Listening to the conversation between the headless knight and the monster that looked like an orc, I couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

They were talking about an invasion, and the fact that there were numerous troops pouring out of the gate made me wonder—could this be related to that quest I got before?

[CHAPTER 1: Protect the World Tree]

The golden quest window flashed in my mind.

As I hid behind the gravestone, observing the situation, I accidentally touched the stone, causing it to topple forward with a loud thud.

Immediately, I felt all eyes on me.

Sweating nervously, I looked up, and the monster was staring directly at me.

“Uh, hello?” “What is a human doing here?” “I-I’m sorry!”

The headless knight, who had been trying to protect me, suddenly knelt down, pleading.

“This human knows nothing. They are but a child!” “And yet, this child now knows of our existence.”

The monster stepped forward, moving closer to me, but the headless knight blocked his path.

The monster unsheathed its sword and pointed it at the knight.

“Are you still talking about chivalry after losing your lord?”

“...”

The monster sighed and sheathed his sword again.

“I do not intend to harm you. I’m just curious. Step aside.”

The headless knight hesitated but eventually stepped aside, allowing the monster to approach me.

I held Dragon-Dragon close, my heart racing as the monster loomed over me.

“Interesting. Even though I’m looking at a human, I feel no desire to harm you.”

The monster studied me for a long while, then pointed in the opposite direction with his hand.

“Go.”

As the headless knight moved to guide me away, my curiosity got the better of me.

“Excuse me!”

“Are you speaking to me?”

The monster, who had turned to leave, stopped and glanced back at me.

“Are you targeting the World Tree?”

“How do you know that? Yes, you are correct.”

“Why?”

The monster’s eyes gleamed with interest as he answered.

“The world I come from—what you humans call the Demon Realm—is becoming corrupted. It’s turning into a cursed land where not even the undead can survive.”

“Not even the undead?”

“Correct.”

The Demon Realm, he explained, was plagued by an unknown corruption, and only the World Tree could purify it.

So that’s why they were invading.

“Can’t you solve this peacefully?”

“If we were to ask for the World Tree, how do you think the elves would respond?”

“They would fight to the death to protect it…”

Yeah, that wouldn’t work.

But there had to be another way. If things continued like this, the Forest Tribe and everyone I cared about—Elder, Melin Noona—would be in danger.

Suddenly, I remembered the mysterious seed Melin Noona had given me.

[??? Seed] Unknown.

I pulled the seed from my inventory and held it out.

“Could this help purify the corruption?”

The monster’s expression changed as he stared at the seed, then something unexpected happened.

The monster dropped to his knees, pleading with me.

“Please. Save the Demon Realm.”

“Wh-Why are you suddenly doing this!? Please get up!”

At that moment, an alarm window appeared before me.

[A new quest has arrived.] Save the Demon Realm!

Reward: Unknown.

Forgetting my fear, I approached the monster and insisted he stand up. He finally rose to his feet.

“I’ll help you, so please get up!” “Thank you! Then let us head to the Demon Realm immediately!” “No, I can’t do that right now. I have something I need to take care of first. I’ll come after I finish.”

“I understand. I will wait for you.”

The monster stepped aside, and I followed the headless knight, who offered to guide me to the exit.

Before we left, the knight spoke softly.

“Are you sure about this? The Demon Realm is far more terrible than you imagine.”

“In the end, it’s just another place where people live, right? I’ll be fine.”

Wait, are demons even people...?

Well, what’s the worst that could happen?

After waving goodbye to the headless knight at the cave entrance, I headed back to Yoram Village to deliver the mushrooms to Bell Noona and complete the quest.

“You’re back already?” “Yes! I found them quickly. Also, I might be gone for a while.” “Well, travelers are always on the move. Just be careful out there.” “I will!”

After saying goodbye to Bell Noona, I returned to the cave.

The headless knight was waiting for me at the entrance, and he led me back to the clearing where a massive, crimson portal had appeared.

“You can travel to the Demon Realm through this gate.”

“How fascinating.”

“The environment there is quite different, but don’t worry. I’ve already informed them of your arrival, so no one will harm you.”

