Darkening ominous clouds.
A biting, howling wind.
A gaze overlooking the land.
A man stood watching over the forsaken land.
A soft pink ribbon. A giant, cutesy brooch. Beneath fluttering lace, his forearms were powerful beyond measure. His flap skirt flailed in the wind, looking utterly adorable, while the calves wrapped in pure white stockings were like iron pillars.
Thus, Aged Kimchi gripped his Heart-Sparkle Magical Girl Wand with all his might.
"......"
He didn't know.
Why was he standing here?
How he had ended up so lost.
No,
Maybe, he did know.
'Vague... memories of my past lives swirl in my mind.'
Aged Kimchi's graceful eyes sank deep into thought.
He could remember, just faintly.
'The nineteen lives I've already lived through...'
Fragmented memories came to him in bits and pieces.
Thanks to that, he could understand a little.
This life he was facing now wasn't his first. There had been nineteen before it. In those lives, he had headed toward that very forsaken land countless times, had fought endlessly, had waged endless battles.
And so he survived. He triumphed.
But for what?
By whose will?
'...The summon of duty.'
There had been a divine and absolute hand that led him. Following the guidance of that hand, he had achieved countless feats. That had been his life, his purpose, and his sole destiny. Or so he had believed and lived.
But now, it seemed different.
'And now... it's gone.'
Aged Kimchi looked down at his calloused hands. He couldn't feel it. He couldn't hear the voice that the summon of duty used to convey.
It was the first time.
'The summon of duty says nothing.'
No matter how hard he listened, it was silent.
A feeling of helplessness came over him.
'Then now... what do I live for?'
He didn't know.
He felt abandoned in the biting wind. The forsaken land that stretched out before him looked more vast than ever.
Where should I go in this vastness? What should I do?
He didn't know. At all. It was so unclear, it was overwhelming.
"......"
Aged Kimchi stood in silence for a long time, looking only at his hands.
Then, at some moment—
...Ding dong.
The bell of the world rang.
A change swept through the status window that floated above Aged Kimchi's head.
[Name: Aged Kimchi]
[Level: 9990]
[Status: Playable Character → NPC]
With it, a change occurred in Aged Kimchi's heart as well.
"......."
Why was it?
Why did he feel this inexplicable lightness? Why did the absence of the guiding hand no longer fill him with anxiety? Why did it feel like... he had finally become truly free?
He had no idea.
But there was one thing he knew for certain.
'Now, I no longer...'
He no longer had to head toward that forsaken land. There was no longer a need. He could now simply go where his steps took him. Wherever his will pointed. He was free to go wherever he wished.
...Whooooosh.
Darkening ominous clouds.
A biting, howling wind.
Within it, Aged Kimchi turned his back.
Before he knew it, his steps were headed toward human territory.
***
At the same time,
At the center of the forsaken land—
In the meeting room of the Demon King's castle, all the Four Heavenly Kings, except for Asurat, were gathered with grave expressions, deep in discussion.
And so began a full parade of worries.
"How... are we supposed to get shit?"
The Archduke of Fog, Hartok, muttered in agony, his face completely stiff.
Yes.
Shit.
They were told to bring it.
No context. No explanation. Just bring shit.
And as much of it as possible, at that.
That was the order given by the Demon King Credos, who had nearly tortured Asurat to death today, to the Four Heavenly Kings.
"..."
Seriously, what the hell.
Should I just quit being one of the Heavenly Kings?
Hartok muttered in despair, realizing that his job satisfaction was currently in the negatives.
"Surely... he doesn't mean we have to make it ourselves, right?"
"Credos, you crazy bastard! You've lost it...! This is disgusting! Depraved!"
From across the round table, Sirgi trembled with rage. Just recalling today's command made her feel so filthy and repulsed that she involuntarily released four blades of energy.
Next to her sat the Black Boulder Tyrant, Baal, who spoke in a serious and solemn tone.
"I, Baal. Have eaten nothing for a long time. So I don't shit. Sirgi doesn't shit either."
"...Don't talk about my shit, you crazy freak!"
Sirgi snapped irritably.
Hartok spoke gravely.
"No. Even if we could shit, I wouldn't want to offer mine to Credos. That bastard might use it as a medium for some curse or spell."
"......"
At Hartok's words, Sirgi and Baal, who had been arguing, both nodded. It was true. As Hartok said, shit was fundamentally a byproduct of one's body. If used as a medium—? It could serve as a powerful vehicle for curses.
