Published at 17th of July 2026 7:30 am

Chapter 227: Hope And Murder

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Chapter 227: Hope And Murder

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

As Seo-jin read through the new quest, irritation built with every line. The veins at his temples stood out, and his hands clenched and unclenched until his knuckles creaked. If he could've punched through the floating panel, he would've.

[New Quest Available // Become a Demon Lord]

[Clear Conditions]

[First Condition // Slaughter and Devour the Souls of One Million Demons]

[Second Condition // Find and Fully Awaken a Symbol of Dominion]

[Final Condition // Locked / Clear the First Two Conditions to Unlock]

"Hell no."

With a sharp swipe, he dismissed the quest and brought up Slims' profile instead.

[Hold up, what's that about?]

'Ain't no way. Ain't no fucking way in hell I'm doing that.'

[But Gundant—]

'I don't fucking care what that dead giant said. I haven't even started a kingdom on Earth, and now I've gotta build one in Hell too? No. I'm not doing it. What's even the point?'

[It's not like you have to do it right now. Imagine the benefits. I'm sure becoming a Demon Lord would—]

'I don't care if it turns me into a god. The only reason I'm going back is to find the truth about my Shard and kill every last thing crawling around the Maw. Other than Baal, I have no interest in the demon world. Humankind is much more interesting.'

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he looked over. Slims and Hex were already knocking their foreheads together while talking over one another, all three of Hex's faces running at once. The thought of finding more humans and turning them into demons sent a pleasant thrill to his crotch.

'Nice. I was wondering if he had one.'

[Wait... that's his True-Name? Kinda strange.]

'Duine... I wonder how it works.'

Pressing a finger against the words True-Name, he opened the attached definition.

[System Definition // True-Name]

[A True-Name is a concept belonging solely to demonkind. Knowing a Demon's True-Name grants complete authority over that Demon. All commands must be spoken aloud.]

"Out loud..."

His gaze drifted back to Slims, tempted to try it immediately, but he caught the first problem just as quickly. If he spoke Slims' True-Name here, every member of the brood would hear it.

[You'll have to be careful using True-Names in the future. Just remember, the control isn't foolproof. Plenty of stories end with the human getting murdered by the demon they thought they controlled.]

An idea came to him.

Covering his mouth with one hand until his words were barely more than a breath, Seo-jin whispered—

"Duine... punch Panic in the nose."

His eyes stayed fixed on Slims, waiting for even the slightest twitch.

Nothing happened.

After a few seconds, his anticipation faded, and his shoulders relaxed.

[Guess he's actually got to hear it. Too bad.]

It was disappointing, but still useful. As long as the demon heard the command, every future demon he created would remain completely under his control.

That made the whole process even more satisfying.

Riding the high of the moment, Seo-jin swiped away Slims' profile and opened his notifications. Finding the one he wanted, he rubbed his hands together and leaned in as he greedily read.

[New Achievement // Origin of Sin]

[Rewards // Title: Progenitor]

'Ooh, a new Title. Nice.'

Pressing it, he opened the details, and if he'd had a drink in his mouth, he would've spat it all over the ground.

[Damn.]

'Again, that's my line.'

[Title // Progenitor]

[The holder of this Title receives +1% Damage for every member of their lineage they fight beside.]

'This is totally broken.'

[Maybe for you. If it were anyone else, this would be a worthless Title. But you can create armies, and Broodlings are part of your lineage.]

The urge to return to Shatterbay and start building his kingdom almost overpowered reason. Just imagining an army a million strong feeding his strength made his pulse quicken and his bulge pitch a straight tent. He had no idea if the title had a limit, but he was desperate to find out.

"Tomb! You're up!"

With the order given, Seo-jin decided to ride the high all the way. System light flared across his hands as [Iphitus's Bow] materialized with a metallic hum.

At the same time, Bloodlight erupted from Tomb. The giant Broodspawn could cancel his shrinking effect from the potion at will, and at the Broodfather's command, his body burst back to its full size. Trees bent, loose rubble skipped across the ground, and the half-ruined buildings trembled as Tomb planted one massive foot after another.

He knew exactly what to do. Drawing in a deep breath that made his broad chest swell, Tomb's aura surged higher and higher as power gathered inside him. A heartbeat later, he unleashed a roar that tore through everything in front of him for at least thirty meters, blasting apart trees, concrete, and anything else caught in its path.

Activating [Soul Sight], Seo-jin swept his gaze across the area until he found what he wanted. A cluster of yellow auras—at least twenty of them—now racing toward their position.

"Everyone hold. I'm first."

Black flames crawled across his chest as Seo-jin activated [Hellfire]. Raising the heavy ironwood bow, his fingers dug into the string and slowly drew it back while [Tyrant's Aura] rolled off him in waves.

Bloodlight and black flames spiraled together, pulled toward the nocking point as the arrow began to form. Slowly, a black-and-red projectile took shape, spinning faster as the gathered energy compressed tighter and tighter.

Watching the Bloodlight and black flames twist around each other, Seo-jin's eyes glowed red as he released the string.

