NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8
Chapter 8
The Undying Demon King and the Zombie Knight
The contents of the special privileges were as follows:
[1. Unique Skill: The Eye of Mimir – Converts the state and abilities of a specific object or organism into data and displays it. Skill enhances with level increase.]
[2. Legendary Skill: God’s Favor – 20% Experience bonus applied upon battle victory. Efficiency increases with level increase.]
[3. Artifact Skill: Prometheus – Makes skill acquisition easier. Efficiency increases with level increase.]
[4. Unique Skill: Ether Collection – Generates ‘Ether,’ which grants various effects at regular intervals outside of battle. Efficiency increases with level increase.]
“Hmm.”
I couldn’t help but let out a slight exclamation after reading that far. I had a few questions, so I looked up from the panel at Minerva.
“Are these things like levels and skills the same as what we usually talk about in games? Can I interpret them that way?”
“Yes, you can understand them that way. The hero cultivation system referenced a lot from what you call ‘games.'”
“Ah, I see.”
I let out another exclamation at Minerva’s confirmation.
Referencing – so it wasn’t something that accidentally turned out similar, but something deliberately modeled after gaming systems.
I was a little curious about the specific reasons for doing it that way, but for now, my priority was checking the rest of the special privileges. The list was barely halfway through.
Next up were items instead of skills – item-based special privileges to be precise.
[1. Unique Item: Ether Condensation Bottle – A special container used to store Ether. This item cannot be damaged.]
[2. Artifact Item: Yojutsu Vestark – A sword rumored to have been used by the Witch Knight ‘Han.’ Very old and cannot guarantee durability.]
[3. Artifact Item: Emblem of the Holy Maiden – An emblem said to have been blessed by the ancient holy maiden Luna. Stores the power of the moon, enhancing night-time battle abilities. Power greatly increases under a full moon.]
“… Should I really be getting all this just for me?”
I was unsure if it was good or not, but the sheer quantity was astonishing. I couldn’t help but mutter in amazement.
But Minerva chuckled at my words in what seemed like mockery.
“You haven’t finished reading, though, right? Just keep reading.”
Her comment left a sour taste in my mouth.
I suddenly didn’t want to read the remaining few lines. But what could I do? Clutching my unease, I kept reading the privileges.
I immediately understood from the beginning.
What followed wasn’t special privileges – it should be read as penalties.
[Unique Effect: The Bond of Undying – Forms a contract between the Undying Demon King and the guardian. The Undying Demon King and the guardian become as one, and as long as the Demon King doesn’t die, the guardian transcends time, becoming immortal.]
“Huh?”
After reading it, I blankly pondered for quite a while. Minerva, who had been observing my changing expressions with apparent delight, finally interjected.
“Does it suit you?”
“Suit or not… Is the meaning I understand the correct one?”
“If you’ve correctly interpreted it, accepting the guardian contract ensures you’re reborn as long as the contract isn’t broken by the Undying Demon King perishing first.”
“What a crazy…”
Minerva nodded while giggling faintly at my dumbfounded question. I guess I must have looked pretty shocked to her because a buzzing chaos began in my mind.
“Doesn’t die?”
“Doesn’t… die?”
Did this mean that no matter the injuries, you regenerate right there? Or maybe that after death, you fully revive anew?
Or, it might even mean that you go back in time, returning to the point where you hadn’t died yet, as written in the panel.
“What kind of drug did you take to think up something like this?”
The look in my eyes when I glared at Minerva carried a level of disdain that could almost be called hatred.
“Revive after death, huh?”
Sounds good, right? If I keep this thing safe, I become an immortal – something others would undoubtedly consider the highest privilege, a true blessing.
But looking at it from where I stand, I can’t call it a blessing. It felt much closer to a horrifying curse.
“Are you saying I have to relive those horrifying experiences?”
This realization was grounded in the fact that I had already experienced death.
Death is despair. The overwhelming despair when you’re faced with it and can’t move a single finger.
