Epilogue

“I’m telling you, I definitely saw it! That pit was something out of this world!”

The rumors weren’t very detailed to begin with. As usual, it started with the bluster of a man who liked to brag. It was a story from a drunken Terran that wasn’t worth much attention, and people didn’t listen to it very closely.

“We ran away as soon as we saw that hole. The strange chill and gloom that emanated from it left us completely horrified. That’s why we had to take a long detour to get here.”

What would normally have ended as the ramblings of a drunk, however, was revived through the words of passing travelers. But up until that point, it was just a folktale that sporadically appeared across the continent.

“There’s another world underground beyond the pit!”

However, as time went on, the rumor began to become more and more detailed.

“The world beneath the ground was as vast and wide as the world up here. We didn’t dare to look around, so we had to return with just the satisfaction of seeing the entrance.”

“A bizarre monster was wandering inside. I can assure you, those monsters are beings that have never existed in our world.”

The rumors gradually became more specific, and testimonies from those who witnessed monsters pouring out from those dark and gloomy caves started to surface.

“It was crazy. Something must have happened to me that day. Otherwise, I would never have stepped into that terrible place to begin with.”

Soon becoming known as one of the bravest humans alive, a certain herbalist’s story spread around the world faster than anyone could have anticipated.

“I wasn’t in my right mind. All I could think of was how to escape from that place, where all kinds of monsters I’d never heard of roamed. But the way back was so complicated that it wasn’t easy at all.”

Unlike those who seemed to have only seen the periphery of the pit so far, the herbalist seemed to have ventured quite deep into it.

“But after wandering around for a while, I saw something great. A golden castle!”

The herbalist said he had seen a castle shining brightly in the darkness.

“It must have been gold. That huge castle was entirely made of gold! At first, I doubted my eyes. But no matter how much I looked at it, it didn’t disappear, and I finally came face to face with reality. There was a castle made of gold right before my eyes!”

Someone interrupted him upon hearing those unbelievable words. “Then where did all that gold go? You should have torn a small chunk out of it. Are you telling me there was a castle made of gold right in front of you, and yet you returned empty-handed? Who’d believe that!”

“I wanted to! I was going to! But I couldn’t!” the herbalist explained sadly, saying he couldn’t get close to the castle because of the monsters that roamed around it. But people didn’t believe him.

However, an unexpected man believed him, saying, “The rumors were all true. A new world exists beneath our world, and beyond that lies a castle made of gold. The castle is guarded by warriors that are astonishingly agile and valiant.”

The man was a well-known treasure hunter, and based on the information the herbalist gave him, he had gone out to explore beyond the pit. Upon his return, he had testified that the rumors were true. His words had a ripple effect on human society, unlike the stories of ordinary Terrans, travelers, and herbalists.

“But don’t overlook this fact either. Just as the Golden Castle from the rumors is real, the monsters that roam underground are also as real as it gets. It was because of them that I ended up losing all my companions.”

Rumors had become truth, and the story spread so far that people all over the world became interested in the pit and the world that lay beyond it.

All at once, people flocked to the pit.

“Oh! The rumors were true!”

“To think such a thing like this exists…”

People were enamored with the existence of the pit, and already salivated at the thought of the Golden Castle beyond the pit. They threw themselves into it with hope and expectation, but only a few returned.

“Mana Stones are scattered all over the area. But there are too many monsters protecting those Mana Stones.”

Countless numbers of people disappeared without returning, but for those who had heard the rumors, they became even more excited. The existence of the Golden Castle was one thing, but their eyes were now on the precious Mana Stones that reportedly filled the world under them.

Their reaction was to be expected, since the word on the street was that a Mana Stone that was just the size of a newborn baby’s thumb was valuable enough to turn their life around for good.

More and more people flocked to the pit and disappeared. There were few survivors. However, among those who ventured into the pit this time, there were some well-known adventurers and treasure hunters among them. Some of them succeeded in collecting Mana Stones.

“The world below may contain the traces of ancient times that were lost in the wrath of the Gods.”

The adventurers’ words were quite convincing. Then, people began to think that the world inside the pit was an ancient forgotten city.

Even more people flocked in. Explorers had even begun forming large expedition parties to head into the pit. They were made up of experts from various fields, and were all experienced and capable in their own right. Because of their experience, their survival rate was a lot higher, and consequently, a lot of Mana Stones were released into the world.

It was at that time that the world turned upside down.

“We’re taking over this pit.”

The demons, who could be called the natural nemesis of humanity, declared the world beyond the pit to be their realm. Most of the adventurers who had flocked to obtain Mana Stones were killed by the demons, and an even greater number of travelers and treasure hunters were driven out of the vicinity.

“It’s clear that the objective of the demons is to summon the Demon King by collecting all the Mana Stones, some of which have ended up in our world. And should they succeed in their summoning, they’ll make their gloomy world an outpost in their conquest.”

When a famous sage gave a warning, people began to become alarmed. Now, the pit was no longer a treasure trove of Mana Stones, but had become a powder keg ready to explode at any moment.

Armies from each country were dispatched, and famous knights and wizards flocked to overthrow the demons. In the meantime, the legendary clan of warriors appeared once again in the world, and the famous, merciful Saint became a member of their party.

Humanity’s morale was at its peak. Although the demons were strong, mankind didn’t doubt that the demons would lose this holy war.

The power of humanity was amazing indeed. Although the sacrifice required was great, the humans succeeded in purifying most of the area corrupted by the demons, and in the end, only the world inside the pit remained part of the demon realm.

