The Demon King Who Draws

Chapter 26

“Huff… Huff…”

Marus felt alive for the first time in a long time. He had never experienced such fear and pain in decades.

He looked at his empty left arm and tried to snap out of his dream.

He knew it would be hard to pass through the gate without any trouble when he faced Phenex again.

Of course, he was willing to give up an arm or two.

He thought he could do anything if he could obtain the power of the devil.

‘I was careless.’

Phenex’s energy was weaker than he expected, and the battle went in his favor. He let his guard down.

He might have thought he could overcome the demon’s interference without any damage.

The result was his severed arm and the burn on his face.

It was a fair price to pay. He was still able to fight and he had a hidden ace up his sleeve.

“Hoo… Hooo…”

He had to calm his emotions.

This was the threshold of the outcome he had been longing for for decades.

“I’ll make you pay… for everything.”

For this pain, and this rage.

Everything.

He reached the end of the gate and stood in front of the door he had tried to open once before.

He was relaxed on his first visit, but he was badly wounded on his second.

He felt disgusted by the thought that everything was planned by the demon beyond the door.

Kwoong-!

Kiii-!

Finally, he opened the door to the core.

“…”

There was no spectacular scenery there.

A neat but bleak space.

He saw a throne lying there.

Someone was sitting on it.

It was Faust, he realized after a closer look.

He didn’t recognize him at first, not only because he was injured.

Faust was wearing a mask he had never seen before.

“What a ridiculous mask. Is this a mockery?”

“Mockery? It’s a weapon.”

“…A weapon?”

Marus was puzzled, because Faust’s mask didn’t look like a weapon he was familiar with.

“It’s my resolve.”

Like someone who always said that a weapon was a resolve, Faust wore the mask to show his determination.

He stood up from the throne, wearing a goat skull mask that resembled Satan.

Swoosh…

He looked at Cal Curso through the eye holes of the mask.

‘He really came.’

Cal Curso might be being used. This world called Solaria might be using Cal Curso to hate him.

It was a ridiculous thought, but he just felt that way.

“Everything you planned was useless. This is the end.”

“You say that, but you look terrible.”

“Heh heh… You mean this arm?”

“Do you think you can beat me with one arm?”

Cal Curso stopped laughing and rummaged through his pocket. He took something out.

A silver scroll.

“Could it be…”

“Do you recognize it? This scroll is worth more than those who died before.”

Ziii-!

[Cal Curso uses the alchemy scroll: Mercury Body.]

[Until it breaks or receives a large impact, it reshapes the body with mercury.]

Whoo-!

Jee-!

The energy released from the scroll wrapped around Marus’s left arm.

In the blink of an eye, a new arm with a mysterious color appeared where his left arm had been.

“Well, how about that?”

“…You’re well prepared. I wish you could do something about that ugly face too.”

“Prepared… Yes…”

Marus laughed.

“It’s been decades. I’ve lived for this moment for decades. You’re facing someone like that.”

“…”

“My only interest is the devil. I’ll give you a choice. Break your contract with the devil right now. And leave far away. Then I’ll spare your life.”

“How kind of you. You seem to like the devil a lot. Is that why you’ve been doing such things?”

“…Such things?”

“What you did to your nephew.”

That was a question from pure curiosity. What kind of thought made Cal Curso do such things without hesitation.

And if he knew that, would Kim Seo-jin, who was inside Faust, also be able to kill humans calmly.

“Nephew… Yeah, Mawen. That brat.”

Marus asked back with a laugh.

“What’s the problem?”

“…”

“Besides, you’re strange. Your way of thinking, I mean.”

“…What?”

“Why does a demon argue about right and wrong in human death? For you demons, human death should be nothing.”

Kim Seo-jin noticed something in his words. There was something close to the answer in Marus’s words.

“After the hegemony war, the two races took it for granted to kill each other. And they were proud of it. They thought it was better to define each other as something close to beasts rather than equal beings.”

Marus, who wished someone to recognize his true self, talked endlessly without his serious original appearance.

No, maybe this was his true self.

“I felt it from my brother’s death. That human not only slaughtered the demons, but also tortured them beyond humanity, and did horrible and vile things without hesitation. It was funny that he was revered as a hero, but the moment I couldn’t hold back my laughter was right after he died.”

He might have a clue for the future. Kim Seo-jin listened to his words silently to find out.

“They all got angry! They said, damn demons who killed the hero! Hahaha! Isn’t it funny? It’s natural to kill the opponent, but it’s strange to be killed by them… As if it’s a sad and unfair thing.”

“What a funny fact.”

“It’s true. This is the true nature of humans, the top species of all races. How many humans do you think would say that their lives are more valuable than the deaths of dozens, hundreds of demons?”

“…”

“Everyone. Everyone will think that way. It’s the same for you demons. But why do you, even though you’re a demon, feel sorry for human death? As if…”

…That’s it.

“As if you’re human.”

In this world, Kim Seo-jin is a demon.

But the fact that he thinks of himself as a human, not a demon, might be the fundamental cause that makes him hesitate.

To admit that he is a demon.

Maybe, to accept that he can’t go back to his original world. That was the way ahead of Kim Seo-jin.

“Well, this is also the biggest reason why I like the demons. They’re free! They ignore all the petty values made by humans, such as guilt, discipline, and morality. They are the most perfect beings. I… wanted to be like that.”

Faust and Kim Seo-jin.

