49-50

Chapter 49: Garden of Nak (1)

Demon King

Garden of Nak (1)

I consumed everything, except for corpses that won't help me grow in stats or skills.

Unlike before, I have a lot of skills that consume stamina and magic, so while eating, I continued to use skills and magic with my other hand.

[Strength has increased by 1.]

[Intermediate Beast Charge has become Lv7.]

I saved the Red-maned Wolf for last. His meat was a taste worth putting off. Whenever I take a bite, I remembered the guy's gaze at me, and my body convulsed.

I should never touch the key on the third floor.

The only reason I survived was that the monsters on the second floor were low-ranking ones.

It has still been dangerous, though.

It was a tool used for wiping out the Phoenix Hunters, but I should never use it again in the future.

I had to keep that fact firmly in my heart.

"Then."

I set out on what to do next. There's nothing else to do but clear the loot.

The material items and potions obtained overlap in single cells inside my inventory, so it was not a burden.

The problem is the equipment items. Swords, staffs, armors, cloaks, and robes of nearly hundreds. It was also a job to retrieve those from piles of monsters.

I couldn't think about carrying so many items. Of the hundreds of equipment, only a few of them look useful. Most of them were labeled as normal rarity, and their quality was poor.

This proved one thing. The Phoenix Hunters are not such a great guild.

And I couldn't even handle such a guild on my own and had to arouse the dungeon's anger to clear them.

There will be more people and guilds outside who were much stronger than them.

I bluffed to the Phoenix Hunters as if I could stop anyone anytime, but that didn't make any sense.

I was only an intermediate monster.

He's right. Humans are not going to leave this dungeon alone forever.

Time wasn't on my side. I have to move faster to survive.

I have to bring everything I have to the highest level.

I slapped myself on the cheeks to wake up and proceed with organizing the items. I used the normal items on the spot as materials for Lunatic Trickster, creating useless traps to improve my skill level.

Three traps continued to pop up and disappear on the spot.

The higher the value of the consumed goods, the faster the skill training level rises. Eventually, the skill level rose by one, and it became Intermediate Lv4.

After completing the process, only the rare items were left.

Of course, they were not as good as my equipment, so I decided to put them in my inventory first.

There was also a Unique-grade item. It was stockings made of red cloth.

[Ezelic's Leggings (178/320). Rareness – Unique. Increases movement-based skills by 20%.]

Because it is made of cloth, it was a very good item that could be worn as padding inside the Blood Iron Armor. I wore it right away.

What was more enjoyable to loot was the equipment obtained from the monsters.

Previously, I have obtained a Grudge Fang after killing a Giant Wolf.

At that time, my Detection skill has not reached the Advanced level, so I could not check the ability of the dagger. Now that it has reached the Advanced level, I assessed it and learned that it was a good attack power of a rare level.

[Grudge Fang (152/209). Attack power 135. Rareness – Rare. Amplifies magic power by 50%. When using a skill with this dagger, attack power increases by 30%.]

Similar to the Pink Fangs, such a weapon was efficient to be used as a sub-weapon. Until now, I have only been curious about how it came from a Giant Wolf.

But today, I got three daggers, which were all called Fangs. Fangs of Fury from the Red Giant Wolf, and Cursed and Blood Fang from the Red-maned Werewolf.

After sorting out the equipment obtained from Phoenix Hunters, I assessed the Fangs I obtained, and the result surprised me.

[Fang of Fury (230/230)- Attack 140. Rarity – Rare. Increases attack power by 50% when thrown. When held in Berserker's hand, attack power increases by an additional 50%.]

[Cursed Fangs (255/255)- Attack power 160. Rarity – Rare. When hitting the opponent's vital spot, attack power increases by 50%, and an additional random curse is applied.]

[Blood Fang (350/350)- Attack power 210. Rarity – Unique. Attack power increases temporarily as it gets wet with blood. It increases to a maximum of 150%, and the effect disappears when the battle is over.]

Fang of Fury and Cursed Fangs were weapons of great power that were equal or even better than Grudge Fang or Pink Fang. But the Blood Fang was greater than all of them.

Unique?! This was the first Unique weapon I obtained from a monster!

Moreover, the option was simple but incredible.

Being able to increase the damage of a weapon to 500 during combat was such a great option that it made me wonder if I should throw away Blood Shadow and carry Blood Fangs instead.

However, Blood Shadow has a growth ability, the excellent skill of blood flames, and furthermore, it had the advantage of its size and length against the Blood Fang. So, right now, like the other fangs, the Blood Fang has to stay on my thighs quietly.

