Chapter 52

Dawn had arrived. When the blinding rays of light broke through the early morning clouds and penetrated the crystalline windows of the Demon Queen Leila’s castle, Jae reflexively opened his eyes.

In the short time it took for his brain to fully register that he was awake, his previously expressionless face seemed to relax as he quietly sighed, muttering to himself.

“...When did I fall asleep?”

Then, he heard a familiar voice resound in his head.

[It’s only been about two hours. I used my influence.]

“Sloth...? I see...”

Nodding meaningfully, Jae wordlessly stood up from his seated position and conjured a ball of water to quickly wash his face. Once finished, he dried himself with a standard combination of Wind and Fire Magic; it was all his regular morning routine.

He grabbed the handle of the door before stopping.

“...Thanks, by the way. For making me rest. I know I wasn't stable......”

As he hesitated, the same voice interrupted him.

[Yeah, yeah, I know. I only did it because the guy who took over my title as [Ruler of Sloth] wasn’t living up to his name... Anyway, you’re fine now, right? I’m going to sleep. I’m tired.]

Jae immediately confirmed that Sloth had indeed gone dormant. Amused, he chuckled.

“Haha... I meant it. Thanks.”

If he was honest, Jae’s mind felt a lot clearer now, and despite the mere two hours of sleep, he felt perfectly refreshed. He wasn’t sure if it was because of Sloth’s forced sleep or some other factor, though.

“...Goal, huh.”

It was the core thing Jae was ruminating over all night and through the early hours of the morning. Eventually, it seems he had fallen asleep without realising it due to Sloth’s interference. It was welcome interference, however.

“An objective... How did I not realise...?“

When he thought about it now, with a renewed and invigorated mind, the answer to the question was now so obvious that Jae couldn’t believe that he spent so long thinking and worrying about it without an answer almost to the point of driving himself insane.

“It was something I wanted ages ago. I really forgot...”

And the answer he wanted so much, the goal he needed to stay sane, was rather simple. Some may even call it bland.

“Peace... I want to live peacefully.”

The moment the words exited his mouth, Jae felt like a tremendous, mountain-sized weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Exhilarated by the feeling, he projected a series of words to justify his desire, speaking as if to ramble to himself.

“Ever since I was brought into this world, all those years ago, I’ve endured inexplicably painful deaths, dozens of times, I’ve been mentally and physically tortured by so much, and the disgusting side effects of these Sins, too...!”

He took a pause, a deep breath, and spat out a sentence that contained his ravenous desire but seemed similar to an intense loathing.

“...I want none of that bullshit.”

It was hatred towards all that had caused him suffering. Jae didn’t desire to “get back” at anyone or thing that may have harmed him in the past, however, as he thought it went contradictory to his goal (aside from Seronia, of course; for them, it was already far too late).

What he wanted now was simply to live in tranquillity with his close ones. Truthfully, such a big castle like this one was a bit annoying for Jae to live in, so he would much prefer a humbler home, but I digress.

Jae wasn’t entirely comfortable with this goal yet, as he knew deep down that it wasn’t plausible. Not in this world, anyway. So long as there are people who could potentially view him as a threat or enemy―if he doesn’t have the strength to defeat those types of individuals, the objective of a peaceful life would never be possible.

And that is all the more reason why he felt the sudden urge to quickly clear all the Sin Dungeons. The sooner he did it, the sooner he would gain strength, and the sooner he would achieve his goal.

“Right. Today, we leave to the Wrath Dungeon. After that, it’s either Envy, Gluttony, Pride, or Lust...”

Then, that word echoed in his mind. Lust... The only Sin Skill he had yet to acquire. It made Jae feel anxious, and when he thought about it, he was even afraid of how it might affect him. But, he needed it if he wanted to collect all seven of them and gain further strength.

No matter which way he thought about it, having an amplified libido or sex drive could only result in a disaster. Even if it didn’t, the whole concept was uncomfortable to Jae, whose last relationship was around 7 years ago.

