The One Who Lives Because They Can’t Die

“I haven’t heard the full explanation yet, but….”

“My goodness, you can understand the ancient language?!”

The blue-haired woman, who had her eyes wide open, jumped up a beat late.

She approached me in an instant, fluttering like a butterfly, and leaned down.

She was a distinct beauty with sharp features and was quite tall.

“How fascinating. Ah, is this the effect of the Varg’s imprint? By the way, Janus. You had something like this too, right? The thing you used on me. Honestly, these gods think that just recklessly branding people as they please is everything. Right?”

“…So. Did you hate it.”

“Oh, stop it, who said I hated it? …Oh, I’m sorry. You must have been very surprised. So, where should I start explaining? Ah, first of all, let me introduce myself!”

The woman, whose head was busy turning between responding to a seemingly displeased Janus and dealing with me standing there in bewilderment, held out her hand.

“I’m Sirin!”

I looked up at the woman who was smiling brightly.

Light blue hair, accompanied by a swarm of blue butterflies—if it was Sirin.

“…The main NPC of the Butterfly Palace?”

“Ooh! That’s right! You know me!”

‘Sirin of the Alluring Butterfly’ was a fixed NPC residing in the ‘Desert of Death – Butterfly Palace’.

Her voice was beautiful and soft, and she frequently appeared in trailer introductions or bug patch announcements, so even I, who focused more on hunting than story quests, was familiar with her.

The main OST, <A Butterfly’s Dream>, was also one of my favorite songs.

…But why is Sirin here? And why is Janus here?

I looked back and forth between the NPC and the boss monster in confusion.

The bug where Janus stayed at the Butterfly Palace had been around for a long time.

Because of that, users of Legacyth Chronicle would often link ‘Janus X Sirin’ as a couple, or use slang like ‘I stole Sirin’ as a way of saying they ‘subjugated Janus’.

Normally, I would have assumed it was just another bug and made a joke like ‘You two look good together!’.

But now, to me, for whom this place had become no different from the ‘real world’, it was pure terror.

“U-um, excuse me, why am I here…?”

“Ah, ahh, please don’t be afraid. First of all, Shinbi-ssi! I can call you Shinbi-ssi, right? Shinbi-ssi, you have no idea how much I’ve been looking for you! We should have met like this much sooner. It was so hard for us to meet, wasn’t it!”

Sirin grabbed my hand tightly and shook it vigorously.

Seeing her smiling brightly like a people-loving retriever, I don’t know why Tegen came to mind.

“You were looking for me? Why…. What exactly is going on….”

“Ah! Sorry, I should explain first. …Janus?”

Sirin glanced back.

Following her gaze, Janus, who was leaning back on a blue throne that didn’t suit him at all, struck his Dark Spear down with a thud!

[By the authority of the Gatekeeper of Space-Time, <Janus>, <Baalzeph von Bloddyhen> is immediately summoned to the <Current Location – Butterfly Palace>.]

Soon, swish! A swarm of butterflies poured out from the floor where blue water was swirling, and in that gap, a figure appeared.

A man tied to a black iron chair, with a dark blue bruised eye.

“…Baalzeph?”

I almost didn’t recognize him.

His hair was disheveled like someone who had just woken up, his usually neat black suit was tattered, and his pocket square was crooked.

His face also looked significantly different.

The smooth and elegant beauty I had seen all this time was gone; his eyes had inverted colors, and his fangs protruded awkwardly like those of the ‘Urf Tribe’.

His face, with bulging veins, looked… exactly like any other monster.

Furthermore, his cheekbone was swollen as if he had been beaten somewhere.

He was annoyingly fine just a moment ago, so who had done this to him in the meantime?

Even when Karvan killed him so many times, he respawned perfectly fine.

While wondering about this, I flinched at a crack! sound.

“Look here, Mr. Vampire.”

Sirin, her eyes wide and fierce, growled while cracking her knuckles.

It was a menacing look, quite different from how she had been bubbling with excitement while looking at me.

“Do you want to tell her yourself? Or should I say it.”

“…I will.”

Baalzeph von Bloddyhen, who had been sitting with his head bowed gloomily, spoke in a crawling voice.

“I will tell her.”

Slowly lifting his head, Baalzeph looked at me.

When Baalzeph was first born, he didn’t even have a name.

[A <Nameless Vampire> has been created.]

He was just one of the lower-class monsters.

With hideous fangs protruding from his lips, pale skin laced with fine veins, and a growling language unique to lower species.

