Read Novel Full Chapter 336
Chapter 336
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Chapter 336 – King of Monsters
First, I flew down to the lower ground of the base. Come morning, I called out to the person I was looking for.
“Zeo, sorry. Got a sec?”
“Wh…what? Is that a goblin next to you?”
Zeo, who had been working by the lake since morning, turned around. His eyes were unusually wide with surprise.
It’s no wonder he was shocked. Standing next to me was a goblin nearly two meters tall—the kind that definitely shouldn’t be in the base.
Advertisement“Yeah, I brought a monster that I’m commanding for the first time. His name’s Gen.”
“Hmph, still as versatile as ever. Next up is Monster Command, I see.”
“Yep. Gen, this is my comrade, the real Demon King I mentioned earlier.”
“?”
“This person… also has black magic power?”
“Yeah, just speak normally. Zeo, could you show him some of your magic? Gen’s saying something interesting.”
“I don’t mind doing that.”
Zeo was currently wearing two accessories that were imbued with Maximum Magic Power Increase.
Unlike before, he effortlessly materialized black magic power covering his hand.
Gen silently watched the scene, and I stared intently at him.
“Amazing. Two Demon Kings. Who would’ve thought that?”
“…Is this Gen fellow judging anyone with black magic power to be a Demon King?”
“Yeah, did you use Beast Speech Comprehension, too, Zeo?”
“Yes, I was curious about what Loki was saying.”
Advertisement“It really is strange, isn’t it? It started when I used a healing spell on Gen. How did the monsters dwelling deep in the forest even learn of the Demon King’s existence? Isn’t that bizarre?”
“I see. So that’s what you meant by ‘interesting.’”
Zeo must have noticed this sense of unease, too.
Narrowing his eyes, he stared at Gen, who might know something. Seemingly unaware, the latter began speaking.
“How? I don’t know. I just knew. I knew from the start about the Demon King. Just like I know that monsters can be commanded by humans.”
“Not from hearing it from someone, but from the very beginning… So it’s like instinct?”
“Hmm…”
Close, but not quite. That’s the impression I get.
If it were instinct, it would be connected to a simple, short-sighted desire, like getting hungry and eating. But being commanded isn’t something monsters would naturally desire.
It’s obvious because it involves the process of “agreement.” The fact that he knew it anyway suggests that it’s more like a “memory”—or, from a gaming perspective, a programmed “setting.”
Are monsters, unlike humans, linked by a collective memory as some sort of hive mind?
Or are their memories implanted when they’re created?
AdvertisementIn this world, where monsters respawn and boss rooms reset, both seem plausible.
“Do you understand your own origins, Gen? Like, how you came to be in this world?”
“I don’t know. I just woke up, standing and looking at the sky.”
“I see. Why did you think I was the Demon King? I suppose the black magic was the trigger, but even the goblin mages in that hunting ground emit black magic when they cast spells, don’t they?”
“Humans don’t have black magic. Black magic belongs only to monsters. It’s the mark of a monster.”
“So you thought I was the Demon King because I used black magic?”
“No, Master used black magic, so I thought you were a monster like me. A sentient being controlled and transformed into me. You’re above those terrifying awakened beings that exist for some reason. So, you must be the king of monsters.”
“Ah, so ‘Demon King’ means ‘King of Monsters.’”
“I see…”
It seemed I wasn’t the only one who understood. Zeo grasped it, too, and his shoulders slumped.
We had suspected that the surviving demons might have left some information about the “Demon King” to monsters—we’d considered that possibility.
We thought it might be a clue to finding the demons’ whereabouts. But wait, Gen. Isn’t what you just said absolutely insane?
AdvertisementThat terrifying awakened being over there…that means—
“The terrifying awakened being? You mean that pitch-black beast that’s at least twice your size?”
“Yeah. For some reason, us goblins don’t get eaten. But the stronger ones? Lots of them get eaten.”
“So it’s about Lokish after all.”
The monsters that the guild and I called ‘higher species’ are called ‘awakened beings’ by the monsters themselves. Beyond that, there’s an evolved form above even the awakened beings.
Is it a being that kills, devours, grows, and uses intelligence to subjugate and rule over monsters?
