp thorns. And a horde of demons...

They were all things that would leave me in pieces if I collided with them. So I thought:

Is that it?

I was puzzled. At this level, it wasn't much different from Pois. No, since Pois focused on poison, his Simgye Seonpo was several times more dangerous. His poison was so potent that it wasn't an environment where even a superhuman could survive. Though, if you asked if this place was survivable for a human, that was a bit ambiguous. But compared to that world of poison, it was true that this was better.

It’s strange that a Demon King—and one who seems to be something like a 'True Yeon-ok'—looks so much weaker than Pois.

He is a member of the incubus royal family. It seems all he knows how to do is make people dream, but anything taken to the extreme is damn strong, and he is no exception.

I’ll be honest. The aftermath of the power he unleashed when he descended—I almost ended up dead if I had made one wrong move. I managed to squeeze out enough power to survive, but even if he just emitted that strange, unknown energy, I would struggle greatly. He is so strong that I don't regret looking down on the 30% Prostia.

And yet, a guy like that used his Simgye Seonpo, and this is it? It’s not weak, but the impression is that it’s manageable. It’s a power so faint it’s incomprehensible for his status.

At that moment, the swarm of insects reached me. As they tried to gnaw me to death, I released my Ryunar in detail and cut them all down with the sword energy of Mandeuk Ryunar.

...Come to think of it, these are strange too. What is his Simgye Seonpo?

I don't know much about the technique, which manifests one's inner world, but I know it has its own characteristics. In Pois's case, it was poison. What about this guy?

Since he handles illusions freely, does he manifest his imagination into reality? If so, that’s close to creation.

But that can't be it. If anything were possible, he could have just changed the world itself like he did before—a hell of scorching heat, a hell of freezing cold, a hell of lightning. He could create an environment where a human—no, even the body of an Outsider who has surpassed a human—could not survive. For example, if he removed the air or created a vacuum, what could I do?

...Hmm. I think I could somehow survive using Ryunar, but that’s just for endurance... I don't know.

Setting aside whether I can survive, let's think about why he would bother attacking me with various illusions when there are easier ways. And considering his nature as an incubus who manipulates people's emotions through dreams...

"You. Are you trying to scare me right now?"

"......"

The powers he summoned have one thing in common. They all evoke fundamental human fear. If so, why try to scare me? Well, the more scared I am, the more the true value of this Simgye Seonpo is unleashed. I reached a conclusion. If I get hit by the true performance of this Simgye Seonpo, the probability of me being finished is very high.

Then what should I do?

Zzzzt. Crackle.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

These things are still gnawing at me. Strangely, there is pain, but my body isn't breaking down. Then, it’s simple. Give up flesh to take the bone.

Kuaaak.

I threw my body into the typhoons of power that were dizzying just to look at. Using my body as a bullet, I shot straight toward Inris. He seemed taken aback for a moment, but soon regained his composure.

"Hmph."

The guy sitting in a lotus position just twisted his finger to the side, and a sandstorm rose, blowing me away elsewhere. I cut through the sandstorm with my Cutting Sword and approached, but this time he was far away. It wasn't exactly a blink; looking at the horns and wings that had sprouted on his head and shoulders, it seemed he had flown there himself. ...He’s quite fast.

"Are you trying to play hide-and-seek with me?"

"Cheeky bastard."

Inris, despite being a Demon King, acted as if he were a god, emitting a golden, holy light, and this time he raised his hands.

Flash.

Sunlight pours down. Hundreds of murderous beams of light melt me.

Heh.

I laughed, took the hits, leaped, and aimed for his throat...

"If you just run away like this, my victory... Kugh?!"

A transparent Spatial Sword formed a net-like shape. It was added layer by layer, forming a box. Spatial Sword application. Prison Sword.

"This sloppy prison. I can just escape with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠teleportation... No?!"

Inris couldn't even finish his sentence, letting out a groan of bewilderment. Warp won't work. This interior blocks all kinds of energy.

"Caught you."

I grinned and swung my sword, and then I was surprised.

