◈ Episode 36. Innocence (2)

Activate Ritual of Evil.

From now on, it’s a battle of wills.

I stared at the evil rising from the throne.

[Seven Deadly Sins Greed Incarnate: Lv.650]

Its appearance was a man.

I could feel it as soon as I saw it.

Not like Count Ascura.

‘It’s more like Nam Cheol-min.

If Nam Cheol-min was taken over by an imp, body and soul.

He must have been possessed by the Seven Deadly Sins of Greed.

Imp and the Seven Deadly Sins of Greed.

Lesser demons and greater evils.

No wonder there’s a gap between them, even bigger than their levels.

But it didn’t matter to me.

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’m here.”

I have a cringe-worthy line I can live with now.

I have an unbreakable sense of pride.

Things were as they always were.

But apparently not him.

“Who the hell are you, and how did you get here……?”

I wanted to ask him back.

Well, I’ve never seen a demon hunter before.

But like I said.

Shhh.

I don’t usually talk to my prey, so I thought I would.

I could see why he was surprised.

” ……Did you get out of the anomaly?”

That’s when the ritual began.

Nam Tae-min and Leonie came to their senses immediately.

‘I can’t see it, but I thought it was a real sting, so I was frightened…’

It was also a sign that he was shaking.

So there was no hesitation.

Sigh─

I took out my silver dagger.

Probing, interfering, manifesting.

Through a series of processes, I changed the shape of the dagger.

‘The reserve of magic power is sufficient.

Knights of the Lionheart.

And with the help of the two guilds, Gaon and Berserker, I was able to reach the beast without manifesting a single spell.

That said.

‘More creative manifestations are possible.

The situation is different than when I was Count Ascura.

Back then, all I could do was drive a silver stake through a silver dagger.

But I have not stopped since then.

Drowning in my lofty pride.

I did my best to keep from drowning.

The fruits of my labor were unfolding before my eyes.

Quadruple quadruple!

The floor of the palace.

Stone, marble, interference.

In an instant, the walls erupted.

A silver dagger appeared in the form of a bullet.

Interferes with the appearance of bullets to enhance their lethality.

To maximize the synergistic effect of the rotational force, I need a whirlpool.

In other words, a spiral drill.

Floating

Hundreds of silver bullets floating in the air.

Hundreds of bullets from a crude stake.

It’s thrilling.

Like writing on a blotter.

I feel the reward of filling up an A4 sheet every day.

But he’s not a man to be trifled with.

Noblesse oblige.

The responsibility of nobility rests on my shoulders.

That meant I had to be more assured.

Besides, I already knew how.

“I have more than just magic.”

It’s obviously different from magic.

There are also [skills], each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

───────

Marksmanship Mastery (26%): Increases the accuracy of your shots.

───────

I wonder if Mastery of Marksmanship applies to bullets.

I haven’t checked, so we’ll never know.

So now is the time to take the more obvious route.

Boom!

The marble shards float into thin air.

I manifest magic.

I fashioned an arrowhead from the marble shard.

I joined the silver bullet to the marble shaft.

The arrows were clearly influenced by my shooting mastery.

‘A fusion of magic and skill.

And to add to that, a cheesy one…….

The greater the mass, the greater the power.

Throw in some common sense science.

Yeah, this is what I see.

“……Wonderful, Lord Ho-Yeol.”

He didn’t care what others thought of him.

Even if it was a burst of admiration from Harkon.

There was no excitement in my heart.

I was only curious at this moment.

The vision of the great evil stood still.

*.

‘…… I want to protect.

That was it.

That was the last king of the Kingdom of Yusra.

It was Hakuna’s regret.

There was no lack in the kingdom of Yusra.

There was no shortage of food from the land and sea, no shortage of sparkling jewelry, and no signs of trouble or worry among the people.

“What do you think, is it not beautiful to behold?”

Hakuna was pleased with the way his kingdom looked.

So he proudly welcomed the stranger to his island.

