Chapter 363: The World's Best (1)

Before heading to the Kingdom of Lan—the land of training, discipline, and martial arts located in the north—
Cale returned to the castle where the former Dragon Lord Neo resided, the center of the Seventh Evil.

Recovery rate: 69%.
That was the state of Eden Miru.

“…”
“Do you want to hold it?”

Cale extended the egg, wrapped in a cloth.
The other person hesitated.

“Ah, no.”

He finally turned his head.

– Human, then I want to hold it!

Raon flew forward, snatched the egg, and vanished.

Hong immediately followed him.
On sighed, nodded at Cale as if telling him not to worry, and quietly walked in the direction Raon and Hong had gone.

“…”

The other figure, Pope Casillia, had been watching Raon with the egg in his arms for a long while. When her eyes finally met Cale’s, she smiled faintly.

“It’s quite peculiar.”

Cale didn’t ask what she meant by that.
Instead, he asked something else.

“How does it feel to be an NPC?”

Horns, the Third Bishop standing next to Casillia, paused.
He was still a semi-NPC, able to move freely between Aipotu and the New World.
But Casillia—she was now a true NPC, her life fully bound to the New World.

“…It’s not bad.”

Fortunately, Casillia’s expression wasn’t grim.
She looked down at her hands.

“The collapse of my body has stopped.”

The dragon scales still shimmered faintly on the backs of her hands.

“And the pain… has decreased to about one percent of what it was.”

She gave a light shrug.

“My status window no longer shows my remaining lifespan.
And in this current state… I can’t sense it either.”

But—

Cale’s gaze shifted to her eyes.
Casillia was smiling faintly. There was relief in her expression.

“At the very least, it feels like I’ve been given time…
Time to live as myself. As us.”

At that moment, a gentle smile tugged at the corners of Bishop Horns’ lips.
Amidst the compassion in his gaze toward Casillia, a quiet joy emerged.

Neither Pope, nor dragon half-blood.
Casillia.
It was now time for her to live as herself.

“Then, let’s talk about work.”

It was easier for Cale to speak once the former Pope broke the ice.

“Please go to Briz.”

“Briz? The Western Empire? One of the Three Great Powers?”

“That’s right. Go to the capital, Anero.”

(TL Note: In this chapter, the name “Capital Ane” has been updated to “Capital Anero.” This change was made to align with the author's intended naming, as interpreted by the translation team.)

“And what am I to do there?”

Casillia paused mid-question as she caught sight of Cale’s bright, cheerful smile.

“Pope—”

“Please, call me Casillia now.”

She had relinquished the title of Pope to the First Bishop.

“Alright then, Casillia. From now on, you are one of the guardians of the Kingdom of Darkness.”

“…Darkness?”

“Yes. A nation that rises to stand against the strength of the God of Chaos—'Arm'—and defends the underworld of the New World from the shadows.”

“Oh…”

Interest began to shimmer in Casillia’s eyes.
But her pupils quivered at Cale’s next words.

“By the way, ‘Arm’ is also an organization I created.”

“…!”

Cale calmly explained the situation and how it had all come to be.

“Ha, haha—!”

Casillia finally burst into laughter.

“You’re truly an interesting person.”

“I hear that a lot.”

Casillia and the Third Bishop, Horns, now wore expressions of deep satisfaction.

“Cale. Then my role is to strengthen the Kingdom of Darkness… and to oppose ‘Arm,’ the power of the God of Chaos, yes?”

“That’s right.”

“Can I choose the method?”

“That’s right. Did you hear about the missions?”

“Yes. It’s a pretty interesting system.”

“I know. Do as you like.”

Cale slightly extended his arms. Then, with a relaxed tone, he said:

“Casillia, do what you want.”

“Because you want even greater chaos, right?”

Casillia, now shedding the burdens of the Pope and the pressure of her dragon blood, possessed the wisdom and insight earned through her long life.

“That’s right. Hunters, Gods, the Demon World… I want all of them to become a real headache.”

His voice was calm, but the intent in his words was razor sharp.
And Casillia—she felt satisfaction blooming in her chest.

“I want that too.”

“I’ll give it my all.”

The two Dragon Half-Bloods smiled in agreement.
Their shared intent glinted like blades in the dark.

“Then, I’ll send updates from time to time.”

“Good. You can talk to the Dark Bear about life in the Western Empire. I’ll also give you the address of an inn—someone there will help you.”

An inn run by the subordinates of the Sixth Evil.
They would support Casillia from the shadows.

“Alright.”

