It was only then that I remembered where I had heard the name of ‘The Demon Cult Twilight’. It was the religious institution who gave Ash the consent in his part-time job application form.
After that, I became concerned about the identity of <Twilight>, so I looked it up. The name of a Demon-worshipping cult is suspicious. Maybe they’re doing something dangerous behind the scenes. However, contrary to the very suspicious name, they didn’t do anything dangerous … and recently participated in various volunteer activities.
What on earth, they’re good people.
The people of <Twilight> moved with a smoothness that suggested their experience as a school meal volunteer. Someone carrying ginger ale, someone looking for a victim who had become a tree branch, someone spooning ginger ale, etc …. each had a role to play, and they moved through the victims like a conveyor belt. It was an amazing division of labour.
“For the Demon King!”
“Here’s to the Demon King!”
Although I heard these questionable chants, it was a pace I could never have achieved on my own.
Ash grinned and asked, “How is it? Am I helpful?”
[The Sephiroth Branch of The False World has been removed.
Sephiroth Branches of The False World: 913/1000 people]
[The Sephiroth Branch of The False World has been removed.
Sephiroth Branches of The False World: 859/1000 people]
……………………………..
[The Sephiroth Branch of The False World has been removed.
Sephiroth Branches of The False World: 734/1000 people]
I glanced through the rapidly updating system window.
“Yeah, a lot. You’ve helped me a lot. Ash, I owe it to you.”
“I can help you with anything like this … Tell me anytime.”
His tone was nonchalant, but his face showed the pride he couldn’t hide. He’s such a nice, cute guy.
I don’t know how much time passed, but I could see that the monster branch was rapidly shrinking, and with it, the monster branch was losing its strength.
The eastern sky was now quite bright. We should be able to get out soon. The quest would be a success. Let’s all get up and go home. There’s a good meal waiting for you at home, and also animals that won’t listen to you.
[The Sephiroth Branch of The False World has been removed.
Sephiroth Branches of The False World: 1/1000 people]
Eventually, there was only one branch left in the quest. The time when I let out a sigh of relief…..
Grumbling–
I heard a rumbling sound on the ground.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, the giant monster tree trunk snapped. Something came out of the crack. It looked like a human with bandages, but it also looked like a monster.
My vision quickly began to fill with different colours.
“Stay back!”
Someone shouted. But it was too late. An otherworldly smell of etheric air grazed the tip of my nose. I know what this is.
……It’s a dungeon.
[Warning: This is an abnormal encounter.]
[System Error: Unexpected Intrusion]
[System Error: Unexpected Intrusion]
[Warning! Anomaly!]
[‘Main Quest: Discover The Secret of The Golden Liquor’ will be forcibly terminated.
Please check the changed quest details.]
[Main Quest: Exploring the Dungeon of Mysterious World
This is a big deal!
With the help of the Demon Cult, you have successfully removed the Sephiroth branch of the False World.
However, an unexpected intervention has been detected.
A Dungeon has occurred.
I wish you a safe escape.
Defeat the Dungeon Boss, the Malicious King of Curses: (Incomplete)
Escape from the Dungeon: (Incomplete)
Rewards: Experience (500 exp), Fame (50), Popularity (100)]
…………………….
…………………….
What do you mean with ‘Unexpected’? You said all I had to do was defeat the monster branches, and there was only one left!
I grumbled inwardly, but the system didn’t respond anymore.
“Ouch…….” I barely got up, my body aching here and there.
An unfamiliar space.
“Ash, where are you?!”
There’s no answer. Not only that, the people from the Demon Cult are nowhere to be seen, nor are Ki Yoohyun and Choi Yichan. I was alone.
I felt a stab of fear. I was also worried about the others.
Nothing will happen if I stay here. Let’s find the others first.
***
“Cheesh, they never told me about this!”
The very moment the city descended into chaos. In an empty office of Super Buff Coffee, at a time when Kwon Rieul was struggling to heal those who had turned into twigs.
Looking out the window through the cracks in the blinds, Dia clicked his tongue.
The great leader of the current Church of Starry Wisdom. The prophet who leads the six priests with the blessing of the Holy Spirit1.
Prime Executive Diamond, commonly known as Dia-nim for short.
The concept of religion is confusing, but it doesn’t matter, so let’s move on. After all, it was a setting he created by referring to internet wikis and fantasy novels.
The only God he believes in is money.
His real identity is a three-time convicted fraudster. He moved to Seoul to make a big business out of a penny-pinching pyramid scheme.