But that was the start of the real war. The dark world beneath the surface was the demon realm, and countless famous knights and wizards couldn’t avoid their attacks in the darkness and had to abandon their original orders.

To make matters worse, the demons cleverly used the monsters of the world beneath the surface that didn’t discriminate between friend or foe, which only caused greater distress among the ranks of the human army.

The humans continued to suffer defeat after defeat, as if their initial success had all been a lie. Nevertheless, they didn’t give up.

“When the Demon King ascends, this world will perish.”

Fear of the Demon King kept them moving.

“Don’t give up. A handful of blood being shed now will be the cornerstone of preventing a greater calamity in the future.”

Inspired by the warrior hero’s struggles, the humans gave one last push. At last, in the final battle, the humans discovered that the demons’ base was located on the outskirts of the world beneath them, and not directly below them.

Additionally, they deduced that it wasn’t a trap. Thus, they gathered the last of their forces and prepared for the decisive battle.

“You evil being! Your vain dream ends here!”

“You thorn in our flesh, it’s a pity we weren’t able to kill all of your kind.”

The leader of the demons faced the hero and sharpened its teeth. However, that only lasted for a brief moment, as the demon grinned and said, “But it’s already too late. All our preparations have already been made, and now, He will awaken.”

The warrior and the humans were shocked. However, realizing that the summoning ritual hadn’t yet been completed, they launched a fierce offensive. The demons desperately fended off the humans’ final attack.

“Now, the world below this earth will become His whole domain. In a world full of death and magic, there will be nothing that remains beneficial to humans.”

Upon hearing the demons’ words, the warrior and several brave humans charged toward them in a suicidal attack. Many of them died or were injured before they could even reach the epicenter of the ritual, but they didn’t give up and pushed on, and were eventually able to reach their destination.

“This is…”

But by the time they reached their goal, it was already too late. At some point, the magic circle began to shine intensely before spewing out a deathly aura.

“How did it finish so quickly?!”

“The Mana here suits us pretty well. Thanks to this, we became the final supply of Mana that was needed for the ritual ceremony.”

The magic circle was constantly absorbing the energy and vitality of its surroundings. Both demons and humans caught in the terrifying aura died in vain, and the magic circle’s light only grew more intense.

“I’ll buy us some time! In the meantime, please…!”

At that moment, the Saint stepped forward. She kneeled down and began offering a prayer with supreme reverence. A divine energy never before seen by humans began descending onto her body, before spreading out and suppressing the light emitting from the magic circle.

“Let’s take this chance!”

The warrior finally reached the demons’ front line through the sacrifice of his companions, wielding his divine sword and driving the demons away. However, as expected of demons, they didn’t succumb easily, and the hero became more and more anxious as time passed.

The Saint’s divine power gradually weakened. Although she was a Saint beloved by God, she was limited in how much divine power she could use by her mortal human body.

The energy of the magic circle, previously suppressed by her power, began to grow stronger again. The vitality of those nearby was absorbed once again and the magic circle became stronger, and the divine energy of the Saint was overwhelmed.

“Keke. It’s time. He will soon awaken and smash your arrogance and hypocrisy!”

It was a clear provocation, but the hero was helpless. His impatient mind made his hands and feet weak, and in the end, he suffered serious injuries at the hands of the demons.

In the end, the hero wasn’t able to stop the summoning of the Demon King, and his consciousness was left at rock bottom.

As the demons looked at the area around them that had given way to complete devastation, they exclaimed arrogantly, “Good! We can already feel His presence.”

Depleted of her divine power, the Saint began vomiting blood and eventually lost consciousness. The magic circle, which had been suppressed slightly by her divine powers, was now shining with full intensity.

“You bastard!”

The warrior was desperate. Even his comrades who had supported him were falling one by one at the hands of the demons. To make matters worse, the magical aura emanating from the magic circle had grown in intensity, and he was finding it hard to even move.

He was angry and frustrated due to the helplessness he was feeling. There was nothing he could do. He fell into despair.

“Now, this will be a world where death is the only law, and when He comes, He will turn all the worlds into this!”

The warrior couldn’t even stop the demons’ arrogant remarks. However, someone suddenly stepped in to silence the demons, saying, “That sounds as if it’ll be a bit of a problem.”

“Are you the warrior’s comrade!?” the demons shouted, startled by the sudden intrusion, but they quickly straightened their expressions and roared back, “But it’s too late! He has already decided to come here by His own will, and there will be no one in the world who can stop His return.”

Upon hearing those words, the random stranger with dark hair and yellow skin frowned, musing, “Oh my, am I too late?”

Seeing the man’s gaze toward the magic circle, the demons started speaking more and more excitedly. “When He comes, He will make this place the foundation of His kingdom, and He will rule the world! And your death will be the foundation of his holy beginning!”

“That’s hilarious,” the man remarked.

The magic circle’s momentum kept growing and growing, the demons kept speaking with greater arrogance, and everything pointed toward a dangerous ending for the man. But the tone of the man’s voice made it seem as if he were commenting on a random dog barking annoyingly.

He continued, “Actually, this place already has an owner, so seeing someone else come and talk about this land as if it were theirs isn’t funny at all.”

“What?”

It was only then that the demons realized that the man wasn’t affected by the magic circle, and their expressions froze in horror.

The man commented, “It seemed as if you knew what you were getting into, so I left you guys alone, but now that I see what you’re doing, it’s really rather pathetic.”

“What are you…” the demons began.

The man looked at the demons who looked completely lost, unable to comprehend the situation, and said with a displeased expression, “This is my land, you sons of bitches.”