"Now tell me."
Raon lifted his glass filled with beer and jerked his chin toward Charlie.
"How do you trade desire?"
Both Charlie before his eyes and Vayph, who had brought him to heaven, had said that anything could be bought in this land as long as one had desire. Having gathered desire through several life-and-death battles, he now wanted to know how to use that power.
"Ah..."
Charlie looked at Raon with trembling lips as if he still couldn't believe it.
"W-what kind of person are you, really?"
He used the most respectful language toward Raon and even bowed at the dining table.
"I told you before. Don't worry about things like names."
Raon chuckled and gently set down his beer glass.
"As if I've done something amazing."
He waved his hand, saying that what he had shown so far was nothing.
"How can you say it's not amazing!"
Charlie raised his head sharply as if asking what he was talking about.
"Yesterday, Master Zilfen devoured more than ten people! Starting with Pisir, you've stolen all the desires of the lower ranks, what are you talking about!"
He struck the table hard, saying that while there had been newcomers who stood out before, Raon was the first to defeat ten people on his first day.
"That's what's disappointing. I should have drawn out a bit more."
Raon clicked his tongue briefly.
"For some reason, they wouldn't attack anymore."
After easily defeating his tenth opponent, no one else tried to fight, and everyone retreated in fear. The moment when the mockery directed at him changed to terror and shock was quite an interesting experience.
-It's been a while since humans looked so pitiful.
Wrath shook his head as he recalled the people who had collapsed after having their desires drained by him.
-Even we demons show some mercy...
He sighed, calling him a human with worse character than demons.
"Of course they're scared! A newcomer devoured ten newcomer killers!"
Charlie shouted that it would be strange if they weren't afraid.
"Look over there! Everyone's watching us! They're too scared to come close!"
He trembled as he said everyone in the tavern was only looking this way.
"Enough."
Raon cut off Charlie's words.
"Just tell me how to use desire."
He wasn't a child hungry for praise. He just wanted to build a tower reaching the sky as quickly as possible to meet Derus Robert or an archangel.
"You don't trade desire. You have to offer desire."
Charlie took a short breath and opened his mouth.
"Offer desire?"
Raon frowned at the incomprehensible words.
"Yes. That's right. You go to that temple over there and offer the desire you've accumulated to the god who created this heaven."
Charlie nodded, saying he had also gone to the temple to offer desire.
"The god is omnipotent enough to create this world. If you show sincerity by building a tower that reaches the sky, they say the god will send down an archangel, a divine messenger, to grant any wish."
He clenched his fist, saying there were people who had actually seen an archangel descend. Though he was in a crawling situation, he seemed not to have given up on that dream yet.
"So it's what you mentioned before."
Raon nodded calmly.
'That's probably true.'
Humans who had walked into such an absurd place as heaven would naturally be full of suspicion. Seeing such rumors spread, it seemed certain that an archangel had actually descended.
'It means this place is that important.'
For Derus Robert, archangels were the most important decisive weapons. The fact that such important beings were shown in this trivial place meant that the land called heaven was extremely important to them. (E/N: Are they important? Derus kinda gave up pretty easily on that other Archangel in the random arc where Archangel died out of nowhere...)
'I should go to the temple.'
Raon clicked his tongue briefly.
'There's a possibility my identity could be exposed, but I need to see for myself.'
Since it was a building worthy of being called a temple, there would certainly be special barriers installed. It might be a dangerous path, but to reach Derus, he absolutely had to enter the temple.
"However, I don't recommend going straight to the temple. There are too many notorious hyenas around there."
Charlie frowned, saying there were many hunters around the temple who targeted people offering desire.
"Instead, what I recommend is..."
As he spread both hands and was about to say they should wait, Raon emptied his entire beer glass and slammed it on the table.
"Enough. Guide me to the temple."
He stood up firmly as if he had no intention of listening to Charlie's words.
"If there are hunters targeting me, I should go right now."
Raon curled his lips as he looked at Charlie's pale face.
"Let's devour them instead."
***
"Hm? That's..."
Nagis, who was hiding in an inn around the temple, narrowed his eyes as he watched a tall man walking down the main street.
'It's that guy from yesterday!'
The newcomer who had defeated ten newcomer killers in the entertainment district and accumulated a massive amount of desire, the one who used the name Zilfen outside, was approaching the temple.
'As expected.'
Nagis clenched his fist and rejoiced.
'I knew he'd come here since Charlie is with him.'
With Charlie, who could guide him through heaven, by his side and having gained much desire, he had expected the next step would naturally be going to the temple, and that was exactly right.
'Charlie probably tried to stop him, but a newcomer like that would never hold back.'
Nagis chuckled as he watched Raon's stride overflowing with confidence.
'I would have come too.'
Having devoured ten veterans as soon as he entered heaven, there would be nothing to fear. Even hearing that there were many hyenas in this area, he would obviously think to devour them all instead.
'The spirit is good, but this place is different.'