All thoughts are restricted except the desperate urge to survive. Even me, a staunch atheist, involuntarily sought out God in the face of such an experience.
I can still feel the urge to throw up when I recall those moments. It was the worst experience I ever hope to not relive, even in my dreams.
“Is this a way of nailing me down so I can’t escape?”
Minerva watched my predatory gaze quietly, before shrugging nonchalantly.
“Don’t misunderstand. We cannot interfere in your world enough to make you immortal.”
She denied it with a head shake, looking rather aggrieved. I arched my eyebrows while pondering her words.
“What do you mean?”
“That privilege… or rather, curse, isn’t something we place on you,” Minerva explained.
“Well, who does?”
“Who else? It’s the Demon King’s Egg’s will.”
“Will? This Egg’s will?”
“Yes. The Egg of the Undying Demon King, which rejects death, is offering you this guardian contract. We, who are restricted from interfering with your world, cannot go against its will.”
With these words, I regarded the Egg in my hand with new eyes. It pulsed regularly, and a warm sensation spread through my grip.
So, this Egg’s will to live was the cause of this curse. Reflecting on this made the warm sensation emanating from the Egg seem strangely unsettling.
Giggling softly at my expression, Minerva lifted a finger to point at the panel.
“Because of this, we added a privilege below to compensate for the curse.”
“Ah… where?”
I realized there were still three privileges remaining. It was what Minerva was referring to. Shifting my gaze, I skimmed through the remaining privileges.
[1. Unique Item: Box of the Dead – When carrying objects from a previous life, they are connected to your current life. Cannot carry Unique Items, nor objects larger than the box. This item cannot be destroyed and is invisible to others.]
[2. Unique Skill: Reaper’s Favor – In death, 20% of your current life achievements (XP) will carry over to your next life. Efficiency increases with level.]
[3. Unique Item: Izanami’s Heart – Lantern that retrieves ‘Residual Memory’ from your deceased body of the previous life. When activated, guides you to the location of the memories. The item cannot be damaged and is invisible to others.]
“… Is my brain translator broken?”
I understood “Box of the Dead” and “Reaper’s Favor” from their descriptions.
But “Izanami’s Heart” was baffling despite reading its description multiple times.
Turning to Minerva, I questioned her immediately. Understanding my intent, Minerva tilted her head before speaking.
“To start with, the way the Undying Demon King revives you can be simplified as ‘spatial-temporal regression.'”
“What’s ‘spatial-temporal regression’?”
“It’s when you and the entire world go back to a certain point in the past. We don’t know when that point will be unless the Undying Demon King himself knows.”
“Ah…”
In short, it’s like the Save and Load in games. Got it.
It was exactly like that. During games like ‘Dark Souls,’ known for its difficulty, reviving in this manner is typical. If this girl in front of me were the Female Undead Merchant, I’d probably hate even starting this game.
Contemplating that, I was startled with sudden realization, and a chill ran down my spine.
“Se, so then… Even if I became a master at level ten… if I die without checkpoints…”
“You’d go right back to the start. You’ll be a seasoned rookie.”
“What madness…”
I muttered in disbelief. My legs gave out, and I slumped back into the chair.
Seeing my state, Minerva clapped her hands and grinned as she tapped the panel.
“Calm down. That’s why we gave you special items and skills to help you prepare.”
“Ah…”
It hit me then that was exactly what I was asking about earlier.
What exactly was this “Izanami’s Heart”?
“Izanami’s Heart is an item that recovers lost memories, skills, and some abilities from your previous life.”
This sounded somewhat promising.
Leaning forward from the chair and moving closer, I asked, “In detail, how exactly?”
“It works by leaving a corpse of your previous life in the place you died. That corpse holds ‘Residual Memories’ from your previous life.”
“That’s… creepy.”
I tried to imagine it. My past self lying lifeless on the ground, while my present self looked down at it. Without a doubt, it would send a chill down my spine.
