It was dark...
...and also cold...
...No, saying that it was just 'dark' and just 'cold' was an insult worthy of at least a hundred deaths by the stabs of a certain pink-haired yandere girl!
What I was feeling right now went far beyond that...
It was like I was being sucked into an abyss, disintegrating into the most fundamental particles of the world, becoming one with the bone-chilling coldness of this abyss – never to see the light of day again.
I couldn't see anything, I couldn't hear anything, I couldn't feel anything...
I didn't even know if I was awake or asleep, didn't know if I was dead or alive.
– Nothing...
Just a tranquil sea of nothingness surrounded me from every angle.
Suddenly, the memories I had kept buried deep within my mind began to surge into my consciousness.
Those days, those experiences, everything that was now lost in time...
'No...!'
I forcefully shook my slowly sinking mind awake.
A cold shiver ran through my back as I realized what was happening. The moment I gave in to this sinking feeling, I would gradually start to lose myself in this sea of darkness.
'What exactly is going on here?'
I wondered absentmindedly.
The last thing I remembered was the lightning arcs engulfing me, and then I passed out...
...no, there was something else there...on the game screen...was it a quest windo—?
*CRACK* *CRACK*
Before I could ponder on my thoughts alone for a while longer, a loud creaking noise rudely interrupted my thoughts.
*CRRRAAAACCCKKKK—!*
With that final eardrum bursting noise, a huge fissure suddenly appeared in the dark abyss I was floating in.
An otherworldly light seeped in from the incredibly large fissure in the abyssal darkness, slowly but surely expanding the gap, before...
*BOOOOOOM–!*
...everything around me just...exploded!
"SERIOUSLY NOW?!"
My outraged voice was instantly overwhelmed by the booming explosion as I hastily braced for the deadly incoming blow!
"Huh...?"
...but the blow never came, and neither did any shockwave from the explosion.
I only felt a slight breeze on my skin before my feet finally touched some grass...
...
...
'...wait, grass?'
Lowering down my arms that I had previously brought in front of my head to survive the explosion, I opened my eyes and immediately looked down at my feet.
There, instead of the usual dirty floor of my apartment or the half-maintained roads of my neighborhood, I saw a completely alien sight.
What I had thought to be healthy green grass, actually turned out to be thin blood-colored roots spread across the ground like spiderwebs!
Following the dry and thin root system with my eyes, I saw an even more startling sight just a few meters away from me.
...An eerie-looking dark crimson vine stood there silently, spreading out its roots far and wide in a deserted field. Wherever I looked, I could only see a dark crimson haze lingering in the air, obstructing me from seeing anything that lay further in the distance.
"...Where the hell am I...?"
My eyebrows immediately furrowed.
The disturbing sight in front of me was enough to make me ditch any plans of playfully messing around.
As I didn't finish my high-school and didn't touch a single textbook for a long time, I wasn't very knowledgeable about all the technology-stuff going on in my home world.
But even if I was comparable to a caveman in terms of techy stuff, I still had enough brains to at least understand that whatever just happened to me was definitely something 'supernatural'!
After all, this place was definitely not my apartment, neither was it my neighborhood, nor my hometown... and not even my home world...
This was...
*Dringgg~*
[Welcome to 'Saga of the Eternal Heroes'!]
"...wha..t?"
Out of nowhere, accompanied by a sudden ringing sound, a bluish translucent window flashed in front of my eyes – with a strange message written on it.
*Ping~*
[You have unlocked a hidden route!]
[Unlocking hidden chapter: The Demon King's Perspective!]
[The Demon King's Perspective | Initializing… 10%... 30%... 70%... 100%]
[The Demon King's Perspective | Initialization Complete!]
Window after window flashed by, while my eyes were still stuck at the first window, trying to wrap my head around what it was saying.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
...I really didn't know what to think anymore.
I had thought my life was already ridiculous enough. But no, apparently, it wasn't nearly ridiculous enough!
I'm inside a game, you say...?
*Ping~*
[Please open your status screen to start your new game!]
Hearing that pinging noise again, I finally took notice of the new notifications constantly flashing in front of me.
As I went through all the accumulated windows, I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at the clear message they were conveying.
This... surely wasn't some sort of elaborate, divine prank now, was it?
"...Hey, who the hell are you?"
[…]
As expected, there was no response.
Could the cheap-ass game console I had in my apartment transport me into a game world?
The answer would most definitely be a resounding 'NO'!
Then, what were the chances of it emitting human-sized lightning arcs…?
As far as I knew, there was simply none.
Finally, the possibilities of entering a game world after being struck by a random electric shock?
...Hmm, if it was the legendary Truck-kun that struck me, I might have believed it, but a random electric shock? No way!
"...Hey, I promise that I won't get angry if you come clean now. Why don't we exchange greetings between each other at least, yeah?"
But no matter who it was, it was always better for me to reason with them before throwing a tantrum. We were all civilized people here, after all.
*Ping~*
[Please open your status screen to start your new game!]
"..."
[...]
"...Oh, come on! At least introduce yourself! It's a basic courtesy to introduce yourself when you kidnap someone! Did your parents never teach you any manners?!"
*Ping~*
[Please open your status screen to start your new game!]
