The stench of rot seemed to rise from the mound of corpses. Blood had pooled across the ground, so much that it soaked everything beneath it.

As soon as the video started, the sight that filled the screen was a village littered with the bodies of its residents. They were scattered like garbage, their corpses covered in deep gashes.

But… could those even be called gashes? It was more accurate to say they were torn apart. The condition of the bodies was beyond horrific.

Even though this was just a game, the realism was enough to make Chaerin grimace. The game’s pursuit of reality made these moments feel unnecessarily vivid.

It seemed like the chaos had already unfolded long before the video began. The villagers who were still alive were screaming about a demon that had appeared in the village.

The scene looked like something out of a horror movie—either a psychopathic killer or a large wild animal had clearly rampaged through the area.

But standing in the middle of it all was…

“I’m hurting… it hurts…”

A young boy. He couldn’t have been more than fourteen years old. Small and frail, not even fully into puberty.

But his entire body was drenched in blood, and tears streamed down his face.

“Why… why is this happening to me? I was just born, so why do I have to live my life running away?”

His eyes, though, were what stood out the most. His irises were pitch black, and the only thing that hinted at any normalcy was the eerie red glow at the center of his pupils. This was what people called "demon eyes."

After sobbing for a while, the boy spoke again.

“…Forget it. I wish all of you would just die.”

His tone was that of a child throwing a tantrum. But the power behind his words couldn’t be ignored.

The next moment, he launched himself toward the person recording the video.

Boom!
A thunderous crash echoed through the air.

The person recording was likely a tank, managing to withstand the blow, but their face twisted in pain. The impact must’ve been intense.

Still, the tank managed to turn to the remaining villagers and shout:

“Everyone, run while you can!”
“Thank you!”
“You saved us, young man!”

What followed was repetitive—a back-and-forth struggle. Chaerin found herself watching a grown adult, a tank-class player no less, being pushed back by a kid who hadn’t even hit puberty.

To be fair, the person recording had several chances to strike back. But each time, they hesitated, likely because of the boy’s appearance.

The stalemate dragged on until the village knights arrived, finally putting an end to the ordeal. They surrounded the demon in a tight formation and quickly cut him down.

Without hesitation, they killed the boy who looked no older than fourteen.

Blood splattered. His intestines spilled out.

Once the chaos had ended, a high-ranking knight approached the person recording and thanked them.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, we were able to prevent further damage.”
“Uh… sure…”

The recorder scratched their head awkwardly, clearly unsettled by the boy’s death.

The knight didn’t seem particularly cheerful either. However, it appeared that the knight’s discomfort stemmed from something else. Glancing around the area, the knight turned to one of their subordinates.

“…What’s the casualty count?”
“So far, about 41 confirmed dead, sir.”
“Quite the heavy toll for a remote village…”

The knight’s expression hardened, and then he spoke as though delivering a proclamation.

“There’s a chance that a demon might descend soon.”

That was where the video ended.

Chaerin immediately scrolled down to the comment section, where reactions were all over the place.

[The game devs are at it again with their crap]
[I know they’re trying to make this game realistic, but isn’t this way too brutal?]
[Are they trying to make some kind of ‘art’ by having players kill kids?]
[The knights are heartless. How could they kill a kid like that ㄷㄷ]

On one hand, some players expressed sympathy, questioning why such a brutal fate had to befall a child—even in a game.

[Demon descent? ㄷㄷㄷㄷ]
[New content alert! ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Finally, a demon plot after half a year wwww]

On the other hand, others didn’t care and were excited about the new game content.

[But honestly... that kid’s kinda funny-looking...ㅎㅎ]
[No lie, ㅋㅋ]
[Please, just die already]
[Teacher, please hold your breath for just one hour, I beg you]

Mixed in were the usual strange commenters, making the whole comment section a mess. Chaerin sifted through it, picking out useful information.

[So what exactly is a demon? Is that even a person?]
[Apparently, it’s something to do with the blood of a demon?]
[Demon’s blood? What’s that supposed to mean?]

They discussed the reason the boy had transformed.

[So, what’s this demon descent about?]
[One of the knights said that the boy and the villagers who died were sacrifices, and now the demon’s seal is weakened.]
[Ooh!]
[So, a raid’s happening soon?]

The discussion confirmed the possibility of new content coming soon. After reading through the comments, Chaerin paused, deep in thought.

‘Demon’s blood, huh…’

Whatever it was, it sounded like a pretty twisted concept. How did something like that turn a young boy into such a monster? The whole thing felt a bit edgy, to say the least.

Even though this was just a game, the NPCs inside it felt incredibly real. They had emotions, pain, and even moments of laughter—like real people.

No wonder the tragedy didn’t sit well with her.

Of course, as a gamer, all she needed to do was enjoy the game. She pushed the negative thoughts aside, focusing instead on the possibility of new content.

