The Boss Wants to Die

Chapter 3

The Boss Wants to Die

If anything, the clanking sound of the chains only served to numb my senses further.

Baring my fangs and panting heavily, I checked my equipment window again.

[Collar of the Beginning.]

‘A collar, of all things. This is utterly absurd…!’

I looked back and forth between the collar and the man, who was waiting quietly as if hoping I would calm down.

‘Does it make any sense for a single player to possess two legendary items?’

“What on earth are you?”

“Calm down first. I will never hurt you. Okay?”

“Cut the bullshit and take this off right now!”

I tried to unfurl my demon wings and soar high into the sky, but failed.

The invisible chain materialized once more, dragging me back toward him.

“Damn it!”

“Watch out!”

As I was dragged helplessly by the intangible force, the man wrapped his arms securely around my waist.

“Ah!”

In an instant, my field of vision flipped upside down.

His eyes widening in surprise, the man cushioned my head so the back of my skull wouldn’t crack against the floor.

Before I knew it, I ended up lying on the ground, completely enveloped in his embrace.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“What is your problem, acting like this since earlier…!”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would work like this.”

Looking slightly flustered, the man examined me to see if I had been injured.

“It’s my first time, so I didn’t know how to handle the item. I’m sorry.”

“Let go of—”

“Your head. Are you alright?”

His thick, dry fingers gently brushed the back of my head.

Chills instantly shot through my entire body.

I tried to tear his head off, but whether because of the item or something else, I couldn’t summon any strength.

As I panicked, the man coaxed me in an anxious tone.

“Shh, just stay like this for a moment. Be good, okay? You’ll be fine soon…”

“Don’t make me laugh! I am an Evil God! How dare you! How dare you put… a dog collar like this on me…!”

“……A-A dog collar…?”

The man stammered in bewilderment, trying to explain himself.

“I went through a lot of trouble to get that, it’s really valuable…”

“I’m going to rip you to shreds and kill you! Let go! I’ll make you regret ever doing this!”

“I didn’t think you’d hate it this much.”

He had been flustered and at a complete loss around me since earlier.

Since he had already put a collar on me, all he had to do was subdue me.

Yet like a fool, he was taking the full brunt of my fury without resisting.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

My powerless fists struck him four times in rapid succession.

If I had been able to muster my full strength, his head probably would have exploded.

“Calm down, alright? If you don’t get angry, you’ll be able to move freely.”

Even while taking the hits, the man steadfastly tried to coax me.

I had no idea what this bastard’s deal was.

“Just relax your body a little.”

“Would you relax if you were me?! I won’t let you get away with this! I swear I won’t!!”

“Alright. First, just ease the tension in your body…”

“Just wait until this comes off. I’ll sever your head and put it on display in the Garden of the Demon Castle!”

The man gently enveloped my hand, claws bared, and swallowed a sigh.

“I won’t hurt you. So don’t be scared, and please listen to me.”

He tried desperately to calm me down as I thrashed like a wild beast.

In the process, my claws scratched his cheek, causing beads of blood to drip down.

His white hair had also been mercilessly shorn, scattering across the floor like cobwebs, but he didn’t pay it any mind.

He only looked at me.

As if his own injuries didn’t matter in the slightest.

“I know you’re startled. I know you’re flustered. I’m sorry for doing this. I really am, so please?”

“Then take it off!”

“I can’t do that. I can’t take it off. I’m truly sorry. For putting you through this…”

Is this bastard out of his damn mind?!

While acting strangely submissive, he stubbornly refused to remove the collar no matter what.

I panted in sheer agitation.

He extended a large hand and gently rubbed my palm with his thumb.

As he tilted his head, his broad shadow instantly swallowed me whole.

Startled, I hesitated.

I had thought he had quite an imposing build, but looking up from the ground, it was beyond my imagination.

He was large enough to bind both of my hands with just one of his.

Yet instead of restraining me, he was merely rubbing my palm, waiting for me to calm down.

‘What is with him?’

I gasped for breath, panting heavily.

‘Why is he doing this to me?’

In my six years of living as a boss monster, this was the first time I had ever experienced such a thing.

I was at the point where I couldn’t tell whether I was myself or if the Evil God inside me was running rampant.

Yet this man acted as if he could clearly distinguish between the two.

The way he patiently waited for me to regain my true self was proof enough.

Gradually, my agitation subsided.

“Yes, good. Calm down.”

He slowly patted my shoulder.

My eyes fell upon his disheveled attire, which looked unbecoming of a priest.

Through his parted collar, I caught sight of his thick collarbone.

The gaze peering through his white hair was needlessly deep and soulful.

‘For a priest, what is with this atmosphere…?’

It felt as though I was being seduced by an incubus disguised as a priest.