He boasted of his treasures and his people.

It was wrong.

“……What have I done?”

A huge ship docked in the kingdom of Yusra.

The stranger led an army and invaded the kingdom of Yusra.

Land, sea, and mines.

He even took the people captive.

The kingdom of Yusra was uncontested.

Naturally, it was impossible to fight back.

Everything in the kingdom was trampled underfoot.

“Hurry and flee, my king!”

“No, my king. You must wait for another day!”

“King! Come on……!! Ack!!”

Hakuna sat on his throne and watched the falling soldier.

His kingdom was falling.

As Hakuna watched the carnage in disbelief, something caught his attention.

It was the stranger.

He was laughing.

“This island is too good for your foolish people.”

“Is that the only reason for ……?”

“Of course, foolish king. Do you have any idea how much this gem is worth? In my kingdom, we could live off of it for a lifetime, and yet here it is treated like a child’s toy. How barbaric!”

“……I could share it with you if you would only tell me.”

“What do you mean, eat it and be done with it? What the hell.”

Hmph─

The stranger grabbed Hakuna by the crown he was wearing and threw him out.

Collapsing before the throne, Hakuna gritted his teeth.

This is mine.

The Kingdom of Yusra.

Everything on this island is mine.

No one can take it from me.

It was then.

The voice said.

-Greedy, foolish king.

“……?”

Whose voice?

It didn’t really matter.

-Do you want power?

……I want it!

The power to protect all that I am……!

-Good. The contract was sealed.

Soon, a chilling scream pierced my eardrums.

The long darkness that followed…….

And now.

A voice came out of the darkness.

“Yes, I’m on the legendary treasure island of Yusra.”

Not the legendary treasure island.

The Kingdom of Yusra is yours, and yours alone.

“First, we must secure the island’s treasure.”

It’s not the island’s treasure.

It is my own treasure.

As if to remind me of that fact, I heard a voice.

-Will you stand still?

-Will you stand still while everyone else is taking your treasure?

-Only I, who fully understand your heart, can help you.

Then help me.

As in the distant past.

Help me.

-……A long time ago? Well, I guess it’s a deal.

He awoke from the darkness.

He opened his eyes and saw his throne.

A palace of gold.

I could see the scum of the earth storming the palace, just like in the past.

But he couldn’t move a single finger.

He was bound by a contract.

His body and mind were no longer his own.

But that was okay.

As long as I can protect my kingdom.

I don’t care about the flesh this much…….

“You, who are you? How can you……?”

……But, what are you doing?

For some reason, his body was shaking with fear.

The silver hair.

The strange attire.

But a gaze that never wavered.

He was being overpowered by the man who had taken over his body.

In his panic, he began to speak in his own words.

“Weak mortal, don’t you dare try to deceive me. I am a great evil, the seven deadly sins of greed. Even if I’m wearing the mask of an incarnation, a mortal like you can’t……!!!”

But there was no reply.

Quadruple-quadruple-quadruple.

“What is this?”

It didn’t even dare to look back.

An immeasurably huge wall rose from the ground.

And that was just the beginning.

“……Ah, no!”

Hundreds of silver bullet floated in the air.

The creature that had taken over his body reacted violently.

Hakuna felt his chest tighten.

“How can you say that you will protect my treasure!

Isn’t this what you promised!

No answer came.

He could only hear the words coming out of his mouth.

“It doesn’t make sense. Why would I let a human……?”

Poof!

Soon, I began to feel direct pain.

“Kaaaaaah!”

A giant silver arrow flew out.

An unquenchable flame began to burn his body.

Hakuna gritted his teeth.

If this continues, my treasures will be taken from me.

That was the moment he thought.

“…… Yes! Yes! Make a deal with me!”

……What?

“If you make a deal with me, I will give you all of this. Don’t you see, this glorious golden palace will be all yours!”

……What is he talking about?

Soaring ceilings.

Gorgeous decorations.

Vast in size.

This golden palace is yours and no one else’s.