...It’s just weird no matter what... Anyway, even if I could somehow meet Amelia again, the age difference between us would just make it awkward. For everyone else, it’s been what, 13, maybe 14 months since the summoning? Give or take a couple of weeks and that seems about right. Either way, over a year has passed since then. It wouldn’t be strange at all for someone to move on during that time. As teenagers, it’s just a natural thing.

Leaving his room, Jae strolled down the hallway.

He was hungry, and since there was no longer any food left in his Inventory, he thought to visit the mess hall, also called the dining area. The only one Jae knew of was located not too far away from the accommodation and was a well-lit room, shaped like a large hall with many magical oak tables to comfortably sit on.

Soon arriving there, Jae found that the hall was void of life―probably because it was so early. Other than one person, that is. In fact, the first thing to enter his sight was the stuffed face of the person he most wished to avoid.

That individual, who was seated by herself at one of those very tables, was a remarkably attractive woman, with glorious golden hair that flowed down to about thigh height and that glittered dazzlingly under the hall’s mana-powered ceiling lamps.

“Mmmh!! How do they make such good bread?!”, she joyfully exclaimed after devouring a bundle of loaves in one go. It was unexpected, but the woman had quite the voracious appetite.

As the hall had no doors at its entrance, there was no noise when Jae walked in, meaning he entered it seemingly unnoticed.

“...”

He stared with mixed feelings at the person who was too preoccupied with their meal to notice him. Though he was surprised at seeing this person eat with such vigour and liveliness, his heart started beating rapidly at the same time.

As the white, feathery wings on her back fluttered, Jae’s thoughts were divided. One half of him thought, ‘It’s kinda like a dog wagging its tail in happiness, huh.’, while the other half of him simply screamed to get away as soon as possible.

Despite the danger he felt from her, Jae decided to take a gamble. Though, instead of a gamble, it was really just an educated assumption. With a nervous gulp, he inconspicuously walked past Ariel, who continued to talk excitedly to herself.

“I should ask what kind of magic has been developed to make this--”

Her words abruptly ceased, causing Jae to freeze in place. She slowly began to speak again a while later, with a hint of resignation in her strangely soothing voice. Additionally, she stood up from her seated position.

“...Whatever. I heard that you are the Princess’ father? Although I certainly find it hard to believe that such an innocent child came from you... If Leila said so, then it must be true. I apologise for my previous behaviour.”

Jae’s eyes widened, “Oh... No, as long as nothing like it happens again, then... It’s alright.”

“Very well. By the way...”, Ariel furrowed her brows, “Your stench smells... much more potent than before...”

“...”

He didn’t know how to reply, as there wasn’t much he could say that would give a good image. The truth was the worst thing to say; ‘Yeah, I just destroyed half of a city.’―If he said that, Ariel really might go after him, without care for his position as Rena’s father.

“...Providing you don’t cause trouble, I’ll let it slide this time. Although the core principle of the two being powerful vices is similar, it doesn’t seem quite the same as that other evil. This new one isn’t mine to deal with.”

Eventually, she just ended it, knowing that she wasn’t likely to hear the truth of the matter. Despite being left confused as to what exactly she was talking about, Jae was nonetheless thankful about there not being an incident like last time.

It’s good that nothing happened... She’s probably just referring to how I’ve acquired Greed. Is it that, because Diligence is the antithesis of Sloth, she has a greater aversion to it, and therefore feels it is something for her to ‘deal with’? So, each time I clear a dungeon and become the Ruler of another Sin, I will need to be wary of other Virtue holders?

Then, Jae got the idea to question Ariel if she knew where the other ‘Virtues’ were. It was as good a time as he could ask for, after all.

“―Other Virtues? Now, you don’t intend to misuse this information for nefarious deeds, do you? ...No, well, it was Leila that insisted on your merit. Fine then. Indeed, there are seven of us holy and noble Seraphim currently travelling the earth.”

Her reply was as such. This only brought forth more questions.

“All seven of you are Seraphim? Do you all have a similar level of strength? And, do you know where they are?”