Casillia stood up without hesitation and made her way toward the Fierce Dark Bear.

Cale quietly looked at the seat she’d left behind, now empty.
Then, he turned toward the living room’s corner, where the shadows lay thick and soft like spun cotton.

“How about you?”

From those shadows, a demon stepped forth.

“…It’s confusing.”

Count Lupe—the former final boss of the Third Evil, now its second-in-command.
His face was drawn in a serious expression, unable to mask his unease.

“…If I really were the Count Lupe of the Demon World—”

“I’m not so sure either.”

【Lupe, the Darkness Demon of the Third Evil.】
It was suspected that he hadn’t been born as a game NPC…
But rather, had lost his memory due to a conspiracy within the Demon World—
And ended up registered as one.

“If You meet Miss Aurora, You’ll get the answer. That demon woman will remember your face, Lupe.”

“Well. That’s a pity.”

Cale nodded at those words.

The Mediators.
The organization led by Aurora—last remaining bloodline of the former Demon King.

They had been planning to travel to Aipotu to access the New World.
Although they had successfully registered as semi-NPCs…

They were now entangled in unforeseen trouble back in the Demon World.

‘The Demon King of Boredom appeared out of nowhere, didn’t he?’

Yes. That unpredictable presence had emerged suddenly, restricting Aurora and the Mediators’ movements.

“Anyway, we’ll meet next time.”

Lupe’s voice was calm.
Then, he added another report.

“I can’t contact Won at the moment.”

Won—the AI derived from the system governing Raising My Precious Absolute God.

“Really?”

“I’ll send word for her to find you as soon as I hear anything.”

“Alright.”

Cale intended to bring Won and the AI she was searching for face to face.
It was a mission.
And it was for the future.
But for now…
It seemed that meeting would have to wait.

Lupe continued speaking.

“The Sixth Evil has been watching the Seventh Evil closely.”

“Oh?”

“It looks like they’ve taken the bait. They’re growing increasingly anxious, trying to uncover what the Seventh Evil is really up to.”

Lupe’s tone sharpened.

“They’ve also ramped up surveillance on the First Evil. Just like you said, it appears the First Evil really is our enemy.”

“And the rest of the Evils?”

“They’re quiet for now. But once they realize the Sixth and Seventh are on the move, they’ll start reacting in turn.”

“Hmm.”

Cale remained composed.

Seeing that expression, Lupe hesitated slightly before asking:

“I overheard you talking to Dark Bear… Are you planning to unite the Eight Evils and create the Kingdom of Darkness?”

His voice trembled slightly.

The unification of the Eight Evils.

It was something no one had ever dared to imagine.

The Seventh Evil and even the Third Evil were relatively obedient compared to the rest.
But the Second Evil, the Fifth Evil, the Sixth Evil…
There were too many insane ones.
To think of uniting them—
How could anyone even try?

“Yes. I’ll do it.”

But the man in front of him—this boss—spoke without hesitation.
He would do it.

“…Yes. I’ll help you.”

And Lupe was willing to follow.
Because he knew that path—mad as it seemed—was the only way to protect the New World.

“But Lupe. Are you still monitoring the tutorial?”

“Yes. I’m constantly checking to see if any suspicious users are registering.”

The final boss of the tutorial.
Or perhaps its secret test boss.

Among all the bosses in this world, Lupe was the only one with access to the tutorial.

“I also spent some time with Miss Rosalyn—your close friend.”

“Oh? Was she someone you could talk to?”

“Yes. She was a user you could hold a conversation with.”

In the future, if Cale’s companions ever entered the system as users…
Lupe would become an invaluable guide to them.

“Someday—”

Cale spoke in a calm voice.

“Someday, the tutorial may become critical.”

The New World continued to receive new users.

And Raising My Precious Absolute God didn’t allow anyone to skip the tutorial.

In other words—
Every player had to complete it before entering the real game.

And Lupe held an essential role in that stage.

“Heh.”

Lupe smiled gracefully.

“Boss. Just say the word—
And I’ll make it so that no new user can ever complete the tutorial again.”

But of course—
There was one condition.

“Of course… I don’t know if the Red Hand will allow it.”

The Red Hand.
One of the game’s absolute enforcement forces—
A presence that appeared to erase any element violating the rules.

“Ah, the Red Hand.”

Cale let out a soft chuckle.

“Don’t worry about that. I’m already working on a solution.”

Cale and Lupe—the semi-demon and the full demon—looked at each other.

“Ha, ha—”
“Heh, heh.”

The two laughed together.