Clack, clack, clack.

My sword was actually caught between Inris's two fingers.

"Huh."

I admired it and threw a punch, but he hurriedly dodged. I thought if he had that much technique, he’d be good at close combat, but it seems that massive technique from earlier wasn't something he could use carelessly; furthermore, if my guess was right, it didn't seem to be his own technique. It felt strongly like he was using someone else's skill.

The punch I just threw was the Pacheon-gwon I learned from Yaplno, the one that finished off Almiraj. If it had landed, even he wouldn't have been safe. It’s a shame. If it’s a shame, I can just throw it again!

As I clenched my fist, Inris clicked his tongue and opened his mouth.

"Haa!"

WHOOSH!

As he let out a shout, the golden radiance he emitted shattered the Prison Sword to pieces. Well, that’s fine. I’ve got the hang of it. Now, just a few more times. I’ll be able to catch him.

"...Hmph."

Suddenly, all threats vanished as if washed away. No threatening natural disasters, no living creatures, nothing. What is he trying to do?

I suddenly looked around. The landscape where all power had vanished was a barren wilderness under a red sky. It was a landscape like the Demon World. No, perhaps it actually was a scene from somewhere in the Demon World.

But for the first time, I felt... that this place was closest to Inris's inner world.

"This is the appearance of my territory held in reality."

Is that so.

"A place fit for demons to live."

"...Is that so?"

Inris ground his teeth. Why are you getting angry?

"Imagination about the land where demons live. You Outsiders are all the same. Does this barren land... look like that to you?"

"......"

"The bastards who dumped only the barren land on us. I will kill them all with these hands. You are just a stepping stone."

"What are you talking about."

I think I touched some switch of his. At that moment, I realized a sense of incongruity. Huh...? That guy... his arms have multiplied?

Every time he moved his arms, afterimages remained, making it look like he had multiple arms, like a Thousand-Armed Guanyin.

Is he trying to go into Asura mode? That wasn't it.

Behind his back, four things that looked exactly like him appeared. Then sixteen behind them... they split crazily. They were all holding weapons like spears and swords.

"If natural disasters don't work, I will punish you myself."

"Is that so?"

Clash.

There’s a limit to the number of people who can rush at once, but Inris's own martial arts skills are powerful, and the space changes every moment, stabbing from unexpected places, so he rushes without a moment's rest. I parried and cut them all, cutting and cutting and cutting the Inris clones again.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

I cut them with the Cutting Sword, but they recovered immediately. It’s a method of replacing the cut part with another part, like Almiraj's doll did before. Who do you take for a fool? Besides, no matter how much you try to deceive, my insight, which pierces through any energy, cannot be fooled. That Inris over there, only pretending to attack from a suitable spot. That guy is the real Inris.

I gripped my sword, rotated, and swung.

SLASH!!

The Cutting Sword exerted its cutting power, drawing a huge circle. The surroundings were sliced away, and in that gap, I closed the distance and severed the real Inris's arm.

"Kugh."

"Stings, doesn't it? Right?"

"...Cheeky."

Swoosh.

Huh. This time he really regenerates. Well, Prostia had recovered before, too. The Cutting Sword has its limits... or rather, it feels like my level is just too low.

"Truly ignorant attack power. Then, this time, you try receiving our attack."

"Huh?"

Our attack? Does he mean the numerous Inris—his clones...?

No. At that moment, behind them, one single existence appeared.

Prostia. That red dragon, with a presence as overwhelming as the 30% I saw before, held fire in its mouth that emitted brilliant light like a laser beam.

"Oh, fuck."

KUAAAAGH!

Flames enough to blow away a country engulfed me. So, I used fire, too. I coated my sword in flames, emitted flames from my hands, and thrust them into my chest.

My own flame.

I feel my physical abilities amplify greatly. Even with that power, I could only barely escape the range of the breath. ...I had it sealed away. Should I use it?

'Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles.'

In the first place, that...

......?

