The more I swim, the more I’m sinking.

“I feel like shit.”

I felt tired, yet I haven't done anything all day.

Knock knock.

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?!” a concerned muffled voice outside my door asked. “You’ve been in your room for quite a while now. Come down and get something to eat.”

Silence.

“I’m not hungry.”

The innkeeper sighed. “Do you have something weighing on your mind? You can talk to me.”

I pulled my blankets over my head. I regret and I feel— I feel like shit and I hate myself for feeling that way.

‘I would probably be better off dead.’

I couldn’t do anything and I don’t want to do anything, so I just slept. When I’m not asleep, I stare blankly at the ceiling in self-thought.

There is a constant war going on in my head where I want to get up and out of my slump but I feel like I have no energy. I tried to convince myself that I’d snap out of it by next spring, next summer.

But next spring turned to next summer turned to next fall, and on and on and on and on.

The other night, I had a dream. I was in a void, floating yet falling. Distorted voices whispered at me—tormented me—my victims.

Like seriously, I died to this asshole?

Fuck, I really need to get a hold of myself.

I woke up but the words stuck with me. I glance outside. It’s dusk.

The same words kept repeating in my head, repeating like a broken record.

That I’m worthless. That I’m hopeless.

Then I got angry.

‘What the fuck does she know about me? What right does she get to judge me??’

[New title forcibly applied : Demon Lord Candidate]

…?

[Demon Lord Candidate]

Conditions for evolution :

Devour the essence of a divine being (1/1)

Collect 10,000 souls (10,846/10,000)

Desecrate a holy relic (0/1)

(???/???)

[Seed (???)]

Feed a soul to the seed for a temporary random power boost.

Effect scales with the quality of the soul.

‘Ah, he must’ve been the pope candidate. At least there’s that.’

In the midst of my slump, I had ignored all the system messages.

I blinked.

‘Did I really kill all those people?’

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

I tried to recall the people I’ve killed, but I couldn’t recall their faces. Was it really all justified In self-defense? I really had stopped caring a long time ago.

A wave of nausea washed over me. Once again, I want to deny it, but the system doesn’t lie—rather, it only forced me to face the truth.

Perhaps out of hope, or maybe desperation, I prayed.

For hours and hours, I prayed fervently.

‘Ah, fuck, what am I doing? I can’t just sit on my ass and expe-’

Click.

A cheery voice answered. “Hello, prayer department speaking, how may I help you?”

In the background, I heard ringing and the furious clacking of keys.

For a moment I was stumped. It was wishful thinking, I didn’t think I would actually get an answer, so I didn’t know what to say.

“Hello? Hello??? I know you’re there!”

I hesitated. “Can I ask you something?”

…

“What is the point of living? I feel like a waste of space and oxygen.”

Silence.

I heard a deep sigh from the other side. “Well, sometimes we feel happy. Sometimes we feel sad. But what’s important is that we move on, just like life moves on. If you don’t get up, you'll get left behind.”

A soft laugh.

“Oh, and before we part—a gift.”

[Clear Mind]

Sharp increase in resistance to mental attacks.

I jolted upright.

For the first time In a long time, I left my room.

A delicious smell wafted across the inn, filled with the idle chatter of adventurers. The innkeeper silently sat down a loaf of crusty bread and a thick potato soup in front of me.

“About time you got up! You almost missed dinner. She frowned. “You need to take better care of yourself!”

I smiled to myself, eating the stew hungrily. How nice it is to feel alive again.

[Precognition]

Head to the west.

A short, yet cryptic message. With no better plan, I walked. I could’ve flown, but then I’d miss sniffing random flowers along the way.

The atmosphere grew darker, with the air growing colder, charged with an eerie stillness. The well worn roads became forgotten trails. Storm clouds churned in the distance. Black crows gathered and perched on twisted branches, judging me silently.

After weeks of walking on foot, a dilapidated castle loomed on the horizon.

I hesitated before the imposing iron gate before calming my nerves. The heavy iron doors groaned in response as I pushed it open.