“So many questions... Haa.”

Ariel sighed before reluctantly answering Jae.

“Yes, there are a total of 7 Seraphim allowed on the planet’s surface at any given time. All of us are current holders of 7 Virtues. Strength-wise... I would call myself average. There are those younger and weaker than I am, and there are those older and stronger than me. Where they are... is a difficult question.”

Stronger... Well, I doubt there are many that could take on Nazar in an equal fight, and even if there were multiple, he can stop time... Wait, if I imitated Nazar, could I use his time-stop ability? I’ll have to test that later...

“I see. Are the Seraphim the only race that can be a holder of Virtue?”

In other words, are there any races I need to watch out for other than the Seraphim?

Jae expected a simple ‘no’, but what he got was his honest question being blown away by Ariel’s exasperation. Her wings fluttered as if to demonstrate this feeling.

“The ignorance... I am appalled. What kind of question even is that? Is it not obvious that we divine beings are the only ones worthy enough to carry such noble titles?”

Ariel’s wings fluttered again as she continued with a disgusted expression, “...Honestly. This is why I dislike inferior creatures like Humans, who are so vulgar, yet proclaim to be closer to God than us who are His servants. Is your brain even enough to understand how magnificent the God of Light is?”

“...”

Jae was silent at the sudden outburst, but inwardly, he smirked.

‘Humans’, huh... But I’m classified as an Undead by the System, so... Haha. Can she really not even tell that much? And freaking out this much over a mere mention of her dignified race―She’s more fragile than I thought... Anyway, I should be careful to avoid them when I’m not near Nazar. They have that「Seraphim’s Touch」Unique Skill too, which I need to be aware of.

“Well... Sorry if I’ve offended you.“

“Hmph.”

Ariel folded her arms, straightened her back and fluttered her wings, the latter of which caught Jae’s attention. Every time he witnessed the fluttering, flapping or flickering of the graceful, swan-like wings that rested on her back, he had to try hard to not let a smile appear on his face.

It does give away emotions, doesn’t it? A sudden flicker represents ‘surprise’, a soft flutter is ‘relief’, three subsequent flaps is ‘anger’... Huh. I didn’t notice that last time.

For some reason, Jae felt less intimidated by Ariel the more he thought about it.

...I wonder if all Seraphim are like that. I think I can see why the God of Light favours them as his servants.

He would just have to find out when he meets them. Concluding his thoughts with this, Jae continued on his way to where the ordering station was to get some food. As he did so, Ariel’s cold voice rang out behind him.

“Wait.”

She addressed him distantly. Jae paused and turned his head halfway to pay attention to her, upon which she continued.

“Today, I will be going to visit my brethren in the Humans’ Holy Country. By the next time we meet, I better not hear of any wrongdoings.”

“...Okay? What’s your point?”

“How infuriating. Listen closely. You are below me, a direct servant of the God of Light. Surely, even a foul and ignorant existence such as yourself is able to understand?”

“...”

Her wings fluttered, signifying her utmost confidence and pride.

“―I am ordering you to behave while I am away.”

Jae kept his mouth shut, cursing in his mind at the woman in front of him.

...You bitch... I thought I was the one with Pride, huh?

Ariel, not knowing what was going through Jae’s mind and perhaps realising that he wasn’t going to reply, only said a final piece with her narrowed gaze directed at his back.

“Do not think you can keep up that attitude for long. On the day that everyone forgets who you are, I will cut you down. Remember my words, and engrave this into your mind so that you never forget.”

The moment her words finished, she turned around and briskly walked away.

...On the day that everyone forgets...? ...Damn angel. We’ll see who cuts down who.

Jae watched where she left before noticing something slowly drifting to the floor. Shifting his gaze to it, he noticed an immaculate, snow-white feather.

“...”

Staring at the feather, a thought then occurred to him.

Wait a minute...

It was a few hours later when Jae, Bailey and Nazar were ready to set off (though Nazar didn’t have anything to get ready or prepare to begin with). After saying their respective goodbyes, they left the castle.