I tilted my head at the sense of incongruity. What? Prostia-nim has disappeared? Before I could even finish the thought, instead of the dragon that had vanished, a bizarre life form stood there.

What is that? A tall ghost? No, it seems different. At that moment, it lifted its head. The hollow, black eyes glowed blue.

"...!"

My body freezes. I’m going to freeze to death. That can't happen.

My own flame. Stage 2.

KWWAAAAAA!

The flame that heated my heart burned even more fiercely. My blood vessels, the paths of my energy, every path in my body seemed to turn into flame itself, burning brightly.

From Stage 2, power becomes significantly stronger, but the consumption of mana and Ryunar becomes extreme. During the Almiraj fight, I saved it for fear of running out of power first, but now is not the time to save it. If I make a mistake, I die in an instant.

Due to the flame of my own, amplified to Stage 2, my physical abilities jumped another level, and now I emitted flames just by moving. I was practically an incarnation of flame. Just standing there burned everything around me. My frozen body naturally melted. When I looked up, the ghost had disappeared.

"What is that?"

Inris looked at me and said as if he were dumbfounded.

"Cool, isn't it?"

"Yes. It is indeed cool. To think you would withstand the Ghost Eye of 'Jeon-gwi-shin Ak-hon,' one of the Eight Ghost Kings..."

Eight Ghost Kings? That tall ghost-like thing from earlier? It feels quite different from Prostia. But as I thought before, he knows there are eight Ghost Kings if he's at that level.

Inris, who was looking at me as if he were fed up, suddenly frowned and muttered to himself.

"You are truly annoying... Tsk. Didn't I say it was noisy? I'll handle it myself."

"?"

Inris, getting angry by himself. It looked like he was communicating with someone. But is it possible to talk to the outside from within Simgye Seonpo? Perhaps Inris isn't the unusual one, but the person he just contacted is. ...Whoever the opponent is, it’s clear they’re no ordinary bastard.

Anyway. If he can summon many of those guys he called Jeon-gwi-shin... no, if he can summon them continuously... I have to admit it. I am no match for this guy.

To think there would be no answer even after turning my own flame up to Stage 2... this is beyond imagination. Until now, the Cutting Sword was so broken that I had the advantage in compatibility with others, but this guy has none of that. It’s been a long time since a pure fight of skill and judgment, so even though I’m in a crisis, I’m a little excited. Well, it’s not like there’s no way at all. If worst comes to worst, to even die together, I might have to use 'that technique'...

"You're distracted."

"Huh?"

The world turned pitch black. What is this? Darkness? ...No.

"Just like when you saw Prostia, this is one of the guys who almost died just by witnessing it."

"Uh..."

It’s not darkness. The 'something' attacking me right now is so huge that it blocked the sun.

"Eight Ghost Kings. Pitch-Black Sea Emperor, Dairagon."

Only then did I barely perceive the opponent's total size. This makes no sense. The Demon King Gorga that appeared on the floating island was huge enough to ruin things, but this guy is far more massive. A truly gargantuan black whale. Its tail...

"HRAAAAAAAAGH!"

I created a large-sized sword by raising a huge flame, then swung it with all my might, imbued with the attribute of destruction—the Cutting Sword. The tail and the sword collided, and the tail was sliced off in a chunk.

BOOM!!

In the aftermath, my hand flew off. If that damn whale had pushed through, my body would have burst, so I tried to use 'Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles,' but fortunately, the moment it collided, it vanished.

'Super Regeneration!'

As soon as I regenerated myself with the skill I obtained a while ago, I rushed at Inris.

"You are a formidable guy. To think you would even counter that attack, even if it’s not the full-power Ghost King but merely an illusion... That technique that raises physical ability. I covet it."

"HRAAAAP!"

My sword tried to cleave Inris in two. He cannot dodge. The flames of my own Stage 2 are spreading, shattering space and disrupting all power itself. Whether it’s a blink or teleportation, it’s useless. He wouldn't even be able to activate it. But he didn't seem to have any intention of dodging in the first place.