The instant the arrow left the bow, a shockwave slammed outward, followed immediately by a deafening sonic boom that rolled across the Freelands.

A split second later, a mushroom cloud erupted on the horizon.

Damage notifications and experience messages flooded his vision, one after another. Sweeping the area again with [Soul Sight], he saw his suspicion confirmed. Every aura had vanished. Whatever had been charging them no longer existed.

"Biiiig boom!"

Dancing in place as his Restraints swayed around him, Panic laughed while the towering cloud climbed toward the sky. The rest of the brood stared upward with matching grins, not just at the explosion but at what they already knew was coming. One by one, Bloodlight flared as they roared, their auras surging into the morning air.

"Finish the waves before Snare's group is done! Whichever group finishes first gets a special reward. Whoever finishes second gets a punishment!"

Fire and Bloodlight detonated across the ruined street as the brood accepted the challenge without hesitation.

In the distance, the roars of the Freelands' monsters rose to meet the brood's, the two crashing together until the air itself seemed to vibrate.

Seo-jin ignored all of it. He was already drawing the bowstring back again, this time aiming at the large red aura that had just crawled out from beneath a distant mountain.

"Fuck Hell. Earth is more fun."

A grin spread across his face as he released the shot.

----

Heat. Oppressive, unavoidable heat. Walking the broken streets of Shatterbay, Min was sweating like a pig, damp fabric from her white tank-top clinging to her back. It didn't help that she had to take it slow, staying out of sight. She didn't need the city knowing she was still alive.

[You feeling alright?]

'Not at all.'

Peering around a corner, she took a few careful sniffs before crossing the cracked street and slipping into a ruined building, her boots crunching over loose concrete.

'We should never have opened that Capsule. Life was so much easier before I knew all this shit.'

[Ignorance is bliss, as you humans say.]

'What am I even supposed to do with this? No one would believe the Realm of Light caused the Convergence. The Church of Light would hunt us down for even saying it. So what the fuck was the point?'

[Maybe he feels guilty. Humans are known to unburden themselves on others when they're desperate. After being alone that long, maybe he saw his chance.]

'Maybe he just wants to finger Teal.'

[Yuck. And ouch.]

She sighed as she climbed the last flight of stairs, the stale air growing warmer near the roof.

"I could use a good fingering."

[That Pain fella seemed able to keep up. Should've brought him with.]

The thought of her night with the Broodspawn brought a flush to her cheeks despite the heat. She'd used him on a frustrated whim, but the demon had proven far more resilient than she'd expected. She'd gone harder on him than she thought possible. Came harder too.

"Later, replay that night for me. Momma's gonna self-release."

[You know I hate that. Makes me feel like I'm participating.]

"Get over it."

Looking out over the city always gave Min the same strange feeling. Even in daylight, with broken buildings stretching to the horizon, enough vines, trees, and wild growth had reclaimed the streets to make parts of Shatterbay almost beautiful. It stood in sharp contrast to the venom that flowed through those streets below.

Reaching a particular spot on the rooftop where a heavy steel door lay flat against the concrete, Min crouched and flipped it over with a metallic scrape. She tapped out a specific rhythm against the steel, then waited the required two minutes until a faint click sounded beneath her hand. After one last sweep of the rooftops to make sure she was alone, she bent down, turned the handle, and pulled the hidden door open, revealing the staircase below.

[Remember, he owes you a favor, but you're asking a lot. Try to flirt a bit.]

Her lip curled as Min groaned. She hated the idea, but she couldn't argue that the advice was sound. The old puppet master was actually quite fond of her. Called her his muscle mommy. It made her skin crawl every time, but right now she couldn't let her disgust outweigh what she needed.

She was here to gather a force to fight against the Woons. She couldn't afford to let her personal feelings get in the way.

[Offer him a handy and I'm sure he'll agree.]

'You're fucking cracked if you think I'm doing that! Schmegma-covered nasty fuck!'

Descending the stairs, she made sure to shut the door behind her. A few steps later, a second click echoed through the narrow passage, telling her the hidden entrance had sealed properly.

She'd come down this way dozens of times. It was a secret entrance only a handful of privileged customers knew about. Lit by pale blue crystals embedded in the walls, the passage cast a cold glow over the rough stone, and the same fetid smell hit her nose the moment she reached the bottom of the stairs.

Her hand rested on the handle as she took one last moment to steady her breathing.

"Stay calm... don't hit him... this is for the Dead Hands..."

After one final adjustment to her cleavage, Min firmed her resolve and turned the handle—then almost puked.

The instant the door swung open, a wave of stale air rolled over her as her eyes landed on a horrible sight.

The room beyond stretched far and wide, almost like a warehouse. Workstations sat scattered across the floor while limbs and torsos hung from ropes and cables overhead. Most dangled limp in the still air, but a few twitched with small, uneven movements.

Sitting exactly where she expected to find him, in the center of it all, was the puppet master.

Sure enough, there he was... getting pegged by a puppet that looked exactly like Min. Its tits were swaying as it grinned like an idiot, making obscene noises with every disgusting thrust.

Min had come to collect on a favor.

Unfortunately, thoughts of murder had pushed that clean out of her mind.

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