Chapter 158: Earthling Quest
In the beginning, Alex thought that this old man was sick.
But as he started talking about demons, Alex realized that the old man was actually sane and pretty knowledgeable.
The old man smiled, "Mental demons. They appear in different forms, heavily connected to people's experiences. They mostly hail from childhood's traumas, slowly growing into demons in people's heads."
Alex nodded. He had lessons about those cases.
The old man carried on, "Imagine the scenario… A loving family. Mother, father, and the kid. As the mother makes breakfast for her family, she holds the knife and smears the butter on the bread… And then, her kid comes into her view.
She suddenly gets a thought… What if I just shove this knife into my kid's eyes?" the old man spoke about such a topic with a smile.
Alex sighed, "That's OCD. It's proved that people with such thoughts won't actually yield to their compulsions."
The old man nodded, "But they will feel guilt. Because of that guilt, their OCD will get worse. They will spend more time on their intrusive thoughts, developing their demon. OCD isn't just about thoughts… It forces people to do something to prevent possible terrible things from happening. It also doesn't have to be killing… It can be anything, young man. Those compulsions will drive them mad and eat them.
Those demons will devour their happiness, their life, and their future.
Alex replied after thinking, "There are ways to expose those demons."
The old man laughed, "People with OCD know that their thoughts and compulsions are too much. It's different for other demons hailing from depression or paranoia… There are so many kinds of demons. I regret that we are on a random bench! Oh well, I got my reward already."
Alex looked deeply at the old man, "I believe those demons can be erased. Everyone deserves to be happy in their life."
"Oh, of course, they can be erased," the old man nodded a few times before sucking on his cigarette, "But if you erase one demon, another one will appear in someone's else life… That's because everyone… Yes, every living being is so fragile… They let themselves get affected by the past or their environment, be it people or their status, giving birth to demons.
Every mental disorder is connected to fear, young man. We all fear something, don't we? That's why we are all valuable targets for those demons. You won't even know when they take a dwelling in your heart… You should be careful… They are everywhere, and they are dangerous. They became even too greedy, you know? It's not just a fear that they want to consume… They want more… but fear will never stop being their primary target. That's the core of their existence. They will continuously and greedily push people to their limits for fear and the future.
Their greed is insatiable… for they are hungry demons," the old man smiled.
Then another man on the bench parted his lips, "Fear stretches its influence toward every land, making them… immortal."
A silence ensued.
The only wind whistled around these three. Alex periodically heard the old man let out the smoke from his mouth… But other than that, no one didn't make any sound. It was as if they were thinking about the old man's talk.
And then, Alex looked at his phone, "It's pretty late, so I will return. But well, your words sounded pretty good. You should write a book, old man."
He smiled and turned around, leaving these two.
The brawny man stared at Alex's back, then sighed.
The old man sneered, "You can't blame him. It's all the game. We are… the game. For now, at least."
"You said you got the reward. What kind of quest have you received?" the man turned his eyes to the old man, asking probingly.
The old man had nothing to hide. He tapped the air, then the game system appeared before his eyes.
Only he and the man could look at that system.
[Earthling Quest #14 - As the man who has studied the undead and their behaviors on the other side, you have to spread your knowledge on Earth.]
"I've become the exorcist here," the old man blew out the smoke, "Those stupid humans have so much access to information, yet they believe in demons or other religious crap that controlled people in the past.
My experience here allowed me to study the hungry demons' easier, though. I can't say I am disappointed," the old man concluded.
"From the King of the Underworld to a mere exorcist," the man said before letting out a faint chuckle. His broad chest went up a little as he laughed.
The soul grave-keeper squinted his eyes, "From the Dullahan King to a homeless. I still remember my shock when I saw the police taking you away from your house.
Haha! What exactly had happened here? A mighty king couldn't adapt to his new situation? Have you used your royal speech on the poor landlady, so she got scared and ran away from you?" the old man slapped his thigh as he laughed loudly.
Before the Dullahan King replied, an old lady from the nearby house opened her window, "You two fucking homeless bastards! Fuck off my house!"
"Bitch!" the soul grave-keeper stood up, waving his cigarette at the lady, "Don't call the police! We are leaving!"
The Dullahan King and the King of the Underworld ran away from the old lady.
On their way to a different bench, the old man asked, "So?"
The Dullahan King replied, "I couldn't adapt to my new identity and this human body. That's all to it. After I demanded an explanation of what was going on, I had the police chaining and taking me somewhere."
"Haha!" the old man couldn't believe he was right.
"Since we can return for some time to our world, I assume you've taken appropriate steps in your kingdom," the soul grave-keeper asked, "I have my daughter doing most stuff for me."
"I told them I'm in the Ancestral Grounds… But I will have to pass the royal order to the eldest son," The Dullahan King sighed.
"I never expected that such a day would come," the soul grave-keeper looked at the dark sky, "I never thought I would turn into a human… that I would appear into a different world without any mana… that I would have talked with my old enemy like some good pals…
Honestly… I can kill players so easily here…" the old man clicked his tongue.
The Dullahan King asked, "For how long can you bring out your power here?"
"For one second. You?"
"Five seconds."
"I was lying, by the way," the old man smiled, "I also have five seconds."
For a moment, their eyes shone blue, then they returned to their casual talk.
"This world might be a good escape for some people."
"Correct."
"I can imagine Elias grinding quests here… What would you do if you met here?" the old man chuckled.
"I wouldn't tolerate his presence before me," The Dullahan King spoke in a similar tone to Natalia, "I would erase his existence."
"You would have the police on your tail."
"…"
"They have guns!"
"Shut up."
*Author's note: We are falling in rankings! Don't give me depression, oh lord! How many I must publish to leave poverty?!*
