Demon Lord, Does Even a Crap Game Have an Ending? - Chapter 2

“Damn it.”

Was this punishment for stepping into the free server? Or was my subconscious, desperate to enter Fractal, showing me hallucinations through over-immersion?

‘…No matter how I think about it, there’s no way I could have entered the game.’

I let out a long sigh, then clenched and unclenched my fist, feeling the unbelievable presence of reality. It felt strange. I could move it with my will, but it didn’t feel like my body. Rather than the feeling of a soul possessing a body that typical web novel protagonists talk about, it felt more like wearing a costume. It felt like this was a shell, not a character with a self.

‘Snap out of it, Yoo Ja-hyun. If you think positively, you’ve gotten to play the game you wanted.’

Whether this is a dream or reality, let’s go out and check first. Whether it’s subconscious, a dream, or a hallucination, obtaining the necessary information is the priority. I kicked off the cold metal chair and started walking aimlessly.

…After walking for quite a while.

‘Where the hell is the exit?’

It felt like I had been wandering for about an hour, but the interior was like a maze, making me feel like I was just going in circles. Why are RPG demon king castles always like this? Don’t they have interior designers in the demon realm?

‘Of course, if this is really a game, the level designer probably worked on it with game design allowances. ‘

At this rate, I’ll become the first demon king to get lost in his own front yard, so I decided to find someone and ask for directions. Holding my breath, I listened closely and heard someone whispering.

“It’s been too long since the Master woke up.”

“They’re probably just sleeping for a long time. They do that often.”

“No! It feels different from usual.”

“What kind of different?”

“Because the Master is sleeping, the Hero hasn’t appeared either. The world has completely stopped.”

“Seriously, isn’t that obvious? Good characters appear when there are villains. How old are you? You’re acting like you discovered something amazing when everyone knows that.”

As I quietly approached the source of the sound, I saw two bat-like monsters sitting with their wings folded, talking in front of a lantern flickering with blue flames.

“Excuse me.”

“Whoa!”

The two startled bats widened their already round, large eyes even further and turned their heads.

“M-Master! You’re awake?”

“…You’re awake! Then, I’ll be going…”

The one who had been scolding the other bat quickly flapped its wings and moved away. The way they called me “Master,” and how they didn’t know what to do just by being called, made me think this shell was indeed the Demon King.

“Sorry, but do you know where the exit is?”

“Yes? The exit…”

The bat wriggled its small toes attached to its wings and hesitated.

“Well, there’s no entrance or exit to the castle.”

“Huh?”

“It’s designed that way so enemies can’t easily come and go.”

“…”

I see. Come to think of it, it would be pretty funny if a Demon King’s castle had a grand entrance. It would feel like saying, “Heroes, please come in!”

“Ah, then…”

“The Master usually travels via portal.”

“I see.”

I just entered this body, so there’s no way I’d know how to use a portal. Come to think of it, in possession stories, especially game possession, there’s a high probability of a status window. I should check, just in case. As I fell into deep thought, the bat tilted its head and examined my face.

“…Master…?”

“Ah? Yes?”

“Are you alright?”

“Of course. Thanks for telling me. By the way, what’s your name?”

“I’m Fero. Your herald!”

So, the Demon King has heralds too.

“Master, have you forgotten your memories before falling asleep again?”

“Ah! Yes. I don’t remember anything.”

Was it a patch that periodically replaced the Demon King’s data, causing a reset? Or was there another person who possessed him like me? Whatever it was, it seemed the original Demon King often lost his memory.

“So, Fero. If I need something, can I ask you?”

“Of course. Master!”

Fero nodded vigorously with a wide smile. Compared to the bat that had quickly fled as if it had seen something it shouldn’t have, Fero seemed to be the friendly type.

“When you need me, you don’t have to call me directly; just thinking it will reach me. Feel free to call me. I’ll come running!”

“…You can hear everything I’m thinking?”

“No. It’s not like that. I can only hear you when you call. I think it’s because I’m a part of the Master.”

I see. I was momentarily startled, thinking my inner thoughts were being read like in Satore.

“Anyway, thank you. The way out, you said it was a portal?”

“Yes, you are omnipotent, Master, so you’ll be able to leave soon!”

Do Demon Kings live their lives being praised so excessively? It’s incredibly burdensome. I just awkwardly nodded and turned back, walking without stopping. Only after confirming no one was around did I bring up the status window in my mind. Then, several blue windows immediately opened before my eyes with a sound. Is this real?

“Let’s see!”

[Character Information] Public Name: None Hidden Name: Acris Class: Demon King Gender: Male Age: ??? Residence: Gehenna (Demon King’s Castle)

[Combat Stats] Attack Power: 97342 Defense: 95368 Evasion: 80 …More

[Social Stats] ✖ LOCK

“Social stats are locked.”