In the future, if I combine Blood Shadow with Blood Fang, it will create a very good weapon.

With that, all the items were finally organized.

I stood up.

Now, there is nothing to do on the second floor. All those who threatened me are dead. No traces were left. The promise to Lee Chan-yu was fulfilled.

It's time for him to make good on his promise.

"Are you here? Fate?"

He was staying at the entrance of the third floor as he told me. He caught a monster similar to a scorpion. He was munching on it as he looked at me and waved his hand.

"Thank you so much. I've recovered some energy now."

"That's a good thing."

"Right. So…"

He seemed to hesitate a little, but soon he threw the scorpion's tail on the floor and told me.

"Fate, you've kept your promise to me. I think it's time for me to pay you."

"How did you know?"

I was puzzled. However, Lee Chan-yu seemed even more confused.

"How did I know?"

"That I kept my promise with you?"

"You saved my life."

I pointed to the second floor above us. "I killed all the Phoenix Hunters."

"What are you talking about now?"

Oh, so he was talking about when I saved his life and escaped with him, not when I killed the guild members that chased him.

"You killed them all? You alone versus over a hundred guys?!"

"Yes."

I had the 2F key destroyed and aroused the dungeon's anger, but it was not necessary to explain it all to him.

"Are you lying? I don't want to doubt your words… But no matter how strong you are, you can't kill more than a hundred humans and stay untouched like that."

Lee Chan-yu did not understand the specifics of my equipment and skills, so it was natural for him to react like this.

Any wounds I sustain can be healed by Predation unless they are fatal.

In addition, after the battle is over, all the intestines, flesh, and blood that clung to my armor and weapons are either eaten off or absorbed by my armor and weapon.

In other words, even after a battle, I maintain my appearance.

"If you are in doubt, you can go up and check. All the humans who entered this dungeon are dead," I told him.

"The power of the Phoenix Hunters… All one hundred and seventeen people, including the guild master, entered this dungeon…"

"Yes, there are exactly one hundred and seventeen humans I have confirmed to be dead."

I paid enough attention to this, even to the point of neglecting the Red-maned Werewolf.

I made sure no human escaped this dungeon. Everyone is dead. Most of them were killed by my hands; the rest were killed by monsters.

With this, the dungeon is safe from humans for a little while… not much. In the end, time is running out.

That is why it is necessary to learn. How can I hide my identity? So even if I encounter humans, I can avoid getting noticed as a Fallen!

"How…"

But it seems difficult to learn it right now.

"Thank you… Damn it, thank you…!"

I left Lee Chan-yu, who broke down with emotions.

I went around 3F, testing my weapons against intermediate monsters. It was so easy and effortless that I am of a mind to break through quickly and go to the 4th floor.

When I returned from hunting and predation, he seemed to have come to his senses.

He was in a Werewolf form, so I could not read his expression.

"It's not over yet," he said. "They said there was an informant who gave out the location of where the Fallen were located."

"Okay?"

Had he shaken off all his sadness? Now, his eyes were shining cold. I was convinced that he would one day find the informant and deal with him.

"Then it's really my turn now."

"Yes. How a Fallen could avoid being detected. And how the world is right now."

"The latter is something you can find out just by going outside, so let's first talk about how to avoid being noticed as a Fallen person. I rather wonder why you don't know this."

He tilted his head.

"There are items given by the Manager to the Fallen players who advance to the finals in the arena. If you use those items, you won't be caught by Proof of Mine. It was a harsh system, and only the strongest ones could take the reward… But you really don't know this? You?"

Well.

A completely unknown story popped up.

"What is that reaction?" he asked me.

"What?"

"You know that. I'm talking about the arena where anyone can go to level 50…?"

His eyes became strange. I wondered if I can bluff my ignorance but soon gave up.

Because he has already noticed. Not only he's a skilled hunter, but also a smart one.

"… It seems like there are more things I have to explain to you."

"I think so. I will tell you in advance…"

"Yes, I'll keep it a secret. I know what you mean," he said with a bloody smile.

"I won't tell anyone. I already said because I was all in, boss."

Boss? The moment I tried to ask him, a notification window appeared in front of me.

[Failed to activate command skill. Could not take the load.]

[In order to be handed down, you must unseal the castle.]

[1. Conquer the 6th floor of Jinma's Tower.]

[2. Win the fifth game in the Garden of Nak.]

[3. ?? to ???]

"Rot."