At least, no one had connected that demon boy to Yor yet.

Winter had come to an end, and it had already been a week since spring arrived. The once bright and glorious moon was now fading, casting the night into growing darkness.

What did this mean?

It meant that the cursed time of rampage was upon me once again. Today was the new moon, and I had to face the Akuma raging within me.

But this time, I wasn’t particularly worried.

Why? Because I had holy water.

Holy water was a crucial tool for me in many ways. Sure, using it weakened my strength. But it only affected the demon blood in my veins, not my actual body.

What did this mean?

It meant that when Rampage A hit, I could use the holy water to keep the blood from going berserk. If I timed it right, I could get through the rampage with barely any pain.

I used about three bottles of holy water per rampage. With six bottles, I was set for two months of rampages without much of a struggle.

So naturally, I was in a good mood.

'This stuff is usually hard to come by.'

Thanks to Yoo Chaerin, though, I was able to get my hands on it more easily. That was one of the perks of interacting with an Otherworlder.

Anyway, because of all this, I wasn’t afraid of what was coming. Rampage A, come at me if you dare!

But when night fell, what greeted me was…

“...Surrender your body to me.”

A sinister voice echoed in my head. It was Rampage B.

Realizing this, I swore under my breath.

"Ah, shit."

Unfortunately, Rampage B wasn’t something holy water could stop.

Feeling a strange fury boiling up from within, I bolted out of the cave.

As I mentioned before, Rampage A affects the body, while Rampage B affects the mind. With A, as we saw before, the blood goes wild and out of control.

But how exactly does B influence the mind?

The answer is simple: it amplifies emotions.

Thud! Thud! Thud!
As I stepped out of the cave, I noticed my heart beating unnaturally fast. It wasn’t because I was out of breath—it was my body preparing to channel my anger.

Heat rose to my head, and a suffocating pressure weighed down on my chest. Negative thoughts began to flood my mind, trying to cloud my judgment.

And… there was a bit of blood rushing to, well, somewhere else.

There was no helping it. Rampage B didn’t just stir up emotions; it also heightened primal instincts. The more complex and twisted a person’s feelings were, the easier it was for the demon to lure them in.

—Aren’t you frustrated with the world? How long do you plan on running away?

I didn’t know if the voice in my head belonged to an actual demon or if it was just a hallucination. What I did know for sure was that if I let that voice take over, I’d be crossing a line I could never return from.

So, the way to handle Rampage B was the complete opposite of A. With A, I could lock myself deep inside the cave and wait it out. But with B, I had to leave the cave and keep moving. Staying still would only let my emotions consume me.

I needed to keep my focus on the outside world and avoid listening to that voice.

Growl! Snarl! Snarl!
Even though it wasn’t a full moon night, enemies lurked everywhere. The glowing eyes of mutated animals and monsters appeared in the darkness. As soon as they saw me, they charged.

But instead of avoiding them, I killed every one of them that crossed my path.

Normally, the night belonged to them. No matter how strong I was, fighting creatures in the pitch-black darkness was a challenge.

Each fight left cuts on my body, and blood spilled from my wounds. But I didn’t care. I had to release this pent-up fury somehow.

In the midst of all this, the voice kept whispering.

—Tell me what you truly desire.

What I desire? Simple. A harem of beautiful girls.

A room full of gorgeous women. Soft skin and large breasts! My dream was to live surrounded by the most beautiful girls in the world, basking in luxury and pleasure.

Whenever I heard that demon’s voice, I found it necessary to think of ridiculous things like that. If I took that voice too seriously, I’d probably sink into a deep depression.

People need humor to survive. Without it, life’s just too damn hard.

As I entertained those thoughts, the voice spoke again.

—Don’t lie to yourself.

I muttered back in disbelief.

"What?"

Was it seriously telling me I didn’t want a harem of beautiful girls?

What a load of crap!

Every man born with a rod and two jewels should naturally have that dream. Any real man would want a harem of gorgeous women.

That’s why I always thought most of the guys in this world were gay. Of course, if there’s anyone here who shares my dream of a beautiful girl harem, I’d gladly consider them a true man.

Even in the middle of my chaotic thoughts, the voice continued.

—You have a deeper desire, something beyond that, don’t you?

Was it saying I wanted something more than a beautiful girl harem?

Without thinking, I asked the voice.

'What is it?'

The demon answered.

—To return to civilization.

'...'

—I can give it to you. If you surrender your body to me, I’ll make that dream a reality. Not only that, I’ll reshape this entire world for you.

For a moment, I was speechless. But only for a moment.

I coldly responded to the demon.

'I don’t need it.'

I knew it was just an empty temptation. It was a dream that could never come true. I didn’t hesitate to reject the demon’s offer.

And so, I spent the rest of the night wandering the forest.

The sun finally rose a few hours later.