The Boss Wants to Die - Chapter 59

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The boss wants to die.
Episode 59
A twisted smile, the kind worn by those who resent the world.
Deep-rooted suspicion.
And the blind faith in power — all stamped out of the same mold, identical.
‘Is this what they call ethnic hatred?’
The moment I felt uncomfortable having Eriel Atlantis at my side, paradoxically, curiosity stirred.
Indeed, how would our ending — consumed by hatred — unfold?
Failure?
Or the realization of desire?
‘Eriel Atlantis is a double-edged blade. Wielded correctly, he could be my greatest asset.’
He would likely exploit anything to achieve his purpose.
For Eriel, the ultimate asset is power.
And holding that power, I am someone he cannot betray.
I was curious too — what was he doing with those defiant eyes?
‘What I can’t understand is that this place is inside a game.’
Right.
Everything else is fine.
Only that was the problem.
‘No matter how well-crafted a game is, can it really grip someone that deeply?’
Unless Eriel had been trapped in a game for years like me, that depth of resentment felt wrong.
It’s just a game, after all.
To hate artificial intelligence or virtual characters that intensely?
Dislike might make sense, but grudge?
I felt the seed of doubt I had planted in my mind beginning to sprout.
Players and NPCs alike.
None of them seemed to be playing a game.
They were living real lives.
‘I need to get information about the game from Eriel.’
I knew very little about this place, the game called Elinpia.
There had always been a subtle unease, since it differed from what I’d imagined, but this gap in perception felt suspicious.
‘Something tells me I might be able to learn something from this one.’
It wasn’t often that I encountered someone who displayed emotions so openly.
Aktr had his own story, but he only tried to hide it.
‘At least Eriel is cut from the same cloth as me.’
Because of that, I could tell at first glance that his anger was genuine.
Otherwise, I might never have noticed that something was off about the people in this game.
‘Mm, good. In every way, this passes.’
You don’t kick away a gourd that rolled in, vine and all.
His level was high too — perfect for my purposes.
“Eriel Atlantis.”
“What?”
Eriel responded, raising his eyebrows.
He didn’t seem to welcome my meaningful call.
“Do you want to become a true Demon God worshiper?”
His eyes narrowed subtly.
“What do you mean by true?”
“How about taking hold of the power that exists before your eyes? You want me, don’t you?”
I whispered like a demon.
Saliva pooled beneath my tongue, the appetite of a predator discovering tantalizing prey.
Licking my lower lip to lure him was not an intentional action.
It was an irresistible force stemming from the parameter labeled Demon God.
Like a predator opening its jaws to devour prey whole, I advanced silently toward him.
Eriel, pressed down by my aura, held his breath uncomfortably.
Stubbornly, he kept his lips sealed, refusing to show strain.
Even that petty pride pleased me.
“I’ll lend it to you. The power of the Demon God you so desire.”
Eriel was not so easily swayed.
“What are the conditions?”
“So my proposal does have appeal, doesn’t it?”
Having made peace with the prospect of selling her soul to a devil’s bargain, Eriel Atlantis had grown resolute.
“Unless the terms are unreasonable, there’s no reason to refuse. Honestly, it’s quite tempting.”
“I prefer people who are honest about their desires.”
I sat cross-legged on the bed and pulled Eriel forward by the chin.
Her spine curved submissively as I drew her toward me.
I examined her face intently, as though appraising her, and she bore it with practiced patience.
I found myself thinking she must have suffered greatly because of that striking face.
Unless, of course, she had chosen this form deliberately.
“The terms are simple. You must answer my Summoning whenever I call. And you cannot lie to me.”
“That’s all?”
Eriel’s suspicion kindled at once.
“Surely you don’t mean I must answer any question you ask unconditionally?”
Sharp.
“Otherwise I could simply stay silent and avoid it.”
“No. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. But whenever you do speak to me, you must speak only the truth.”
I laughed pleasantly, pleased by her astute question.
“Whether to answer is your choice. In exchange, you can only borrow my power at its lowest tier. The more of my strength you covet, the greater the corresponding Constraints will become.”
“What do you mean by Constraints growing more severe?”
“That’s a secret.”
‘Truth is, it’s not a secret—I simply don’t know yet.’
Michael Irubale was a 1-Star Subordinate with Constraints of Summoning and the Mouth That Lost Falsehood.
Heart, meanwhile, was a 2-Star Subordinate bound by the Constraint of Material Appropriation.
Once a month, she could forcibly seize one category of material goods.
Constraints accumulated like Statistics.