“If you go to the corpse’s original location and absorb the memories using Izanami’s Heart, you can recover the skills and abilities from your previous life. Once triggered, it naturally guides you to the memory’s location.”
“Huh? Not so bad after all?”
My morale dampened as I forced out a laugh. But Minerva, who was watching me carefully, let out a small smile.
Seemed like she was either mocking me or pitying me.
“Perhaps.”
Her meaningful smile left me speechless.
This expression likely meant there was some hardship I hadn’t anticipated lurking beneath. I considered asking but decided against it, because judging by the atmosphere, it felt like I wouldn’t receive an answer.
“Let’s leave the joy of discovery to you.”
As expected, Minerva straightened up right after saying that.
Waving her hand, the scenery of my little room dissolved like a mirage. It all happened so quickly that I could do nothing but gape in mute surprise.
Back in the stark white space, a massive portal had already risen.
Shifting my gaze to the map at the top of the portal, a red point was clearly marked at the northernmost part of the continent.
―Mittelrand, the Ruined Fortress of Halzenberg.
It looked like this was the location I would be summoned to.
“All required explanations have been presented. It’s been about an hour.”
“…”
“It’s time to get to work. Mr. Park Jeong-yong, 163,417,413th hero.”
With that, she bowed elegantly and then signaled towards the portal, inviting me to proceed. It was a polite but firm farewell.
“Well, sure. I’ve waited three months for this day.”
I joked lightly and then promptly moved towards the gateway. Stopping at the portal, I took a deep breath, calming the thumping heart and the tightening nerves with a dry swallow.
“… More than expected.”
Behind me, Minerva murmured softly. Turning around, I looked at her.
Minerva was staring at me with an intrigued expression.
“You’re resisting less than I expected.”
“What resistance?”
“Obviously, I thought you would more vigorously resist. Based on what I observed of your life before, you hated tedious tasks, right?”
“True.”
For the record, I still hate them now, which is exactly why I find this whole burdensome affair quite unlucky.
Minerva tilted her head, puzzled by my apparent acceptance of fate without complaints.
“Yet, you’re accepting your fate rather smoothly. Why is that?”
“You would have made me do it even if I resisted.”
“…”
Minerva was silent. That was tacit confirmation.
That’s right. I’ve been living a sucky life for 24 years – I couldn’t have missed that point.
Smirking faintly, I said, “I dislike tedious tasks, as you pointed out, so I didn’t refuse.”
“What do you mean…?”
“If refusing wouldn’t stop you from forcing me anyway, then resisting itself is tedious.”
My response left Minerva speechless.
“… That’s right. You’ve always been that kind of person.” She managed a tired smile, seemingly unable to handle it and chuckled. Her slightly curved eyes made a beautiful arc.
The sincerest smile I’d seen her give since meeting her.
As Minerva’s smile softened, her expression became a little more serious.
“Let me give you one special piece of advice.”
“Go on.”
Minerva looked me in the eye and spoke firmly.
“You’re just one among the nearly 170 million heroes who’ve been summoned into this world. And among them, you are only responsible for the Demon King within the egg you hold. If you manage just that, you’ll have fulfilled your purpose. Understand?”
Her words carried deep meaning, but her intention was hard to discern.
Unconsciously, I looked down at the egg in my hand. As I did so, Minerva’s voice continued.
She warned me like a parent cautioning an adventurous child, her voice laced with concern.
“Dispose of unnecessary heroism. Value your life above all else. This especially goes for you, with your immortal body.”
A plea almost.
I looked up, startled. For some reason, her lips twisted into a sad smile.
“Please avoid nightmares and try to live long. That’s my wish.”
“… We haven’t even started, and you’re already talking about the end.”
I smirked it off and immediately stepped into the gateway.
The strange sensation that I had felt an hour earlier swept over my feet again. My vision flickered.
The surreal feeling of being helplessly tugged into oblivion took over as physical reality slipped away. In this moment, Minerva’s voice echoed one last time.
“… Look at that. You’re already falling apart.”
Her voice was saturated with regret.