Episode 221: The Nephilim Temple (4)
What is the most talked about topic among gamers of Miracle’s Protection M? I can say for sure. It’s the final boss of the story, the Demon King.
This was something that was only rumored in the gaming community.
A typical mass-produced mobile game – you can easily develop your character by just paying, and it’s easy to strengthen your equipment, but there were no users who reached the final boss.
Oh, there were some. Most of them were just fishing posts without any verification. Even when photos were posted, they were all found to be fabricated.
At this point, users were saying things like: Is the final boss of this game really the Demon King? And why does an automatic hunting mobile game get so damn difficult as it progresses? Or is the game itself unfinished? Rumors and rumors continued to spread through the community.
Users with good action skills directly contacted the game company. The reply was.
“The final boss exists, and he is the Demon King.”
Users were furious. Who wouldn’t know that and ask? Of course, these games end with the Demon King.
The problem was that even in the latter half of the story, the final boss’s hair wasn’t mentioned. The only clue was that the final boss was referred to as ‘him’. The general public assumed that he was male. Even this had no means of being proven.
Well, I guess that’s because I’m not a hardcore gamer. It was just a mobile game I started playing to kill some time, so I didn’t put much effort into it.
But on the other hand, I was curious. ‘Miracle Protection M’ is extremely difficult for a mass-produced game.
The enemies that appear in the latter half, the Demons and the Legion Commander. Were these guys really made to be broken? It was because they were so monstrous that I couldn’t help but exclaim.
But how strong is the leader of those monsters? It was a very fundamental curiosity. So I diligently used Namu Wiki and the community. I was curious, but it took a lot of effort to get there on my own.
‘Of course I gave up without any harvest.’
Even I, a light user, was like this, but what about the core users? They dissected the game and dug into the identity of the Demon King. There were heated discussions about it in the community. There were even users who spent several nights for weeks saying they would show the Koreans with determination.
Even the game that was called the devil’s game was a half-day entertainment for K-gamers. While people in other countries were watching trailers and eating popcorn, Koreans were already tearing out the final boss’s hair, in just 6 hours.
Koreans are a nation of games!
The users unconditionally poured out their unyielding will. For a whole year. That’s enough time to make any decent game tattered and broken by Koreans.
But the result was… … As mentioned above, it was a crushing defeat for the users. Not only the Demon King, but they couldn’t even solve the bait for 2nd Corps Commander Kuarn or 1st Corps Commander Lycan. No matter how hard they pushed, there was no progress. The deeper they dug, the more they wandered as if they were trapped in a maze. In the end, everything was back to square one. This too would be the Demon King’s swamp.
Gamers were getting tired. The market-like community suddenly became quiet, and the number of named users decreased noticeably.
At this point, wouldn’t it be okay to give away the final boss bait out of consideration for the users? The remaining users unanimously said so.
The game company ignored their voices. They simply repeated the dry answer that the Demon King exists.
In this way, the biggest plot twist of ‘Miracle Protection M’ disappeared into the back alley along with the interest in the game.
An old mystery that has never been solved.
I think I might be the only one among the users who knew about that bait. No, I’m the only one who knew.
‘I, who was appointed as a representative of humanity not long ago… … .’
The fact that he was a giant of humanity, as it turned out. Regardless of whether it is true or not, it is a shocking story in itself.
It was a really unfunny joke.
* * *
The darkness that had come before took away my vision, and the silence was suffocating.
Is it a hallucination or reality?
Is it reality or an illusion?
In the midst of darkness all around, the sound of fingers snapping rang out. At the same time, the lights that had been out began to crackle and burn.
I regained my composure that I had lost for a moment and stared straight ahead. Knock, knock, knock. The friction sound of my index finger and thumb interlocking. Every time Kuarn’s fingers moved, the room became brighter.
Secured vision. Kuarn spoke with a self-possessed face, the madness from a moment ago erased.
“It looks like the wind blew for a moment and all the lights went out. I’m sorry. I’ll light them again now.”
Kuarn smiled warmly. And he rekindled the flames of the temple that had gone out.
Did I get caught up in the priest concept? As I was blankly watching, it seemed like the guy really was a priest.
“That’s the end of my story. From now on, if you have any questions, I will answer them accordingly. That’s what a priest is like.”
Kuarn had a faint smile on his lips. His smile and eyes were still white. I looked into his eyes and asked.
“Do you know that the one who killed all the false gods is called by another name among mankind?”
“Yes, I know. In rune, it’s called ‘Hereb’, ‘Shin-sal-sin’, etc. The closest answer would be the name ‘God of Swords’.”
“Why do you call me the Demon King?”
Kuarn laughed sweetly. For a moment, it was a voice so captivating that it was hard to tell if it was a man or a woman.