“Do you feel a little better?”

“Get. Away. From me. Right now.”

“But if you try to attack me again, the item might hurt you…”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said get off!”

Six years.

A whole six years spent living as a monster.

I was closer to a beast than a human.

My cruel and ferocious nature, though seemingly calmed, flared up again with ease.

‘What has he been doing since earlier? Coaxing me as if he knows anything. Who does he think he is…?’

The Evil God, which had practically merged with my personality, threw a temper tantrum.

It was the side effect of being forced by the game system to act as a boss monster for so long.

‘N-No. This isn’t me. Please, get a grip on your sanity.’

I gritted my teeth and shook my head, but I couldn’t dispel the simmering rage.

In the end, I bared my teeth with murderous intent.

“You asked who I am, right?”

“Yes.”

Seeing that I was finally willing to listen, a faint smile tugged at his lips.

That decadent face of his looked undeniably gorgeous when he smiled.

“I’ll explain that in detail later, so for now, why don’t we sit down somewhere…”

“Sit? Are you planning to have tea with a monster?”

“Don’t struggle. What if you get hurt?”

Does he think he’s my bodyguard or something?

Why does he keep harping on about safety?

Dumbfounded, my jaw dropped.

In conclusion, his efforts were completely useless.

Because I only lashed out all the more violently.

“Are you an idiot? Don’t you know what an Evil God is? I am the sovereign ruler of darkness! Running away, calming down—that kind of thing is for sewer rats like you!”

I fumed, venting my rage with ragged breaths.

“I am a monster! Don’t talk to me as if I’m human!”

From deep within my throat, a feral beast’s growl rumbled out instead of a human voice.

Whenever I made this sound, most players would tuck their tails between their legs and flee like puppies before a tiger.

It was due to the passive effect attached to the warning growl.

[Threat of the Evil God.

The growl of the Evil God emits a powerful low-frequency wave.

Decreases target’s Movement Speed and Defense by 5%. Inflicts Fear on the target for 30 seconds.]

However, it had no effect on the man.

[Equipped with Collar of the Beginning. Threat of the Evil God has been nullified.]

It had been so long since I last faced a clear-headed player due to the passive effect of Threat of the Evil God.

Perhaps that was why it felt so unnatural to have this man staring intently into my eyes with a lucid gaze.

‘Don’t panic. Stay calm.’

I remained on guard against him, scanning left and right with slitted, beast-like pupils.

Suddenly, he raised his hand and cupped my cheek.

Thinking he was unleashing a skill attack, I squeezed my eyes shut, but after a long moment, no pain came.

Far from attacking, the man was gently stroking my lower lip, coaxing it free from where I was biting it to the point of bleeding.

“You’re going to bleed like this.”

“……”

“If you really can’t calm down, I’ll stay completely still like this. Until you tell me to stop.”

“……You must have gone through hell to reach the Demon God’s Great Hall just to kill me, and you expect me to believe that?”

I sneered, glaring at him coldly.

“Forget it. Stop doing useless things and just kill me. Don’t piss me off with this damn collar.”

The man shook his head and pushed himself up.

“I told you to kill me right now!”

“I didn’t come here to kill you.”

If so, what else would a player come for if not to slay the boss?

The roar that had surged to the tip of my tongue died down, choked off by his words.

“Don’t say that you want to die.”

He gazed down at me with unfathomable eyes before putting the Club of the Beginning away.

‘He’s really not going to kill me?’

“What are you planning to do with me?”

I had no idea what was going on, but he was the very first player to ever overpower me.

Never once in my six-year history had my instant-death skill been neutralized so helplessly.

The foul mood that had plagued me gradually cleared.

Because I finally saw a glimmer of hope that I could die.

As the Evil God within me settled down, my reason swiftly returned.

I spoke with an air of haughty arrogance.

“Kill me before you regret it later. I’ll stay nice and quiet for you.”

“……”

“You’ll get a reward if you take me down, right? Use it to get yourself some proper clothes. If the guy who subdued me is walking around in such ragged priest robes, what will become of an Evil God’s dignity? Don’t you think?”

Yet the man showed no sign of changing his mind.

‘This won’t do.’

I switched tactics, baring my fangs to threaten him.

“If you don’t kill me now, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Snapping my fingers to wipe out an entire village is child’s play for me. Do you want to see a village torn to pieces because of you?”

In truth, I couldn’t even leave the Demon Castle.

Yet I bluffed without batting an eye.

The only thing that mattered was dying and logging out.

A little lie like this was nothing.

“I’ve been cooped up quietly in the Demon Castle all this time, and I feel like taking out my frustration. So just—”

“No.”

The man answered with cold, unyielding resolve.

It was a complete reversal from just moments ago, when he had acted as if he would comply with anything I said.