Chapter 780
“What did you just say?”
Raon glared at Wrath, who had dropped from the sky.
“Are you saying Sia’s soul is inside this orc?”
“I don’t know if it’s Sia or whoever, but there is definitely a human soul lodged within this orc’s soul.”
Wrath nodded his thick chin firmly, emphasizing his certainty.
“If you kill this orc, the human soul will perish along with it!”
He furrowed his brows, warning Raon not to harm the orc.
“Is this true?”
Raon turned to the Green King, his brows knitted.
“……”
The Green King remained silent, raising his broken stone sword. His crimson aura flared above his determined eyes, signaling his intent to fight to the end.
“Haa…”
Raon’s hand, gripping the [Heavenly Drive], trembled as he ground his teeth. Knowing Wrath wouldn’t lie, he realized he couldn’t continue this fight.
“What are you thinking?”
“…Only to protect myself.”
The Green King shook his head, claiming that was all.
“You are…”
Raon locked eyes with the Green King’s noble gaze and faltered for a moment.
‘Wait.’
Is that even possible?
Normally, when Eden’s helmet is used, the monster’s soul and the human host’s soul merge, sparking a battle of wills.
He himself had experienced this when he entered Lokta’s mental world and absorbed his soul.
But if Sia’s soul still lingered within the Green King, it meant the merger was incomplete. He needed to investigate further.
“What’s your name?”
Raon lowered the [Heavenly Drive] to the ground and looked at the Green King.
“Murka.”
Unlike with questions about Sia, the Green King answered his name without hesitation.
“Murka?”
“In the human tongue, it means ‘a tree with deep roots.'”
“I expected a king to scoff at the idea of having a name, but that’s surprising.”
Raon smirked lightly, shrugging his shoulders.
“……”
The Green King, still wary, surrounded his broken stone sword with crimson energy.
“My name is Raon Zieghart. I am the brother of the human whose body you now inhabit.”
Raon revealed his identity, closing and opening his eyes calmly.
“Now, can you tell me what happened?”
“I refuse.”
Once again, Murka declined to answer, firmly gripping his broken stone sword.
“I do not trust humans.”
He snarled, baring his teeth as he looked at the charred orc corpses scattered around.
“Hmm…”
Raon exhaled deeply, observing Murka, whose anger only grew.
‘This won’t be easy.’
Murka had claimed he and his kin were deceived by humans, leading to their deaths, and that he had been trapped in this body against his will after his demise.
It was no wonder he couldn’t trust humans.
‘Whooooom!’
Seeing Raon’s tense expression, Murka raised his aura again, assuming they would resume fighting.
However, Raon sheathed the [Heavenly Drive] and lowered his hands entirely.
“I’ve been through something similar, but I probably can’t understand how you feel.”
While he had endured a hellish life under Derus in his past life, he’d learned the value of bonds after his reincarnation.
Murka, on the other hand, had suffered even after death, tormented by Eden. Their pain wasn’t comparable.
“Please. I didn’t even know my sister was alive until recently. I don’t want to cause my family any more pain.”
Raon revealed his sincerity, bowing his head to Murka.
“……”
Murka’s hands trembled briefly, but his resolve didn’t waver, and he didn’t lower his sword.
“Hey! Orc!”
Wrath, looking down at Murka, twisted his lips.
“My vessel is speaking to you! Answer him! Kehlok!”
Wrath, clearly frustrated, furrowed his brows.
“If you don’t open your mouth right now, I’ll turn you into an ice block—”
“Enough.”
Raon grabbed Wrath’s arms and shook his head.
“How will you… uh…”
As Raon tried to restrain Wrath, his strength drained from his body, and he slumped to the ground.
No, it felt more like his soul was weakening.
“Are you okay?”
Wrath hurried behind him, supporting him like a chair. Wrath’s cotton candy-like body was softer than any bed.
“You’re not in a normal state! Kehlok!”
“You’re coughing; doesn’t that make you abnormal too?”
Raon lightly tapped Wrath’s forehead.
“Don’t joke around! If you push yourself any further, you’ll either die or leave a permanent scar on your mental world!”
Wrath shook his head emphatically, urging Raon to stop.
“Also, we still need to try the new ice cream flavor! Kehlok!”
“So that was your goal.”
Raon chuckled faintly, letting out a deep breath.
“You’re right. I’ve been feeling dizzy. Even while fighting, my vision was shaking.”
“The fact that you couldn’t sense the human soul inside that orc proves you weren’t in a normal state. Kehlok!”
Wrath nodded, stating that Raon’s condition had been abnormal since entering the mental world.
“Yeah…”
As Wrath had said, pushing through and fighting wasn’t the right choice. Now, he felt so faint that he could barely stay conscious.
“Murka. I’ll return later. I hope you’ll talk to me then.”
Raon waved to Murka, whose steely gaze didn’t soften, and closed his eyes.
His soul and body completely drained, Raon fell into a deep sleep without even reopening his eyes.