He was also confident. ‘That person’ said they would provide as much financial support as they could, so he could run wild to his heart’s content.
He set up a cafe and a company in a prosperous downtown neighbourhood and walked around with a chip on his shoulder. It was a great time.
However, this fraudster, Diamond, was currently in crisis.
People who drank coffee from his cafe began to be eaten by the monster branches. The people of the Church of Starry Wisdom were no exception. Among the executives, he was the only one who survived.
Did he really gain divine powers while he was pretending to be a priest? No, it’s not like that.
“Eek, eek, Dia-nim …… help me!”
That’s because he ignored the heartbreaking calls and hid under the table.
Naturally, the Dungeon Management Office suspected the Church of being behind the monster branch incident. All of the people involved in Seonghye Enterprise who managed to escape the wrath were arrested, and Dia was urgently wanted.
“Tch….”
He looked out the window again and leaned down in surprise. The entrance to the building was full of hunters from the Dungeon Management Office.
‘It’s going to be hard to escape through the door.’
There has never been a story like this. It was a simple job to make and sell buff coffee using golden liquor.
The order was to make it so popular that it would put Cafe Rieul out of business. Since there was no sign of Cafe Rieul closing down, he was planning to start reverse viral marketing soon.
Nowhere was there any mention of the risk of arrest. He couldn’t believe something like this happened just when he was one step away from completing his mission.
He just did as he was told and knew nothing about that monster branch. However if he was caught, he would be punished for every little scam he had ever committed.
The horror of prison life flashed through his mind. How did he get this far and still get caught?
Dia removed the ridiculous white gown he was still wearing and tossed it into the bin. From his locker, he grabbed a checkered shirt and long padded jacket. Add a hat to the mix, and you’ve got the makings of a commoner. Now, he wouldn’t be instantly recognisable.
Finally, he opened the locker with the key. Inside was a vial of shiny golden liquid.
It was a legendary item, golden liquor, created by seeing the fragments of the “Grimoire” given to him.
Dia, who pretended to have extraordinary abilities on the outside, but was actually only an F-Class Awakener, would not have been able to complete the golden liquor on his own. But with their help, he was able to perform a miracle.
“With this, I can start over……!”
You can always start over with a company.
Dia packed the golden liquor into a large backpack and slung it on his back. He ran down the corridor and opened the door to a secret passage that only he knew.
It doesn’t matter if his old colleagues have become branches or not. ‘As long as I survive, I’ll be fine’, He ran down the secret passage, thinking like a third-rate villain.
“Ugh……?”
Gradually, his steps slowed down.
The backpack on his back felt heavier and heavier.
That’s absurd. It’s just a glass bottle of liquid. It should have been easy enough to carry with one hand.
But the backpack grew heavier and heavier, and by the time he reached the middle of the secret passage, his shoulders ached like they were going to break.
It was difficult to walk even one step anymore. Eventually, Diamond stopped his steps and put down his backpack.
Why is this so heavy? Not only that, but he also heard a strange rattling sound coming from inside the backpack.
“…….”
Dia swallowed his dry saliva without realizing it.
He had put the bottle of golden liquor inside the backpack himself. So there must be golden liquor inside, but something doesn’t feel right.
He shuddered with a premonition that there must be something very frightening inside.
However, Dia did not trust his intuition. If you’re swayed by intuition, you won’t be able to commit fraud.
He couldn’t leave the foundation of his business behind. He opened his backpack to check the inside.
Crack!
The bottle of golden liquor was broken.
【Grrrr ……. I’m finally free.】
“E-eeek!”
A grotesque human appeared, his bloodied body wrapped in bandages. It wore a black cloak and carried a large scythe.
No, is that human?
Dia suddenly remembered the name he had glimpsed in the fragment of the grimoire.
Surely, that name must be…….
“The King of Curses…….”
Those were his last words.
Crust. The King of Curses, tainted with malice, swung his scythe. Blood splattered with an unpleasant sound.
Without so much as a glance at the dying human, the King of Curses rose into the sky and took his place beside the World Tree of their world.
Due to the unexpected interruption, the Sephiroth Branch of the False World was losing its strength, unable to grow a thousand branches.
Instead, it fulfilled its mission at the cost of breaking itself.
The World Tree has only one mission: to bring their world, which has already been extinguished, to this world.
With a roar, a flash of light poured through the cracks of the broken World Tree. As the air of the Other World mingled, the landscape quickly changed.
The malicious King of Curses raged on. This land would now be their new world.
The space eroded into another dimension, transforming into a dungeon.