It was a cheerful, conspiratorial laugh.

He really was the embodiment of evil.

* * *

Lead Researcher Kim Se-hyun bit his lip as he stared at the monitor.

His fingers trembled.
Without realizing it, he clutched at the fabric of his pants.

Another dimension?

At first, he had thought Vice President Lee Mi-jung had lost her mind.

‘Fascinated to meet you.’

But then he met Rosalyn—
A woman who introduced herself as a mage.

‘This is the Black Castle. We need to create a portal here to access RMPAG—the New World.’

After spending hours inside the Black Castle—
After seeing the world of Aipotu with his own eyes—

“…I’m going insane.”

Kim Se-hyun’s entire world shifted.
A chill coursed through his body.

Then came Vice President Lee Mi-jung’s proposal:

‘What do you think? Let’s create a company that swallows Transparent.’

But it wasn’t the proposal that sent chills down his spine.

What do you think? I’m also a magic researcher, so I understand how you feel.’

Rosalyn.
Her words lingered in his mind.

‘Our enemy is trying to turn the New World into reality—not just a virtual world.’

Gulp.

Kim Se-hyun shut his eyes tightly.

‘And they intend to rule over that world.’

Rosalyn—the mage who wielded real mana—had whispered to him:

‘What kind of world do you dream of? What do you want to create?’

I’m going crazy.

‘In the chaos that’s coming… would you like to create the world you desire?’

His eyes snapped open.

The New World.
A world literally… new.

He shot up from his seat.

“…Doesn’t anyone here have work to do?”

His colleagues turned to look at him, startled.

The remaining researchers under Kim Se-hyun had all rebelled against Transparent’s current policies.
Like him, they’d been marked by the company and quietly cast aside.

“We don’t have work, obviously.”

One of his colleagues shrugged as he replied.

Without a word, Kim Se-hyun turned and walked toward the lab’s door.

Clack.

He shut it gently, then looked around.

He had always been wary of surveillance.
Even before all this, he hadn’t trusted Transparent.

“Come to the meeting room. I have something I want to try.”

He had no intention of dragging his colleagues into something dangerous.
But this wasn’t company work.
It was… something else.

A quiet proposal.
A suggestion.

“Let’s research the Red Hand.”

“…The Red Hand?”

“Yes.”

“…You’re sure this isn’t work-related?”

“Yes. It’s not work. It’s my personal curiosity. Only those who want to join can do it. And I’ll take responsibility.”

The researchers, who had been living in inactivity, felt something seeing Kim Se-hyun’s expression.

Kim Se-hyun gave them assurance.

“The Vice President is behind me.”

The researchers, who were only worried about when they would be fired and their affection for RMPAG, had a twinkle in their eyes.

‘Help me with the investigation of the Red Hand and the installation of the portal.’

Kim Se-hyun began to move according to Rosalyn’s suggestion.

His body was boiling again.

Finally, he had something to do.

Kim Se-hyun, who was once considered Transparent’s best virtual reality expert, the world’s best, decided what to do.

“…A new world.”

A situation where the virtual could become reality.

He found what he wanted.

* * *

Kangseongguwangjumeok.
The user, known as Kangmek, felt his heart pounding fiercely.

[You’ve discovered the first main mission.]
[Main Mission: Chaos and Darkness]

The new main mission that had set the Briz–Anero bulletin board ablaze—
The very one that caused a flood of users to migrate to Breeze.
And Kangmek…
He was the first and only one to receive it.

He was frozen in place.

[You’ve discovered clues about the Kingdom of Darkness.]
[Are you approaching the true nature of Darkness?]

I must uncover the true nature of Darkness!

He had disappeared.
The wandering tamer.
That handsome NPC was gone.

He was definitely a key figure.
Without a doubt, he had to be a high-ranking official from the Kingdom of Darkness.
That’s why Kangmek had searched every corner of the capital.
But he found nothing.

And then—
Thump. Thump.
His heart was pounding even harder now.

Kangseongguwangjumeok, who still hadn’t been able to leave the inn where the tamer had stayed, was now wandering the city center, searching for clues related to the mission.
And then—
Someone appeared before him.

No.
Was that really a person?

Whirr—

The wind swept through the lonely alley where the sun was setting.
A figure suddenly stood in front of Kangmek, who was walking alone down the narrow path.

“W-Who are you…?!”

Kangmek’s voice trembled.
It was inevitable.

