I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 308 : The One Who Yearns (2)

"This tastes good."

Su-hyeon nodded after drinking the whiskey that came instead of tea.

"It's whiskey my subordinates looted. A drink that's difficult to taste in the demon realm."

"Oh? Is there whiskey in Nastrond too?"

"Well, it's not that difficult a drink. But the technique humans use to add aroma and depth to whiskey is quite useful. In this aspect, they're better than demons."

"I suppose that's the nature of humans, who, unlike demons, display wisdom in more hedonistic fields."

"Right. And that's why you've been so miserably beaten and pushed to the brink of extinction, isn't it?"

Belred smirked as he drank his whiskey.

He had the appearance of a man in his thirties with a robust yet sleek physique.

"I thought you didn't like humans much. For someone like that, you have a remarkably human-like appearance."

"Hmm. Are there demons who like humans?"

Belred snorted in disbelief.

"I suppose there might be. Stupid, idle fools who make contracts with humans to destroy them, or sometimes get used by them. ...But that's more like an affection for toys to be played with and discarded."

"I suppose that's true."

Su-hyeon put down his whiskey glass.

"You said it tasted good, so what is it? Not to your liking?"

"No. It's excellent. It's just that I prefer coffee."

"Your taste is like a child's."

Snap!

When Belred flicked his finger, a coffee pot and cup appeared in the air.

"...Iced."

"What?"

"I'd like an iced café latte, please."

"You're quite high-maintenance, aren't you."

"And you're more cooperative in conversation than I expected."

"..."

Belred scratched his long hair vigorously.

"Fine. This back-and-forth doesn't suit my taste. Let's be direct. I've been very interested in you. Since such a person has appeared before me of his own accord, I can offer this much hospitality."

"You were quite fierce at first though."

"You sure hold a grudge for longer than you look."

Belred snickered and made the iced latte according to Su-hyeon's order.

"The aroma is nice."

"What's with all this talk about aroma when you're drinking quality coffee beans mixed with cow's milk of all things?"

Belred clicked his tongue.

"You don't know what you're talking about. Milk is better than water, actually."

Their conversation might seem like friends bickering to an uninformed observer.

But one was human, the other a demon.

Moreover, it was a conversation between a Transcendent who had killed six Great Demons and the second-ranked Great Demon.

"By the way, coming here alone. I don't know what kind of nerve that is."

"This place has a special barrier where even Belphegor's eyes can't reach, doesn't it?"

"..."

Belred's eyes narrowed.

"How do you know that?"

"If you want to know, you can accept my proposal."

"Hmph. Such a cheap trick."

Belred leaned back in his stiff chair.

"Fine. Let's hear it. What have you come to propose?"

"Belred. The second-ranked Great Overlord. And a seeker thirsting for transcendence."

As Su-hyeon changed his tone, even the air grew heavy.

"I am preparing for the final battle to kill Belphegor."

"You're insane."

Belred muttered with sincerity.

"And so?"

"You and I have no reason to be enemies."

Therefore, Su-hyeon continued.

"At the moment of the final battle, help me."

"...?"

"Then, after killing Belphegor, I will safely send back you and your remnants to Nastrond."

"Hahahaha!"

Belred, who had been laughing uproariously, suddenly stopped.

"You're even more insane than I thought. You're offering that as a deal?"

"That's right."

Their eyes met.

"...!"

The fighting spirit they raised against each other rippled in the air, and soon Su-hyeon's prevailed, constricting Belred's heart.

"Kugh."

Just by raising his aura.

Belred could immediately feel the difference in power between himself and Su-hyeon.

"I could kill you right now if I wanted."

"...Huh."

Belred, who shook off Su-hyeon's pressure by raising his power once more, had thick sweat running down his forehead.

"Then why don't you kill me?"

"I think it would be more helpful to keep you alive and recruit you."

"And you can recruit me?"

"If I can offer conditions that satisfy both of us, why not?"

"Is that condition that you'll let me live? Haha. You crazy bastard."

Belred's eyes were ominous, mixed with anger and humiliation.

"No, that's not it."

Su-hyeon shook his head.

"You should return to Nastrond. Go back and strive again for transcendence. In Nastrond, where Belphegor and Eligoss are gone, there will be no one stronger than you anymore."

"...!"

"With sufficient time and conditions, isn't it enough for you to challenge the transcendence you so desperately desire?"

"Huh."

"Plus, if you wish, you could rule that world. Though it wouldn't suit your interests."

Su-hyeon and Belred's gazes met in the air.

"Why is that?"

"Because having someone like you in power would be better for peace."

"..."

Belred grabbed the whiskey bottle and downed the remaining alcohol in one go.

Then a long silence.

Su-hyeon quietly waited with his arms crossed until Belred opened his mouth.

"...Do you know how to close the Door to Nastrond?"

"I don't know that."

"Only I, Eligoss, and Belphegor know that method. Just the three of us."

"Hmm. I see."

"Now let's make a proper deal."

Seeing Belred's eyes, Su-hyeon chuckled.

"Fine. What you want is the method to reach transcendence?"

"I know well enough that there's no straightforward answer to such a thing."

"Hmm."

A gleam appeared in Su-hyeon's eyes.

"Then?"

"Tell me the detailed story of how you reached transcendence."

"Will that be enough?"

"Well."

Belred shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll decide what comes next after hearing the story."

