“Go on, take it. Opportunities don’t come often, do they? One should take advantage of such a rare opportunity while it's available. Hohoho!” “If you absorb Sidon’s demonic powers, you will become the most powerful demon lord after me!” “Of course, you might even become the next Demon King after me! You'll get to marry my daughter, too. Hohoho!” Siegfried was visibly flustered by how Baal had seized the opportunity to make an aggressive sales pitch. Who would have thought he would one day see the Demon King attempt to win him over?” ‘Ignore the devil’s whispering.’ However, Siegfried did not fall for Baal’s sweet words. ‘One path will grant me overwhelming power, and the other will...’ Siegfried pondered deeply about his choice. If he were to absorb the demonic powers of both Sidon and Dantalion, then the title of the next Demon King would undoubtedly belong to him. However, that would come at the cost of no longer being able to roam in the Middle Realm[1]. Just being a demon lord alone had already limited his freedom to cross realms, so if he were to absorb the powers of both Sidon and Dantalion, then the result would be obvious. He would be permanently bound to the Demon Realm, unable to even dream of setting foot in the Middle Realm—just like Baal. ‘What good is power if I can’t even use it where I need it?’ But more importantly... ‘I have Brunhilde, Verdandi, and the Proatine Kingdom. I can grow stronger on my own even without these kinds of shortcuts.’ With that, Siegfried made up his mind. [Alert: You have chosen the Path of Supreme King!] [Alert: May you never regret your decision!] [Alert: You have cleared the Epic Quest – Crossroad of Destiny II!] Siegfried chose the Path of the Supreme King for the sake of his wife and child. After making his decision, he immediately got to work. He placed his hand on Sidon’s head and— —He began injecting his radioactive microbes into Sidon. Siegfried was turning the Demon Lord of Gluttony into an Irradiator—his eternal slave. “H-Hey! W-What did you–?!” Baal was so shocked by Siegfried’s actions that he ended up screaming. He had actually given up on the chance to become an even stronger demon lord? And he had even rejected the offer to inherit the throne and become the next Demon King? Siegfried’s decision was so preposterous that even the Demon King, Baal, had never expected it. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?! I told you to absorb Sidon’s demonic power!” Baal exclaimed in frustration. “I do not need it,” Siegfried shook his head and replied. “Why not?! How could you not need it?! This is your chance to become the next Demon King, you know?!” “Being a Demon King is not enough for me.” “I want to become even stronger.” “W-What in the world...?” Baal was shocked once again at Siegfried’s words. Being a Demon King was not enough? A Demon King was one of the top three strongest beings in all three realms combined! If that was not enough for Siegfried, then what exactly is he aiming for? “Are you seriously throwing away the chance to become a Demon King? Do you even understand how powerful a Demon King is—” “Has my lord forgotten how powerful my master is?” Baal suddenly recalled Siegfried’s master, and the realization struck him like a lightning bolt. The only being who had let Baal know what a crushing defeat tasted like, the one who had surpassed all limits as a mere human, and the one who had attained the power of invincibility. The young demon lord standing before Baal was none other than that man’s disciple. In other words, there was no way he would be satisfied with just becoming a Demon King. “I believe I have the potential to grow even stronger than a Demon King.” “And in the Middle Realm, I have the woman I love the most and a beloved daughter, too,” Siegfried said with a smile. Then, he added firmly, “Even if I became stronger as a demon lord, I would be losing far more than what I would gain if I were to abandon the Middle Realm.” “I appreciate the offer, but my journey as a demon lord ends here.” With those words, Siegfried drastically increased the injection rate of the radioactive microbes into Sidon. Roughly one minute later— Demon Lord of Gluttony and the Ruler of the Sixth Domain, Sidon, knelt on the ground like a slave would in front of their master. Siegfried van Proa had successfully enslaved the Demon Lord of Gluttony. The battle came to an end when Sidon was defeated and transformed into an Irradiator. The Voracious Ghouls fiercely fighting against their enemies froze the moment Sidon became a slave. Then, they approached where Siegfried and Sidon stood before dropping flat onto the ground in absolute submission. The demons of the Seventh Domain were utterly stunned by what they were witnessing. “H-How is this possible...?” “Demon Lord Siegfried van Proa has subdued the Demon Lord of Gluttony and even those ghouls?” “The Voracious Ghouls has... sworn loyalty to him...?” Seeing the infamous Voracious Ghouls bowing in unison while pledging servitude out of their own volition was nothing short of a massive shock to the demons. This was unprecedented in the entire history of the Demon Realm, and it was happening right before their eyes. “Y-Your Majesty...! You truly are...!” Metatron uttered, overwhelmed by disbelief. “Ah, stop that,” Siegfried grumbled, waving his hand in annoyance. Then, he said, “Eat this.” “Huh?” Metatron tilted his head in confusion. “I said, eat this,” Siegfried said before throwing Dantalion, who was still unconscious, straight at Metatron. “M-Me?! You want me to eat him, sire?!” Metatron exclaimed. He was utterly shocked by what Siegfried said, and rightfully so. After all, absorbing the demonic power of a demon lord was an opportunity that only came once in several centuries. “Yeah, I don’t need it, so you can take it. Besides, eating random stuff might give me a stomachache later,” Siegfried answered nonchalantly. “Do a good job from now on, got it, you little punk?” “Y-Yes, sir! Loyalty!” Metatron straightened up and saluted. “Loyalty! Loyalty! Loyaltyyy!” To Metatron, Siegfried was someone who had given him a new life. He might have once been an enemy, but now, he was his liege. There was no one else in this world that Metatron would swear fealty to aside from this man, Siegfried van Proa. Siegfried thought about taking a break, as he was exhausted. But it was still