Chapter 136
The aftermath of the final clash between Sandalphon and the Demon of the End was so immense that its shockwaves spread throughout Heaven and Earth.
Ordinary people merely thought it was a strange gust of wind, but to the small number of supreme powerhouses, it felt entirely different.
Among them was No. 66, whose current power was still weak, but whose potential remained immense due to originating from the Vessel of the Demon.
Locked away inside the laboratory, No. 66 opened her eyes after sensing the sudden surge of power.
Roughly a month and a half had passed since Yoo Sung-woo visited the laboratory.
Many changes had occurred to her as well.
No. 66’s fingers twitched slightly.
Control over her body was gradually returning.
Originally, she had been forced into sleep most of the time, forbidden from moving due to the drugs administered to her.
But over time, her body developed resistance and immunity to those drugs, and thanks to the experiments, even her original abilities had strengthened enough for her to completely resist the researchers’ medications.
No poison could harm her anymore.
Now capable of remaining awake by her own will, she no longer slept.
Instead, she kept her eyes closed and continuously absorbed information.
All to find a way to escape the suffocating incubator.
No. 66’s gaze shifted toward the Death Knights patrolling the laboratory.
They were Undead stationed there after Yoo Sung-woo and Lord Biden’s visit in order to strengthen security.
Ever since they arrived, the atmosphere of the laboratory had changed.
And not for the better.
Undead required none of the basic bodily functions like sleep, and security was now maintained twenty-four hours a day.
As a result, even the researchers were suffering.
Standing before No. 66’s incubator to conduct experiments, one researcher grumbled.
“Can’t someone do something about those Undead? It feels less like security and more like they’re watching us.”
“What can we do? The director received too much support from Lord Biden.”
“I mean, it’s nice that research has accelerated and we have enough experimental materials now, but at this rate, we’ll become Undead too.”
“What can we do? We still have to work. Stop sighing and continue the research.”
After sharing their complaints, the two researchers examined No. 66’s condition using a complicated machine.
One researcher’s face brightened as he checked her readings.
“Look at this. The experimental results this time are incredible.”
“You mean the Demon’s Horn implantation experiment?”
“Yes. It’s completely fused. At this rate, it might even be possible to grant her another Demonic Authority.”
No. 66 was a spare prepared in case the Vessel of the End was destroyed.
That was why the goal was to create a special body capable of accepting multiple Demonic Authorities.
“How many Authorities have we granted No. 66 so far?”
“A total of six. Most of them are predatory Authorities that steal the power of others.”
After thinking for a moment, the researcher spoke.
“We’ve never actually activated this one before, have we?”
“That’s true…… Wait a second. Don’t tell me you’re planning to activate her?”
Until now, No. 66 had never once left the glass incubator.
For some reason, the clones perfectly replicated from Yoo Sung-woo’s genes always went berserk once they developed self-awareness.
That was why the researchers constantly drugged No. 66 and kept her asleep to prevent her from gaining a sense of self.
“We can’t leave her like this forever. Besides, predatory Authorities are meaningless unless the subject can move and consume things herself.”
“That’s true, but…….”
“We’ll observe her condition for a few days and let her hunt. If the results are still good afterward, then we’ll implant a higher-ranking Demon’s Authority next.”
The subordinate researcher still looked uneasy but reluctantly nodded.
The two researchers moved away from No. 66.
Having heard everything, a faint smile formed on No. 66’s lips.
Because she instinctively realized her chance to escape would soon arrive.
---
After opening my eyes, I looked around.
A wooden ceiling.
It was a familiar sight.
I got up and looked around the room.
It was my room inside the Heavenly Demon’s residence.
How did I end up back here?
I quickly found the answer.
Turning my head, I saw the Heavenly Demon.
She had fallen asleep leaning against my bed.
Not far away, Wol-ah was sleeping soundly as well.
Did she fall asleep while taking care of us both?
With her eyes closed, the Heavenly Demon looked different from her usual stern expression.
I circulated my mana and checked my physical condition.
As expected, my condition was terrible.
Divine power from Sandalphon lingered throughout my body, interfering with recovery.
Even my mana recovery had slowed drastically……
At this rate, even using the Power of Restoration would leave me bedridden for at least a week.
Seriously, what the hell happened?
I only started this expedition thinking it would be a simple treasure hunt, so who could’ve guessed it would turn into a battle full of explosions?
Well, it wasn’t as though there were no gains, but more than that, countless questions and unease remained.
The sudden appearance of the Demon of the End, the Angel named Sandalphon, and even Baek Hyun-joong.
I organized everything I had learned so far.
First—the prophecy.
I finally learned the meaning behind the thing I had wondered about all this time.
The prophecy that, despite sounding like some cult nonsense, penetrated the entirety of <Become a Hero>’s storyline.
I’d heard fragments of it several times while playing the game, but since I never understood its meaning, I just ignored it.
So that’s what it meant.
At least now I understood the true nature of Lamb, so the battle hadn’t been entirely bad for me.
But at the same time, I felt hopeless.
Because every effort I had made until now collapsed before that single prophecy.
Until now, I believed the descent of the Demon inside my body would occur through Pandemonium’s ritual.
That was why I thought destroying Pandemonium would solve everything.
But the problem wasn’t that simple.
I wasn’t merely a vessel.
I was also a prison sealing him away.
In other words, even if Pandemonium were destroyed, the moment the seal broke, the Final Boss—the Demon of the End—would simply pop into existence.
And the condition for his appearance was……
My gaze shifted toward the corner of my vision.
