Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: Heading to Hell
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Upon arriving at the Holy Corridor, a battered Michael greeted us.
He had clearly fought a fierce battle against someone—his armor was shattered in places.
“You’re here.”
[‘Kim Cheonjae’ Player Group]
[Please select the story progression for the twelfth round of ‘Land of Ruin’ ahead.]
A. Ally with Michael.
B. Carry on Metatron’s will.
It was a choice I’d never seen before, but I could guess the story’s direction well enough.
Without hesitation, I selected A.
[Selection - A]
[You ally with Michael and head to Hell.]
‘Hell, huh….’
With a massive rumble, thunder crashed down.
“Kim Cheonjae, you’ll have to come to Hell with me.”
He extended his hand.
I took Michael’s hand and asked,
“Why Hell?”
“We need to track down Lucifer’s whereabouts.”
“Lucifer… in Hell?”
“That’s right. The bastard’s hiding in the human world right now. Our goal is to find clues to pursue him. No time to waste—let’s move.”
After a moment’s thought, I nodded in agreement.
“……Understood.”
No point overthinking an unfamiliar story—it’d just give me a headache. Best to follow his lead for now and steer things my way later.
“Then let’s head straight to Hell. The gate’s already open.”
Not far from the corridor, a red gate swirled. It felt completely different from the ones I’d seen before.
Same red hue, but far deeper, somehow.
“Alright, then….”
Just before we left, Kim Yeonhee shouted,
“Michael! When are you giving back Jo Youngki’s body?!”
“I’ll return it as soon as this battle ends. Once Lucifer’s gone, I’ll have no reason to stay in the human world.”
“……Okay! You’re an angel, so you won’t lie, right?”
“Of course not.”
Kim Yeonhee gave Michael a thumbs-up, then stuck close to my side.
“Kim Cheonjae, you heard that?”
“……Yeah. Let’s go.”
The moment we stepped into the gate, darkness enveloped us, filled with thick white mist.
Everyone startled, letting out confused “Wh-what?!” noises.
I raised my voice loud enough for all to hear.
“It’s a story screen. Everyone, stay calm and hold position!”
[You have encountered the main NPC of the twelfth round.]
[Activating fragments from ‘Michael’s’ memories to replay the story video.]
So it was finally time for the twelfth round’s briefing?
Even I, a high-level player in this game, was seeing this story for the first time, so it made sense.
The video started without delay.
My body floated weightlessly as I arrived at a familiar place.
The corridor of Heaven, inside the council chamber of holy beings.
Gabriel was standing guard, so this scene was from the recent past—within the last few days.
Unlike the solemn atmosphere, Michael was speaking heatedly.
“Are you saying we should exterminate all humans just to catch a single demon?!”
Metatron replied to his question.
“A single demon? Lucifer could overthrow our celestial realm single-handedly.”
“Then capture Lucifer—why target the humans?”
“He’s hiding among them. That’s the only way to find him.”
Thud!
Michael slammed his fist on the table.
“Humans helped us secure victory in Hell, that brutal battlefield.”
“Only some of them.”
“It would’ve been impossible without them.”
“That’s just your opinion. It was bound to happen eventually.”
Michael stared daggers at Metatron. The other angels just watched the two, not daring to interject.
From their perspective, he wasn’t wrong. Only by dealing with Lucifer could true peace come.
I rested my chin in my hand, lost in thought.
Did Metatron see humans the way we see pigs—as mere livestock?
It wasn’t important, but I was curious.
“Metatron. Do you know how many lives your choice will claim, and what consequences it will bring?”
“I don’t consider the number of lives. The outcome is Lucifer’s death.”
It was an utterly resolute exchange.
Neither side showed any sign of backing down.
Gabriel, who had been listening, cautiously raised her hand.
“Then how about this? As fellow archangels with differing views, we settle it by majority vote.”
-Agreed! Let’s do that.
-Gabriel’s right. Like always, majority vote.
-It’s a crucial decision on humanity’s survival, so let’s give it plenty of time.
Most of the angels respected Gabriel’s suggestion.
Even Metatron nodded, accepting her proposal.
“Very well. We’ll give you ten days. Everyone, make your choice by then.”
The moment the conversation ended, white mist shrouded my vision again.
‘So about a week left?’
Three days had passed since then.
I replayed the scene, mulling over Metatron’s words.
He valued taking Lucifer’s life over sacrificing humans.