"Is my power not enough? I only looked pathetic, but I would be very helpful to you. Trust me. I will pay you back for what you gave me and more."

There were a lot of things I wanted to tell him.

That I would not take him as a subordinate. Or that he is still weak. Or ask me again in the future.

Rejected, accepted, put on hold, whatever.

However, the notification windows that popped up successively made me dizzy, and I sat down, feeling some kind of weakness.

I nodded at Lee Chan-yu, who was burning with a new passion for life.

"Yeah, go ahead and talk about it. About Fallen and the arena."

"Yes, yes. … You don't look energetic, are you okay?"

"…Perhaps."

Today, I have come to realize that I am different from the normal Fallen.

There is still a lot left to know.

Chapter 50

Demon King

The Garden of Nak (2) [End of Volume 2]

The Fallen are a result of the 'Great Integration', a process of merging Hater and Earth into one.

"If a human loses his life at the moment when the Great Integration takes place, that person loses his human body and opens his eyes from the monster's body. It means that you will be a Fallen."

I went through the same process. So far, I have been in the same shape as the general Fallen.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Not much information has been revealed about it, and no one knows, even the Fallen themselves, or the humans.

So, right after the Great Integration took place, great chaos struck the planet.

Most of the Fallen, who opened their eyes to monster bodies, were killed by humans when they tried to revert to human society.

"People realized that we were once humans like them because we can speak human words, not monster languages. But soon. they didn't care about it."

"Because of compensation?"

"Yes, because of the rewards. The rewards make it possible to protect yourself in this society."

Enormous experience and money. People treated the Fallen as a special monster and slaughtered.

It didn't matter to them that the monsters were human inside.

Humans thus hunted the Fallen to become stronger. More and more Fallen were killed.

"In a crazy world, protecting themselves was the top priority. The Fallen are easier to hunt compared to pure monsters, and the rewards were more excellent. We are good prey for them."

Society has met a new order.

In less than a month, there were numerous conflicts, explosions, and destruction, but nevertheless, humans succeeded in creating a method to survive in a new planet covered with monsters and dungeons.

"Innumerable businesses and factories were rendered obsolete and soon shut down. Workers were laid off. In order for those who do not have combat skills to live, they have to plow fields now. It's not easy because of the monsters that can appear without any warning."

"The Fallen…"

"There are a lot of monsters popping up, even not considering the Fallen. The Fallen became an evil that had to be cut off and not mixed with human society."

Ouch.

We were blocked and excluded.

"Then, society has been reorganized around those who had powerful abilities. Many guilds have been created. They started to aim to become stronger in their own way and influence society. They are no different than any other kind of company."

"What about the government?"

"It exists. It's just that the social structure has changed, but the rich and powerful remained unaffected. The government just became more punitive and blatant when it comes to tax and restrictions."

The life of the powerful, manipulating human lives.

Now, I could understand that the brothers and sisters were driven to the dungeon without proper armor. To live. To survive.

"It gets a lot worse…"

New types of precious goods emerged in the reversed society. Gold and artifacts.

And the best place to get those two are dungeons.

"Dungeons became possessions of various influential guilds. They manage dungeons, collect gold, and monopolize good artifacts. Every guild wants to dominate. I think they are preparing for war. Whether it was a war between humans, or against monsters, nobody knew."

"Where is gold used?"

It seems that humans crave gold.

"Auction houses. Training centers. Goods that can only be purchased at stores operated by natives. You need gold for all of them. Now, the value of existing currencies such as won, dollar, yen, and yuan is falling endlessly. Everyone wants gold, the most powerful currency now."

Natives. I suddenly thought of Rain and A.

Lee Chan-yu seemed to guess what I was thinking and opened his mouth.

"Natives. They're the ones who are the complete opposite of the Fallen," he added.

"The inhabitants of Hater who appeared on Earth in human form after the Great Integration, even though they had no partners on Earth. Isn't that the reverse of us who do not have partners from Hater?"

"Are they strong?"

"Yes, very. Stronger than the strongest people on Earth right now."

"So, they are not hunted. Unlike the Fallen."

"And they all look beautiful. Unlike us. It's the opposite, as if someone made it that way, right?"

After we finished speaking, we faced each other and smiled.

We were in the form of a terrible evil spirit and a werewolf, so we fully understood how terrifying we look.

I laughed. Ten thousand emotions contained in one expression.

Lee Chan-yu's words continued. He wanted to talk more about the natives.

"They want to help humanity. They help them adapt to a changing society, and they themselves want to live with humanity. At least on the surface, it seems like that."

