Chapter 340: What is your goal, what is the end? (4)

Cale explained the overall situation of the New World and told her everything about Count Lupe.

“Cale, you haven’t told me everything, right? You’ve hidden something, haven’t you? Like the fact that you’re a half-demon.”

‘No, I’m not even a half-demon! It’s just a character setting from a game! Why would I say something like that?’

It’s definitely not because Aurora is the sole heir of the former Demon King and can’t talk about it.

Nope.

‘No way. Not at all.’

- It seems that’s the case.

The Glutton Priestess said this calmly, making Cale frown.
‘Wait… why are you suddenly talking more?’

- …

The Glutton Priestess had returned to her usual selective silence.
Ever since she devoured every last grain from the plates, she'd been talking more than usual—much to everyone's confusion.
Cale paused, his thoughts lingering on how the ancient powers were beginning to shift in subtle, unsettling ways.

"Then."

Aurora spoke with a serious expression.

There was anger on her face.

“Count Lupe—no, could all the missing demons be inside that game?”

“It’s very likely,” Cale replied. “But first, I need to confirm if the Count Lupe I know is the same one you know.”

Ha! Aurora let out a laugh of disbelief.

“No-”

She couldn’t hold back her rage any longer.

“Raising My Precious Absolute God?”

She repeated the game’s name like it was a curse.

“New World?”

Wow.

She couldn’t hold back a sigh.

It was inevitable.

“So that game, made by the Transparent Blood Family, was just... a form of entertainment for Earth 3?”
Her voice trembled with disbelief.

“Mm.”
Cale’s expression was unreadable.
“To them, maybe. But it’s more than that. To some, it is the real world.”

Cale tried to calm her with more elaborated words, but Aurora didn’t listen to all of them.

“It’s an entertainment! Most people will treat that game as entertainment. If our demons, like Count Lupe, are treated as mere monsters, fighting and dying without even remembering, doesn’t that mean they’re living those lives repeatedly?”

Cale was at a loss for words.

“No. That’s—that’s terrible!”

Aurora was beyond furious; she was anguished.

“If one is treated as a chess piece in a game without even knowing who they are! I—"

She couldn’t bring herself to say those words out loud. She bowed her head and took a deep breath. Finally, she spoke.

“…Are the NPCs beings tied to the game?”

“Yes.”

“Is Count Lupe an NPC?”

Cale confirmed with his silence.

“Damn it!”

Aurora stood up abruptly, unsure of what to do. She couldn’t calm her anger. Cale understood the reason for her next words.

“In fact, nearly a thousand demons are missing.”

Hmm.

A murmur escaped from Cale’s mouth.

‘A thousand.’

Super Rock’s voice echoed in his mind.

- Of course, with a few noble families of count size and some towns, that number makes sense.

“Of course, that’s the bare minimum,” Aurora said bitterly. “That number only covers what we’ve managed to identify so far.”

Cale murmured with a sigh,
“This current Demon King is insane.”

“…!”
Aurora trembled, her eyes widening.

But Cale meant no offense—just brutal honesty.
And in that moment, seeing her struggle to hold herself together, he felt genuine sympathy.
He set aside the sarcasm. This wasn’t a time for jokes.

He spoke sincerely, because this moment demanded it.

“I hated the Hunters. But this Demon King?”
Cale’s eyes narrowed. “He’s just as bad. Turning his own people into monsters? That bastard needs to go down—along with the God of Chaos.”

He looked directly at Aurora.
“Don’t you think so?”

Seeing the fury in his eyes, the raw irritation behind his words, Aurora found herself nodding before she even realized it.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “They should be defeated.”

Cale’s words hit so precisely that Aurora had nothing to add.

She just stared, momentarily speechless.
A human talking about defeating the Hunters… and now an ancient god?
It was surreal.

But Cale could tell—his sincerity had reached her.

- It seems so.
The Glutton Priestess’s voice echoed lightly in his mind.
Cale ignored her.

“Let’s get everything in order.”
He gestured for Aurora to sit.

“......”

Aurora lowered herself into the seat again, her expression calmer now—steady, like she was ready to listen.

Cale took a moment to organize his thoughts.

“It’s more entangled than I thought.”

Mediators.

It wasn’t just that organization and himself.
Now, it was clear—the demons were even more deeply tied to him than expected.

‘Count Lupe.’

That character wasn’t just some minor boss. He was more important than even the Dark Bear—crucial, if Cale wanted to gain control over the Eight Evils.

Count Lupe… was one of the final three.

‘Moreover—’

Was Count Lupe originally the richest demon in the entire demon world?
That detail had slipped past him before.

Cale cleared his throat with a couple of clearly fake coughs.

“Ahem. Ahem.”