Maybe the names of these two will rarely be mixed up in the future… Kim Seo-jin himself thought.

‘Is that so…’

To accept that he is Faust.

The start is from there.

“…That’s it.”

“How about it? My offer.”

“I refuse.”

“Foolish.”

Clang…

Marus tilted his head as he saw Kim Seo-jin raise his hand to the scabbard he had never seen before.

“That sword… Did you have it before?”

Marus was momentarily confused.

“Besides, do you know how to use a sword? Before, you were clearly…”

He didn’t feel any sign of that.

He was a man full of weak energy.

But as soon as he raised his hand to the scabbard, his energy strangely became terribly calm.

No, maybe it sank heavily.

Swoosh…

No, it wasn’t just the atmosphere that changed.

He thought it was a mistake, but the whole space was getting colder.

It was already enough to see the breath when he exhaled.

“…Who taught you the sword?”

Marus, if it was a swordsmanship that could make him tense, he must have learned from a great person.

“Who…”

Kim Seo-jin recalled the trivial question.

Faust, you see, is a character I created from start to finish! So…

Seung-ah.

Hyun Seung-ah.

He learned from her.

“From the god of this world.”

Clang-!

Kiii-!

[Dungeon: The final battle of the Rotten Root is in progress.]

[Critical situation! The enemy has reached the core of the dungeon.]

[Faust manipulates the dungeon core to block the exit.]

* * *

Cal Curso, the free-to-play cutter.

He is the final boss of Episode 1.

An old devil follower and a former vice-captain of the Holy Knight Order, a master of the underworld.

If he doesn’t tremble, he’s lying.

His first real opponent in this world is the killer Cal Curso.

But unlike his mind, his body didn’t shake or tense.

Because he knew how to deal with him.

The difficulty of Cal Curso’s party is intentional, and all users can face it.

The developer’s message said to use what was given.

What was given.

What was given to all users.

‘Faust.’

Faust, the protagonist of this game.

He himself is a failure and a monster who inherited the blood of the seven sins, and a demon who can wield all the exclusive weapons from the start by using the power hidden in the blood of greed.

And he is already at a high level in combat.

The key to defeating Cal Curso is ultimately Faust himself.

Squeak…

He draws his sword.

[Faust’s Strength: Greed is activated.]

[Faust can use all the weapons of the devil.]

[Faust is a failure. Sometimes there is a backlash when using the devil’s weapon.]

Srrrrr…

The sound of the sword coming out of the scabbard was too creepy.

It wasn’t just the sound.

As the sword came out of the scabbard, the whole view was covered with black.

‘This is Crocel’s…’

Lake.

When Faust uses the power of Greed, he can use all the basic skills except the transcendence skill of the exclusive weapon owner.

Whoo-!

The Lake released a thick black energy.

The first ability of the condensed evil.

[Faust uses the Pit.]

[The Pit has the shape of a black lake.]

[The Pit covers a very large area, and limits the sight range of the enemies in the area, and steals 15% of the abilities of up to 5 targets.]

[The targets in the Pit area have their health regeneration and healing reduced by 50%.]

[The Pit lasts for the duration of the battle, and moves the center range based on the user’s location.]

The contents that followed like a receipt.

The first cheat ability of Crocel’s Lake.

‘That’s why I chose this weapon with the Hellstone.’

With the only Hellstone, the only 6-star demon I have, I don’t regret choosing the Lake over the Explosive, the exclusive weapon of Phenex.

It’s a better decision to get a weapon that Faust can use immediately with full power than to give Phenex an exclusive weapon right away.

The Lake was a weapon that met all the conditions I had in mind.

The first condition was low dependence on transcendence.

High-grade servants can use transcendence, and they usually have more powerful abilities than basic ones.

Unfortunately, Faust can’t use the transcendence hidden in the exclusive weapon when he uses the power of greed.

So it’s better to choose a weapon with a low proportion of transcendence.

Second, the composition of the basic abilities was balanced.

For Faust, who has no proper combat skills, the basic skill set attached to the exclusive weapon is the only skill he can use for a while, so the second condition was that he should be able to use it in various ways without any flaws.

Lastly, the limit of the ability was not fixed.

Typically, weapons with basic skills that have fixed absolute coefficients for damage should be avoided.

There were quite a few weapons that met these conditions, but the best weapon for me right now was the lake.

[Cal Curso uses the Guide’s Lantern.]

[It lights up a certain range.]

Whoo-!

In the darkness, light burst out.

“Hide and seek? That’s fun. Fine, I’ll play the seeker role as much as you want.”

Marus thought he had lit up the surroundings with the light.

‘…Idiot.’

The darkness of the Pit has nothing to do with the light. He is now in a sight range that is slightly wider than his stride.

Hoop…

Pah-!

Zee-!

“There you are!”

Ka-!

Marus found me right where I was with his eyes that only saw the narrow range.

He was quick with the sword in his hurry.

“Heh heh heh… You just used a trick to hide your body in the darkness. And that’s…”

“…Don’t be mistaken.”

Pat-!

Srrr…

He took off his sword and disappeared into the darkness.

“I’m the seeker.”

“…What?”

Whoo-!

Pah-!

The black water stream I made from my hand flew to Marus and he quickly swung his left arm made of mercury to fend off the water stream.

But…

It definitely touched the water stream.

That’s enough.

[Faust uses the Raging Decay.]