“The ones who gave him the derogatory title of Demon King were the false gods who had been defeated by him. They believed without a doubt that they were ‘absolutely good.’ If they cut off all good, then they would be ‘absolutely evil.’ Therefore, they became the Demon King to him.”
“It’s too dichotomous.”
“As I said before, false gods like to divide things. They like to take sides and fight over anything. That’s their nature.”
“…Why?”
“Wouldn’t that be the only way they would find themselves? In a peaceful world without conflict, mortals wouldn’t seek out gods. So the only way to make them find themselves would be to take sides.”
“Those gods are so damn narrow-minded.”
I clicked my tongue. Kuarn added with a shrug.
“That’s because they are half-divine beings. Unfortunately, we are beings created by such narrow-minded gods. That’s why we are also unstable. If the Demon King had created us, we would have been perfect beings.”
“I see… … .”
While we were talking, a sudden realization struck me.
What the heck. This kid is the commander of the 2nd Corps. It’s a friendly Q&A session with this guy, and he’s a hero of the Seven Stars. It’s a good thing I don’t have the eyes to see.
How will people see it? I’ll leave it to each person’s imagination.
Rather, the leader of the Demon King’s army and I are talking like this… Oh, that’s right. Coincidentally, the one inside me is the God of Swords, that is, the Demon King. The demon right in front of me, who is either male or female, is my follower. It seemed like a good match.
I don’t know if Kuarn knows about this strange relationship. I secretly hope he doesn’t know until the end.
‘Everything this kid has been saying so far could be one-sided claims or lies.’
I don’t rule that out. As a human, it was a kind of instinct to be suspicious of the Demons. They are evil. The Demons are a group that deceives humans with sugar-coated words and then tramples them.
‘The words of the demon tribe… … .’
The words caught my attention. I turned my gaze to the elder elf. I almost forgot about this.
Although my heart was heavy, I thought that opportunities like this wouldn’t come often. I changed the question and asked Kuarn.
“The elder elf here told me about ‘the collaboration between the Lycan and the Progenitor Hero’. Do you know anything about this?”
Kuarn’s pupils fluttered slightly. He responded to the words ‘progenitor hero’ rather than ‘lycan’.
“Well, I don’t know about that.”
Kuarn scratched his white eyebrow awkwardly. Then he looked at the soul. The corners of Kuarn’s eyes were creased.
“However, I believe you will soon find out the answer as you spend time with this dragon lady.”
“… … ?”
“Let me give you a hint. Dragons are the only mortal beings whose souls do not die. That means that dragon spirits can be reincarnated.”
With those words, Kuarn cupped his hands in a circle. The hour and minute hands were drawn in the air. He checked the clock made of air. As if the time was up.
“I would like to speak with you further, but the temple is now closed.”
As he said that, Kuarn passed us and walked towards the entrance. I called out to him.
“One more thing. Kuarn, you and I are clearly enemies. But why are you answering all of these questions?”
Kuarn stood there pondering. It took a moment for his lips to open. Kuarn said.
“I am kind to you because you are my enemy. You are currently inferior to the hero of the first dynasty, and you will never be able to defeat me with your skills. That is why I will answer anything. While waiting for the day you will come to kill me… … .”
I felt that voice was somehow hazy. There was silence for a moment. Silence replaced the air.
“When you and I meet again, we will fight to the death.”
Kuarn broke the silence. A gloomy smile was mixed in.
“Or maybe the fight won’t come to fruition. You might die before it happens. By my brother, the 4th Corps Commander Permish, who will be visiting the Inheritors soon.”
“… … .”
“Permish enjoys killing. He likes to soak his body in red blood, and he is a cute little brother who has a hobby of collecting human bones.”
I sighed. The image of the priest who had been kind to me disappeared without a trace, and the face of the devil took its place.
Bipolar disorder? There’s no way a commander would suffer from such a mental illness. This trait of the troop commander was just Kuarn’s nature.
As such, the goals and morals of the Demon Tribe are very different from those of humans.
I am not a person with any grand beliefs. I just happened to wander into the world of games and by chance, I was imbued with terrible powers.
Good and evil, black and white. I don’t care about such questions. Whether the power that resides in me is that of the sword god or the demon lord, I don’t care.
What matters is that I use this power to fight against my enemies. Whatever it is that is harmful to me, I will cut it down. This selfish thought is what drives me.
Kuarn advanced, his white robes swaying. Only then did the demons bow to him. Praise and worship erupted from all directions.
“Quarn.”
Kuarn and the demons all look at me. Their eyes flash like wild beasts in the night.
“I will cut off Permish’s head and throw it at your feet.”
The shadows deepened within the Nephilim temple. In the temple where good and evil were supposed to coexist, there were only demons. I was the only human.
Kuarn lifted his lips up.
“I look forward to it.”