Then, as casually as a fox wearing a halo, he asked—

“Count Lupe must’ve given the Demon King a considerable advantage when he was captured,” Cale said casually. “You mentioned his wealth was enormous.”

“Ah, that’s what I thought too,” Aurora replied, shaking her head slightly. “But... it seems that wasn’t the case.”

According to her, the real problems started after Count Lupe disappeared.
His support hadn’t empowered the Demon King.
Its absence had destabilized everything.

“The Demon King has focused more on searching for us than dealing with the Hunters, which has restricted our movement within the demon world.”

They had thought the Demon King would have gained immense wealth from Count Lupe’s funds.

"But the Demon King hasn’t kept Count Lupe’s wealth."

Aurora was sure of that.

“In fact, when I reached out to one of Count Lupe’s associates during the search for him…”
Her eyes sharpened.

“Count Lupe had a secret vault.”

This vault didn’t just hold some of his wealth—it contained most of it. Along with several rare and powerful treasures.

"Most importantly, the reason I’m sure the Demon King hasn’t obtained Count Lupe’s wealth is that the majority of it is in that vault."

"What is that?"

"The trading company that Count Lupe owned is the largest in the demon world."

"Ah."

Interest filled Cale’s expression.

- Hehe.

The Fire of Destruction let out a gleeful laugh.

Aurora, of course, had no idea.

"Currently, although someone else is managing that company, Count Lupe still holds the ownership rights."

In the end, the Demon King didn’t obtain the greatest wealth of the demon world.

"Of course, only a few, including me and some on the Demon King’s side, know that Count Lupe is the real owner of that company."

Count Lupe had gone out of his way to meticulously hide the source of his wealth while operating.

“Wow.”
Cale was genuinely impressed.

Count Lupe.
That somewhat foolish-looking demon... was he actually this competent?

- He wasn’t foolish. Didn’t he seem quite capable the first time you saw him?
Super Rock chimed in, annoyingly accurate as always.

Cale ignored him and simply smiled.

“I definitely need to meet Count Lupe.”

“Yes. Indeed, yes, that’s true.”
Aurora nodded, though her expression stayed serious.

‘But...’
According to what Cale had told her; meeting Count Lupe might not help at all.

The Count Lupe he knew… believed he was just an NPC in a game.
He didn’t remember anything about the demon world.

“Who knows.”
Cale shrugged, an ambiguous look on his face.
His smile didn’t fade.

“Count Lupe is starting to realize he exists within the game,” Cale said quietly.
“He’s noticing the cracks. Becoming aware of the Hunters... and slowly breaking out of the NPC mold.”

His gaze sharpened.

“If he really is the same Count Lupe you speak of, then maybe—just maybe—he’ll regain his memories.”

Aurora asked, her voice low and uncertain.
“Do you truly believe that?”

When Aurora looked at him hopefully.

- Hehe.

The sound of the Cheapskate laughing while drooling echoed in Cale’s mind. Of course, he ignored it while speaking more sincerely than ever to Aurora.

"Of course, I’ll help with this."

And in the end,

- Hahaha!

Cheapskate burst into laughter.

- And then we collect the reward! Can you imagine? Our own subordinate—the richest in the demon world! Owner of the top trading company! Hahaha!

Cale almost smiled.
Almost.
But he held it back, his lips pressing into a firm line instead.

“......"

Aurora let out a small sigh seeing his serious face and sincere gaze.

“You really are different."

She remembered Cotton, who was waiting outside, and what she had said about Cale.

Cale Henituse may seem like a coward on the outside, but inside he’s a hero. He’s the typical person you shouldn’t judge by appearance. Although he’s physically quite weak, he has the ability, audacity, and courage to overcome it. His power has no limits.

There had been a recent addition.

He has a divine scent. But he’s not a God.

Cale Henituse is not a God, but he exudes a divine scent. What does that mean?

“First, we’ll enter New World through Neo’s lair in Aipotu. Then we’ll coordinate a meeting with Count Lupe.”

“I agree.”

Cale and Aurora briefly discussed how they would cooperate in the future. Choi Jung Gun.

As long as he remains in the demon world, Cale has no intention of severing ties with them.

It would be better to have them under my command.

Whether it’s the Seventh Evil or the Third Evil. It doesn’t matter which group Aurora belongs to; as long as she’s active, she won’t escape Cale’s watch.

In this situation of uncertainty, surveillance of this calibre is necessary.

They know their goals but not how they achieve them. Therefore, it’s necessary to keep them under observation.

“I look forward to working well together in the future.”

“Me too, thank you.”

After a final handshake, Cale and Aurora stepped out—leaving the door just barely open.

The place was empty.

- It seems they really don’t have money.

Even Cheapskate was concerned about how empty the headquarters was. Ignoring this, Cale followed Aurora to where Choi Jung Gun’s altar was. That’s when it happened.

“Mr. Cale.”