"As I said before. There are existences that even I almost died just by seeing. There are three in total. But one cannot be summoned due to compatibility... I will call only the technique."

Clang.

What is this?... Light? A rainbow-colored glass shield in the shape of a regular hexahedron made of light particles surrounds him, blocking my sword. Even after colliding with the destructive power mixed with the Cutting Sword, flames, and the attribute of destruction, it only cracked slightly, CLANG!! It deflected my sword perfectly. And that huge thing beyond it, exceeding several thousand meters...

"The Five Great Divine Beasts. Holy Dragon. It is also the guardian divine beast of Graize, one of the Ten Great Families."

Before I could even see the divine beast's appearance in detail, it disappeared, emitting an immense radiance. Intense light that would blind me even if I closed my eyes and protected them... I didn't have time to be distracted by the light.

Right behind me. There is something.

"...!"

I turn around and swing my sword. And I saw it. This opponent is... a human.

A black-haired Easterner. Quite handsome, and incredibly muscular, with all of that being practical muscle... a body trained to the limit, no, someone possessing something beyond that. And...

Dad?

For some reason, he resembled my dad so shockingly that my hand hesitated for a moment.

I shouldn't have done that. This guy was more dangerous than any existence summoned so far.

SWISH.

He aims for my head with his sword. I know it, but I can't block it. Even in the buffed state of my own flame, this guy's speed. The level of sword handling is several steps above me—

STAB!

A sword piercing my head. Pain ringing through my body.

"...Kugh!"

"I specially increased the intensity of the pain. In that state, a strike from the 'Mage Killer.' Hehehe. Can you endure it?"

Mage... Killer? I’ve heard of it... Anyway, it’s dangerous. My consciousness is fading. I bit my lip and held onto my sanity. And in the meantime... something like a chain bound me.

"Ah?"

That chain forcibly canceled my own flame and dragged me into the black darkness.

"Tsk."

I swung my fist mixed with the Cutting Sword... but it passed right through. What is this?

"Finally. The conditions have been met. To think I would end up calling not only an incomplete Ghost King but even that man... Only now has a gap appeared, however slight. To think you’d recover even that so soon."

Inris, who was clicking his tongue, grinned.

"But that moment is enough."

"What?"

"What do you think the power of an incubus is?"

Even in the midst of that, the damn chain drags me into the deep, deep place. Seeing the darkness undulating at the end of the chain, I couldn't think of anything other than 'Ah, I'm fucked...' It’s that ominous a power that evokes instinctive avoidance. Inris says to me, struggling, as if mocking me:

"It is to make you dream. Yes. Even an infinite nightmare."

"......"

"If you dream for a few thousand years, you’ll naturally learn to be polite."

"Hey. You son of a..."

The chain now blocks even my mouth. There is no way to resist...

"Now. Dream. And see you in a few thousand years. Ah. Or, would you like to beg?"

That laugh was so fucking annoying and pathetic. I didn't hesitate to raise my middle finger, and the next moment, my finger broke due to some unknown energy. Only now do I know. This murky energy, different from Ryunar, mana, or the energy of the atmosphere. It is clearly demonic energy (Magi).

"Too cheeky. I should make it about 100 million years. It’s a time that would be considered boring even to a god, so enjoy it appropriately. Now. Die about tens of billions of times."

And then.

My vision went completely dark...

Immediately after.

Immense pain rushed in. I lifted my head. What is this? Ah. That. A truck-.

CRASH.

I was run over.

Crushed to death.

It’s cold. I thought I was crushed to death, but all around is a black landscape of ice. ...Antarctica... is it?

It’s cold. And sleepy.

Frozen to death.

This time, an explosion. Then, my whole body was torn apart by insects. Then, burned by fire...

Crushed to death. Frozen to death. Blown to death. Starved to death. Electrocuted. Suffocated. Drowned. Fell to death. Run over. Thirst to death. Blown to pieces...

Dozens, hundreds of various deaths hack me to pieces.

Ah, fuck.

There’s no way a human could endure this.

Fuck.