As I stepped through the gate, a system notification popped up.

[You are the first traveler to visit the Demon Realm.] You have gained 100,000 fame.

I blinked and opened my eyes, finding myself under a dark sky with two red moons hanging ominously above.

Their eerie light illuminated the strange surroundings—a twisted forest with trees that looked like they had been struck by lightning, and boulder-like creatures that moved on their own.

As I marveled at my surroundings, the monster beside me spoke.

“Let’s head to the Demon King’s castle.”

“Castle?”

“Yes, the lord of the Demon Realm, the Demon King, resides there.”

I couldn’t keep calling the monster and the knight “monster” and “headless knight” forever.

“What’s your name?”

“My name?”

The monster hesitated for a while before saying I could just call him by his race.

“Then, what’s your race?”

“I am an orc.”

“An orc!?”

He did look a bit like an orc, but just barely.

I gave him a suspicious look, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

“Ahem. The orcs of the Demon Realm are different from the orcs of the Middle World.”

“The Middle World?”

“That’s what we call the world humans live in.”

As we chatted, I walked alongside the orc and the headless knight—or rather, dullahan—until we reached a massive castle looming in the distance.

The sheer size of it was overwhelming.

In the skies above, enormous skeletal birds flew in circles.

“Bweee!” “Huh? You’re saying that’s a dragon?” “Bweee!”

Its full name was bone dragon.

Apparently, when a dragon dies but can’t let go of its attachment to life, it turns into one of those.

Because of the death energy they emit, bone dragons can no longer live in the Middle World, so they survive here in the Demon Realm.

As a group of bone dragons spotted us, a few flew in our direction, but the moment they made eye contact with Dragon-Dragon…

“Skreeeeeeee!”

They screamed and flew off in the opposite direction.

“What’s their deal?” “Bwee.”

Dragon-Dragon clicked his tongue in disdain, criticizing them for being pathetic even in death.

We continued following the orc and dullahan into the castle. After walking down a long corridor, we reached a huge set of doors. When they opened, I found myself in the audience chamber.

Inside was a throne surrounded by countless monsters, all staring at me.

And sitting on the throne was someone...

Jet-black hair, massive horns, piercing red eyes, and alluring lips.

She was wearing a black cheongsam and had one leg crossed over the other as she stared at me.

The Demon King.

“A human!?”

“Such insolence before the Demon King! Show respect!”

I thought about kneeling in response to the bull-headed creature’s shout, but before I could, something unexpected happened.

The bull-headed creature went flying across the room, crashing into the far wall.

The Demon King stood up from her throne.

“To shout at a guest... how rude. I apologize on his behalf.”

She bowed her head toward me, which caused an uproar among the surrounding monsters.

“Demon King, you must maintain your dignity!” “Yes! The ruler of the Demon Realm shouldn’t bow to a mere human!”

Another monster went flying into the wall.

I quickly said I was fine, and only then did the Demon King lift her head and look at me.

“Interesting. I’ve never seen a human before. Are all humans like you?”

“Huh!? N-No, I’m not exactly...”

“I see. Then, you must be special.”

The Demon King slowly approached me, but something felt off.

It wasn’t the Demon King herself that made me feel uneasy—it was the stares from the surrounding monsters.

Their gazes seemed to say, How dare you approach our Demon King?

The Demon King must have sensed something, because she turned to look at the others. They all bowed their heads instantly.

Once again, she turned her attention to me, and I felt her intense gaze.

She looked me over, then introduced herself.

“My name is Echidna. I am a member of the Demon God race. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“My name is Yuna.”

“Yuna. A fine name.”

She nodded approvingly and looked at me with a strange intensity.

“I have heard the details. May I see the item?”

I pulled the seed from my inventory and showed it to her. Her eyes widened in surprise as she muttered, “The seed of the World Tree.” She extended her hand toward me.

“Please. Save the Demon Realm.”

[The quest has been updated!] Save the Demon Realm from corruption!

Reward: A gift from Demon King Echidna.

 

TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - I'd really like to see how far Leon goes and how far we can increase the number of chapters. Thanks~!

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