Chapter 6. A Veteran's Trick (2)

Tta-bwam!

In an instant, the outerwear vanished like a flash.

Exposed flesh revealed like a distant dream.

Kim Jangcheol's entire body burrowed into the pixelated surface of the coastal cliff. He was firmly wedged in. Only the soft cheeks of his rice cake-like butt were gently sticking out. A passing sea breeze hurriedly turned back. A seagull mid-flight instinctively shut its eyes.

That was exactly how Zephyros and the Four Heavenly Kings felt.

"...!"

None of them could believe their eyes. The cliff on the coast, deemed absolutely unscalable. The site of death where countless challengers had all perished.

And yet, he was up there like that...

'So... embarrassing...!'

Zephyros, the first to grasp the situation(?), clenched his teeth without realizing it. Delicate blood veins stood faintly in his eyes.

Understandable.

Why, of all days, was the sun shining so brightly today? Because of blinding sunlight, the Demon King Credos's butt looked so smooth and bouncy. And somehow, the shame ended up being his to bear.

The Four Heavenly Kings felt the same.

'What the hell! Pervert! Nasty! Disgusting!'

'What is... that!'

'Gulp.'

Sirgi's face flushed red with embarrassment. Hartok's eyes were wide with shock. Baal unconsciously swallowed hard with tension.

All of them thought the same thing at once.

The Demon King Credos, succeeding in what was thought to be absolutely impossible. His back—radiating confidence and grandeur—was so pale... no, so luscious... no, so poofy... anyway! It was, in many senses, incredible(?).

But Kim Jangcheol didn't care at all for their impressions. In truth, he had no time to mind them. The cliff-climbing method that exploited a game system bug was just getting started.

'...First stage complete!'

Huff!

He exhaled sharply through his nose.

To say he wasn't nervous at all would be a lie. He'd discovered and developed this method after hundreds of in-game attempts with his character, but this was his first time trying it with his actual body.

Still, he succeeded in the first step—latching onto the cliff—without issue.

So what's next?

'Turn and equip!'

He flipped his body like a seafood pancake. His butt now faced the cliff. His front side faced Zephyros and the Four Heavenly Kings.

At the same time, he selected the "Equip/Unequip All" option in the inventory menu.

Tta-bwam!

A perfect equip timing.

His runaway clothes returned. They wrapped around his whole body. Just before his shameful front was completely exposed, it was narrowly concealed by his clothes.

At the same time, his body lurched upward. As if an invisible hand was lifting him. Still half-submerged in the pixelated cliff surface.

'One step up! Then turn and unequip!'

Ttabwam!

He flipped again, like a pancake. Facing the cliff now. While flipping, he tapped the unequip menu. His rice cake-like butt jiggled in the sea breeze. Simultaneously, his body lurched upward again. As if pushed by an unseen hand.

'Good, it's working!'

A triumphant smile crept up on Kim Jangcheol's lips.

He was sure of it.

He was doing it.

He would succeed.

Just like that one day, during his 13th playthrough.

'I…!'

He'd died countless times. Right here. Challenging the impossible again and again. But he had never given up.

He just wanted to climb the cliff, no matter what.

Why?

It was simple.

Because he was curious.

A cliff that supposedly no one could ever climb. He wanted to know what was up there. Maybe he'd missed a hidden item. Maybe there was a secret event or a passage.

So he challenged it. Over and over.

Died,

and died again.

He tested hundreds of routes. Of course, he kept failing. But he didn't give up. If it doesn't work, you keep trying until it does. With that in mind, he tried everything imaginable. Thanks to that, he found a way. In the end, he'd conquered the cliff.

Just like now.

'Success.'

...Churk!

Kim Jangcheol stood tall atop the cliff.

Like a ruler.

He gazed down at Zephyros and the Four Heavenly Kings on the land across from the cliff.

Seeing that, Zephyros couldn't help but be impressed.

'...Brazen.'

