The Boss Wants to Die
Chapter 11
Rowoon looked at him in sheer disbelief.
“I’m begging you, if you’re going to lose your mind, at least kill me first, okay?”
Despite Rowoon’s earnest plea, Akt silently downed his drink.
“Once I’m dead, I don’t care what you do. I’m just terrified you’ll go crazy, forget all about our contract, and leave me alive.”
Akt smoothed the corner of his mouth before it could twist into a sneer.
Even so, he couldn’t hide the cynicism bleeding into his gaze.
Letting Rowoon’s words go in one ear and out the other, he kept pouring liquor into his stomach without a word.
Rowoon could never make Akt happy.
Not as long as she wished for death. Never.
“Don’t worry. I won’t forget.”
And so, his voice laced with tenderness, he promised her he would.
“Good.”
With a crisp, satisfied reply, Rowoon breezily walked out of the room.
Akt’s gaze tracked Rowoon’s back as she left.
His eyes were sharp, tenacious, and fiercely lucid—without a single trace of intoxication.
Knock, knock.
I had returned to my room and was tidying my clothes when the knock made me scowl deeply.
“Ahem. Is this Lee Rowoon-ssi’s room?”
Feeling a bit awkward hearing my name, my body went taut.
It wasn’t Akt.
“Who is it?”
“Someone requested to meet with you, so I came to fetch you. Do you have a moment?”
“Are you sure they asked for Lee Rowoon?”
“They said they wanted to meet Akt Hevgenia’s party member.”
“And how did you know I was Akt’s party member?”
“……If you refuse, I shall take my leave.”
“Hmph.”
I narrowed my eyes.
Must have checked the inn’s ledger before coming.
I shed my robe, revealing a short black mini-dress, and pulled the door open.
He looked like an inn employee, but he wasn’t an NPC—he was a player.
Suspicious.
I shot a glance toward Akt’s dead-silent room, then jerked my chin.
“Lead the way.”
If he turned out to be trouble, I could just beat him to a pulp.
I was stuck with Akt, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t use my powers.
The player led me up one floor to the room at the very end of the hallway.
When he opened the door, the rusted hinges let out a harsh, screeching creak.
The moment I stepped inside, I checked the level of the player waiting for me.
Lv. 230
Any ordinary player’s jaw would have dropped clean to the floor.
To me, having spent years seeing only hyper-leveled, hardcore veterans, it wasn’t particularly high.
Still, definitely not some random nobody.
Narrowing my eyes, I looked him up and down.
The man wore a shabby robe, but there was a high chance he was using Polymorph.
High-level gear tended to be rather flamboyant.
The second the door shut, I asked, “What’s a high-level player doing hanging around here?”
From beneath the deeply pulled hood of his robe, a pair of brilliantly clear, sky-blue eyes peeked through.
“……No way.”
The moment the man laid eyes on me, his body began to tremble violently.
He slowly backed away until the back of his head hit the wall.
The impact caused his hood to slip off, exposing his face completely.
Wow.
He looked like an avatar of the god of beauty.
His bright, tightly curled blonde hair was cropped short, making him resemble a little cherub.
Thick brows lent him an air of innocence, while his pale, trembling lips were slightly thin.
Watching his frantic reaction through narrowed eyes, I frowned when I caught sight of the weapon materializing in his hand.
A Holy Sword, its blade gleaming with a blinding radiance.
Embedded in the hilt was a sacred stone that glowed blue only when channeled with holy magic.
A battle priest.
“How rude. Pulling a sword the first time we meet?”
Reaching out into the empty air, I made a clutching motion toward him.
Space tore open, and a colossal hand formed of black mist surged forth, binding him in an instant.
[Grasp of Darkness.
Suppresses the target for 10 seconds.
If the target resists, the suppression duration increases proportionally to their remaining MP gauge.
※ Cannot be used simultaneously with offensive magic.]
“Gah!”
He thrashed wildly, like a hamster trapped in human hands.
[The target has resisted. Grasp of Darkness suppression duration increased by 10 seconds. Total: 20 seconds.]
Apparently, he didn’t realize I couldn’t attack while channeling this skill.
Leisurely dragging a chair over, I set it in front of him and sat down, crossing my legs.
“The Evil God……!”
“So you really do know who I am. How did you figure it out?”
I tapped my cheek and tilted my head.
“You shouldn’t be able to view my info, should you?”
Unless they were registered as friends, players could only see each other’s level and equipment.
On top of that, I was a monster.
There was no way he could inspect my equipment window.
The man glared at me, his eyes burning with fury.