Once they had hit the road, they waited until exiting the city before having Jae imitate a Cloud Wyvern again. Seeing Jae transform, Nazar was impressed.

“Woww~ I didn’t know you could do stuff like this?”

[It only lasts for an hour and I have to recharge my mana afterwards, but this should get us to where we need to be faster. Where are we going?]

Nazar responded to Jae’s question while jumping onto his back along with Bailey.

“Mhm. Then, can you just take us south? We won’t reach the coast, but it’ll be fine if you can at least see where it is from above.”

[Alright.]

With but a few flaps of his wings, Jae launched like a rocket into the sky. Thankfully, the use of magic once again helped to keep the two passengers on board.

“Hooo~”

Even Nazar had never flown in the sky before, so it truly was an incredible experience to soar through the air, many kilometres above the ground. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long before the transformation was over and Jae had to land.

Upon landing, Jae transformed two more times, for a total of three flights since leaving the castle. On the second flight, the ocean could be seen on the distant horizon, and on the third, it came into close view. After the third imitation, they decided to travel on foot.

...I say on foot, but well, Jae was having fun experimenting with Greed, and imitated different many kinds of extraordinary creatures he had seen, including things like the monsters in the Pride Dungeon (only the ones that wouldn’t give Jae a Strain), the Minotaur boss creature from the Sloth Dungeon’s first floor, and even humans like Reon Midas, Chris, and the deceased King.

The only real downside to the amazingly broad range of freedom and choice he has when picking a creature to transform into is that the Status could not be opened, and neither could he use any of his Unique Skills, meaning that the Soul State was also unknown. For Jae, this was a big shame, but there was nothing he could do about it and the ability was tremendously useful nevertheless.

Of course, he was also going to try transforming into Nazar, but he had the suspicion that there might be some Strain if he did, so he restrained himself. For some reason, this disappointed Nazar himself, and he told Jae to get stronger so that he can handle the transformation.

One idea that popped into his head was imitating someone he had only ever seen on Earth―such as his girlfriend, Amelia―but Jae, thinking how awkward and weird it would be for him to do that, was too hesitant to try.

Anyway, the three travelled along a dusty road by the great river, the Vein of the Mountain God, that ran all the way down until the sea.

Passing the occasional traveller walking the opposite way, they eventually reached the Northern Continent’s southern coast―before they knew it, they had reached one of Asphal’s two main coastal cities, Fansch, which lay on the border of Asphal’s territory.

They were all allowed in pretty much without issue, and Jae’s first impressions of the city were that it seemed quite lively. The people of Fansch were generally quite happy, and the city as a whole seemed to have quite the festive mood, but it didn’t seem like a special event was going on.

It’s a nice place... The marketplace is huge, and bustling with people, but considering it’s a coastal city, it’s no wonder. The fish market is probably huge. Hmm, speaking of which, what kinds of aquatic monsters are there in this world? It’s one thing I don’t really know about yet since the only aquatic monsters I’m aware of are the ones Aphy told me about in the Pride Dungeon and the ones I’ve been told about ever since then.

Nazar was the first one to open his mouth after the three entered the city, with his usual smile on his face.

“So, we can continue the journey tomorrow, but for now I’m going to scour the market for anything interesting. Jae, Bailey, can you two book a room somewhere? Oh, do you need any money?”

“Ah... No, sorry, can I borrow some?”

I have all of Greed’s hoarded wealth consolidated into that one coin, but I can’t withdraw or separate anything from it, so it’s basically the same as having nothing...

“Of course, don’t worry about it. I’ve got more than I’ll ever need myself. Anyway, I’ll find you two when I’m done, so just get a decent place to stay.”

“Alright, we’ll see you later then. Bailey, let’s go find a good inn.”

“Okay.”

Luckily, Nazar had them covered. Jae took Bailey around the city, and since it was so prosperous, it didn’t take long at all to find a suitable inn to stay the night at. They booked a room for three, breakfast included.