To think he scaled the cliff with such an embarrassing method, and then stood proudly at the top as if nothing had happened.

And yet, it was awe-inspiring.

'What kind of bizarre magic is that?'

Hartok, standing beside Zephyros, frowned. He had hoped that Credos would fall to his death from the cliff. Or that if he got stuck, he'd be able to strike the finishing blow. But things had turned out differently.

Worse yet, the technique Credos used was downright uncanny. A spell that moved by undressing and embedding into the cliff? Was this some new kind of magic Credos had secretly developed? How were they supposed to counter something like that?

His head began to throb.

'...Ugh, my eyes!'

Sirgi, standing beside Hartok, gritted her teeth. She wanted to gouge out the eyes that had just witnessed something unspeakable. She desperately wished to return to the Demon King's castle, to her ice cave, where she could soothe her mind by touching her neatly organized ice orbs.

She turned her head, praying to be free of this cursed place.

And then she saw it.

Baal, next to her, was stretching his body and stepping forward.

"Hmm?"

That muscle brute—what was he doing? Was he actually preparing to leap toward the cliff?

…That was the moment she wondered.

"Baal is hungry. Can't take it anymore. Looks like there's a lot to eat up there."

"What?"

Where?

Surely not… the top of the cliff?

Sirgi genuinely wanted to ask.

But Baal didn't answer. He simply raised his stony gaze toward the cliff.

"....."

Crack...!

Suddenly, it came to him.

He'd once been here before. The coastal cliff beyond the swirling sea. He had once hoped that if he could just climb it, he might be able to devour a Hell Seagull's egg.

But he gave up.

He was scared.

He lacked confidence.

In the end, he had no choice but to retreat.

But now, the story was different.

"Baal saw the path Credos climbed. If Baal copies it, Baal can climb too. If Baal climbs, Baal can eat. Will catch a seagull."

"What the...?"

Sirgi furrowed her brow.

Ttook!

Baal sprinted. He picked up speed. He pushed off the ground. His body launched.

...Fwaaaah!

He soared through the air.

"Lord Baal!"

Zephyros's urgent cry rang out too late. The cliff quickly approached. He stretched his hand. The same spot where Credos had clung earlier.

'Baal will do it!'

He was so hungry.

He couldn't take it anymore.

Honestly, he felt like he was going to die.

He was sick of starving. He had to climb. Then he could feel full. Then he could be happy.

Kwa-jek!

Baal's massive hand drove into the side of the cliff. No, it tried to.

Tskkng—!

A transparent barrier overlaying the cliff deflected Baal's hand. He couldn't break through. Like a beetle hitting a glass wall, his hand slid off.

"......!"

He frantically reached again. But it was no use. He slid off helplessly. His heart dropped. His body plummeted. Regret and despair washed over him. His vision went dark.

'I've... failed.'

Am I... falling like this?

I don't want to die like this.

I hate ending it this way even more.

But I don't have any more options—

...Thunk!

Suddenly, a shock slammed into his shoulder and arm, like they were about to be torn off.

Startled, Baal looked up.

And because of that, he saw it.

"Cre... dos…?"

The Demon King, Credos.

Half-buried in the cliffside, he was grabbing Baal's arm with one hand. And he shouted furiously.

"Hey! Are you out of your mind?!"

"....."

"What? You saw the way I climbed up? So you figured if you copied it, it'd work? Are you serious right now?! You think you can do it just by watching once, huh?!"

"Cre..."

"Ugh, damn, you're so heavy. Quit squirming!"

"....."

Baal went quiet.

Kim Jangcheol's face, as he held on to the guy, was turning beet red.

'…Damn, seriously, this bastard's insanely heavy!'

He'd grabbed him on reflex.

Unfortunately, of all the Four Heavenly Kings, Baal had the most massive build. And now he had to hold him up with one hand? Honestly, it felt like his arm was going to rip clean off.

And as for himself?

He still wasn't fully used to the body of Demon King Credos. He couldn't draw out its full strength. The grip in his hand was starting to fade.