【Corrosion Rate: 13%】
This number, probably.
The moment the Corrosion Rate reached 100%, he would seize my body and descend upon the world as the true Demon of the End.
That mental world from earlier.
Compared to the first time I saw it, the blur effect had vanished, and one of the weapons binding him was gone too……?
Most likely, the seal binding him weakened every 10%.
Covering my face, I sighed deeply.
The overwhelming stress made my head ache.
In the end, the enemy I truly needed to oppose wasn’t Pandemonium.
It was fate itself—
A destiny predetermined under the name of prophecy.
And I had to overturn it.
Could I even do that?
Suddenly, what happened in the dream came back to me.
Wait, maybe that person actually knows a way?
Baek Hyun-joong, who appeared in my dream after the Halo exploded and I lost consciousness.
He told me to come to the hidden Gate within the Academy.
But one thing bothered me.
Back when I was still a player, not once did Baek Hyun-joong ever appear before me even after reaching the Gate.
To begin with, wasn’t he someone who supposedly died long ago and only existed in textbooks now?
Yet someone like that told me to come find him at the Gate.
Which seemed to imply he was still alive.
Then why did he never appear in the game?
Either way, if I met him, maybe he would know some kind of solution.
And to do that, I’d need to approach Park Siwoo as well.
Baek Hyun-joong clearly said to come together with the Child of the Star.
Though one concern remained—
Would Park Siwoo even cooperate with me?
To them, I was nothing more than a traitor.
Come to think of it, I wonder if those guys are doing alright.
I stayed in steady contact with Lia, but I still didn’t know much about their exact situation.
Because Helena and Dan Chun-woo were both extremely secretive.
Recently, they’d apparently been undergoing all kinds of training and gaining combat experience under Instructor Chun Ga-eun within the Special Class.
I could only hope they grew stronger quickly.
I turned my head and looked toward the Heavenly Demon.
At some point, she had opened her eyes and was staring directly at me.
“…….”
Silence passed between us.
I wanted to say something, but her cold gaze made it difficult to speak.
At that moment, her hand slowly rose.
Is she about to flick my forehead?
I flinched briefly at the anticipated punishment.
Then the Heavenly Demon gently brushed my hair.
“…….”
“Master……?”
Despite my question, she simply continued stroking my head in silence.
Wait, is she not going to flick me, but split my head in half instead……?
That bizarre thought briefly crossed my mind, but beyond the soft touch, I could feel her sincerity.
She’d been far more worried than I expected.
Though it was impossible to know what she was thinking, and despite her blunt answers and stoic expression, the Heavenly Demon genuinely cared for me—
No, for Yoo Sung-woo.
“I’m sorry.”
“What exactly are you apologizing for?”
“I think I caused Master to worry…….”
Smack!
My head snapped violently to the side along with a sharp pain.
“Gah!”
“You speak nonsense.”
I let my guard down because I thought she wouldn’t hit me!
I rubbed my throbbing forehead.
“Is your body somewhat alright?”
“I’ll probably need several days of rest, but I’m fine.”
“That is fortunate.”
“How is Wol-ah?”
Honestly, I was far more worried about Wol-ah than myself.
Even after my emergency treatment, her condition had been extremely severe.
My gaze shifted toward Wol-ah.
“Wol-ah is perfectly fine. Worry about yourself instead. The only patient here is you.”
“Really?”
Back when I treated her, she looked moments away from death.
Though Angels apparently possessed powerful regenerative abilities, recovering that quickly was unbelievable.
And now that I looked closely, Wol-ah’s body had grown slightly.
She no longer looked like a kindergarten child, but more like an elementary school student.
I was certain I saw her body return to normal after Sandalphon left, so what happened while I was unconscious?
At that moment, the Heavenly Demon called out to me.
“Disciple.”
Her eyes sank coldly.
I instinctively realized what she was about to ask next.
She was probably going to ask what caused all this.
I thought carefully about how to answer her.
Where should I even begin explaining?
Even I still didn’t fully understand the chain of events myself.
But contrary to my expectations, the words that came from her mouth were completely unexpected.
“It seems we too require power.”
“……Power?”
For a moment, I blanked out after hearing her words.
Power?
Was there any word less fitting for the Heavenly Demon?
To the Heavenly Demon, power and authority were meaningless things.
Because she possessed the martial strength to destroy power itself whenever she wished.
That was why she always received special treatment even within Pandemonium.
By strength alone, she obtained the position of High-ranking Executive, and no one dared provoke her.
An irregular existence standing outside Pandemonium’s power structure while capable of overturning it at any time.
And yet someone like her was speaking of gaining power.
What kind of change of heart was this?
Unable to suppress my curiosity, I asked.
“The reason I seek power is not for my own sake.”
“Then……?”
“It is for you and Wol-ah.”
For me and Wol-ah?
I couldn’t understand what she meant.
Wol-ah aside, I was the Vessel of the Demon of the End.
Wait, don’t tell me……
Does this person not know I’m the Vessel of the End?
Otherwise, there was no way she’d be talking about “power” that could potentially strengthen Pandemonium.
Come to think of it, despite being a High-ranking Executive, she was the most idle person in Pandemonium.
Because the Heavenly Demon never involved herself in any of Pandemonium’s affairs.
Except those related to me.
I naturally assumed she knew about my fate.
But what if she didn’t?
Of course, judging by the way she spoke, it seemed she had goals beyond simply protecting us, but that wasn’t important.
This could be used.
And in a way highly advantageous to me.
Wearing a sinister smile, I listened closely to her words.