"It’s strange."

"...What is?"

Raeband, who had been looking at Yeodre committing all sorts of slaughter and feeling sick, answered in a short sentence with a pale face. When Kaits looked at her blankly, she added, "...sir," belatedly.

"The intense memories of that guy should end here."

"Yes?"

"Judging by his current age, there are only a few years left. But how is the capacity of his memory so large?"

When the memory first began, it had been dark red, muddy, and burning. The larger the capacity of the memory space, the more intense the effect, and for that level of effect, it should have been a span of time equivalent to all of Kaits's regressions. Or, memories as intense and powerful as that span of time bring about a similar phenomenon.

But, is this memory that intense? Is this really the end? The human named Yeodre was certainly special. He was hiding his true nature, and once he crossed the threshold, he was a slaughterer who had massacred over a thousand humans. And that’s all. With memories of this level, it’s just at the level of an ordinary person, or memories that would merely shock a human. That level of capacity cannot produce such an intense phenomenon. Is this the special power of Dre that the God of Records spoke of?

No, there is something more.

At that moment.

Someone had entered the space. Looking back, it was...

"Scholar?"

The scholar who had gone to Yeodre's world stood there, staggering. The two approached him as he slumped down. To the two supporting him, the scholar said in broken fragments:

"...Yeodre is not normal."

"Yeah, we saw that too... But did you see it, Scholar? Or did you hear it?"

Kaits's transfer to another world requires a person as a medium, and it transfers to the side of the person most accessible and related among those who know the person who became the medium. Did he hear the whole story from that person?

But the scholar said something unexpected.

"...You saw it? All of that?"

"...What are you talking about?"

What is the scholar talking about? Raeband trembled at the lack of alignment in the conversation and at the premonition of an abyss she still didn't know.

"Weren't you talking about him killing everyone to vent his feelings under the guise of revenge?"

"...It’s after that."

"......"

"After returning to Elynar, I saw the memories... after he finished all the slaughter you spoke of..."

The scholar’s body trembled violently.

"I saw it..."

"Work! Work! Fuck, work! Work! Work!"

The 'Straight Clan,' to which Geom-il belongs. Since the floating island incident, Yoon Hye-mi's irritability has increased significantly. It was understandable, as Geom-il, who was defeated by Almiraj, was undervalued, causing the clan's reputation to drop, even if only slightly.

Fortunately, thanks to the recording device developed by Yoon Seok-il, the clan's recognition had increased further. Yoon Hye-mi looked at Yoon Seok-il, the contributor, with a displeased gaze.

That bastard. Because of Yeodre, the clan's reputation was falling, but Yoon Seok-il had been a fan since his original world, collecting his videos or trying to find him wherever there was work related to him. Even when fellow employees gave him hints, Yoon Seok-il, who liked to go around alone, was, in common parlance, oblivious, so the desperate hearts of his colleagues were not conveyed.

Yoon Hye-mi also found it hard to openly say anything to him, a major contributor, so she spoke to him in a voice filled with subtle irritation.

"Our Seok-il. What are you doing~?"

"Ah. I'm extracting Yeodre-ssi's tracks requested by the main branch!"

In front of him was a user with a skill that automatically writes down information about a specific person or object on paper, at least roughly, by linking the memories of a target—in this case, Yoon Seok-il's memories—with the 'Memories of the World Tree.' In short, he was extracting information about Dre using Yoon Seok-il.

Since it was an order from the main branch, what could Yoon Hye-mi say? Yoon Hye-mi, who clicked her tongue for no reason, looked down at the documents already written. It was brief information about what Yeodre did in his original world before coming to Elynar.

"...Huh? What is this. It’s all just talk about games?"

"Yes. That friend is a friend who rivals a pro gamer!"

"...Hmm. Huh?"

Yoon Hye-mi, who was groaning as if she had no interest, blinked her eyes.

"Why is this time like this?"

"Yes?"

"The game play time."

"...? Ah~ this?"