The combat elements of Aliento Saga were no different from other games, but its social system was exceptionally outstanding. Because the game’s premise was solo play adventure, users could invite others to their channels, but it lacked the bustling feel of a typical MMO RPG. To overcome that, they introduced ‘NPC Conquest’ as a social system, and all NPCs with social stats were conquerable.

NPC Conquest wasn’t just a superficial dating simulation; it allowed for marriage, just like a dating simulation game, and players could bring their married NPCs around like sidekicks, which received unexpected positive reviews. I thought the Demon King wouldn’t have social stats, but there were some, though locked, making me wonder if they could be unlocked. I reached out to the status window and tried to tap or swipe it, but only the word ‘LOCK’ flickered. Was the Demon King set as a non-conquerable NPC? I quickly lost interest, as I wouldn’t be using it anyway.

“Ah, right… I shouldn’t be doing this, the portal. Where is the por~tal~?”

I naturally mixed in a melody as I muttered to myself. When I made a gesture to swipe the stat window aside, it slid away, revealing the skill window.

As expected of a Demon King, I had many skills, so I scrolled for a long time until I saw something at the very bottom that I could infer was a portal skill. I lightly tapped it with my finger, and a [Register Skill Gesture] button appeared. I simply drew a circle in the air with my index finger to register it. Is this really going to work? Even in a fantasy world, doing something like this felt awkward, making me cough unnecessarily.

With the thought of wanting to close the status window, I slowly blinked my eyes, and it disappeared with a high digital tone. More than anything, I thought it would look strange if someone saw me waving my hands in the air.

‘I shouldn’t use it in front of other people.’

Despite my hesitation, when I drew a circle in the air, a blue line was drawn in the air following my gesture, revealing a black, bottomless space like a black hole. The humming sound and the endless space felt strangely unsettling to enter.

‘If I don’t go in, what else can I do?’

I squeezed my eyes shut and leaped into the portal as if throwing myself in. The inside of the portal was silent, like a vacuum. If it’s a real portal, where will it lead? I hope I can experience the game from the beginning. I reveled in the tremor, unsure if it was tension or excitement.

…Whoosh─

The sound of grass rustling in the wind and the incredibly refreshing scent of grass that felt like it was clearing my head reached my nose, and my eyes snapped open. Under the scorching sun, my vision returned quickly.

‘A forest!’

Moreover, judging by its appearance, it looked like the prologue area, ‘Principium.’ Did it read my thoughts and transport me? In reality, after enduring the hellish commute for years, I used to joke with friends, complaining about why engineers weren’t developing portals. But now that I’ve used one, it’s incredibly convenient.

“So, what should I do first?”

Now that I was in the situation I wanted, my mind went blank, and I started walking aimlessly. The feeling of stepping on grass was vivid. The cool breeze touching my cheek was inexplicable if it wasn’t real. I stopped in front of a pond where sunlight was scattering and looked at my reflection again. A man with white hair and pointed ears appeared on the surface. In the sunlight, his skin looked even paler.

‘He’s about 179 cm tall, maybe? Not bad.’

More importantly, the outfit was too eye-catching; anyone would see me as a Demon King on a reconnaissance mission. If I wandered around like this, I’d be killed by an NPC before anyone noticed, and my plan would be ruined.

“There’s no way I can go to the village market in this state, I need to change.”

A vacant house in the style of a log cabin appeared not far away. These spots are scattered in the forest to help beginners farm initial items by picking up axes or wooden bows. I burst open the door and looked for something to wear. I took off the pauldrons and coat adorned with chains and put on a cloth cloak that reached below my knees. This much change seemed appropriate.

“Since the cloak hides my body, it should be fine.”

With a lighter heart, I picked up a bow and quiver and slung them over my shoulder. Looking at the Demon King’s skills, it seemed I could handle everything with just a gesture without a weapon, but a wooden bow was best for looking somewhat ordinary. After the basic preparations, I truly set out on my adventure.

…After what felt like several hours.

‘Wow! I really don’t know what to do.’

I tried hitting weak monsters like slimes and even tried gathering, but perhaps because the Demon King’s stats were overwhelmingly high, the weak monsters died in one hit, quests didn’t progress, and minor bugs seemed to have already been fixed, so there were no significant issues.

“Don’t tell me I’m going to be trapped here with no gains! You Fractal guys!”

That absolutely cannot happen. I have things to do back in reality. Feeling overwhelmed, I climbed a high hill and looked down at the forest. Perhaps this is what Fero meant by the world being stopped; this world was utterly silent. Maybe I can only do something once the ‘Hero,’ the protagonist of this game, appears?

─Ting.

A clear system sound echoed in my ears.

‘What is this sound?’

Unlike the status window I had opened earlier, a new type of system notification window appeared before my eyes. The text scrolled, blurring my vision.

[System] Hero has appeared! Player Liheros has connected to the server.

Support Demon Lord, Does Even a Crap Game Have an Ending?