I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 245: Sin and Atonement (1)

It was now recalling a distant past, that entity which had long since lost its name.

The law of the jungle. And the disdain for the weak.

If the world known as 'Pandemonium' were a colossal book, the core themes running through it would undoubtedly be those two things.

"The strong rule, and the weak are ruled. That’s the world of Pandemonium."

But even in such a world, there had been a civilization created by intelligent beings, and there were at least some basic rules.

For example, "Do not harm children under a certain age."

"Even in a world where the strong take everything, newborns are not strong."

Of course, it wasn’t out of pity that newborns often died before they could even grow.

Children were future labor forces.

If they killed them indiscriminately, there would be a shortage of workers to sustain the civilization, and if civilization fell, so would the comforts enjoyed by the strong. It was a choice made for convenience.

And there were many reasons Pandemonium became the way it did, but the greatest reason, in its eyes, was 'growth.'

"Even a ferocious beast, or a great tree, stops growing over time... But ‘we’ were the exception. ‘We’ could grow endlessly."

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At that point, the entity felt an unpleasant gaze directed at it from Kana.

"Why?"

"...Nothing."

Even though it sensed Kana’s unspoken hostility, it continued speaking.

"People with no talent could still achieve results through hard work and grow stronger."

In the best case, it was a paradise where all efforts were rewarded.

"But as I already said, Pandemonium wasn’t that kind of kind world."

In a world where every effort bore fruit, the value of talent rose, allowing those with more talent to produce more with the same amount of time.

The powerful, standing at the top, ruthlessly crushed the weak, making sure they could never climb up.

And, always wary of other strong beings, they sharpened their weapons.

"Life became one for strength, not strength for life. Power isn’t something you can always see. Even if you can break a rock with your bare hands, it doesn’t show as an absolute number. ‘We’ chased after shapeless shadows endlessly. But—"

Harder.

More, more, more...

...How long would it last?

One of those who had been chasing the shadow suddenly looked up.

"There were, at least, things we could set as goals."

Looking up, there was a mountain. The sky. The sun.

And the god who had created them.

"Ah, our too-kind mother. She loved her children so much, she never raised her voice. I wonder if she ever thought her kindness would turn into a poisoned dagger."

For those who had always ruthlessly crushed the weak, how must kindness, which was unworthy of their strength, have appeared?

Having witnessed and experienced everything, the entity smiled bitterly.

‘Mother...! They are coming...!’

‘It’s alright.’

‘...But!’

‘It’s alright, my child.’

Though ages had passed, the conversation from that day remained engraved in the entity’s soul, never forgotten.

A group had come, weapons in hand, to invade the temple.

Its mother, smiling brightly, tried to stop the entity from opposing them.

It couldn’t go against its mother’s decision.

‘If my children want it, how could I not give my body?’

The mother, who had loved her children until the very end, had eventually given even her existence to them.

She didn’t realize that this choice would bring the end to the children she loved.

"'If we kill the mother who created us and steal her power, we will gain unstoppable strength'... That’s what they thought, and mother accepted it."

Their mother was kind, but not wise.

They were strong, but lacked the dignity to match their strength.

The result of combining those two things was...

"When our mother was torn apart by our hands, and we took her power, we were twisted by the overwhelming strength we gained. Because our souls were no longer intact, energy continuously flowed out of us, and the insatiable hunger came after us."

That would have been the end of it, but...

The god, who was both the administrator of the world and the massive energy source that sustained it, was gone.

With the disappearance of the energy source, those who had taken the power could not fulfill their roles, and the world began to collapse.

The sky turned black, the plants withered, and the once-blue river turned an ominous purple.

Pandemonium, a world once full of life, had swiftly transformed into a world of death.

"This is my homeland... the story of what happened in Pandemonium."

Well, how was that? A little interesting?

When it finished its tale, a somewhat mournful smile appeared on its lips.

"..."

To summarize, long ago, there was a world named 'Pandemonium,' where the strong trampled over the weak.