“……”
Wrath set Raon’s fading form down and rose into the air.
‘Whooosh!’
As a blue chill rippled like a lake, Wrath transformed from a giant cotton candy into the Demon King of the Frozen Abyss, his frosty hair cascading like icy waterfalls.
“You are…”
Murka swallowed hard as he gazed at Wrath in his transformed state.
“You’re not human.”
“To think you still believed me to be human even after seeing my earlier blue-cloud form—what a remarkably unbiased orc you are.”
Wrath curled his lips upward, seemingly amused by Murka’s reaction.
“You’ve been deeply scarred by humans, haven’t you? Your soul is brimming with malice and anger, yet you suppress it. That’s impressive.”
Wrath could feel the rage emanating from Murka, enough to almost reach him. Yet Murka chose to suppress his fury instead of expressing it—a feat even human saints or sages could rarely achieve.
“I can trust no human.”
Grinding his teeth, Murka snarled, claiming it wasn’t even worth showing his anger to humans.
“I don’t know your past, but there’s one thing I’m certain of,” Wrath said, lifting a slender finger.
“The young human who disappeared earlier—I know exactly who he is.”
“……”
“He acts strong but is fragile, appears cold but is warm inside. He is nothing like the humans who killed you, resurrected you, and mocked you.”
The Green King stayed silent but slowly lowered his stone sword.
“I’m not telling you to accept it now. But you’ll understand it yourself if you experience it.”
Wrath tilted his head slightly, as if asking Murka to observe for himself.
“Ah, what a shame. That cursed brat has disappeared, so I’ll be leaving soon too… ‘Kehlok!'”
Wrath coughed, blood spurting from his mouth. It was a wound to his soul, caused by overexertion to aid Raon.
“Injury is but a badge of honor for a Demon King,” Wrath said with a faint smile, wiping the blood from his mouth.
“Orc. I’ll see you again.”
With a light wave, Wrath closed his eyes.
“I hope you come to enjoy ice cream balls too.”
With those parting words, Wrath vanished from the mental world.
“Haa…”
Murka lowered his stone sword only after Wrath disappeared.
He let out a sigh of relief as he glanced at his feet, which hadn’t moved a single step from where he’d stood.
—
Raon dreamed.
It wasn’t his dream, nor one belonging to a Zieghart ancestor.
He saw not the dead forest he’d encountered in Murka’s mental world, but a massive, vibrant forest full of lush greenery and life.
It seemed his prolonged stay in Murka’s mental world had caused him to witness Murka’s memories in his dreams.
From Murka’s perspective, Raon saw a young human child. The child’s attire and appearance exuded nobility, suggesting a high lineage.
Though humans occasionally wandered into the center of the forest, this was the first time a child had appeared alone.
The child’s torn clothes and the blood of others staining them suggested they had been attacked while traveling and had fled here for safety.
[It’s alright. I won’t hurt you.]
Murka gestured clumsily, trying to reassure the child.
Normally, he would have immediately sent the child away, but fearing that the attackers might return, he decided to bring the child to his tribe.
[Aaaaah!]
The child screamed in fear but eventually understood Murka’s intent and followed him.
The boy, whose name was Eshian, didn’t seem to have grown up as a noble. He played with the orc children, ate with them, and even slept beside them.
Initially worried, the other orcs accepted Eshian as a guest after seeing him blend in so well with the children.
Looking back now, it wasn’t just Murka; even the other orcs’ gazes were filled with kindness.
These orcs felt completely different from the orcs Raon had known.
A month passed.
Knights and mages began appearing near the forest, searching for someone.
Unlike the attackers, these people appeared desperate, clearly searching for the child.
Realizing they were here to find Eshian, Murka asked the boy not to mention the tribe and sent him back.
[Thank you. I’ll repay this kindness someday, sir!]
Eshian thanked Murka and the orcs repeatedly before returning to the human world.
As Raon watched this heartwarming scene, the dream abruptly shifted.
[My King, the humans are destroying the forest.]
An orc shaman, his white beard flowing down, knelt before Murka.
[This is different from before! They’re not just cutting trees or gathering herbs—they intend to destroy the entire forest!]
The shaman raised his fist, insisting they fight before the humans ruined everything.
[Let’s wait and see.]
Murka shook his head calmly, recalling the pure-hearted humans like Eshian and reassuring the orcs.
Time passed.
The humans went beyond the shaman’s warnings, burning trees, slaughtering animals, and destroying the forest’s balance.
[My King!]
[My King!]
The orcs knelt before Murka, urging him to lead them into battle.
[I’ll go speak with them myself.]
Determined to avoid war, Murka went to meet the leader of the humans destroying the forest.
Confident in his command of the human language, he waited behind the largest tent when he saw a familiar blonde youth.
As he caught the youth’s scent, a memory surfaced of the child who had visited the forest 20 years ago.
[Eshian?]
[Murka?]
