Chapter 73 : Chapter 73
Volume 1
Chapter 73 : The Love God’s Whisper (13)
“What is this place...?”
After the dizzying sensation of having his soul yanked around as if he had ridden a roller coaster ten times in a row, Muen realized that he had arrived in an unfamiliar space.
He looked up and surveyed his surroundings.
An endless stretch of red earth extended all the way to a horizon too distant to see.
The withered plants, long since dried of every drop of moisture, were scattered pitifully here and there like the thinning hair on the heads of middle-aged programmers.
Other than that, there was no sign of life.
A scorching wind blew past, carrying a nauseating stench of blood, while cutting against his skin like blades.
And high above in the heavens, amid an infinite blaze of crimson fire, floated a gigantic and hideous eye.
Around that eye, halo-like rings spread outward in layer upon layer like a kaleidoscope.
But when Muen focused his gaze, he realized that the dazzling corona was actually made up of countless shriveled hands clustered tightly together, swaying in perfect unison.
“What the hell is that?”
Shocked once again by a scene that utterly annihilated his sanity, Muen instinctively turned to the black book, the culprit behind all of this.
The black book flipped rapidly through its pages.
Records from the past surfaced one after another, until at last it stopped on an entry from long ago, one Muen had nearly forgotten.
And that entry recorded the true name of the existence before him.
God of the Molten World.
Lord of the Crimson Sun.
King of Withering.
In short, another evil god.
It had briefly appeared before in the assassin’s prayer.
In exchange for one hundred portions of a child’s heart’s blood, power had been bargained from It, and the single wisp of crimson flame It bestowed had been enough to suppress even Selicia’s wind and snow!
And now, Muen was standing right before this evil god!
The sheer absurdity of reality struck Muen so hard that his vision darkened.
Grabbing the black book, he shook it like a madman and snarled through gritted teeth,“I told you to show me a way to save Ann, not drag another evil god over here! What, are you trying to make the tiger fight the wolf so we can sit back and reap the rewards? Do you believe the tiger will even show up before I drop dead from fright first?!”
Naturally, the black book did not answer.
But perhaps Muen’s commotion had drawn Its attention.
The great King of Withering finally noticed this uninvited guest.
Its eye shifted, and that savage pupil fixed itself upon this utterly insignificant ant.
The moment he was seen, countless frenzied thoughts flooded into Muen’s mind like a school of fish swarming toward bait.
So hot...
So scorching...
I want to burn something...
I want to set the whole world ablaze...
I want to go mad...
Rustle, rustle...
The sound of turning pages rang out like a cool breeze, sweeping away the sweltering heat.
Muen regained his senses.
But before he could feel relieved, he looked at the black book with even greater horror.
Look at that.
I nearly lost my mind from a single glance. How am I supposed to play this game?
Perhaps the fact that Muen had managed to stay sane caused a trace of surprise to appear in that savage eye.
But only a trace.
As if it had merely found a slightly larger ant inside its house.
Still, upon this eternally barren red earth, even a tiny ant seemed enough to arouse the King of Withering’s... interest.
And so, a voice both majestic and eerie reverberated, like countless bronze bells tolling at once.
The sounds flowed, intertwined, and shifted above the red earth, until in Muen’s ears, they gradually transformed into a familiar tongue.
Human language.
【Human.】
The King of Withering spoke in solemn majesty.
【Do you desire power?】
“Ah.”
Muen stared in astonishment.
His mouth fell open so wide it could practically fit an egg.
Had he heard correctly?
A lofty evil god had actually spoken to him of Its own accord?
For a brief instant, Muen even felt the flustered delight of a fan being gently addressed by his idol.
It is so gentle. I love it.
...No, wait, that is not right. When an evil god asks whether you want power, however you look at it, this is obviously the beginning of something terrible!
He had absolutely nothing on him to pay the price with.
Surely they were not expecting him to sell his body, were they?
Eluka’s fate was still right there as a warning!
“So this is your idea of saving her?”
Muen turned to the black book.
The more he looked at it, the more unreliable it seemed.
“Are you sure this is going to work, officer? I know only magic can defeat magic, but what is the point of driving away one evil god only to hand the job over to another?”
Would Ann not still end up getting eaten?
The black book trembled slightly, as though answering him.
Unfortunately, Muen could not understand a thing.
So it suddenly floated upward.
Its pages turned, and one of them actually detached from the book, drifting toward that savage eye.
At last, it came to a stop before the throne of the King of Withering.
The King of Withering also seemed curious about what sort of bargaining chip a mere human could offer, and cast Its gaze upon that sheet of paper.
Then in the next instant, that trace of curiosity turned into... disgust.
Yes, disgust.
It was just like an honest man who was always being fleeced suddenly seeing that shameless deadbeat approach once again with yet another IOU that would never be honored.
Buddy, lend me some.
Come on, it is not like I will not pay you back.
Why are you so stingy?
Once I have it, I will definitely repay you.
Definitely, definitely. Here is the note as proof.
In Muen’s imagination, the King of Withering must have seen that sort of first-rate swindler, or else the disgust in Its eyes would not have looked so vivid, so human.
Muen even had the feeling that in the very next second, the King of Withering would wave Its countless swaying little hands and slap the black book across the face.
Fortunately, it did not.
Nor did It fly into a rage and simply obliterate the black book on the spot, along with grinding Muen, this tiny ant that had wandered into Its domain to streak through the wilderness, into dust.
Instead, It seemed to fall into thought.
The King of Withering pondered.
But not for long.
Only a moment later, a gaunt hand suddenly reached out from the void and seized the page.
The majestic voice rang out once more.
【The exchange is accepted.】
The King of Withering looked toward Muen.
【I can lend you power without charge.】
【However—】
A hint of mockery suddenly surfaced within that savage pupil.
The King of Withering saw through Muen’s entire being, as if stripping him bare and peering through every secret he possessed.
Even his soul held nothing hidden.
【Do you truly wish to accept it?】
【To accept the power of one whom humans call an evil god?】
“...”
Muen fell silent.
The power to change everything lay right before him, yet he hesitated.
He had to hesitate.
He wanted to live, and even more than that, he wanted to find happiness.
That was the small goal he had set for himself after coming to this world.
But—evil gods were the greatest source of misfortune in this world.
Nothing good ever came from becoming entangled with them.
Even if, because of the black book, he did not need to pay the price for their power right away, the karma between him and the evil god would become something he could never sever.
A mark belonging to the evil god would be left upon him.
It would be something like fate itself, not so easily cast aside.
He might forever lose any chance at the word “happiness.”
Even “living” might become far harder than he had ever imagined.
...
“But do I have any other choice?”
Muen let out a quiet laugh.