### Chapter 458 – Room 206, The Curse Room – ‘The Demon King Revived After 100 Days’ Re (20)
—
– Kim Sanghyun
It’s ominous.
Black, red, murky, and fishy.
The space itself felt cursed, but the presence in the center seemed like it was sculpted from that very word.
“Hey, want a coffee or something?”
“…”
Just like all the countless fake comrades I had seen before, the fake Kain in front of me at least resembled the original in appearance and voice.
That alone was enough to make me feel even more uncomfortable.
“Wow! You seem really tense. You’ve made it this far, so the hard part is behind you.”
“…”
I took a deep breath, ready to unleash a final flash at any moment.
“Yikes! That’s a bit scary! Take it easy! If I get hit with that, I’m dead on the spot!”
In the previous round, Kain had turned into a half-mad god after failing to control the Sacred Sun.
That final flash had turned that lunatic demigod into ashes with one blow.
Seeing that scene had filled me with certainty.
Only a prisoner or something wouldn’t be able to withstand the final flash.
“Now, now, relax and check this out! This thing right here? The cult calls it the Holy Grail.”
Holy Grail?
It’s a silly-sounding word, but the cup the young man lifted certainly gave off such vibes.
Inside was a dark liquid that swirled like ink.
“All you have to do is drink this.”
“And I’ll get superpowers like the cult leadership?”
“Exactly! The cult thinks it’s the Demon King’s choice.”
“… So the elders went through trials to get here?”
“They didn’t face trials like yours. Their trials were short, maybe four to five days max. Yours is a special trial from the Demon King!”
“…”
— Ping!
“It’s kind of like cola, so give it a sip.”
“…”
A Holy Grail that grants superpowers.
That’s quite impressive, but it’s a pointless story.
Why did I even walk into this place?
Was it to gain immense power through the Demon King’s choice?
Not at all.
What was I trying to gain from this fake blessing, fake inheritance, and whatever else this Demon King whipped up?
I simply want answers.
What kind of being is the Demon King, and what secrets does the cult hold?
“I think what I want is in that cup of yours more than this goblet.”
The young man smiled slyly in response.
“You’re curious about a lot of things regarding the cult, right?”
That’s why I came here.
“It’s strange, considering my experience facing off against them, and the records of the order. The Demon King is clearly a storm-like existence without a proper sense.”
“…”
“How did such a being give rise to the cult? And why worship at all?”
“…”
“To understand, let’s learn the history of the cult. Let’s skip the part about the Order of Reason and why the Paradise was built. Why? Because you already know!”
“…”
I suddenly realized.
The being in front of me knows too much about us.
Is it connected to the Demon King?
I can accept the Demon King, but what the heck is ‘this guy’?
“Why did the Demon King’s cult form? The Demon King is a being that eats humans. What kind of mad deer worships a wolf?”
“… I’ll listen.”
“One day, a fragment of the Demon King fell from the sky. The peaceful world met its doom that very day.”
“… and?!”
“Before the Demon King fell, the Order of Reason was a secret organization! Ordinary humans had no idea how many monsters lurked beneath the surface of the world or who controlled those monsters.”
“Sounds a lot like our world.”
“Earth is pretty similar regardless of the cycle.”
“What?”
“Haha! Let’s move on. With the unprecedented event of the Demon King’s fall, the Order literally fought to the last gasp. Twisting time and using human lives like bullets! Those folks were seriously impressive.”
“…”
“But hey, can we shift perspectives a bit?”
Shifting perspectives.
“You’re all already superhumans. You might not know how you perceive yourselves, but you’re closer to being members of a secret society that supports the world than ordinary humans.”
No matter how we see ourselves, we’re much closer to being agents of the Administration Bureau.
“How do you think the valiant struggle between the Demon King and the Order felt to an ordinary human?”
“Never thought about that.”
“Think about it now.”
“How could they possibly comprehend?”
“Exactly which part did they find confusing?”
“…”
How did A, who was just getting through their usual office life, feel at the moment of ruin?
One day, a meteor fell from the sky, and the world began to warp.
Suddenly, strange people claiming to be part of the ‘Order’ jumped out and started bringing chaos.
“… and then?”
They kidnapped so many people for sacrifices, enough to be beyond counting.
They forced humans into making cities in unreachable areas.
How many died in the process?
“The Order must’ve seemed like the villains.”
“Interesting, right? To you all, it looks like the Demon King is the antagonist, and the Order is just doing its best to protect humanity, but for the average person living in that age, the perspective is totally different.”
“…”
To an ordinary person, the Demon King was a terrifying entity that suppressed the Order.
Meanwhile, the Order were the villains sacrificing their family before their eyes.
“That’s when the first Demon King worshippers were born.”
They didn’t worship him thinking he was good.
They worshiped a mysterious cosmic disaster, knowing well he was fundamentally a monster.
Because they were battling against the more loathsome Order.
An enemy of an enemy, and an incredibly powerful being.
“This should answer your question about why the cult came into being, right?”
“… Yeah.”
Understood.
I learned why the crazy deer would worship the wolf like a god.
“Now the next question: why does the Demon King act like a real god?”
My breath hitched.
This is what I, and we, were most curious about.
Arguably the biggest secret of Room 206.
More ridiculous than a deer worshiping a wolf.