So Heart bore the Constraints of Summoning, the Mouth That Lost Falsehood, and Material Appropriation alike.
‘Familiars have no possessions to speak of, so there’s nothing to steal from them. But Eriel is different.’
A single category was a far larger unit than I’d expected.
‘Currency,’ for instance—if I chose it, I could seize every coin Eriel possessed.
Regrettably, I didn’t yet know what Constraints came with ranks above 2-Star, but……
‘Something comparable must already be waiting.’
The information was simply locked away because I lacked the corresponding Subordinate to unlock it.
I let out a low chuckle.
‘If needed, I can raise the rank with Points.’
I kept my knowledge hidden and continued smoothly.
“What do you say? The rank I’m offering you is 1-Star, but if you want, I could make it higher.”
“So the weaker Constraints were because of the 1-Star rank?”
“Exactly. The highest rank is 5-Star. Want it? Just say the word.”
Eriel scoffed as though the notion were absurd.
“Mages know there is no power without a price. Every Supernatural Power demands a sacrifice.”
She glared at me, saying that even creating the smallest flame costs Mana.
“You are a Demon God. I don’t imagine making a deal with you would come without hidden dangers.”
Indeed, she was a formidable guardian.
‘She’ll be useful, this one.’
I answered with a note of admiration.
“So wise, and yet you approach me as though you’d sell your very soul. Why?”
Still holding her chin, Eriel reached out and seized my arm.
Her hand trembled terribly.
“Because I want power.”
Eriel’s young voice dripped with venom, like the bubbling green ichor from a witch’s cauldron.
“I want the strength of the queen—Elinpia’s worst monster—even if it means gambling with danger. That’s my reason.”
Two identical crimson eyes met in the air between us.
I burst out laughing.
Eriel finally tore herself from my grip and rubbed her reddened jaw.
I laughed so hard tears began to leak from my eyes.
The boundary between mirth and sorrow blurred.
Eriel, so steeped in rage, was pitiable—and yet her shrewd persistence in carving out her own path endeared her to me.
“Fine. I’ll take you as a 1-Star Subordinate.”
“Are you certain about the two Constraints?”
“The information will display on your end too, so verify for yourself. Even I can’t tamper with the System.”
[The Demon God Helord has offered Eriel Atlantis a 1-Star Subordinate Contract.]
[Awaiting the Player’s response…….]
I alternated my gaze between the hologram and Eriel’s reaction.
Eriel’s expression had hardened into something fearsome as he carefully scanned the information hovering before him, then promptly tapped accept.
It was a bold choice, given how cautious he’d been until now.
“Congratulations on becoming my Subordinate.”
I drew him into an embrace as though welcoming him, parting the ornate flame-patterned jacket.
Eriel flinched and began to protest, asking what I was doing—but fell silent the moment he heard my words.
“Becoming my Subordinate isn’t simple. You don’t just tap accept and call it done. You must offer blood—blood befitting a sacrifice dedicated to evil.”
Eriel clenched his jaw, his hands balling into fists.
He looked humiliated.
‘This is your choice, Eriel.’
I licked his flawless skin, numbing the sensation, then pierced it with my fangs and drank deep.
From the punctured skin poured blood dark as fine wine, rich and crimson.
Eriel’s blood was so hot it burned my tongue, bitter and acrid on the taste.
It felt less like drinking blood than swallowing poison.
And as it slid down my throat, it turned glacial cold.
Eriel’s blood spreading through my body was sharp as shards of ice.
It felt as though witch’s fingernails were clawing through my belly.
A peculiar flavor rose through my nostrils.
A salt-tinged, briny smell—strange for a human, carrying the scent of the sea.
‘An unusual taste.’
I released him with a soft sniff.
Eriel stepped back as though he’d been waiting for this moment, breathing heavily.
Unlike Michael, who had trembled violently, blushed crimson, and wept, Eriel trembled with rage.
His eyes held contempt—directed at me, who had inflicted this sensation upon him.
“Once is enough, isn’t it?”
I cradled my full belly and sprawled out languorously.
“Don’t worry. This is where it ends.”
On cue, a triumphant fanfare erupted.
Pah-pah-pah-poom~!
[Eriel Atlantis has become a Subordinate of the Demon God!]
[Eriel Atlantis has become a One-Star Rank Subordinate.
A mage who once walked the path of wisdom, corrupted by the lust for dark power, has had their class changed.]
Ting!
[Congratulations! You have promoted one studious mage to the class of Fallen Sage!]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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