The Player Hides His Past

Chapter 617. Drowning (8)

“Wallswail!”

“You don’t even need to say it—I already know!”

Clank.

The gears roared as they interlocked. The Iron Castle Ship, at full power, vibrated from within. Chainwalker staggered, clutching the control panel.

“Something’s happening in the darkness…!”

Unlike those who had been delayed by Bael’s influence, Nam Cheolmin had been observing the entire sequence of events.

Thanks to that, he could deduce what was happening.

“…I think the battle is about to end.”

“End? What do you mean, end?”

“What? Hyung, explain properly!”

Nam Cheolmin pushed up his glasses.

‘If that infinitely deep darkness itself is Commander-in-Chief…’

Then Bael had no chance of winning.

It seemed absurd—even to him—that the First Throne, a being who transcended all the other Ten Thrones, would be in a losing position.

Still, Cheolmin swallowed hard.

“I think Bael is already terrified.”

“Terrified? That monster is scared?”

“No matter how powerful the Commander is, that’s a bit…”

“Be quiet for a moment!”

Finally, the scene unfolding outside the Iron Castle Ship’s window lent weight to Cheolmin’s unbelievable words.

With the ship at maximum output, the obsidian light further illuminated the darkness.

It was only a tiny crack, but through it, they could see something.

Nam Taemin’s eyebrow twitched.

“That’s… a dimensional rift?”

It wasn’t just Nam Taemin. Any player would recognize it.

The void space encountered when entering a portal that connected reality and the Arcana Continent—it was unmistakably similar.

Indeed, Bael was trying to manifest something resembling a portal to escape to another world.

It made no sense.

After causing this much chaos, he was just going to run?

This wasn’t some insignificant demon. This was Bael—the First Throne of the Demon Kings.

“Hyung, is he really trying to flee? Why did he even start all this?”

“Bael… he’s clearly not in a complete state.”

“…Your Majesty Hakuna?”

Hakuna’s head was still throbbing, but he stood on his own, without assistance, and stared into the darkness toward Bael. Indeed, it must have been the lingering effects of having his body and mind overtaken by the Great Evil.

“The remnants of the Great Evil within me tell me so.”

“…!”

The remnants of the Great Evil.

Hakuna’s words made Nam Cheolmin sure of his guess.

Indeed, Hakuna and Baek Yiseol had something in common.

Both had experienced possession by extraordinary demons.

And afterward?

Both had achieved unprecedented growth.

‘Hakuna can now unleash his sword aura, and Baek Yiseol made it into the ranks of the top players.’

Growth like that couldn’t be achieved by effort alone, not in such a short time.

Effort? Time was fair to everyone. None of the players or Arcanians who had survived until now had ever neglected their own growth.

Hakuna and Baek Yiseol were aware of that, at least to some extent.

“Analyst Nam Cheolmin, you’re right.”

“What?”

“Bael is afraid.”

“…!”

“Terrified, in fact.”

Hakuna’s words made Cheolmin instinctively glance at Baek Yiseol.

His expression seemed to ask if she agreed.

Baek Yiseol silently mouthed, “He’s right.”

Nam Cheolmin was an analyst.

His mind was imprinted with knowledge beyond that of an average player.

That included knowledge of demons.

No, it went beyond that.

Having experienced possession himself, Cheolmin had been wary of demons more than anyone.

‘Demons exist to deceive humans.’

Players had slain countless demon monsters.

And yet, players always found demons unsettling.

Why?

Because demons were disturbing even in death.

—“No, it cursed me even as it died, you know?”

—“It said it’d rip me apart in my dreams tonight.”

—“…It’s not really going to haunt me, is it, Analyst?”

…

Demons mocked and tormented humans, whether strong or weak, even in their dying moments.

That was why Taemin had once said,

—“Hyung, those bastards don’t seem afraid of me at all.”

They should’ve realized it sooner.

‘Why were the demons only terrified in front of the Commander?’

Some naïve person might ask: Wasn’t it because the Commander-in-Chief’s class was [Demon Hunter]?

To that, Cheolmin would respond with a question of his own.

If the Commander’s ability to terrify demons was merely due to his class—

‘Then how do you explain Akhsan Demon Hunters falling to corruption?’

To put it simply:

Even if his class gave him a Natural Enemy advantage, the Commander had something else.

Nam Cheolmin had an idea of what that was.

‘Demons bow their heads to only one kind of being.’

The Demon Kings.

And now, it all started to make sense.

The demons that lay motionless—

As if in worship.

‘What if their reverence wasn’t for Bael, but for the Commander-in-Chief…?’

In that moment, Bael’s attempt to flee also made sense.

A king who encounters a being mightier than himself will flee to avoid losing his throne.

‘Damn it.’

Cheolmin muttered under his breath and flinched.

‘What are you afraid of, Nam Cheolmin?’

Even if the Commander was a demon,

Hadn’t he sworn that the Commander was still the Commander?

But the images kept haunting him.

The faces of the adept mages who were gravely injured when caught in the Commander’s awakening at Jeju Island.

And that infinitely deep darkness that nearly swallowed Jeju whole.

Then—

“Attention, everyone!”

Chainwalker’s shout broke Cheolmin out of his thoughts.

“The Commander’s form is visible!!”

