The Boss Wants to Die

Chapter 29

“The one about converting an Evil God worshiper?”

“Yeah.”

‘I wondered why he hadn’t done it yet…’

It seemed he hadn’t reached the recommended level yet.

“You need to be level 60, but I’m only level 42. Doing it like this is too slow. I have to level up fast.”

“Faster? You’re already hunting plenty.”

“I didn’t think there was another way, but looking around, I found one.”

Akt examined the hologram and made a few gestures with his hand, prompting a chime to ring for me.

Ding!

“A party quest we can do together.”

[Party Leader ‘Akt Hevgenia’ has read the party quest scroll posted on the village request board.]

[Party Leader ‘Akt Hevgenia’ has accepted the party quest ‘Madam Illiad’s Lost Locket Necklace.’]

“What’s this?”

The details of the party quest flashed orange, as if indicating it was an important quest for me as well.

It was distinctly different from ordinary quests.

I enlarged the notification window to check the quest details.

[Madam Illiad’s Lost Locket Necklace.

Madam Illiad’s only son has asked for help in finding his mother’s keepsake.

Listen to the son’s story and hear what the situation is.

― Objective: Meet Madam Illiad’s son, Roman, and confirm the specific quest details.

― Reward: Unlocks the next quest.

※ All party members must participate in the quest to complete it.

※ This quest has no level requirement. Up to four players may join.

※ This is a chain quest. You must complete this quest to receive the next one.]

Just as I finished reading the quest details, another system window popped up.

Ding!

[You are the Evil God!]

The red text flashed, emphasizing its importance and warning me not to forget.

[The Evil God can obtain special points through party quests.]

‘Points?’

Just in case, I glanced at Akt’s face.

He was staring intently into midair, seemingly in the middle of reading the quest details.

From his unchanging expression, I realized implicitly that this hologram was a special notice window visible only to me.

Pretending to check the quest, I carefully read through the text that followed.

[Don’t you want to make good use of your newly acquired, adorable familiar?]

Is it talking about Michael?

I narrowed my eyes.

[A system just for such an Evil God is right here!

As long as the conditions are met, the Evil God can carry out party quests alongside their familiar.

It doesn’t matter whether the familiar is a player, a monster, or even a plant!

Any living entity capable of expressing its will is eligible!

Upon completing a party quest, the Evil God receives a special reward distinct from ordinary players.

Namely, ‘Party Points’!]

Pop-pop-pop!

Stars burst from the text, highlighting the Party Points.

I glanced sideways at Akt.

It was so flashy I almost thought the stars would fly right at him.

Phew. Relieved inwardly, I scrolled down.

[By accumulating Party Points, you can choose one of two routes to invest in and develop your familiar.

Develop your familiar in whatever direction you desire!]

[Party Point Routes.

➤ Prisoner of Love Route: Affection Points (0/100)

― Increases your familiar’s affection.

➤ Useful Soul Route: Rank Points (0/100)

― Every time you reach 100 Rank Points, you can forcibly raise the familiar’s rank without their consent.

― The next rank for familiar ‘Michael Iruvre’ is ‘2-Star (★★) Rank.’

※ Currently available Party Points: 0]

It was wicked yet undeniably useful.

‘It doesn’t matter if it’s a monster or a plant?’

The range of living beings I could make into familiars seemed broader than I thought.

Then again, the Evil God was the king of monsters, so it would be stranger if I could only take humans as familiars.

Even so, a plant was a bit hard to picture…

‘Does it mean plant-type monsters? Since it said it has to be a living entity capable of expressing its will.’

I tilted my head, scrolling rapidly down the hologram.

‘Still, these investment routes are a bit strange.’

Prisoner of Love, Useful Soul…

‘This makes me feel like an actual demon.’

It was the kind of thing that would make Michael faint if he heard about it.

‘It’s also weird that investing points raises affection. Michael is a player.’

How could a system manipulate a person’s heart?

That was simply too inhumane.

No matter how trash of a game this was, surely it had passed ethical screening, right?

‘Or does it just raise the numerical stat regardless of his actual feelings, so I can progress through quests smoothly?’

That seemed much more likely.

‘Well, I’ll find out once I raise his affection later.’

Just as I was about to dismiss the hologram, a concern crossed my mind, so I asked.