“Yes.”

Aurora, based on Cotton’s report and what she had experienced, decided to share a piece of information with Cale that she knew.

‘If he’s sincere—'

I must respond with sincerity. Therefore, this information will be necessary. As a demon with years of experience, her intuition told her this.

“The Ancient Gods aren’t Single Lifers.”

“What?”

Cale looked perplexed at Aurora, who suddenly made a seemingly out-of-place comment. However, Aurora, more serious than ever, explained.

“The Ancient Gods are the oldest beings and could be considered the first gods. They’re not Single Lifers. How they were born is a secret.”

But,

“The Hunters are trying to create an Absolute God. That being is probably inspired by the birth of the Ancient Gods.”

Eh, um.

Cale was about to speak, but he stopped himself.

- Have you heard anything about that?

Following Cheapskate’s advice, Cale remembered something he had heard about the birth of a god.

‘It will contain an entire world.’

Information obtained while facing the Purple Blood Family and the Blood Cult.

‘Worship.’

And that it would receive the worship of many. These were two of the conditions for becoming a god. Or like the sealed god, hunt a Single Lifer. And it seems there are more trials to becoming a god.

‘What does that have to do with me?’

Why mention a story that has nothing to do with me? Was she just trying to say something to break the awkward silence? Cale was confused, but he responded to Aurora.

"I wonder what that secret will be."

He simply went along with her.

"......!"

Aurora’s eyes wavered. But Cale didn’t see it.

Ding-dong-dang-dong!

Suddenly, a sound of bells echoed around.

- Cale, it seems something is happening.

Cale became serious, and Bam. The door to the house where Choi Jung Gun’s altar was opened, and Choi Han appeared. The moment Cale and Choi Han saw each other,

“Captain!”

Demons from all over emerged from the deteriorated house. It was incredible that so many people were gathered in this small, worn-out headquarters. There were about 50 people, all seemingly elites, and among them, a horned man who had embraced Cale quickly approached Aurora and said,

“The Demon King’s forces have appeared in the village!”

The village?

As Cale looked confused, Aurora ordered firmly.

“Send more scouting teams immediately! And go into battle mode now!”

“Yes!”

The demons responded with grim faces and moved swiftly. Only Cale and his group passively observed.

Cale asked Aurora.

“What village is that?”

“This base is hidden, and there’s a village nearby.”

She referred to a common village. Members of the Mediators sometimes disguised themselves as hunters and went there to buy necessary supplies. Only a few scouts were placed there.

“If the Demon King’s forces have appeared there, it’s likely they’ve discovered our base.”

A regular village without any notable features in the area. The appearance of the Demon King’s forces there was a bad sign for the Mediators.

“Of course, it could be that the Demon King’s forces were just passing through the village. But it’s better to be cautious.”

To which Cale responded nonchalantly.

“If it’s the worst, the Demon King’s forces will storm here, and then we’ll fight, right?”

“…Yes.”

Aurora’s face hardened. Then, Choi Jung Soo hurriedly came out of the house and spoke.

“So, what about our ancestor, no, anyway, the old man? It doesn’t seem like we can move the altar immediately, right?”

The altar’s structure, despite being in a ruined house, seemed to have required a lot of effort due to the multiple magics of the Demon World involved. It wouldn’t be easy to move that altar and the magic circle to another place. He hadn’t heard that a teleportation circle could move another magic circle.

“Cale-nim.”
Choi Han suddenly approached.
“I’ll go scout ahead.”
Seeing Choi Han’s hand already resting on the hilt of his sword, Cale silently swallowed.

– Human! Choi Han’s eyes are scary!
It seemed that way.
Choi Han and Choi Jung Soo.

During Cale and Aurora’s conversation, it wasn’t clear what exactly had happened in the house where the dying Choi Jung Gun was, but it definitely hadn’t been a good time.

– Human! Choi Jung Soo has scary eyes too!
They looked just like Choi Han!

– Human! Both Choi Han and Choi Jung Soo are starting to smile in a weird way! It’s scary!
Exactly. Both of them had creepy smiles now.

– Human! Choi Han is super scary! And Choi Jung Soo too!

Exactly. These two from the Choi family… can I really handle them?

“I’ll go for scouting too.”
Choi Jung Soo volunteered, his expression almost too calm.

Cale stared into the void for a moment before calmly responding.

“That’s fine.”

Choi Han and Choi Jung Soo’s eyes sparkled dangerously. After looking at those two, Cale didn’t hesitate and said, “I’ll go too.”

Yes.

We’ll all move together.

The Demon King’s forces.

It’s not them I’m worried about, but those two.

Choi Han and Choi Jung Soo.

What are they planning?
----

PR: Seriously, only Cale could face a Demon King and still be more concerned about a game character’s wealth. 😅

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]