The reason to kill Lucifer was for Heaven’s peace—which meant if peace was assured, humans wouldn’t need to be attacked.
“……That’s why Michael wants to go to Hell.”
Now I fully understood his intentions.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a mist curtain parted, revealing the next scene.
This time, it was Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael meeting without Metatron.
The four archangels sat around a round table, conversing.
Michael spoke first, his gaze on Uriel.
“Without humans, we’d still be sealed away.”
“……Raphael, Gabriel. What are your thoughts?”
Raphael answered first.
“I want to proceed without attacking humans.”
“……Really?”
“Yeah. Humans have a saying: ‘Don’t burn down the house catching fleas.’ Wiping out humanity for one Lucifer? That’s too much.”
Gabriel continued as she listened.
“I agree with Raphael. We could conquer Hell thanks to their help—now you want to eliminate them?”
Michael looked at the others in satisfaction, one by one.
All three archangels gathered here shared his view.
“Then here’s the plan. We have time before the next meeting, so how about we head to Hell first and search for Lucifer’s traces?”
Uriel reacted immediately.
“Sounds good. I’ve got a few leads, and it boils my blood not finishing that bastard off.”
“If we find his whereabouts, Metatron can’t push the extermination plan….”
“Of course. With a way to track him, he can’t justify pointless slaughter. Killing without reason makes us no better than demons, right?”
“……Exactly.”
Raphael nodded in agreement.
Gabriel felt the same. Having endured a long seal, she knew how grueling the wait was.
Michael placed a map of Hell on the round table. They began strategizing their next moves.
Metatron, who spoke directly with God—that was Michael’s plan: move without catching his eye.
“Then we move when the humans return to the corridor.”
That made sense.
Now I knew exactly why they were searching for Lucifer in Hell.
Their choice, for humanity’s survival.
‘……I see.’
* * * * *
The conversation ended, my dazed mind cleared, and my body shot out of the gate.
Hell should’ve been pitch-black, but it shone with brilliant light. No demons in sight—angels patrolled around the gate.
As we took in our surroundings, Michael arrived.
He looked down at me and said,
“This area is now angel territory.”
“……Doesn’t feel like Hell.”
“It might look that way. But primordial Hell wasn’t like what you know.”
“Primordial Hell?”
“Yes. It wasn’t filled with rot and dark clouds.”
“……What was it like?”
Michael swung his sword wide; space warped like a vortex, revealing scenes of ancient Hell.
It looked no different from the human world.
Judging by the crude leather clothes people wore, it must’ve been at least a thousand years ago.
No one dressed like that in this era.
“Primordial Hell looked like this. Dark, yes, but not everyone lost to slaughter and madness.”
“Weren’t demons always evil?”
“They are evil. But isn’t humanity evil too, to some degree? Just a matter of extent.”
“……”
I got what he meant.
But I hadn’t realized Hell was ever this pristine. No hellfire from the ground, no ash raining from the sky.
After a few seconds, the warped space settled, erasing the past vision.
“Hell must continue to exist. But demons crossed the bounds God set, so purification is needed.”
“……Got it. Enough headache-inducing talk. First, tell us where we are?”
Michael shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
“Huh?”
“We don’t know yet. We’re searching for likely spots with traces.”
“So we have to go hunting for Lucifer’s traces too?”
“……Yes.”
Having to work in this sweltering sauna-like hellhole again.
I thought Hell missions ended with the last round.
Sigh.
“You’ve checked all suspected spots? Like his throne or Satan’s Tower—”
“We’ve cleared those two. Left are the ‘Forgotten Valley’ linked by the fallen divine tree, and the ‘Dark Vent’ rumored to hold traces of the ancient dragon.”
‘Forgotten Valley’ and ‘Dark Vent’.
In the original Land of Ruin route, these come up in the fourteenth round.
Find Lucifer’s hidden heart in the Forgotten Valley,
Melt it in the heat spewing from the Dark Vent.
That weakens Lucifer for the fifteenth round showdown.
The final round before the game’s end.
Of course, even weakened, we still lost to him….
Knowing both locations inside out, I shook my head.
No point heading to the Forgotten Valley now—traces wouldn’t be there yet.
‘Not yet, anyway……’
I probed Michael.
“Anywhere else besides those?”
“……There is.”
What?
“Where?”
Michael pointed to a temple under repair. Raphael’s sealed holy site until recently.
“The tower that held this land’s center before the Hell Temple was built.”
“……”
“‘Lion’s Tower.’”