“By the way, are quests always shared between party members? Even when it wasn’t a party quest, the quests you accepted popped up for me.”

“Ah, that?”

Akt shifted his focus from the hologram to me and answered gently.

“Only the party leader’s quests are shared.”

Since none of my quests were anything I wanted discovered, that was a relief.

Having finished reading the quest, Akt dismissed the window, stood up, and stretched.

The already tall man stretched his long limbs, looking as if his hands would reach the ceiling.

‘He looks like a model.’

In fact, Akt had already been bumping his head against the top of the inn’s doorframes quite often.

The sorrow of being tall.

“Party quests give a lot of EXP and generous rewards. Once we clear it, you’ll get plenty of EXP.”

Akt explained in his attractive voice.

“I don’t need EXP, though.”

“The rewards differ. Yours will probably focus on money or items.”

Akt anticipated that, but I already knew what my reward would be.

‘Still, I should play along.’

When I made it obvious I wasn’t thrilled, Akt offered some comforting words, completely unaware of what I was really thinking.

“Having your own money will be good. You won’t have to ask me for money every single time.”

I burst into silent laughter.

‘No, Akt. It’s not about money. I’m going to get Party Points!’

My heart fluttered at the thought that I could finally raise Michael’s affection.

“Since my party member is the Evil God, I didn’t think there would be any party quests we could do together, but this is a stroke of luck.”

“Because there’s no level requirement?”

“Right. Quests like this are rare.”

I secretly pulled up the explanation window behind Akt’s back.

[As long as the conditions are met, the Evil God can carry out party quests alongside their familiar.]

‘A party quest without level restrictions, huh…’

A brilliant idea struck me.

I closed the system window with a sly grin.

---

“I’m going to the restroom.”

On the morning we were set to meet Madam Illiad’s son, Roman.

I got up in the middle of our meal.

Akt, who had been about to eat a slice of nut bread topped with bacon, looked up with a puzzled expression.

“The restroom?”

“Why? Did you think the Evil God didn’t use the bathroom?”

“It’s not that, but…”

This damn game pursued ‘realism’ to a vicious degree.

While playing the game, you had to sleep, you had to eat, and you even had to use the bathroom.

That wasn’t all.

Discussing ‘reality’ within the game was strictly forbidden.

How did I know?

‘I didn’t want to know either…’

It was a painful truth I realized after repeatedly failing to ask someone to call the admins.

‘If not for this restriction, I would have explained my situation to people long ago.’

Dwelling on such gloomy thoughts, I walked into the women’s restroom.

After closing the door and checking thoroughly to make sure no one was inside, I called out boldly.

“Michael.”

At that, a black silhouette—incomparably larger than Heart—surged up from my shadow.

As if a shell were being peeled away starting from his head, dazzling blond hair was revealed, followed by brilliant blue eyes turning toward me.

Michael had a towel wrapped around his head, as if he had just washed up.

Yet his attire was his priest vestments, with not a single button undone.

‘Doesn’t he suffocate dressed like that?’

Don’t tell me he sleeps in his vestments too.

Just as I was harboring reasonable suspicions, he looked around with an annoyed expression.

“What is this?”

Then he let out a choked sound of disbelief.

“Don’t tell me… you Summoned me in a restroom?”

“There were circumstances.”

“In a women’s restroom, no less?”

“There’s nowhere safer than here if I don’t want Akt to catch on.”

Michael leaned against the wall, stumbling as though dizzy.

Despairing over his unbelievable reality, he urged me.

“Please keep your business brief.”

“It just occurred to me—how do you go back? Surely you don’t have to open the women’s restroom door and walk out yourself?”

Michael glared at me with pure disdain in his eyes.

“Of course not. I will be unsummoned through your shadow. Even if that fails, I’ll exit through the window. Why on earth would I open the women’s restroom door and walk out?”

His face practically screamed, I’d rather you just kill me.

[Michael Iruvre’s affection has decreased by 1 point.]

The affection rating that had reset to zero had now dropped to -1.

‘Even if I found a way, I’d better be careful.’

I quickly put on a smiling face.

“I brought you some good news.”

“Given where we are, I doubt any good news would put me in a good mood.”

“You said there’s something you want to find out from Akt. Being together is the best way to do that, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Akt accepted a party quest yesterday, and…”

“Don’t tell me you’re suggesting we do it together.”