Yoon Seok-il, who was bewildered wondering what it was, laughed. On the other hand, Yoon Hye-mi was wide-eyed in astonishment.

"R-really, did he play games for this much time? Does that make sense?"

"Well. Since he’s a solo-playing user, I don't know well because I only saw him on special occasions. But would it really be this much time? You know. The Memories of the World Tree sometimes give wrong information, right? I think he added a few too many zeros. It’s probably ten years at most."

Yoon Hye-mi muttered with wide eyes.

"Ten years is also a long enough time..."

With a voice that sounded fed up, Yoon Hye-mi dropped the documents. The time written on those documents was...

In other words.

Ten thousand years.

"...Ridiculous guy."

I won. Even though I achieved victory, Inris didn't feel refreshed. To think I would struggle this much against a mere human.

[Oh my? Is it over?]

"Shut up, Arbedia."

[Oh my, oh my. Look at how he talks to his superior.]

Inris let out a sigh. The aftermath of an unreasonable descent. Furthermore, Simgye Seonpo. Not to mention the summoning of those who would directly burden the body and soul beyond causality. Although Inris is powerful, he had no leeway now.

'To think his mental strength was at that level... Technique aside, the human Yeodre himself is my absolute worst compatibility.'

He clicked his tongue, but his self-proclaimed superior kept bothering him with talk.

[Inris. If this sister hadn't blocked your energy, Sers would have gone BOOM! by now, you know? No, no. Before you could even fight properly, your demonic energy was so rampant that everyone around would have noticed, and external interference would have been 100% guaranteed.]

"If I kill them all, that’s that."

[The instructors at Pruynar Academy have quite decent levels. Besides, that mage's toy is especially scary, isn't it? What will you do if the Ten Great Families exert their true power?]

He’s scraping my nerves again. Grumbling, Inris summoned a rock and sat on it.

[You must be very tired? Yeodre, was it? I thought the rumors were just rumors, but did the rumors fail to evaluate him properly?]

"......"

Inris did not answer. The demonic energy he consumed alone was a powerful force that would have been more than enough to destroy several countries. If it were a small planet, it would have been on a scale that would have been eroded and destroyed by that demonic energy. It was only because Elynar is full of Ryunar, which is a powerful force in itself without good or evil, and because of Arbedia's intervention, that it ended without much damage, but Inris is an existence capable of destroying worlds.

For such a guy to be struggling... Yeodre’s 'Soul' and 'Will' were just too powerful. The 'status' he possessed from the start was truly beyond imagination. It was hard to even consider him a human. Perhaps even more than himself, an incubus royal...

'...No, that can't be.'

Erasing the absurd imagination, the reasonable evaluation of Yeodre was that he was a talent beyond the hero Kaits. That level was appropriate.

'If I could, I would have liked to form a contract in a proper state...'

No matter how much of an Outsider he is, he cannot endure thousands of years of nightmares. It was a shame to form a contract with him in a broken mental state, but I believed it would still be a great contract that could recover the damage caused by this unreasonable descent and fight.

[Hey~ I wanted to meet him in person. You know. To become the teacher of our cute bloodline...]

Crack.

"......"

[Hmm? What’s wrong, Inris? I can feel your emotion of astonishment, can't I?]

His absolute, unique world, Simgye Seonpo. In that world, in that space, cracks appear like glass shards. And what came out breaking through the cracks were a dark space and chains. As if the limit had been reached in forcibly holding what was inside. The darkness is breaking. No, it is burning.

WHOOSH.

The chains that had once extinguished the flames became a medium for fire and crumbled, and a hand thrust out from within.

"Kuaaa..."

And what came out, looking no different from when he went in... was undoubtedly Yeodre.

"...Ah, I see. Yes, yes."

That’s right. There’s no way the gods would have left such a talent alone.

'They must have placed a powerful mental protection skill to protect their prized prospect.'

The mental protection placed on an Outsider's body is powerful. Thanks to that skill, even lowly humans can maintain their sanity and joke around after seeing a god, an existence that would normally drive them mad just by looking. Even those worm-like Gold Taeyang clan members trembling outside are at that level, so how would this guy be?