–––––

PR Note: The character previously referred to as Kangmek is a shortened form of Kangseongguwangjumeok, which directly translates to Strong Fist of the Mighty King. To better reflect the author's wordplay and tone, the TL may use either Kangmek or the full name Kangseongguwangjumeok, depending on context. Kangmek gives nickname vibes.
TL Note: “Jumeok” means “fist” in Korean.

–––––

Scales.
Scales shimmered on her hands, neck, and face. Her eyes—vertical slits like a beast’s.
And her features—strikingly beautiful.
She was definitely not human.

Stomp. Stomp.

The woman stepped closer until she stood directly in front of Kangmek.
Then, she opened her mouth.

“Are you Kangmek?”

“Yes, I am…!”

Snick.
A smile formed on her lips.

Suddenly—
Kangmek thought of something.
No, of someone.

…Dragon—!

He thought of a dragon.

“!”

And just then—
He was startled.

A man was standing behind him.
A tall figure with a powerful build.
And like the woman, his pupils—
Were vertical slits.

“W-Who are you…?!”

Kangmek asked again.
Even though he knew it was just a game, an overwhelming pressure bore down on him, making his body instinctively shrink back.
This was the greatest courage he could summon.

“I—”

The woman hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth.

“I came to find you… under my lord’s orders.”

Lord?

The moment that word echoed in his mind, doubt crept in.

“I’m a guardian.”

And at that instant—

[You’ve discovered a clue about ‘Find the true nature of Darkness!’.]

Wow.

This was insane.

Kangmek suddenly felt like everything was falling into place.

That tamer—!

This extraordinary figure standing before him, this woman—
She had come looking for him under her lord’s command.

And she said she was a guardian.

That tamer—!

And now, who from the Kingdom of Darkness even knew who Kangmek was?

Just one person.

Just one.

He couldn’t believe it.

That tamer is… the king!

This is crazy.
Unbelievable.
Wow.

A chill ran down Kangmek’s spine as the weight of the colossal mission placed upon him settled in.

He opened his mouth with a firm expression.
His voice trembled, but his resolve was unwavering.

“Yes. I’m Kangmek.”

Casillia, who was quietly observing him, recalled the information that Cale had given her.

‘There’s a user I assigned a mission to. His name is Kangseongguwangjumeok—Strong Fist of the Mighty King. If you practice giving missions through him, it’ll help you ease into the process.’

Casillia opened her mouth and spoke to Kangmek.

“Kangmek. Do you intend to help us?”

Kangmek swallowed hard.
He listened carefully to Casillia’s calm, composed voice.

“Soon… our existence will be revealed.”

“Our existence? What do you mean?”

“……”

Casillia hesitated for a moment.
And then—
She made up her mind.

The reasons she had chosen to come to this world.
Her life.
Her future.
The future of her companions.
And the existence of Eden Miru, the fully awakened Dragon Half–Blood that would soon be born.

“You are not yet worthy of knowing.”

In truth, she hadn’t made her decision completely.

“However… the time is near. We will soon be revealed.”

And that moment—

That was the beginning.

The beginning of the Miru Knights Order, a force that would shake the very foundations of the New World.
Not just the realm of villains and the criminal underworld—
But the entire New World itself.

* * *

“This place feels similar to the Central Plains.”

The Heavenly Demon walked forward with his hands clasped behind his back, speaking to Cale with a relaxed smile.

“Where shall we go?”

“To the royal palace of Lan.”

The royal palace.

Cale, who was currently standing in the capital of a kingdom, answered calmly.

The Heavenly Demon responded just as composedly.

“Who are we going to meet?”

“The king.”

“I see.”

The Heavenly Demon nodded without much interest.

“And who are we going to kill?”

“…”

Cale stayed silent.

This guy’s seriously insane.

As he took in the mountainous landscape around them—beautiful and steep, like something out of a martial arts novel—Cale spoke bluntly.

“The queen’s husband.”

Tamahi.
The King of the Kingdom of Lan.
Cale had seen him before—through the memories of Bishop Serisa.

Of course, Cale quickly clarified.

“I’m not going to kill him. I just want to talk.”

“Ha, ha—”

The Heavenly Demon let out a laugh.

And for the first time in a while, the boredom on his face seemed to lift just a little.

“Whenever I’m with you, something interesting always happens. Killing a queen’s husband, huh?”

No, we are not going to kill him!

Cale’s expression twisted in exasperation.

Thus, Cale’s group arrived at the Kingdom of Lan—
A nation defined by martial arts, strict discipline… and secrets yet to be revealed.

 -----

Translator's Comment:
When chaos is the goal, even the evils must unite under one king.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]