While they were walking around this city, Fansch, Jae noted just how successful it was. Honestly, from what he could tell, there wasn’t a single person in this coastal city that was dissatisfied by living here (obviously, there are bound to be some people who are, but it certainly wasn’t a common thing).

He also noticed how the people here spoke in a different accent compared to the ones in the countryside towns or the capital city, Onyxia―all of these places had different kinds of notable linguistic accents, and it was interesting for Jae to see it in person (though it did slightly increase the difficulty of understanding what people were saying). For reference, Jae spoke the Demon Race’s language with an evident foreigner’s accent.

Since Jae was staying in their room in the inn, Bailey also decided to rest in the room for the remainder of the day; travelling to a new city was still totally nerve-wracking for him, and he didn’t feel comfortable walking around alone.

Jae, on the other hand, only decided to stay inside because there was something he needed to sort out first and foremost. He contemplated while looking at the System screen in front of him.

Skills applicable for Level Up Process:「Wrath」「Gluttony」「Pride」

As well as expanding his Maximum Level Limit by 50 to 200, Jae was allowed to do something special―The Level Up Process. This would be his second time going through it, so he knew what to expect. It was an important decision to make, but Jae could easily narrow it down.

Well, it’s only a choice between「Gluttony」and「Pride」, really, isn’t it?

As they were already heading to the Wrath Dungeon, he could cross that off the list without hesitation. It was annoying that「Envy」wasn't an option despite it becoming [Locked] again at Level 9, but nothing could currently be done about it.

Now, to choose between the「Essence Devourer」System and tier two of the「Overlord」System. Obviously, Jae planned to return to the Pride Dungeon as soon as he was able to, which is why he thought it would be a bit of a waste to choose「Pride」right now, especially in this situation where combat power isn’t really required.

Hmm...... Yeah, I’m leaning towards「Gluttony」instead. More than anything, I’m curious as to what something called「Essence Devourer」entails.

Throughout all of this careful consideration, there was of course a barrage of curses being flung around inside Jae’s head.

[―Eat shit, you fucking lizard! That’s right! He’d rather pick the pig than you!]

[Grrr...! Say that to my face, you son of a bitch!!]

[Losers don’t speak! How does it feel to be in dead last, huh?! Must be a hell of an experience for one as ‘great’ and ‘powerful’ as you, mustn’t it?!?!]

[You bastard...!]

“Hmmm...”, Jae creased his brows as he weighed the pros and cons of each System. Well, it was mainly guesswork since the Sins themselves couldn’t tell him what they did. Exasperated, Jae let out a sigh and was already close to giving up.

...This is annoying. What the hell does something like ‘Essence Devourer’ even mean...? And ‘Overlord’ could literally be anything...

His vexation was swiftly soothed, however, when a different voice spoke to Jae. It was a distorted voice, sounding similar to that of a child speaking underwater.

[Jae, Jae. Don’t worry, don’t. Choose with instincts, instincts.]

It was Gluttony, who is usually the most silent among the bunch. Rarely does he speak―unless food is concerned, of course, or some other major event such as the Level Up Process. Although, strangely, it seemed as it didn’t matter to him which skill Jae chose either way.

Instinct? So, you don’t care what I choose?

[False... I prefer to be picked, I prefer. But. Jae’s feeling is most important. An important decision, after all. What Jae wants is paramount, paramount.]

Encouraging him to simply decide based on solely a gut feeling, Gluttony successfully persuaded Jae to pick a skill.

Oh... If that’s the case, then I think I should go with...

[O-Oi, Whelp, y-you wouldn’t really pick such a self-indulgent being over this great and noble me, would you...? A-At least, think it over a bit first?]

Confirming his choice, Jae allowed the System to do the rest of the work.

Proceeding to Level Up skill「Gluttony」 Skill「Gluttony」has levelled up [Lv.4]→[Lv.5] Usage of the「Essence Devourer」System has been authorised

“―Let’s go with this one.”