'Even so, to think he would break out of an Illusion Nightmare...'

Inris clicked his tongue and raised his demonic energy again.

"I made a mistake. I forgot to erase the mental protection skill. Now... then, I will erase that fleeting fake, that mask."

He reaches out. Dre blinks and doesn't even try to dodge. No, is he staggering because he’s exhausted?

"I’m sorry, but once the conditions are met, I can trap you anytime within Simgye Seonpo..."

"It was about a few hundred years."

"...Hmm?"

"I’m sick of it."

In Yeodre’s eyes as he said that, there wasn't a single grain of fear. Inris, displeased by that, unleashed the power of Simgye Seonpo.

"Illusion Nightmare."

While unleashing the true value of his Simgye Seonpo once again, the darkness swallowed Dre... and at the same time, he erased the mental protection skill...

"...What is this."

That body, what is it? What on earth is that body? Why is it... so 'weak'?

Inris, astonished, shouted without realizing it.

"That, body... what is it? That is not an Outsider's body!!"

A body created by a god to make weak beings from other dimensions strong. An Outsider's body. Yeodre's body is not that of an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Outsider, but perhaps his original one. It’s abnormal. With a body like that... has he been trading blows with me until now? I don't understand. A talent beyond Kaits. A transcendent beyond that... to leave such a material, which should be cherished more than anyone else... neglected like this? Why on earth?

I heard him say his assigned god was Love Heart. What on earth was that Love Heart thinking...

CRASH!

WHOOSH!

The reason for this incomprehensible neglect is not important. That guy is escaping from the Illusion Nightmare. The darkness couldn't trap Dre for even a moment and burned away. That guy's body, his mental strength, is too abnormal. The Illusion Nightmare doesn't work at all. Seeing Inris, whose jaw seemed ready to drop from the astonishment caused by two facts, Dre tilts his head.

"Not an Outsider's body...? Well...? By any chance, do you know how to meet a god like Love Heart?"

Inris did not answer and continued to mutter.

"...It can't be. Without skills. Enduring an Illusion Nightmare with a human's bare mind? No, not only enduring it, but developing resistance!? It can't be! It can't be!! It can't be for any living creature, let alone a human..."

"You don't know?"

The words were cut off. Inris stopped. And Dre took a step forward.

"Well. Then that’s fine."

The words Shin Jin-pae of the 'Main Branch' had said came to Inris's mind.

'That guy is most dangerous when you think you’ve caught him.'

Besides that, he had heard many praises about Yeodre. At the time, he had laughed, calling it an overestimation. Shin Jin-pae had given a bitter smile and said it was probably so, that the fear he himself felt toward him had been imprinted, and Inris had said that Shin Jin-pae might have been wearing rose-colored glasses.

'I appreciate the advice, but still. My perception doesn't seem to change. I was once dropped from a high place by him.'
'Dropped?'

He didn't answer that question. Shin Jin-pae had said:

'Do you know how he appeared in my eyes?'
'Hmm... you haven't told me the whole story, so I’ll have to deduce...? A confrontation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with a man who killed hundreds... A demon? A slaughterer? A transcendent?'

Shin Jin-pae shook his head.

'I thought of two words.'
'Two words?'

He had said it. One was the protagonist of the world. The other was.

"God...?"

Immediately after Inris blankly muttered the word that had come to mind regardless of Shin Jin-pae, Dre’s Fire Sword severed Inris’s neck. And.

CRASH...

With the sound of glass shards breaking, light entered the world, and the world collapsed.

CRUMBLE.

Simgye Seonpo was broken. Under the gaze of the Gold Taeyang clan members staring blankly, Inris’s head rolled off and tumbled away.

"I didn't win against Simgye Seonpo. I acknowledge that..."

Dre frowned and spoke in a voice full of disappointment.

"You’re not as good as I thought."

'This guy's mind cannot be destroyed by anything.'

Recalling the words he had heard somewhere, Dre said so.