too soon for him to rest... A surge of black energy abruptly gathered around him. “W-What’s going on?!” The swirling darkness roared like a storm, spiraling violently before wrapping around Siegfried. Then, the black energy shot straight up into the sky. A notification popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes. [Alert: Congratulations!] [Alert: The energy of the Demon Realm has enveloped you!] [Alert: You have successfully advanced classes!] [Alert: You have become the Demon Lord of Greed and Betrayal!] By taking down both Dantalion and Sidon at the same time, Siegfried had advanced classes and gained his official title as a demon lord even without completing a class advancement quest. [Demon Lord of Greed and Betrayal: Siegfried van Proa] “Hold on, I get why it’s greed, but betrayal?! When the hell have I ever betrayed anyone?!” he screamed in frustration. However, not a single person sympathized with him. ‘Isn’t that Your Majesty’s specialty...?’ ‘Hey, owner punk... Are you seriously forgetting that backstabbing is as natural as breathing to you?’ ‘Hmm... I believe that title suits him perfectly.’ If anything, his comrades agreed with his new title. No matter how they looked at it, Siegfried van Proa was someone who exuded greed and was capable of backstabbing others as naturally as breathing. Tae-Sung did not log into the game the next morning. He had been gaming non-stop for a while and was completely exhausted. He wanted to take a day or two off to rest. With that in mind, he worked out, ate a good meal, and got a massage to relax. Spending time with family and friends in the real world was nice, but there were times when he wanted to just spend some alone time in solitude. Today, he decided to have a peaceful day for himself. ‘I should go out and get some fresh air. It’s been a while.’ With that thought in mind, Tae-Sung got into his Ferrari and headed to a cafe in Namyangju. In an era where electric and self-driving cars had become the norm, taking an old internal combustion engine Ferrari out for a drive was highly inefficient. What he was doing was practically the equivalent of burning expensive premium fuel just for fun. But Tae-Sung was wealthy enough not to care about things like that... The Ferrari’s engine roared, giving its driver a thrill that electric cars simply couldn’t replicate. Since it was a weekday morning, the cafe was completely empty. Thanks to that, Tae-Sung could enjoy his coffee without many interruptions. “Erm... Excuse me? Could I get your autograph?” “Sure, why not? I can take a photo with you too if you want?” “Y-Yes! T-Thank you so much!” Tae-Sung did not forget to sign autographs and take pictures with the cafe’s owner and employees. “Ah, it’s been a while since I had this kind of peace...” he muttered while sipping his coffee and gazing at the gently flowing river. “Hmm... I wonder what happened to that guy?” He had no idea why, but he suddenly thought of Chae Hyung-Seok. At the time, it had been fun to toy with him, and taking away his character was undoubtedly satisfying. But now that he thought about it, he found himself feeling worried about Chae Hyung-Seok. It was all because Tae-Sung knew exactly how Chae Hyung-Seok had to be feeling right now. Not only had he lost everything, but even his character had been taken away. The despair he had to be feeling at the moment was definitely so strong that it wouldn't be surprising even if he ended up taking his own life. “Even a cornered rat needs an escape route... Maybe I went too far.” ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ N0velFire.ɴet It felt like he had pushed Chae Hyung-Seok off a cliff with no way out. However, he was not thinking about these things because he had grown soft or anything. What about his revenge? He had already gotten more than enough of it. Tae-Sung toyed, tormented, and took away from Chae Hyung-Seok until the poor fella had nothing left to his name. And taking Chae Hyung-Seok’s character was no different from shattering the very last hope he had left... Tae-Sung realized that he was probably too cruel. ‘I’m not a murderer.’ If Chae Hyung-Seok actually ended up killing himself, then Tae-Sung knew that he would be haunted by guilt. And that guilt was not something he was willing to shoulder... “Can you find Chae Hyung-Seok’s current location?” “We have been tracking him around the clock." Tae-Sung’s eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected that his bodyguards had been monitoring Chae Hyung-Seok’s every move around the clock. “H-Hold on, isn’t that stalking?!” Tae-Sung exclaimed. “Our team determined that Chae Hyung-Seok posed a potential threat to you, Young Master. So, we've been keeping tabs on his location, as your safety is our top priority.” It seemed that the head of the bodyguards had taken precautions, afraid that Chae Hyung-Seok would attack Tae-Sung with a weapon. No matter how athletic or strong Tae-Sung was, there was no way he could come out unscathed against a knife. “Where is he right now?” “He has been holed up in his apartment for days, drinking nonstop.” “And where exactly is that?” “It is a semi-basement on the outskirts of Seoul... about a two-hour drive from here.” The head bodyguard looked at Tae-Sung in disbelief. Why? Because he had never expected Tae-Sung to go out of his way to meet Chae Hyung-Seok. Thus, escorted by his bodyguards, Tae-Sung set out to find Chae Hyung-Seok. “If I may, why are you going to see him, young master?” “I’ve already done enough. So, I think it’s time for me to extend a hand to him.” The head bodyguard was deeply moved. ‘To think he’s willing to forgive someone like that...!’ Forgiving someone who once ruined your life and pushed you to the brink of despair was not an easy thing to do. Even if he had gotten his revenge, the resentment and bitterness he had been harboring wouldn't disappear overnight. Only someone of great character would have the courage to forgive their enemy completely and even extend a hand to them. ‘He is truly a remarkable person...’ The head bodyguard felt immense respect for Tae-Sung. ‘It’s truly an honor to serve someone like him.’ The head bodyguard felt a deep sense of fulfillment in his duty at the thought that he was in charge of making sure that someone like Tae-Sung was safe. 1. Will be using this to describe the human realm from now on. ☜