'Ghhk...! I can't... hold on much longer...!'

This was the limit.

No more willpower, no more mental strength. A cold wall of reality that couldn't be overcome no matter how hard he tried.

And part of him, selfishly, began to think:

'Besides, let's be real... these Four Heavenly Kings bastards—given the chance, they'd definitely try to kill me... right?'

So letting one of them drop here wouldn't be that bad.

So,

'Don't blame me.'

This is all on you for acting recklessly—

"......"

Just then, Kim Jangcheol froze, unconsciously.

What.

Why are you looking up at me with those eyes?

Why that face, like you're about to cry.

Why are you making my heart soften?

Why are you doing this?

Why are you bringing back memories I wanted to forget.

He was thrown off.

In the very moment he was about to let go of Baal's hand. The moment their eyes met. He saw, to his surprise, a tearful, pleading expression looking up at him.

And he couldn't bring himself to let go.

"......."

He felt it.

That he was just hungry.

That he couldn't take it anymore.

That he just wanted to climb up and help.

So please, don't let go of this hand.

Please, just give it one more try.

Like that evening last year he'd nearly forgotten. The face of a junior in the lab, teary-eyed and pleading because the professor wouldn't look at her thesis.

She just wanted to submit it.

She said she couldn't wait any longer.

So she begged like this.

Asked him, her older labmate, to say something to the professor.

Just once, since the professors liked him.

So what did he do…

What else?

He refused.

Because he was scared. Because, in the end, he was just another grad school slave. Afraid that stepping up would put him in the professor's bad books. That he'd be penalized somehow.

He'd given up, telling himself that the harsh wall of reality couldn't be helped, no matter how hard he tried. Making excuses to himself.

He'd let go of that junior's hand, that day.

So why now…

Baal.

Why do you have that same look on your face?

"...Ha."

Honestly, it was ridiculous.

To feel this useless sympathy at a moment like this. But there was no helping it. Not with those eyes looking up at him. Those tearful, glistening eyes. He just couldn't bring himself to let go.

So—

"...Hold on tight, you bastard."

He braced his entire body. He clenched his grip. He pulled him up. He felt blood rushing to his head. Like his arm was about to snap. Pain. Agony.

Crack!

A strange sound came from his elbow. His vision went black. He tried not to let go. More. Just a little more. One more time. Up. Higher.

".....Uaaaagh!"

Fwaak...!

He hurled Baal upward. The giant figure momentarily blocked out the sun with his shadow. He soared overhead, and crashed down onto the cliff top.

"...Krrgh!"

The big guy tumbled, crying out in pain.

Only after seeing that did Kim Jangcheol finally let out a breath.

"Phew, huff... huff... you dumbass... were you really that hungry..."

"......"

Maybe he was reflecting on his reckless action. Baal, despite his huge frame, was now fidgeting awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

The sight made Kim Jangcheol let out a bitter chuckle.

And at the same time, he felt an odd, inexplicable warmth swell in his chest.

"....."

At least this time, he didn't let go.

What if he had done the same back then...

Feeling relieved but also strange, Kim Jangcheol collapsed onto the ground. He was exhausted. He just wanted to catch his breath, even if just for a moment.

But then it happened.

...Ding-dong!

A sudden, crisp chime rang out as if it echoed across the whole world, smacking his eardrums. And then, unexpected messages began popping up one after another in front of his eyes.

[Despite not being fully adapted to the body of Demon King Credos, you poured out all your strength.]

[As a result, you've earned the sincere gratitude of Baal, one of the key figures of the Demon King's army.]

[In recognition of this achievement, a new system has been unlocked: every time you bring full-bellied happiness to your Demon King army subordinates, you will be awarded significant points.]

[The Happy Point system has been activated.]

"...What?"

Kim Jangcheol's eyes widened.

This was the first moment—his encounter with the unprecedented stepping stone that would one day raise him beyond even Demon Kings… to the rank of Demon God.