Eshian appeared flustered but bowed his head with an awkward smile.
[Why are you here…?]
[Ah… to stop this deforestation.]
Eshian explained that he was the illegitimate child of a high-ranking noble and had been attacked while traveling to secure his position as an heir.
He further revealed that the royal family had ordered the forest’s destruction, but he had come to prevent it.
[Thank you.]
Murka nodded at Eshian. He felt relieved that their past bond had led to this moment, averting war.
[Can I visit my old friends?]
[Of course. They’ll all remember you.]
Murka took Eshian to the tribe.
Eshian, reminiscing about his childhood, played with the orcs, ate, drank, and slept among them before departing.
[Don’t worry. I’ll make sure this forest remains safe.]
His final words were so trustworthy, they left no room for doubt.
It seemed Eshian had indeed kept his promise; the human encampments disappeared, and for two months, not even the shadow of a person was seen in the forest.
As Murka thought it was finally over and instructed the orcs to return to their usual lives, the entire forest erupted into flames, and the sound of hundreds of galloping hooves echoed down paths only orcs knew.
Humans had come.
They had set the forest ablaze and sent knights down the secret trails used only by orcs.
And then—
“Kill these filthy orcs who dare to speak like humans!”
At the forefront of the extermination army sent to massacre the orcs was Eshian, the very person Murka had trusted. His once-pure gaze now burned with hatred as he cut down orc after orc.
Later, Murka learned the truth. Eshian needed accomplishments to secure his position as his family’s heir, and he had chosen the deforestation of the forest and the extermination of the orcs to achieve that.
The boy who once transcended the divide between humans and monsters, who once accepted the goodwill of another soul, had turned into a true monster, consumed by power and greed.
“Protect the children!”
“Shield the king!”
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the orcs were slaughtered while protecting their children, trying to halt the flames, or defending their powerless king.
“Raaaahhh!”
For the first time, Murka drew his stone sword and charged at the knights. His vision turned red as blood splattered everywhere, mixing with the corpses of humans and orcs alike.
Thanks to the special strength and wisdom of his kind, Murka managed to push the attackers back and drive them out of the forest and into a nearby village.
But there was no time to rest.
Soon, rumors spread that it wasn’t humans who had attacked the orcs, but orcs who had attacked the human village.
This brought the continent’s strongest warriors descending upon the forest.
For every ten humans who died, a hundred orcs perished.
For every hundred humans who died, a thousand orcs perished.
The once-vibrant forest, full of life, was soon covered in the shadow of death.
After sending the young orcs who hadn’t yet awakened their wisdom down a hidden path, Murka stayed behind with his warriors in the forest.
Even then, they continued to follow him, this foolish and naive king, as if he were still their rightful ruler.
‘Rumble!’
Before Murka could even apologize to his followers, the humans’ heroes broke through the forest’s barriers and charged in.
“Graaaaaah!”
Swinging his cracked stone sword, Murka let out a thunderous roar, directing his fury at humanity and the world.
“My name is Murka! The most foolish king in existence!”
After that, his vision was painted red.
—
“Haaah!”
Raon sat up abruptly, his eyes wide open.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead from the vividness of the dream, as though he had experienced it himself.
‘So that’s what happened to him…’
Now he understood why Murka couldn’t trust humans.
Humanity had repaid his warm-hearted compassion with the blade of betrayal. If it had been Raon—no, had he been in Murka’s place—he would have annihilated the humans of the continent without hesitation.
‘This won’t be easy.’
After witnessing Murka’s past, Raon realized it would be incredibly difficult to win his trust. But he couldn’t give up, not for Sylvia or Rektar.
– “You’re finally awake, huh? ‘Kehlok.'”
Wrath climbed onto Raon’s bracelet, coughing dryly.
– “This Demon King is starving! Hurry and get up so we can eat!”
Wrath grumbled, claiming he was so hungry his belly was sticking to his back.
‘Hmm, still looks pretty plump to me.’
Raon grabbed Wrath’s chubby cheeks and stretched them, tilting his head in mock thought.
– “Silence! This Demon King is far too noble to let hunger show outwardly! ‘Kehlok!'”
Wrath furrowed his brows, urging Raon to get up.
‘Fine, fine. I’ll get up.’
Raon chuckled lightly and started to rise when—
[You have awakened the aura of <True Wrath>.]
[You have defeated an overwhelming opponent.]
[You have achieved an impossible feat.]
[All stats have…]
[Traits…]
A string of messages appeared, announcing increases in his stats and traits, as though tallying up all his recent achievements.
– “Damn it all!”
Wrath shook with frustration as he read the messages.
– “I was already starving, and now it feels like my stomach is turning inside out! ‘Kehlok!'”
Wrath waved his pudgy hands furiously, shouting indignantly.
– “You truly enjoy tormenting this Demon King endlessly!”
‘The growth messages are nice, but…’
Raon dismissed the notifications and climbed out of bed.
‘I have more important things to do first.’