The wolf began acting as if it were the deer’s god.
The Demon King really bestowed superpowers to the worshippers, and when fake prophets appeared, he brought them to awareness.
He created pseudo-curse rooms to build trials and reward structures at the worshippers’ request.
That’s god-like behavior.
At least, to the followers of the Demon King, he seems truly divine.
And by treating them like deities, he starts to act like one himself.
Why does this phenomenon happen?
Can it be expanded further?
Could the Demon King make ordinary humans behave ‘god-like’ too?
“Remember this.”
“What should I remember…”
“You didn’t worship because the Demon King was a god. Worshiping came first, and godhood followed. Think about what that means.”
Suddenly, I realized his tone had changed.
The tone doesn’t matter, but I couldn’t quite grasp what he was saying.
So it wasn’t that he acted like a god because of the worship, but he became god-like because of the worship?
As I turned to ask for a clearer explanation –
“Ugh! You bastard -”
You’re no longer qualified to listen.
Qualified? I have no qualifications?
In the moment an unfathomable pressure swallowed me, I realized.
‘This’ wasn’t intended for me!
Your companions already know the answer.
They just don’t realize it’s the answer.
“Damn you! Even if I die, just spill it out before you do -”
No, you will not die.
*
– Kim Ahri
— Whoosh!
With the sound of slicing wind, the scene around me rapidly changed.
“AAAH!”
“Quiet! If you make a weird sound, he’ll get scared!”
“Hold on tight!”
From far away, I could hear Seungyub’s shriek, while Elena calmed him down; Jinchul was trembling, clutching a living cloud tightly.
They were all suffering from the turbulent flight created by the monster Elena conjured.
But of course, my experience with the wing boots didn’t involve any of that.
— Swoosh!
“… ”
Not even this rude parrot that materialized on my shoulder had to deal with those issues.
The wing boots are usually meant for one person, but I guess it doesn’t mind a parrot.
“How much time has passed in Paradise by now….”
According to the information I got from the head, the time distortion caused by the Ruler of Time is irregular.
It’s not like there’s a clear ratio like one hour down below equals three hundred hours in Paradise.
It varies by location and time.
So there’s no precise way to determine how many days Paradise has been in right now.
If Kain had come down, it would’ve been different.
But one thing is surely clear.
This is moving along much faster than the last round—by a long shot.
I can already see the lab!
“That way!”
The others seemed to have spotted the lab too, getting into position and preparing for a fight if need be.
And then—
— Bang! Bam!
“Stop! AAH! If you come closer, we’ll shoot!”
When the creature showed up, the soldiers looked scared and aimed their guns at us.
A few couldn’t wait any longer and pulled their triggers.
For a moment, I hesitated.
What if one of us got shot? Could Elena use justice in that case?
For example, if Seungyub got shot and died –
“…”
After verifying during the last round, there’s no need to suffer through that painful route.
These folks understand terms like Aira Bata and Kardiroff.
“We come from Paradise! I’m Aira Bata’s successor!”
“… The successor of Aira Bata?”
*
As we entered the lab, the monster created by Elena vanished without a trace.
But the soldiers still couldn’t hide their fear and escorted us inside the lab, surrounding us.
The tension in the atmosphere was filled with a sense of impending confrontation.
The reactions were different compared to when I came alone during the second round.
There were more people, and arriving on a monster from the sky definitely brought fear.
In any case, the head soon appeared.
“Hmm… is it really Aira Bata’s successor? You arrived earlier than expected.”
Glancing around, my companions exchanged looks, silently discussing when to make a move.
We’ve already been through this, right?
There’s no need to chat endlessly with this head honcho.
— Clap!
I clapped right away to signal.
— Roar!
Just as if waiting for my cue, the grotesque monster roared, throwing the soldiers into chaos, and Cha Jinchul lunged at the head like lightning.
“AAH! W-What is this—”
Suddenly taken aback, the head’s body flickered, showing a clock –
“I knew you’d react this way! Catch!”
As soon as the clock appeared, Cha Jinchul snatched it and threw it at me!
Wow! I always thought this to be the ultimate sham inheritance, but to neutralize it so effortlessly?
Even if the equipment is awesome, does that make the user the head with zero reflexes?
“W-Wait! Stay behind me!”
“Huh? S-Seungyub, it’s okay, so just defend Yu-mi—”
As Seungyub awkwardly declared bravely, Elena looked flustered.
I mean, can Seungyub really protect Elena in this mayhem?
“If I get shot first—”
“???”
“Then Sister can use justice!”
…
If I die, Elena can use justice!
That sounded a tad cool.
Am I getting weird for feeling it sounded cool?
Meanwhile, in the blink of an eye, Cha Jinchul had brought the head down.
“Got it, Ahri!”
“Hold him still!”
Quickly, we took out the syringe to draw blood and poured it into the head’s mouth.
“Oof! Ugh! Disgusting! You freaks! I will—”
“Don’t curse.”
“Disgusting bastards!”
Wow, he’s got quite the foul mouth.
As I stared into his trembling eyes filled with rage, I plunged into his mind.
…
It’s time to awaken Miro.
Considering the meaning behind the seal in the second floor, I’m sure waking Miro has its purpose as well.
There’s definitely something more in this lab.
—
I’ll keep working hard for timely updates and faithful serialization!
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.