"What is their position toward the Fallen?"

"They treat us as monsters."

It was a simple conclusion.

"It's also the biggest reason humans can freely hunt Fallen. Natives are more powerful and richer than humans. They have the goods that humanity needs, gold, and artifacts. They treat Fallen as monsters; thus humans tended to follow their judgment."

"It must be difficult to judge their intentions… First of all, are natives something to avoid?"

Proof of Mine artifacts has come from these natives. If someone tries to separate humans and Fallen in human forms, the intention must be clear.

I also asked about other things. Exactly how much the Earth has changed. How the outsiders live. How many dungeons are there? All of them were thoroughly engraved in my head.

"The arena we talked about earlier, that's the only way to meet natives who are friendly to Fallen. They gave out items that could block Proof of Mine to those Fallen who can reach the finals."

One side has artifacts that can identify a Fallen; the other side provides artifacts that can hide a Fallen's identity.

It is clear that they are in opposite positions.

So, in other words, the natives are also divided into two groups.

Among them, Rain and A are probably on the side of the Fallen.

To be precise, on my side.

Then, why didn't they tell me that there was a way to hide my identity?

If I go there now, will Rain bring it to me as a commodity if I wanted to purchase it?

I don't think so.

But it's probably not because they want me to die, but because they think I don't need it.

Knowing Rain, he tends to overestimate me.

As I was troubled by the thoughts of my collaborators, Lee Chan-yu finished explaining the artifact.

"Of course, it doesn't change your appearance. So, it only works for those who can transform into human form like me."

I looked at him. His appearance was a werewolf over 2 meters tall, with thick hair all over his body.

"A human form…" I muttered.

"… … Sorry, I don't want to go transform back right now."

"No, I am not asking you to transform."

I was just thinking about the way I would evolve in the future.

Goblins, hob goblins, and bugbears.

I wondered how much farther should I have to go in the future to evolve into a human-like form.

I looked at myself. Black, thick skin. Gigantic limbs. An ugly face far from a human's. Elongated ears.

Human-like form? Honestly, it seems absolutely impossible.

Then I came up with a question.

"So, there were others with partners with non-human races such as elves, dwarves, and demons."

"Ah, yes. There were."

"They are completely missing from your story."

Lee Chan-yu shrugged and said.

"They are gone. Without a trace."

The story seems to be over.

After the long talk, Lee Chan-yu took out the water he had in his inventory, took a sip, and offered it to me.

I rejected it and thought about the things I learned and what my next steps would be.

And finally, I laughed bitterly when I came to the conclusion that all I had to do was get stronger.

But before that…

"Okay, I definitely got both pieces of information that I asked of you. Is it possible for one person to get two of those artifacts that hide the Fallen?"

"…Yes. I have two right now. Would you like one, captain?"

Lee Chan-yu pulled out something small and shining from his arms and threw it at me, and I caught it without difficulty.

It was a small badge.

[Proof of Life (350/1,985). Rarity – Rare. If you have this, you will be able to evade the magic of the traitors.]

Maybe someone had it before me. I put the badge in my arms without saying anything about it.

Lee Chan-yu also said nothing.

"Thanks."

"It's nothing compared to what the captain did for me."

"Yes, and I have something to say about you calling me 'captain'."

"What is it?"

I hesitated a little, but soon I confessed my circumstances honestly.

"To put it plainly, I need to get stronger very quickly."

"Even stronger than you are now?"

"I'm only an intermediate monster. But it can't stay that way in the future."

"… …."

His eyes were wide open. He must have grasped the meaning of my words.

"Lee Chan-yu, I am welcome to having colleagues. However, that only applies if you don't slow me down. How about you? Do you want to be stronger?"

"You are talking about evolution now?"

"Yes."

Lee Chan-yu was worried. But soon, he nodded with determination.

"Evolution, I heard it was possible. I have only one way to choose anyway… … Do it. I will surely survive."

"Good. Then let's start right now."

I drew my sword. I took one glance at the pleased Lee Chan-yu, then rushed out of the safe entrance and into 3F.

"Wait a minute, me too. I am going now, too!" I heard him scream.

I have to catch 100,000 monsters on the third floor.

After spending much time dealing with intruders and talking with Lee Chan-yu, I have to catch up quickly!

From then on, when the clock wheel turned five and a half turns, I finally reached level 70.

[Level Up!]

[You can enter the Garden of Nak.]

And a new trial came to me.

[End of Volume 2]