My name is… Azael Veylar.
The Demon King. Ruler of darkness. Destroyer of hope. King of all beings who were feared a thousand years ago.
But now?
I'm just an immortal guy who's... bored to death.
'Ugh... seriously, what's the point of living if there's no challenge?'
I sat on my throne, which used to be red with the blood of heroes. A long, long time ago, maybe a thousand years ago, this throne always smelled of iron, decorated with the heads of enemies I personally beheaded. Every day was a blood feast, every night was the scream of desperate humans.
Now? The seat is plush. The cushions are too comfortable. My castle is too clean. My servants are too polite.
Honestly, this eternal curse feels like a prison.
I stood up, my black robe fluttering. The large room with its towering black pillars only echoed with my footsteps.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
'How ridiculous... I used to think there would be another new hero sent by the gods. But there wasn't. After that last hero party, the gods just seemed to give up. Hahaha, what a bunch of losers.'
I remember their faces clearly—four young humans who were reckless enough to challenge me. The hero with his sword, the mage with her fragile staff, the archer with his wooden bow, and the naive priestess who tried to protect them all.
They came with cheers. They believed they could defeat me.
What happened?
I hung their heads in the nearest human kingdom's town square.
Their eyes were empty. Their bodies were destroyed.
That was the last "entertainment" I'd ever felt.
And since that day... no one has been able to challenge me anymore.
'Shit... it's even more boring than I imagined.'
I walked out of the throne room. The giant door decorated with skulls slid open slowly. From my castle balcony, I looked at the view of the kingdom which was... ironically, thriving.
Yeah, after I took over this world, I didn't cause destruction everywhere. I built it up instead. I brought humans and demons together. I stopped the wars. I forced them to work together, because... if they didn't, I would kill them myself.
Now, look at this.
The market is bustling. Human children run in the streets, chased by laughing demon children. Merchants are selling their wares. There's the smell of warm bread, hot soup, grilled meat.
And in the distance... you can hear the whistle of a steam train.
Yeah, a steam train. Humans are such weird creatures. As soon as they're given a little breathing room, they find new ways to make life easier.
'I'm the Demon King, right? But I've become sort of like... a mayor? Hahaha! How ironic.'
I walked aimlessly, strolling through the city streets. The residents bowed respectfully, and some even waved.
"Good afternoon, Your Majesty!"
"Greetings to the Demon King!"
I just raised my hand.
They have no idea how sick I am of hearing that greeting.
In the late afternoon, I went up a hill on the edge of the city. From up here, the ocean stretched out wide. The waves crashed against each other, the twilight light reflecting on the surface, creating a blinding golden shimmer.
I sat on a large rock, my legs dangling freely.
'It's been a thousand years... and I'm still here. Living. Breathing. Never changing. Can't die. I'm... immortal.'
Shaaah... Shaaah...
Sometimes I think... isn't death actually a gift?
If I could die, at least there would be an end. But now? I just keep going... and going... and going...
'I'm bored. I want to die. But I can't. My immortality has trapped me.'
I grabbed my own hair in frustration.
I screamed at the ocean.
"UUUURRRRRGHHHH!!!"
Haaah... haaah... haaah...
Birds scattered because of the scream. The waves crashed harder, as if they were afraid of me. But I knew, none of this was enough to fill the emptiness in my chest.
I stayed silent until night. Staring at the moon slowly rising, the stars twinkling.
'Ah... another same old night. Another emptiness. Again, I'm all alone.'
Finally, I stood up, shook my robe, and returned to the castle.
As soon as I arrived, I went straight to the dining room.
"Welcome back, Your Majesty," the servants bowed.
I just nodded. Plate after plate was served. Roasted meat, hot soup, fresh fruit. I ate without enthusiasm. The taste of food had become bland to me.
Kraak... Kraakk...
Slurp...
'I used to eat surrounded by the screams of dying humans. Now? I'm eating while listening to soft music from an orchestra. My life has really changed 180 degrees.'
After eating, I took a bath. Warm water filled the large tub made of black stone. Steam billowed, covering the room.
Splash... Splash...
I lay down, sinking my head for a moment, then came back up.
'Even bathing is boring. Fucking hell... I'm jealous of humans who can die at any time.'
The night grew later. Before going to my room, I made a point of meeting my ten generals... The Abyssal Corpse.
They stood in a line, their aura still oppressive even though I knew none of them would dare to challenge me.
"Your Majesty," one of them said, his voice deep, "this week's report—iron ore production is up, trade with human territories is running smoothly, and there have been no rebellions."
"Good," I replied.
Another general added, "Steam engine research is also progressing. We predict that inter-territorial transportation will be twice as fast next year."
I yawned.
Hoooaaaammm...
