An Unacceptable Reward

"Huff... huff... Damn quest! Huff... huff."

The moment the second quest began, I was forced to flee.

From my loyal subordinates who'd served under me for 998 loops before my regression in the 999th.

Arc demons, hell fires, dark gargoyles—these guys I'd grown somewhat fond of despite everything—were now lunging at me in this loop, desperate to tear out a chunk and kill their former master.

And there were forty thousand of them. Creatures that shouldn't even exist in such numbers.

Forget the frustration with this brainless quest; the fact that it smirked at me with a "reward" of mere encouragement made me feel utterly played, to the point of self-pity.

For a dark demon king like me to avoid using dark energy?! This quest was obviously rushed just to screw me over!

"Huff... huff... Discrimination. It's not... huff... huff! Fair, Tower Master!"

I flailed futilely at the sky, but even that didn't last long—the enemies were too numerous and too strong. What was even more ridiculous was that this quest didn't come with any holy knights to help.

I have to handle all these foes alone.

To make matters worse, the holy power infiltration had restarted. At this rate, I'd writhe in agony and die, ending the quest prematurely.

At least the tower master has a shred of conscience.

It left a loophole: I could use dark energy as long as it didn't exceed 10% of the holy power.

The problem? 10% of forty thousand wasn't enough for Death Terraforming on a crowd—maybe five targets at best.

Against the massive, powerful subordinates chasing me now, it'd only work on one or two.

That's why I darted around, trying to separate the pursuers and sow chaos.

It left me gasping for breath from the exertion, sure.

"Kuo?"

Finally, one marked subordinate seemed lost, glancing around alone.

I swiftly cast Death Terraforming.

"Kuk?!"

With a guttural rasp from its throat, the level 150 dark gargoyle collapsed. Bones cracked and reassembled, birthing a level 999 dark boss gargoyle.

"Kuoohhh!"

Unable to contain its surging power, it swirled energy around its shoulders before prostrating before me.

"Krr..."

"Good. Now go back immediately and use your new power to bolster our forces."

"Kuang!"

As the dark boss gargoyle nodded and departed, I finally caught my breath, hiding under a rock to endure the crashing pain.

"Kuoohhh—"

"Krang? Krruk!"

"Kua!"

The dark boss gargoyle obeyed, using Death Terraforming on its comrades one by one, turning them into zombies. Once zombified, it'd spread to every monster in the area in no time.

And since it's not my dark energy, the quest should pass unscathed.

Maybe because I'd completed it once before, the infiltration sped up and became more bearable.

Sweat pouring like rain, I leaned against the rock, checking the rising gauge, when a stray zombie wandered by and locked eyes with me.

"Kuu? Kuaaa!"

Too mindless to recognize its master's master, it charged. Reflexively, I unleashed Crimson Flame Tornado with my left hand.

Kwaaaang—

"Kuu..."

A blinding golden holy explosion washed the filthy zombie away.

Hm? An unexpected harvest.

Weird enough that holy power worked without reawakening, but a skill upgrade too?

Even better, it birthed a powerhouse skill perfect for this quest.

Holy power infiltration nearly done, I peeked out from the rock and surveyed the area.

The dark boss gargoyle had fought fiercely—corpses of monsters and zombies littered the ground, like a scene from past loops.

"Kraaa..."

The dark boss gargoyle spotted me from afar, flew over, and landed beside me.

"Good work."

"Kra."

It flapped its wings proudly, gesturing at the carnage it'd wrought.

"Kuaaa!"

"Krat!"

"Kuuu..."

"Krahng!"

Zombie-monster battles raged even farther out. With only ten thousand left, it looked like the end was near.

Hold on—shouldn't I level this holy skill too?

I launched into the fray, blasting Holy Golden Flame Tornado at zombies and monsters alike. No time to waste XP on picky targets when so little remained.

Kwagwang—

"Kraaak!"

Kwangkwang—

"Kuuu..."

……

……

…

Who knows what restrictions the next quest phase would slap on? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Better max this skill beforehand.

Obviously N.

No way I'd settle for this after coming this far—and Inquisitor? Me, the epitome of heresy, interrogating who? Unacceptable reward.

I wonder if the next one will be similar?

I briefly questioned continuing, but abandoning and facing my brother back home sent chills down my spine.

Better to push on—it was less horrific.

Wrestling with quest messages amid battle, I eventually cleared the last monster. Only the dark boss gargoyle remained by my side.

"Kuo?"

"Sorry. But your sacrifice is inevitable."

I extended my hand and unleashed Holy Golden Flame Tornado at it.

"Kuooh! Ku..."

Kwang!

Kwang!

Kwagwang!

Poor thing—vastly empowered, it didn't die in one hit. It must've leveled up via its own Death Terraforming in the meantime.

Kwaaaa—

As its form vanished into the light, the quest completed.

……

……

I hit Y without hesitation. A helmet with ornate wings materialized on my head.

Checking its info, it had solid options.

Nice. The reward was top-tier... but that "unprecedented achievement" line nagged at me.

So it wasn't meant to be cleared, after all.

Only someone not reliant on dark energy like me—a being of incomparable strength—could finish it.

Someone skilled against hordes of bosses, with exceptional talent.

Such figures were rare even across loops.

Did the Iron-Blood Pope ascend without clearing this?

A fleeting curiosity, but irrelevant to me. I donned the helmet and dove into the next quest.

I froze, eyes widening, jaw trembling.

What the hell? Subjugate the Demon King?! That's me!