…Really?

“Where—where is he? Where’s the Commander?”

A look of relief spread across Cheolmin’s face.

The infinitely deep darkness that had been crushing Bael’s throat—

If it wasn’t the Commander-in-Chief himself, then that worst-case scenario would be proven wrong.

And finally, Cheolmin saw Hoyeol’s figure.

“What?”

But that was all he could say.

Not just him.

Everyone was at a loss for words.

From the back, the build and the clothing were unmistakably the Commander.

But at the same time, it wasn’t.

In the darkness—

The faintly visible strands of the Commander’s hair—

The long hair that now fell down his back—

It was no longer radiant silver.

Ttogak.

“Who decided to head to the Demon World like this, Grandfell?”

I gritted my teeth.

This was my body, and it always would be.

Don’t move around freely, even if it’s Grandfell.

‘Think, Hoyeol.’

That’s right.

…

If I can’t stop Grandfell’s steps towards the Demon World, then I just need to block the door leading to the Demon World itself. I glanced at Bael, who was trying to escape to the Demon World.

‘First, catch him.’

I still couldn’t be sure whether I could defeat Bael or not.

Of course, if Grandfell were controlling both my consciousness and body entirely, it might be a different story.

I squirmed.

Unlike before, now I could move my body a little with my own will.

If I were to express this in terms of the Arcana continent’s system, I could say that I applied a debuff called “Hoyeol” to Grandfell.

‘But there’s no time to waste thinking about it.’

I immediately prepared the exorcism ritual.

More specifically, I activated the exorcism skill [Exorcist].

The target was the first Demon King, Bael.

Could it be the influence of [Possession]?

Although the message still hadn’t appeared, the sensation of the demon hunter engraved on my body was telling me that I had somehow succeeded in drawing Bael into my ‘consciousness.’

Boom-

A vibration seemed to travel through my unknown sixth sense. Without realizing it, I listened to the sound, and it started becoming clearer and more specific.

Boom-

Crrrk—

Clack—

The sound was definitely something I had heard before.

Something constantly meshing together…

Right.

Quernberg’s mechanical tower.

The noise made by interlocking gear-like parts, it was exactly the same.

“!”

The moment I realized this, something appeared in my sight.

It seemed like my guess wasn’t wrong.

Giant gears filled my vision.

Then, a voice echoed.

“You dare step into my mind.”

It was Bael.

“This is the first time I’ve experienced something like this.”

A voice so distinct that there was no mistaking it.

An immense pressure enveloped my body.

The gap was so wide that my position as a demon hunter seemed meaningless.

“You were scared?”

Could it be a trap?

I started to suspect if this was all an illusion.

However, Bael continued, as if he had seen right through my thoughts.

“No, it’s not an illusion.”

“… What?”

“I am truly afraid of you.”

You? Are you talking about Grandfell?

Naturally, I couldn’t help but think in that direction.

It wasn’t some kind of victim complex.

I mean, there was no reason for Bael to fear me, right?

But…

“Do you still not understand? Look at yourself.”

…Look at myself?

At Bael’s words, I reflexively glanced.

I looked down at my own body.

And then I saw it.

Long, black hair, no longer silver.

“What…? Why is my hair color…?”

Before I could even panic, the words continued.

“Yes, I am afraid of you, Hoyeol.”

Clank—

Amid the clanking sound of gears, I trembled in fear.

As I said before, Exorcist was a transformation skill of the exorcism ritual.

The battle of willpower between a demon hunter and a demon was no different.

In that situation, without Grandfell…

I couldn’t win the battle for control against Bael.

Bael whispered.

“Fine, this time, I will show mercy to you, ignorant one…”

That’s when it happened.

Ttogak.

I heard the sound of his shoes.

Instinctively, I turned my gaze, and there was Grandfell.

Grandfell, with silver hair, just like me.

Grandfell murmured, gazing at Bael and the massive gear cluster.

“You’re chatty, Bael. You must have been lonely for quite a while.”

Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo.

“But still, you are as foolish as ever.”

Their conversation was about something I couldn’t even begin to understand.

“I am the only one who can converse with you.”

Grandfell’s words held no emotion.

But perhaps it meant something different to Bael.

I could sense it.

‘The space of consciousness is collapsing.’

At the same time, the gear cluster began to creak.

With Grandfell’s appearance,

Bael could no longer speak to me and fled.

I looked at Grandfell.

Behind him, an otherworldly landscape appeared.

The Demon World.

Only then did I realize why my hair had turned black.

It wasn’t that it turned black.

It had returned to its original color—Hoyeol’s natural hair color.

As if to make me aware of that fact, my vision flickered.

I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to look away.

“Don’t go.”

That was all I could say.

Because I knew Grandfell and his temperament better than anyone.

I knew that no matter what I said, I couldn’t change his mind.

All I could do was speak with sincerity.

To that, Grandfell spoke.

“This is my request.”

That was Grandfell’s wish.

“나를(naleul) Me.”

The slight, sorrowful smile on his lips.

That was the last thing I saw.

[Status abnormality, ‘Possession’ has been dispelled.]

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tl/n: Wallswale -> Wallswail, idk what Grandfell is about to say, it was Me or Take me, ah maybe just wait for the next Chapter