The Boss Wants to Die

Chapter 8

“It’ll keep me from feeling anxious.”

Akt’s eyes curved softly as he smiled.

“The only thing I worry about is you. You, who wants to die. So let’s form a party. That way, people will be less likely to suspect you’re a boss.”

Why should I do something that benefits Akt?

I was about to snort and mock him, but quickly changed my mind.

‘Still, it might be better to join a party.’

I tried hard to conceal the discontent threatening to show on my face.

‘He needs to let his guard down for me to get a chance. If I stick around with him, eventually…’

Hiding my true intentions, I nodded.

As the apex predator of this world, I knew all too well that one must stay low right before a hunt.

Happiness? A contract?

If he thought I would obediently play along, he was sorely mistaken.

‘I’m never clinging only to you, Akt.’

Just you wait.

I’m going to log out for good, right in front of your eyes.

I broke into a faint smile.

[Akt Hevgenia has requested to form a party. Will you accept?]

I nodded.

[You have formed a party with Akt Hevgenia.

― Party Leader: Akt Hevgenia

― Party Member: Evil God Hellroad]

A party member being an Evil God boss monster…

‘What a trash game, seriously.’

“What on earth is even happening…”

The moment I clutched my throbbing head and slumped into a chair, something popped up before my eyes.

Ding!

[The Party Leader has initiated the quest, ‘Please Catch 10 Slimes!’]

[Please Catch 10 Slimes!

James, a young man living in the beginner village, is in trouble because the ground has become too slippery from slimes.

If you help James, it seems you might receive enough food to get through the day.

― Objective: Slay Green Slimes (0/10)

― Reward: Overly Simple Bacon Toast ×2

※ Food provides various buffs and healing effects. Be sure to make active use of it in combat and crafting!]

My fascination with seeing a quest window for the first time lasted only a second.

Reading the quest details left me dumbfounded all over again.

“Slimes? When you’ve taken down an Evil God, you’re hunting slimes?”

“Well, I am Level 10.”

Seeing my sullen expression, Akt let out a low rumble of laughter.

“I picked it up early on. To level up.”

Shaking my head, I tied my black hair back into a ponytail.

Fumes practically rose from my head.

“How long are you going to take clearing quests one by one? You have a legendary weapon, so wouldn’t it be faster to just head to a hunting ground and wipe out monsters?”

“The Club of the Beginning reverts targets to their primordial state, so it doesn’t work on natural entities.”

“Don’t tell me that means…”

“Yeah. It can’t kill monsters.”

I slapped a hand to my forehead with an audible smack.

“Not even evil-type monsters or undead?”

“It’s not a holy-attribute weapon. It simply reverts things to their ‘beginning.’”

“You mean it’s non-elemental?”

“That’s right.”

Didn’t he say the Main God used it?

Then shouldn’t it obviously be holy-attribute?!

Rubbing my temples in frustration, a brilliant idea suddenly struck me.

“Should I kill them for you?”

Yet Akt shattered my hopes once again.

“Your level is too high, so I won’t get any experience points if you do that. I have to kill them myself. Thanks for trying to help, though.”

Help? As if!

It wasn’t like I had offered for his sake, but Akt was all smiles nonetheless.

‘Damn it.’

I thumped my chest and threw my head back.

How was I supposed to just wait around until Akt leveled up?

I needed to reach a town bustling with high-level players to search for someone capable of killing me.

A mere Level 10…

The thought of roaming around pathetic beginner towns already made me yawn.

‘Do I have no choice but to wait quietly?’

Seeing my sour expression, Akt looked at me with sparkling eyes, appearing utterly delighted about something.

Does just looking at me make you that happy?

What’s so great about a monster anyway…

“I’ll level up quickly, so please bear with it for a bit.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Let’s head out.”

[Akt Hevgenia wishes to move continents to the ‘Land of Beginnings.’

Would you like to leave the ‘Demon Realm’ and travel to the ‘Land of Beginnings’ together?]

“Move.”

[Moving to the ‘Land of Beginnings.’]

‘A different continent…’

My feelings were complicated.

‘I heard there are monsters completely different from undead crawling around with their entrails hanging out or hideous gargoyles.’

Like a Bouncy Bunny that bounces around like a rubber ball to attack players.

Or a squirrel preparing for hibernation whose attack consists of tossing walnuts.

‘At least it’ll be fun to look at.’

[You have arrived in the ‘Land of Beginnings.’ Have a safe adventure!]

Flash—!

The view flared brilliant white, and soon the dreary expanse of the Demon Realm vanished, replaced by a bright, radiant meadow.

A vast grassland stretching to the horizon, dotted with occasional windmills and rustic cottages.