“Heyyy um, is anyone home?” I called out, my voice echoing through the empty halls.

My ears perked up, picking up muffled voices arguing behind the door at the end of the hallway.

‘Jeez this castle is dirty.’

The castle was in ruins. The paint peeled from the walls, cracked and faded with age. The carpets are shredded and cakes with dust. Cobwebs draped from dim chandeliers, casting a dim, ghastly glow.

Desecrate a holy relic (1/1)

I snorted. ‘Was this place so filthy that it counted as desecration??’

The door creaked open.

…?

A well-dressed butler banged his fists against a mana shield.

“Get…. Up!!!” he shouted, kicking the barrier.

He began releasing a stream of obscenities.

“FUCKKK, my leg!”

Under the mountain of blankets, a girl shifted.

“Nggnnn,” she replied, snuggling deeper into her blankets. “Can you be quiet..?”

I blinked in disbelief.

“Hey uhh, what's going on??”

They paused momentarily, finally noticing me.

“I don’t want to be the Demon Lord anymore,” she complained with a pleading voice. “Can you take over for me…?”

(???/???)

Approval of the current Demon Lord (1/1)

[Success! Race evolving into the next Demon Lord!]

A dark miasma surged around me. The castle shook. The walls buckled, partially collapsing.

He dusted the debris off his suit with a cough.

He turned to the girl hiding under the blankets.

“I suppose that settles it.”

He walked over to me and extended a hand towards me with practiced politeness. “Hello, my name is Bernard. I look forward to working with you.”

I eyed his hand warily before I reluctantly accepted the handshake.

From beneath the mountain of blankets, a muffled voice mumbled, “And I’m known as Asmodeus… Nice to meet you… I guess.”

Asmodeus—a vampire. Bernard—her faithful ghoul attendant.

With a dramatic sigh and a yawn, a muffled voice spoke up. “I never wanted the responsibility, I just want to go back to sleep…”

I stared at this ridiculous sight before me.

“...Sooooo, the Demon Lord isn’t dead, but just a NEET?” I muttered, facepalming. “I heard so much about the war but uh, this is surprising.”

Bernard cleared his throat, glaring at the mountains of blankets.

A pair of crimson-red eyes peeked out from underneath the blankets. She waved at me lazily.

“It’s sooo boring,” she whined. “Do you have any idea how boring it is to rule over a territory for centuries? And it’s not like anything is going to change.”

Then without another word, she promptly slumped over and went back to sleep, still maintaining her mana shield.

Bernard sighed, rubbing his temples. “Allow me to explain.”

He gestured towards the decrepit balcony. Beyond the broken marble railing, I could see the outskirts beyond the Demon Lord’s castle—a sprawling settlement of makeshift homes and cottages. A village of monsters.

“They call this place home,” Bernard said, glancing over the scene. “You see, us demons and monsters outside of our territory are the progressive faction—we push for change so we may continue our simple way of life.”

I gazed at the peaceful scene below. Creatures of all shapes and sizes bustled about—some gathered around a bonfire telling stories, while others carried baskets of fruits to dry in preparation of winter.

“These people call this place home,” he continued. “They refused to continue running. They are intelligent—they simply wish to live their own lives, but the coalition refused to see them as anything other than monsters.”

I nodded as he turned to me with a somber expression.

“Which is why it is the Demon Lord’s responsibility to lead them,” Bernard said, glancing at Asmodeus still curled up in bed. “Although she may seem young and childish, she has lived for centuries. As a high-borne vampire, she requires long periods of rest sleep, with strength fluctuating with the moon’s phases.”

Bernard paused for a brief moment, his fierce gaze boring into me. “That, among other… Reasons why she is unable—no—unwilling—to continue ruling over them. I will not see my people suffer.”

He cleared his throat with a cough. ”Do you have what it takes to be the next Demon Lord?”

I exhaled slowly. “Yes,” I said, my voice steady. “Yes I do.”