Hartok continued.
"So our shit is off-limits. Better to squeeze it out of the lower demons."
"But the lower demons have starved even more than us. So no shit. Worse constipation than us."
Baal shook his head in disagreement.
Hartok furrowed his brow.
"I know. But so what?"
"You can't force out shit that's not there."
"If someone can't shit, we slice their bellies open for disobeying orders. Maybe we can scrape something from the intestines."
"No good. Lower demons are weak. Slice belly, they die."
"Doesn't matter. We'll still get some shit."
"No good. Dead demons no longer shit. Shit must keep coming while alive, to gather more."
"...You actually said something smart for once."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"You're annoying. Maybe I should slice your belly open."
"...Your weak attacks won't even cut through me."
"We'll see. Feed your freshly-dead meat to lower demons, and maybe that'll make them shit. Right?"
"That threat doesn't work on Baal."
"......"
Hartok's gaze turned cold.
Baal's whole body bulged with veins.
The Archduke of Fog and the Black Boulder Tyrant.
Tension crackled between the two Heavenly Kings.
And just as the atmosphere grew dangerously grim—
Bang!
"What the hell? Why so tense in here?"
The door swung open. Kim Jangcheol entered the meeting room. He looked over the Four Heavenly Kings with disdain and asked,
"I told you to get dung for compost, and here you are in a damn staring contest?"
He scolded the Heavenly Kings, acting all stern.
Sure, he was still a bit scared of them. Still worried they might snap and charge at him. But he kept it cool and spoke with feigned ease.
"I was outside listening and all I heard was shit this, shit that. What, you thought my order was some kind of shit homework? Huh?"
"....."
"Tsk, can't rely on you guys for anything. Tsk tsk!"
Kim Jangcheol shook his head.
The order to collect shit?
He had never meant for them to gather demon feces.
He'd simply told them to bring animal dung, to use for proper composting.
Human waste is easy to obtain, but... it's far from ideal for farming.
Poorly processed human waste compost causes major hygiene issues. Parasite eggs and bacteria in feces transfer directly to plants. Those who eat those plants get infected instantly. A flawless cycle of infection, by all, for all, to all.
That's why many modern African countries still suffer from compost-related diseases. And it wasn't even that long ago—pre-70s Korea had similar issues, with outbreaks of parasites and infectious diseases due to human waste compost.
'To break that vicious cycle completely, you'd need a proper fermentation facility and several months of time. But... I doubt we can expect that here.'
Honestly, he did feel a little disappointed.
If only the parasites, pathogens, and the salinity that hinders plant growth could be handled, human feces wouldn't be such a bad option. It was relatively easy to obtain, rich in nutrients, and even recyclable.
But in the long run, it wasn't ideal.
There was no time to waste on additional processing right now.
Kim Jangcheol quickly brushed off the temptation(?) he'd momentarily felt for human waste. Then he spoke to the Four Heavenly Kings.
"All of you, follow me."
"To where?"
"Northwest. To the Cliffs of No Return."
He didn't bother with any further explanations. They wouldn't understand even if he did.
And so, Kim Jangcheol set out from the Demon King's castle, leading the three Heavenly Kings, his adjutant Zephyros, and a few lower demon workers. He relied on the map he'd memorized entirely through playing the game, heading northwest. They walked. For over half a day.
And at last, they arrived.
At the northwestern edge of the forsaken land.
To the Cliffs of No Return.
...Shhhhhh!
A cliff, sheer and abruptly cut.
Below, waves crashed and raged.
Violent, swirling waves. Between them, jagged rocks lined up like the fangs of a beast, endlessly. It was obvious that anyone swept into those waters would have their entire body shredded.
"My Lord, what exactly are we here for...?"
Zephyros asked.
Kim Jangcheol replied as if it were nothing.
"Compost. To make compost, we need shit."
"......."
That damn shit again.
Zephyros looked at the Demon King he served with a grim face. And once again, he felt the dissonance he'd been noticing these past few days.
'He's definitely... changed.'
He wasn't the same as before.
Since when?
Probably since right before the marching ceremony.
Up until then, Credos hadn't been like this. He had been a being consumed only by thoughts of slaughter and destruction.
But somehow, he'd changed.
Changed far too much.