“Why would I ever tell you that?”
“Do you want to die right here, right now? Weren’t you the one who wanted to see me?”
He gritted his teeth in bitter frustration.
I pulled up his info window to check his name.
Michael Iruvre.
Even his name sounds holy.
“Michael-ssi? I’m graciously willing to listen, so go ahead and speak. What did you want?”
“There’s nothing left to discuss. To think the new party member Akt Hevgenia dragged in was the Evil God…… this whole situation is…….”
“Why are you tailing Akt?”
Michael clamped his mouth shut.
Why would a Level 230 be chasing a novice? They shouldn’t have any point of contact.
Then again, it had nothing to do with me.
The important part is that he’s pretty much the highest-level player I can get my hands on right now.
While the gears in my head spun furiously, Michael maintained his silence.
Rather than desperately hiding something, he looked as if he were swept up in utter confusion himself.
What’s with him?
Shrugging, I swept my eyes over him once more.
Thankfully, because he was fighting against the hold so persistently, the duration of Grasp of Darkness kept extending.
It would probably last until his MP hit zero.
Lv. 230 isn’t something you see every day.
What should I do?
I really didn’t want to let this opportunity slip away.
If he picks a fight, I can’t avoid it, which means I’ll just end up killing him.
“Hmm…….”
What a waste. He seems useful.
The corner of my mouth tugged upward into a sly grin.
Seeing my expression—the very picture of a cunning demon—Michael’s eyes shook with dread.
Akt is the only one who can truly incapacitate me, but maybe…….
It all depended on how I played my cards.
I released Grasp of Darkness and let him go.
Michael looked ready to turn tail and bolt, but with me standing right under his nose, he couldn’t dare make a reckless move.
He was like a deer frozen stiff before a tiger.
“Michael. You seem to have plenty of business with Akt, so how about we make a deal?”
“What…….”
“When I make an opening, you kill me on cue. Sound good?”
I tapped his cold, drained cheek with the tip of my black-painted fingernail, tempting him.
“You want to kill me anyway, don’t you? Think of the insane loot and EXP—don’t you want it?”
When my eyes curved into a wicked, seductive smile, his Adam’s apple bobbed with a hard swallow.
“I didn’t join Akt’s party because I wanted to, you see.”
I brought my hand near the pink tattoo on my neck and made a grasping motion, instantly revealing the silver chain.
Chink, rattle…….
The fine, dense chain swayed lightly in my hand.
Michael, who had been watching me with deep suspicion, widened his eyes in shock.
“See this? This damned item. I’m being dragged around because of this thing.”
“…….”
“Just like you players respawn at the Sanctuary when you die, I respawn at the Demon Castle. I’m sick of playing house, so help me get back home.”
To be precise, only the mass of boss monster data would return to the Demon Castle.
I would wake up in the real world.
“Cooperate. You don’t have another choice.”
As I parted my crimson lips to whisper darkly, beads of cold sweat formed on Michael’s forehead.
The players capable of reaching the Grand Hall of the Demon Castle were at least in the Level 300 to 400 range.
A Level 230 was undeniably high-level, but they were leagues behind the monstrous players who made it to the final boss.
And even those monsters had suffered utter defeat at my hands, sent packing time after time.
For six whole years.
Come to think of it, what was the level cap in this game again? It seemed to change every time I looked.
While I was lost in thought, Michael raised a sharp counterargument.
“You really think I could kill you? At barely Level 230?”
I nodded with absolute confidence.
“Yup. You can. When Akt uses the leash, I’m completely disarmed. That’s when you strike.”
“…….”
“Simple, right?”
“You’re not lying.”
“Hm?”
Snapping out of my thoughts a beat late, I arched a brow.
Michael gently pushed my shoulder back to put some distance between us, then dusted off his hands.
“What you said. It’s not a lie.”
“How do you know?”
“I have an Insight skill.”
“And what about it? At Level 230, your Insight skill can’t be all that great. At your level, you shouldn’t be able to pierce my mental defense.”
“…….”
“Wait, but…… yeah. You just pierced it, didn’t you?”
Letting out a soft hum, I rested a hand on my hip.
“So you used Insight to figure out I was the Evil God too? How did you manage that……? Suspicious…….”
“…….”
“Well, doesn’t really matter.”
Before Michael—strung tight to his absolute limit—could faint from the pressure, I pulled back my aura and offered a bright, refreshing smile as I sat back down on the chair.
“What matters is that you recognized my sincerity. Why should I care about your bizarre Insight skill? Right?”