It had the warm, cozy atmosphere of a countryside.

Like the country bumpkin—no, Demon Realm bumpkin—monster that I was, I took in my surroundings.

‘It’s quaint.’

It reminded me of the times I used to climb to the top floor of the Demon Castle.

All just to look at the small exorcist village situated far in the distance.

Back then, that place had looked wonderful, but compared to this lovely pastel-toned landscape, it had been utterly bleak.

Just what kind of life had I been living?

I grew a little melancholy.

“The slimes are past the portal to the right over here.”

Passing through a small marketplace, I watched the NPCs and novice players.

Perhaps because it was a beginner village, many had clumsy, bewildered looks as they browsed for weapons.

“Is this really that expensive?”

“Oh, of course! It’s forged from special iron. Here, take a look at this ornamentation…”

Among them, someone was being swindled by an NPC into buying overpriced heavy armor.

“Are NPCs even allowed to do that? Ripping off players.”

Akt glanced sideways at the equipment merchant.

“NPCs don’t really like players. So things like that happen quite often.”

“An NPC is just an NPC. What’s the point of caring whether they like players or not?”

They’re just bundles of artificial intelligence anyway.

‘And so am I.’

He probably thinks I’m an AI too.

The moment I looked up with that thought, my eyes met Akt’s.

Having watched the NPC with an unreadable gaze, he was now staring intently at me.

I arched an eyebrow as if to ask if he had something to say, but he simply shook his head and stepped through the portal.

‘What’s his deal? How unsettling.’

[You have entered the ‘Low Evelyn Back Mountain’ field.

Recommended Level: Lv 10 – Lv 20]

Monsters of trifling levels hopped around the field.

I picked a nearby tree stump and casually took a seat.

I had expected it, but seeing the recommended level in person made heavy sighs burst out one after another.

“If you’re bored, do you want to look around the village first?”

Akt offered gently.

‘That guy always talks as if he coated his tongue in sugar.’

Or perhaps it was just his natural way of speaking; consideration seemed second nature to him.

Honestly, it was pleasant to hear.

It smoothed over my frayed nerves, which had grown sharp from doing nothing but weathering attacks here.

I answered with a slightly softened expression.

“I’m fine. The scenery is nice too.”

I replied while watching a Bouncy Bunny hop along.

“Thanks. Drink this in the meantime.”

Akt held out a carton of strawberry milk with a straw poked in.

The moment I dazedly accepted the milk, Akt turned around without lingering and walked away.

‘When did he buy this…?’

I took a small sip of the milk.

It was sweet enough to melt my tongue and refreshingly crisp without feeling cloying.

‘This is…’

Slurp, slurp.

Before I knew it, I was frantically sucking through the straw, lost in thought.

‘It’s way too delicious.’

The tension around my eyes completely unraveled on its own.

After furiously slurping down the strawberry milk, I suddenly felt sheepish and glanced around.

Fortunately, nobody was nearby.

I turned my focus back to the strawberry milk.

Before I realized it, Akt was already brandishing a crude beginner’s mace, pummeling the slimes.

‘He doesn’t look like a beginner at all.’

I thought with the straw still in my mouth.

‘There’s zero wasted movement in his hunting form.’

He barely moved, yet struck vital points with uncanny precision, landing critical hits left and right.

Achieving maximum efficiency with minimal movement—he looked like a veteran player with at least five other alt accounts.

‘Just who is he really?’

While I tilted my head, mulling it over, Akt leveled up.

[Akt Hevgenia has acquired ‘Viscous Liquid.’]

[Akt Hevgenia’s level has increased by 1.]

[Akt Hevgenia’s stats have increased. You have acquired 2 Skill Points.]

“I guess because his level is low, it shoots right up.”

Gurgle…

Did I drink it too fast?

It was already empty.

Tossing the milk carton into a nearby trash can, I stared at it with lingering longing.

‘I want to drink more…’

Nothing I could do about it, though.

As I turned away with regret, hanging my head low, a player casually approached.

Judging by the attire, an archer.

“Excuse me. Do you happen to have a party? Want to team up?”

Instead of answering, I looked up at him with narrow, upturned eyes.

My sharp glare seemed to startle the archer, but he quickly regained his composure.

There were plenty of people running around in all sorts of strange appearances using Polymorph, after all.

“You look like a mage. Am I right?”

I was wearing a black robe Akt had gotten for me.

The Evil God’s dress was simply far too extravagant.

‘Is the Evil God a magic type?’

She rarely engaged in close-quarters combat, so ranged seemed about right.

“I suppose so.”

I answered vaguely, but the archer paid it no mind and chattered brightly.

“Then let’s team up! I’m an archer. Since we’re both ranged, what do you say?”