But if so, some things don’t add up.
Why has there never been a sign of the next stage beyond the Awakened Form—a Demon King—emerging in all of history?
Ril once said that monsters had never destroyed a country.
Even Feeril, who seems like she’d be an expert on this sort of thing, only ever referred to Zeo as the Demon King. Is the Demon King so weak that it can be easily and quietly destroyed?
“Zeo, have you ever heard of anything beyond the Awakened Form that devours monsters to grow?”
“I knew that occasionally monsters capable of growth appeared, but there’s no ‘beyond that.'”
“Hmm… Gen, do you know if such an existence has ever been born? Or what conditions are needed for it to be born?”
Advertisement“I don’t know. All I know is that beyond the awakened form lies an intelligent being that rules. Being ruled is a good thing. That’s all.”
“I see…”
It’s fascinating, but it’s hard to proceed further if Gen and Zeo don’t know.
However, something else became clear from Gen’s words and actions.
They know despite not knowing, meaning it’s highly likely that monsters, including Gen, have predetermined memories implanted like a program from the moment they were created.
If monsters are a collective that shares and inherits memories, then they wouldn’t say they don’t know; they’d simply answer that they don’t know.
If Felza-sama created the monsters, then the knowledge given to them is the truth of this world. Under certain conditions, these intelligent beings should be born.
In this world with its seemingly unfathomable history, what conditions could still exist that haven’t arisen naturally?
Simply becoming an awakened entity and continuing to devour endlessly won’t suffice.
The only likely candidates are items that are excessively difficult to obtain and possess strong uniqueness.
Sigh. Honestly.
This world is full of things I don’t understand.
Advertisement“Huh? Loki, did you notice something funny?”
“Eh? Oh, sorry. Was I laughing?”
“Yeah, you had a funny look on your face.”
“That’s kind of harsh, don’t you think?”
Well, whatever.
It doesn’t seem like we’ll find the answer anytime soon. Besides, that so-called intelligent entity has appropriate safeguards in place.
It’s unlikely that it would suddenly burst into existence and leave the world in ruins.
And one more thing.
“Zeo, I’ll be blunt. The god who created this world didn’t anticipate the existence of an irregular race like ‘demons’. I’m certain of that.”
I didn’t know how far I could push it.
So, I avoided mentioning names and only shared what I thought was safe. Zeo pondered for a moment, then slowly turned his gaze to me.
“…What do you mean?”
“Precisely because I’m not from this world, I have information about how it was formed. Gen, black magic power is the mark of a monster, meaning it’s a characteristic unique to monsters, right?”
Advertisement“Right.”
“Then, do you know of the existence of ‘demons’?”
“No.”
“What about ‘beastmen,’ ‘elves,’ or ‘dwarves’?”
“I know of them.”
“Have you ever met any in person?”
“No, Master was the first human I ever met.”
“Hmm, exactly the answer I expected.”
“So he only doesn’t know about demons…”
“I don’t know if it’s only that. But, precisely because it was unforeseen, even by the great gods, all races except Zeo—whose species was forcibly changed—were erased. I think this is highly likely.”
“…”
“Considering it was right after the war, they must have been strong enough to upset the balance. So, my guess is that they’re ‘isolated’ somewhere.”
If Felza-sama had simply refused to acknowledge the unexpected, ‘adjustments’ would have been made before they could prosper.
AdvertisementIf this were a game, the result of such adjustments would be erasure from the world. Yet, the goddesses told me that they didn’t vanish.
The most realistic conclusion is that they were isolated—precisely because they were too powerful, they must have been removed from the stage.
“Well, even knowing that, the question remains: Where exactly are they ‘isolated’?”
“Hmph. Loki has insights beyond my own. This is also a step forward to be celebrated. I am grateful.”
It’s okay. It’ll be fine.
While traveling the world, I’m bound to encounter many suspicious places.
Surely this is just one of them.
They must be hidden in an exceptionally dangerous yet alluring place.
With these thoughts in mind, I introduced the new resident of our base to Carla and Lodge, who had just woken up.
I introduced “Gen,” a large goblin with a deep green body.
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