I can’t give it to anyone else!

Hakuna wanted to scream.

But she couldn’t control her body.

“……I was deceived.”

Hakuna suddenly remembered.

The identity of the man she had contracted.

As he had said himself, he was a demon, a great demon.

“In the end, did even you deceive me?”

Despair overcame even her anger.

…… It was then.

I heard a voice that could not have been colder.

“You are ugly, foolish demon.”

The voice was unwavering.

The silver-haired man spoke.

“You are so lowly, lusting after the nothing.”

……Nothing?

This glorious golden palace?

Neither Hakuna nor the demon could understand it.

“You, what do you mean……?!”

I was speechless.

At the sight before them.

As soon as the man finished speaking.

Rrrrrr-!

The golden palace began to burn.

Marble, gold, jewelry.

Nothing was spared.

Everything turned to ash and began to scatter into the air.

“It’s impossible! Impossible!”

A demonic voice screamed.

A man’s face came into view.

I could see the man’s pupils.

“!”

The man’s eyes showed no sign of agitation.

As if he didn’t care about the golden palace.

Or that all his riches would turn to ashes.

As if he had experienced this before.

The man’s pupils were as calm as ever.

The reflection in those calm lake-like pupils was.

“…… Is that really me?”

It was an ugly reflection of himself, corrupted by greed.

Another angle.

The man began to approach.

“Isn’t it foolish, the moment you close your eyes, the only thing you can take with you is the pride in your heart.”

Pride.

The moment she heard the word, Hakuna realized.

“……What the hell have I done?”

In the end, wanting to protect was an excuse.

Hakuna’s last moment.

He remembered the faces of the soldiers who had given their lives to protect him.

Yes, they were laughing.

Saying they were honored to have him as their king.

Hakuna despaired.

“But I, I……!!!

For greed beyond greed.

I have fallen to the devil’s twist.

Raising the soldiers who had sacrificed so nobly, only to make them suffer once more.

I could have fought to the death to save my people in captivity, but I turned my back on them.

His responsibilities as a monarch were no longer with him.

Only his greed to protect the island’s treasures remained.

“Only a demon can understand pride.”

The man was right.

His corrupted self was nothing short of a demon.

I had no pride left in myself.

Once I acknowledged that, my chest felt calm.

‘……I’m sorry.’

I’m late, but I’ll catch up with you.

Hakuna closed his eyes.

Meekly accepting her death.

“S-save me! Ah, I don’t want to die yet……!!”

Scoop─

Thank you, nameless benefactor.

For saving me from making a fool of myself.

“……?”

……And Hakuna opened her eyes.

Why did she open her eyes?

He must have felt a knife at his throat.

And wasn’t it too bright to be in hell?

“……!”

Slowly, my vision returned.

There was a silver-haired man.

The man said.

“Nevertheless, take pride in yourself.”

Is this ……?

In the man’s hand was a crown.

It was faded, but he recognized it at once.

That was Hakuna, his own crown.

“……?!”

The man said, placing the crown on his own head.

” It is time to correct the past. Nameless King.”

“……!!”

.

.

.

[You have leveled up].

[You have leveled up].

[You’ve leveled up]…….

This is going to take forever to verify.

We can settle the score later.

I take out the island’s treasure, the crown.

[Island Treasure, Broken Crown]

[Rank: Epic]

[Limit: Lv.500]

[Effect: None]

[Description: An old crown].

“Nevertheless, take pride in it.”

Of course I should.

I don’t know the story behind this old crown and the man who was once possessed by a great evil. But I do know what to do with it.

[Hidden Quest: Kingdom of Yusra].

The legendary Treasure Island has reappeared.

The awakened king wants to correct his mistakes and regain his pride.

Give the crown to the king of the Kingdom of Yusra. (in progress)

Well, isn’t that enough for now?

“It’s time to make amends. Nameless King.”

Then a message popped up.

“……Wait.”

And then, incessantly, until it filled my vision, I saw……!