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

Slurp.

After taking a sip of his latte, Su-hyeon began to speak.

"The stories I'm about to tell are things I haven't told even my closest friends and colleagues."

"That's an honor."

Belred smirked.

"I am a being who crossed dimensions."

"...?"

That smile didn't last long.

"And I've tried to defeat Belphegor through hundreds of repeated lives."

"...?"

"And this is my last attempt. If I fail this time, it's over."

Confusion appeared on Belred's face as he was about to listen quietly.

"What... kind of nonsense is that?"

"I thought you wouldn't believe it."

Su-hyeon nodded.

"But. I know you, Belred. Your authority is 'Dark Zone.' The power to create a space that makes all beings except the caster lose control of their mana to an extreme degree."

Astonishment appeared on Belred's face.

"And the reason you crave transcendence is to reach a state where you're no longer bound by personal emotions, to become detached from sorrow, after losing all your companions, wife, and children when you challenged Belphegor."

"...!"

Belred asked with an incredulous face.

"How do you know that?"

"In my 445th attempt, you told me as you were dying after being defeated by me."

"...Huh."

Belred caressed his own face with trembling hands.

"Should I believe this?"

"Listen to the end and then judge. If you think I'm lying, we can pretend this conversation never happened."

"After hearing everything? Isn't that too unfair a deal? If I report this to Belphegor..."

"It would be meaningless."

"What?"

"Because Belphegor already knows my secret."

"...!"

"Besides, don't you hate Belphegor more than any other Great Overlord?"

Belred was at a loss for words.

"Knowing that, Belphegor still leaves you alone. Do you know why?"

"I don't know. Because no matter what I do, I can't defeat him? To mock my predicament, submitting under him despite losing my kin? What do you think?"

"In my opinion."

Su-hyeon answered.

"It's simply because you're a being that provokes Belphegor's interest."

"Haha!"

Belred burst into laughter.

"What do you know? No, that's not it. Is that how all Transcendents view things? Is transcendence that amazing?"

"..."

When Su-hyeon silently looked at Belred, he sighed and raised his hand.

"I'm sorry. I got excited."

"No, I understand."

"Continue your story. I won't interrupt."

Su-hyeon nodded and continued.

He started from how he had tried hundreds of times through a game but failed, and how he had left a message upon hearing news of the service ending, only to be brought over after thoughtlessly answering a proposal from a being called GM.

He briefly explained how he quickly became stronger based on knowledge of the future, and how he had been fighting an organization called "Sword of Belphegor," which Belphegor had made his limbs to open the Door to Nastrond.

"...Because I knew that the Door to Nastrond would open no matter what. So I didn't intervene too actively, rather letting things happen within a predictable range."

"I see."

"But the snowball rolled faster and the door opened earlier than planned, and I myself also became stronger through encounters that hadn't happened before."

Through training in a two-dimensional space where one year was compressed into a day, given by Ju Taeyang, he reached the limit of humanity.

And in that state, he reached transcendence through the combination of Ju Taeyang's Dragon Heart and the trait 'Unlimited.'

"It was a gamble. But in my own way, I thought there was a possibility. Mana, the state I had achieved so far, and the trait residing in my body. It was a miracle created by all of these combined."

"...Indeed."

Belred sighed.

"It's not a method I can follow. I don't have an ability like 'Unlimited'."

"But it should serve as a reference, right?"

"Yes. First, becoming strong enough to reach the limit of the species seems to be the first step."

"Unlike humans."

Su-hyeon said.

"The limit of the demon species is high enough to reach the level of a quasi-transcendent without discarding their vessel. But true transcendence ultimately depends on whether one can discard their vessel and move to a larger one."

"And the only being who succeeded in that is Belphegor."

"Yes. ...Let me continue. While my body was destroyed and repeatedly reconstructed by the aftermath of the explosion that swallowed Malek in one go and the terrible concentration of radiation, my consciousness was separated from my body. And that's when Belphegor came to find me."

"Him directly?"

"Yes. And he knew me. He said that the game I had been playing all this time was a kind of parallel world created by the power of another Transcendent."

"That's news to me. The only Transcendent I know is Belphegor."

"I don't know either. Why this 'other Transcendent' is not revealing himself for whatever reason."

Su-hyeon shrugged.

"But he used his power to make many humans challenge him in the form of a game."

"And you were the chosen one from there?"

"Yes. Belphegor said I was the most interesting and the most threatening."

Su-hyeon drank his coffee to moisten his dry throat.

"After that conversation, I thought about it. Belphegor has been hindering me little by little, but hasn't taken any decisive measures. Even now, he's showing no action, leaving everything to the Great Overlords."

"...Why do you think that is?"

Belphegor.

The one who lurks in the abyss of the underworld, king of ten thousand demons, the transcended one.

"I think."

Su-hyeon answered.

"He might have been waiting for my transcendence."

"Why on earth?"

"That's one thing I don't know. Several possibilities come to mind, but..."

"In the end, everything is just speculation until you see his face directly and hear his answer."

Belred sighed deeply.

"This is making my head spin."

"That's understandable. I get it."

"Anyway, you trusted me and told me everything. So I should tell you everything I know too."

"It's good to be certain."

"There's no other being as certain in giving and taking as a demon."

Belred grinned.

"I'll tell you how to reach Belphegor."