'You little...'
Hearing the familiar pinging sound again, a thick vein bulged on my temple.
…
…
Over the next half an hour or so, I tried everything that I could in order to get a proper response out of the 'shy' person manipulating the game-like windows in front of me.
Unfortunately, nothing seemed to be working, and I was quickly running out of ideas.
'...Dammit. Yeah, let's just give up on civility. Who needs that stuff here anyway?'
*Sigh...*
"...Oi, you can hear me just fine, can't you? I know you've watched a little too much anime, but what you're doing ain't funny at all, my friend. Kidnapping random gamers from their home isn't nice at all. Even if you're a minor, you could still go to jail and—"
*Ping~*
[Just shut up and open your status screen, damn it!]
As soon as I saw that message, I pointed at the translucent window in front of me with wide eyes and shouted.
"I knew it! So you WERE spying on me! At least we can now share an emotional moment together! Now do you want to talk with me and fix all your mistakes?"
[...]
"..."
I waited for another response, but the person who was manipulating the system window seemed a bit upset.
"...Yes? No?"
[...]
"Hello...? Anyone there~?"
*Dringgg~*
[New Quest Generated!]
-------QUEST WINDOW-------
>> ■■■■■■'s Quest: Hidden Route Playthrough!
>> Quest Description: Your incredible playstyle in completing 'Saga of the Eternal Heroes' has inspired and impressed a Great Existence. Thanks to their grace, you have now been allowed to unlock and play the hidden route of the sealed character: The Demon King!
✦ Be aware that it is a great honor to be selected by the Great Existence and refusing their goodwill is a blasphemy worthy of the most terrible execution!
>> Clear Condition: Open your status screen by mouthing the word 'Status'.
>> Rewards: Your Life, Access to the Player Assistance System!
>> Failure Penalty: Soul Annihilation.
-------------------------------
[Note: Denying the quest will automatically mark it as a failure and the failure penalty will apply!]
⇒ [ Accept / Deny ]
"..."
After not doing what I was told for so long, it was hardly a surprise when such a ridiculous Quest window suddenly popped up.
...After all, there was a reason I didn't immediately shout "Status" like an idiot when I first discovered that I was transported into a game!
Doing something like that may seem pretty harmless on the surface, but that's exactly why it could easily be turned into an insidious trap. It was like a vampire innocently asking you permission to enter your house, when you didn't even know such beings existed!
'No way I'm letting that happen anytime soon...!'
But as I read through the quest window, my eyes suddenly stopped at a specific part.
[Failure Penalty: Soul Annihilation.]
'...well, shit.'
I understood that someone wanted something from me, and they kidnapped me from my living room for that reason...
'...but, what is this ridiculous thing?'
Not only was such a ridiculous thing listed as the failure penalty in the quest window, but the one behind this system window even gave me a clear warning.
– [Note: Denying the quest will automatically mark it as a failure and the failure penalty will apply!]
What? It didn't matter if I disagreed? I only had the option to accept or die?
The sheer absurdity of the matter completely wiped away my earlier playful and frivolous expression from my face.
'But, I was being polite just now, wasn't I? I didn't even start roasting their ancestors yet...'
With a completely blank face, I faced the translucent window that described the quest reward and failure penalty.
I understand that you must be some sort of a God or something similar – very powerful and all to set up this kind of situation for me. But that doesn't mean you have the right to lord over everything and talk so rudely to someone you practically kidnapped in the middle of their gaming session!
And even if you really had to kidnap someone, did it have to be me? After all, even my co-worker played that same game, you know?
Was it really a wise choice for you to kidnap this good-old 'ME' to your own world? Even after checking my track record...?
Or...
...did this guy really not know, 'perchance'?
Heh...
Hehe...
Hehehehe...
Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe....
Deep inside my mind, a burst of completely deranged laughter resounded from an unknown corner.
...was my damned illness acting up again?
Damn it, where am I going to get my medicines from in this deserted place?!
Fortunately, my face didn't reveal a single hint of such a disgraceful act going on inside my head. At least my self-discipline hadn't failed me yet!
"...Still, 'Soul Annihilation', huh? Hm~"
Even if he wanted to threaten me, wasn't this a bit too terrifying? What kind of higher being gives death threats willy-nilly to a poor old mortal guy like me?
"Not to mention, calling yourself a 'Great Existence'....What an honor to...uh...interact with you, Your Excellency!"
My lips unknowingly twisted, exposing the white rows of teeth underneath. An unnatural smile belonging to an abomination slowly spread across my face.
"...I must say, all of this game-system stuff looks pretty dope, even though I've seen only a small glimpse of it. It would've been even more dope if I had the freedom to choose whether I wanted to join this game or not, but..."
Yes, even though I wasn't amused in the slightest, somehow I felt like I was actually....smiling right now.
...Was this an indicator of me finally going insane?
"...but gladly I'll take it. I can't afford to waste the effort of Your Excellency now, can I?"
As I spoke out that last part, venom almost started dripping from my voice.
[Quest Accepted!]
With the same unsettling smile still on my face and a stomach full of anger towards this higher being, I finally mouthed the magical word this 'Great Existence' wanted to hear so badly.
"Status"
[...]