Not only did he suddenly cancel the marching ceremony, now he was talking about farming. Compost. Coming all the way out here to collect shit for that.
Things that would've been unimaginable in the past.
But...
'...I still don't know.'
Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.
He was still confused, still unsure.
Meanwhile, Kim Jangcheol continued.
"When it comes to improving soil structure, quality compost always starts with quality materials."
"Quality... materials?"
"Well, roughly things like wood ash, piles of weeds, farm soil, eggshells, and maybe chicken droppings or fish scraps?"
Kim Jangcheol smiled faintly.
Wood ash could be obtained by burning the handles of demon weapons. The pile of weeds could be collected from the dry, withered remnants scattered around the forsaken land's outskirts.
But the rest seemed a little trickier.
'That's why I told the Four Heavenly Kings to bring me shit.'
He'd hoped, just maybe.
After all, he had only experienced this world through a game. He figured maybe the Four Heavenly Kings, who lived and breathed in this world in more detail than he did, might know a method he didn't. Perhaps a way to gather animal dung.
But reality had been disappointing.
And so, in the end, he brought everyone here.
'The Cliffs of No Return…'
Kim Jangcheol raised his gaze. He wasn't looking down at the base of the cliff, but toward the other side. Several dozen meters away, there stood towering jagged cliffs, rising like towers from the sea.
All streaked and speckled in pure white.
Demon seagulls flew overhead.
It was their nesting ground—those demon seagulls that lived along the shores of the Demon Realm.
'...This is it!'
This was their largest nesting ground.
So, it just needed a good, thorough sweep. Demon seagull droppings, their eggshells, even the fish scraps they dropped while feeding—he could gather them all in abundance.
'That's all I need. With that, I can make compost rich in nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium.'
Soil improvement!
Nutrient supply!
Farming success!
Kim Jangcheol, picturing these results ripening like full clusters of cod roe in his mind, stepped forward.
"Listen carefully now. I'll cross over to those cliffs and pack the seagull droppings and miscellaneous stuff into sacks, then toss them back over here."
"Pardon?"
Zephyros flinched.
"But, My Lord? That place..."
"I know. No one can cross it."
It was true.
The Cliffs of No Return.
Beyond the edge of this cliff, the terrain was marked by the game system as inaccessible. No character could ever make the crossing. Not a single exception. Which was why...
"For generations, many demons have tried to scale those cliffs to catch the seagulls. Just to fill their starving bellies. But... none ever returned. All of them slipped and fell to the waves in vain. But for you, my Lord..."
"It's fine. I can climb it."
"But..."
"If this works, we'll all have enough to eat. Just watch in silence."
"...."
Zephyros was left speechless.
Sirgi, looking at the seagull-stained cliffs, gagged a little inside.
Baal watched silently as Kim Jangcheol stretched.
Hartok barely concealed his sly grin.
Then, Kim Jangcheol ran.
Tapat!
He pushed off the ground.
Still somewhat unfamiliar with this physical body.
But he ran with all his might.
Just like back then, in his 13th playthrough, when he desperately tried to scale those cliffs. Like the days he challenged them again and again, dying hundreds of times.
Fwoosh!
He leapt.
Beyond the cliff.
Beyond the churning waves.
Recalling the trick he'd used to finally succeed that day.
Thunk—!
Just before he could grab the target cliff—
A translucent barrier blocked his hand.
It was solid and slippery.
He couldn't break through.
He couldn't grip it.
Like a slick, hard wall of glass, it deflected him, and his body immediately slipped downward. Straight toward the whirlpool waves that would shred anyone. Without hesitation, helplessly, powerlessly, he slid down.
"....!"
Zephyros's eyes widened.
Sirgi's eyes bulged.
Startled, Baal clenched his fists.
Hartok's sly grin became obvious.
But Kim Jangcheol remained calm.
'This is... all part of the process!'
As he slid, he timed it precisely. Remembered the trick he discovered in his 13th playthrough, the one time he managed to scale those cliffs.
It was the pinnacle of exploiting a system bug.
'...Open equipment inventory!'
Click!
The equipment inventory window appeared before his eyes.
Without hesitation, he selected the bottom menu.
'Full unequip!'
Ta-dah!
In that instant—
Kim Jangcheol was stark naked.
And with just his two pale, chewy rice-cake-like butt cheeks poking out, the rest of his body wedged perfectly into the pixels of the jagged cliff, locked firmly in place.