I gave some half-assed suggestions. They took notes dutifully.
After everything was done, I waved my hand.
"You're all dismissed."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" They bowed in unison and then left.
I went back to my room. A huge, luxurious room, with black curtains and a crystal lamp. But still, I felt... empty.
I sat on the edge of the bed. I looked down.
'Tomorrow will be the same. The day after will be the same. Next year will be the same. Nothing changes... there's nothing left...'
And that's when... something happened.
Right in front of my eyes, the air trembled. As if space itself was splitting open. A pitch-black gate appeared, glowing reddish, pulsing like a giant heart.
Bwoooshhhh...
I stood up. My eyes narrowed.
'What is this...? A gate? No, this is different...'
I raised my hand, activating my analysis skill.
Abyssal Insight.
Data cannot be analyzed.
'What? No way... I can't even read this gate?'
My heart pounded. For the first time in a thousand years... I felt intrigued.
I approached. I touched the surface of the gate. It felt cold, like touching frozen blood.
Buzz... Buzz...
'Hahaha... alright. If this is a trap, at least it might be able to kill me.'
Without a second thought, I stepped inside.
Wooooshhhh...
Black light swallowed me. My body was pulled, falling into darkness.
And then.
Everything went black.
My head felt incredibly heavy. It felt like a giant rock was pressing on my temples. My breathing was labored, and every movement made my neck muscles scream. I struggled to open my eyes.
'What is this...?'
After a few deep breaths and groans, I was able to slightly open my eyelids. A dim light seeped in from the sides. The world around me was blurry, but I heard something.
A human voice. Right near my shoulder, someone was talking while touching my arm. The voice... was using some kind of device. Like some sort of speaker attached to his shoulder.
"...I just finished evacuating the residents because there was a report of a dungeon break in the city of Kisarazu," he said.
"...but while I was busy evacuating, I saw a man who was unconscious and... stark naked," the voice said again.
'Huh? Stark naked...?'
"Yeah, stark naked," the voice repeated, as if to confirm.
"Okay, okay... I'll take care of it," he said.
The man turned towards me. I lifted my head slightly and could see him. He was wearing simple clothes, but that device was still attached to his shoulder. His eyes looked at me with a mix of surprise and caution.
He started talking to me. His words were fast, but... I didn't understand a single thing he said. He was using a language I didn't understand.
And suddenly... a window appeared in front of me. Floating, bright, dark-colored with glowing text.
[System Notice]
Analyzing language...
Downloading language...
Language successfully downloaded.
Automatically applying language.
I stared at the window, my eyebrows furrowed. My body trembled slightly, a mix of confusion and curiosity. The man's words now sounded clear in my ears. The human language. I was starting to understand.
"Please, wake up. Are you okay?" the man said.
"I-I... don't know..." I replied slowly, my voice sounding foreign in my throat.
He shook his head quickly, then moved aside for a moment and threw a piece of clothing towards me. I stared at the object, still not fully aware.
Without much thought, I grabbed the clothes and put them on.
Now I was starting to understand his words. But something else... made me freeze.
'Why do I have... human arms?'
'And... my body... why have I become human?'
I looked at myself. The skin, the muscles, the shape of my face—all human. No scales, no horns.
A window appeared in front of me again, bigger this time.
[Status Window]
Name: Azael Veylar
Race: Human (Sealed Demon King)
Level: 1
Title: The Fallen Demon King
HP: 120 / 120
MP: 350 / 350
[Skill]
- Hellfire (Lv.1) [MP: 50]
- Fear Aura (Lv.1) [MP: 20]
- Dark Dominion (Locked)
(Sealed skills: 97+)
[Passive]
- Demon King's Adaptation → Body adapts to the new world
- Auto Language Acquisition → Language automatically synchronized
[Inventory]
- Empty
Synchronization: 0.1%
I stared at the panel, my eyebrows furrowed.
'This name... is this me? Level 1... what does that mean? HP and MP... I know HP is for health, MP is for mana. But... why is there so little left? I don't understand. Why is everything so limited in this human body?'
I turned to the man standing in front of me, confused and still half-conscious.
He was looking at me, trying to hold back a light laugh, probably because of my stiff expression and obvious confusion.
'Is this a new world? Is this some kind of game? No... this is real. I can feel the cold air and the dampness on my skin. Everything is real... but my body... why is it human?'
I looked down, staring at my hands, squeezing my fingers. Every movement felt strange.
"Alright," I said softly to myself, 'it looks like I need to understand all this first... before deciding my next step.'
I took a deep breath. These human eyes—weak and limited—forced my brain to work harder than ever before. But behind all the confusion, there was a sense of curiosity that was... not unfamiliar.
'Hahaha... maybe this... will be fun.'