Unlike those who had to target newcomers because both their amount of desire and their way of handling desire were clumsy, those around the temple were people who knew how to fight. Even if that newcomer had genius talent in handling desire, he couldn't overcome seasoned experience.
'He's full of it.'
He could feel massive desire around the newcomer's soul. The desires of the newcomer killers obtained yesterday seemed to have accumulated into mouth-watering prey.
'Should I go?'
As Nagis licked his lips and was about to approach Raon, there was a man who rushed at Raon from the right building before he could move.
"Guren!"
The man now blocking Raon's path was a desire hunter named Guren. He was no different from a real hyena, hiding around the temple and only targeting opponents he could defeat.
"Of all people, that bastard..."
Seeing him pop out as soon as the monster newcomer appeared, he must have been waiting for him here just like himself.
"Of all people, Guren."
Guren had never missed anyone who came to offer desire at the temple.
He was a vicious human who showed a 100% success rate whenever he attempted hunting, using the cruel method of preventing people from entering the temple and forcing life-and-death battles.
"Good. Bring it on."
Raon accepted his life-and-death challenge as if he had been waiting for Guren to appear.
"It's over. I should go back and sleep... Hm?"
As Nagis sighed and was about to retreat, veteran Guren couldn't withstand the desire shot by the newcomer and began trembling all over.
"W-what is this... Gaaahhh!"
Guren tried to overcome it somehow, but seemingly overpowered, he collapsed wrapped in the newcomer's desire, becoming like a mummy.
"Hmm, definitely not bad."
The newcomer smiled and nodded as if Guren's accumulated desire wasn't bad. However, beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.
'Huh...?'
Nagis swallowed dry saliva as he looked at Raon.
'The battle was very short, but is he tired?'
The battle time between that newcomer and Guren was extremely short and the victory was overwhelming, but he couldn't understand why he looked so strained.
'Could it be...'
Is he specialized in short battles? Thinking about it, that newcomer always finished battles quickly both yesterday and today.
'Yes! That's it!'
No matter how genius his talent was, showing such power immediately upon arriving in heaven didn't make sense. It was definitely an ability specialized in short battles.
'Yesterday it didn't show because they were weak opponents, but now he has no choice but to show fatigue.'
Nagis reached his conclusion about Raon and jumped forward.
"Hey, monster. Fight me!"
Unlike that newcomer, he was specialized in long battles and defense. If he dragged out time and endured, he felt he could win sufficiently.
"Good."
The newcomer curled his lips as if he had been waiting for him after Guren and accepted the life-and-death challenge.
"Hmph! I won't be foolishly defeated like Guren!"
Nagis gritted his teeth and spread his desire to build walls for defense.
"If I hold out like this... Huh?"
As he tried to make his desire thicker to endure to the end, Raon's desire took the form of a spear, pierced through the wall Nagis had built, and struck him.
"Aaahhh!"
Nagis seemed to lose his fighting spirit instantly to Raon's massive and sharp desire and knelt on the spot.
"Grrrrr..."
The match was decided instantly, and everything he possessed began to be drained and absorbed by Raon.
'M-monster. A real monster...'
Nagis raised his gaze and panted.
'That's not specialized in short battles, he's just a devil.'
A devil born to devour desire. If not, he couldn't have such power immediately upon arriving in heaven.
"Hah..."
Raon breathed roughly with his waist slightly bent as if tired from the two fights.
"His hands are shaking, you can see all his strength is drained!"
Nagis gaped as he watched a new hunter jump out and attack Raon after he had fallen.
"N-no..."
He waved his hand as he saw Raon's smile while his head was lowered as if tired, but naturally his meaning wasn't conveyed.
"Good."
Nagis lost consciousness as he saw the devil's smile accepting another life-and-death challenge.
***
"This place definitely has better quality."
Raon clicked his tongue with satisfaction after hunting all the hunters who had been hiding around the temple in reverse.
"The desires are very robust."
They were more seasoned than the humans called newcomer killers, and the quality of their desires was exceptionally better.
"All those with such high-quality desires have fallen before Master Zilfen."
Charlie sighed as if he was tired of being surprised.
"That's a good thing."
Raon chuckled and lightly patted Charlie's back.
"Because there's more desire to offer at the temple."
Since the amount and quality of desire obtained near the temple was considerable, he felt he could gain more than expected.
"So this is the temple?"
Raon stood in front of the temple Charlie had introduced and raised his head. It was similar to temples outside, but there were some different parts.
'Lots of wings and feathers.'
Unlike temples that contained the characteristics of each god, this place was covered with white feathers symbolizing angels. It wouldn't be strange to call it an angel hall that serves angels rather than a temple.
'They really are peculiar beings.'
Raon snorted and opened the temple door.
"I came to offer desire..."
As he stated his purpose and tried to enter, he unknowingly stopped abruptly. In the center of the temple, the face of the priest standing before what seemed to be a statue embodying a god was exactly the same as a man he knew.
'Derus Robert?