The inhabitants of Pandemonium relentlessly sought power, and eventually coveted the strength of the very god that created them.

The god, who loved its creations dearly, accepted their betrayal and ultimately gave even its very essence to its children.

However, the pursuit of power, which was unbefitting their strength, twisted ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) the souls of the inhabitants of Pandemonium, leaving them in an insatiable hunger.

The entity before me, likely one of the higher-ups in Pandemonium, didn’t seem to agree with their actions.

Though it was a dimensional creature speaking, I couldn’t trust it completely. But if everything it said was true...

"...Isn’t that idiotic?"

An absurd collaboration between a foolish god and foolish creatures.

And no, I’m not misusing the term "illusion."

Both the process and the resulting consequences were so ridiculous that it made me feel a pang of injustice.

I was suffering because of these idiots.

...Well, there were some good things that came from it, though.

"Idiots. The mother, those creatures, and me."

"You seem quite devoted. How unexpected."

"I already told you. Mother was kind, but not wise. Why are you acting surprised? Besides, it was so long ago that I don’t even feel the need to mourn anymore."

Despite the words laced with regret and affection, I chose not to point it out.

‘Come to think of it, Edel did mention it.’

When creating a world, the souls that belonged to it would be restricted.

I didn’t quite remember, but I think it was to prevent their souls from deteriorating.

Those with no limit to their growth, those who sought overwhelming power...

‘I see.’

The god of Pandemonium, perhaps because it loved its creations so much, didn’t place those restrictions like Edel had mentioned.

"So."

"Yeah?"

"Let’s say everything you said is true. Why tell me this?"

No matter how I thought about it, the creature’s attitude was too friendly.

It knew I had attacked it, targeting its life, but still, it made no counterattacks and continued talking despite my hostile attitude.

...It was too friendly, and that made me more cautious.

As it began to speak again, its mouth paused for a long moment.

After a long sigh, the creature finally spoke.

"...I thought accepting this endless hunger was my atonement. If I disappear, my soul consumed by this hunger, without even leaving an existence behind, that would be the end of my atonement. Only then would I have paid the price for the sins I committed."

"And now? Suddenly you want to live?"

"...Heh. Not really."

Despite my sarcastic words, the creature didn’t seem to get angry.

It gave a smile—or perhaps it was a sound like the air escaping from a balloon—and shook its head.

"Death doesn’t scare me. Even if the end is the eternal destruction of my soul, if that is the price for being a bystander, I would accept it willingly."

"Then why?"

I nudged the sword I was aiming at it.

"Why is the one who stayed silent when your beloved god died suddenly showing up, babbling about all this?"

"Hmm... I didn’t realize it, but your mouth is quite sharp."

When I deliberately provoked it, the creature made an uncomfortable face.

After another sigh, it spoke.

"...I know that the end of this atonement is not death."

"Not death?"

"You know, don’t you? What happens to those consumed by hunger?"

Those who lose their reason, trapped by the instincts to sate their hunger.

They devour anything in sight, chewing and swallowing.

They invade other dimensions to absorb energy, like gluttonous beasts.

As the creature said, I already knew what their end was like.

"Dimensional creatures."

"Right."

The creature nodded.

"It may sound like an excuse, but I haven’t invaded other worlds or consumed the energy I harvested from them, like those creatures. I’ve been suppressing this hunger by my own will. But..."

Suddenly, its hand grew faint, turning into a purplish, ominous energy.

Instinctively, I blocked Da-eun’s path, but the creature simply steadied its breath, as if it was nothing.

Eventually, the hand returned to its original form.

"It’s reaching its limit. It’s becoming harder to endure this hunger."

Staring at its hand, the creature lifted its gaze.

"When my mother died, I was the one closest to her. I absorbed the most of her divine power."

Its eyes were burning with many emotions.

But the one emotion I recognized was clear.

"So, if I become like them, it’s the same as my mother changing."

Affection for its mother.

In other words—

"For atonement’s sake, I cannot fall here."

Fanaticism.

That was the name of the dark, persistent flame burning in the creature’s eyes.