Still, he was free.

He spread his membrane-like wings and flew through the night sky, wandering the world.

Then, he learned of their miserable status.

• WhenIsHunterBuff (Hunter): Ugh; what’s with the mob ruining the background while I’m taking screenshots. Kill it already.

• MaxEfficiency (Sniper): So ugly lol look at its face lol

…A monster whose limbs were torn off at a mere gesture from the Awakeners, mocked, and living in constant fear of when it might die.

A lower species whose death no one would notice.

“Please let me be your servant. I will do anything.”

Thus, not wanting to live miserably, he volunteered to be the servant of a transcendent being.

[Overtake the ‘God Slayer’ Varg and receive the choice of the Awakeners.]

[If you do so, I will grant you an immortal life.]

One of the transcendent beings made a promise, and he did everything in his power to appear as attractive as possible to the Awakeners.

He hid his membrane-like bat wings with a black cloak, ground his fangs short, and learned the human language.

He changed his attire to that of a high-ranking human.

He spoke only polite and pleasant words that would make the Awakeners feel good.

“Awakener, please choose me. I will be your faithful helper.”

[New Vampire Race <Empire> NPCs confirmed for release!]

The Awakeners eventually chose them.

He vaguely knew they were merely a means to deal with the ‘God Slayer’ Vargs, who were an eyesore to the transcendent beings, but he was still happy.

[The Midvalen Governor <Baalzeph von Bloddyhen> is added as a new NPC. (※ Neutral NPC, Unattackable NPC. Affinity targeting impossible.)]

At first, he felt a sense of superiority.

The triumph of overtaking the ‘God Slayers’ and being chosen by the Awakeners.

An eternal life where he no longer had to be hunted like a beast.

“Welcome, Awaken….”

• Instigator (Paladin): Ugh, look at those bright red lips, he looks like such a p*ssy lol.

However, the ‘Representatives of the Gods’ were different from what he had imagined.

• Instigator (Paladin): Visually, these guys should have been the mobs lol.

• KaitoCut (Assassin): Agreed~ Honestly if these guys were mobs they’d be one-shot kills~?

• PearlyInNightSky (Mage): Ah, if it were the Varg, I would have come every day.

While enduring countless mockeries and sneers, he had to remain confined within the gloomy room given to him as if bound.

[Help] Please help with the Varg quest!

[One-line Board] Isn’t the Varg so f*cking OP? Which bastard thought of releasing these as normal mobs?

[HOT] Current status of God-Varg skill bugs.gif

On the other hand, the Vargs, who had become ‘monsters’, looked free.

They mercilessly cut down the Awakeners who insulted them and ended their lives honorably while fighting bravely.

“Welcome. Awakener.”

In contrast, he had to repeat the same words over and over inside a dull space.

“…I hope you raise a toast of blood today. The rain-scented coolness is….”

• WontReadMoreThanThreeLines (Oracle): Skip, skip, ugh. He talks too f*cking much.

…How long must he live like this?

When a long time had passed, Baalzeph suddenly thought.

This was not the ‘freedom’ he had desired. He prayed to God.

“I no longer care to have eternal life. I am fine with returning to the life of a beast, so please, release me now.”

But God was silent.

“How long must I live like this?”

• NPC Baalzeph: Welcome, Awakener. This request is….

• WiretapInMyEar (Shaman): What? I didn’t hear you. Say it again from the beginning.

“Let me return to the life of a monster.”

• NPC Baalzeph: Welcome. Awakene….

• CantHoldBack (Priest): What are you glaring at this early in the morning, you jerk. Give me the reward quickly.

“Please….”

But even after years and decades passed, there was no answer.

“…Welcome. Awakener….”

He gradually went insane.

Then one day, a massive rift occurred.

Due to the awakening of Janus, the ‘Demon Outcast’ who possessed the power to split space-time, a crack appeared in the dimension, and at that moment, Baalzeph saw something he shouldn’t have seen.

[<Advertisement> Experience more than you can imagine! Start now, ‘Legacyth Chronicle!’ …Congrats! Ranked #1 in annual virtual reality RPG sales!]

[One-line Board: Did you guys see the Shorts that hit #1 on trending yesterday?
└ Tanghulu Skollcat? That was hilarious, why does it like cherry tomatoes so much?
└ Isn’t that stealth advertising for cherry tomatoes? lol]

[Inquiry: When is the new content update?]

The fact that to the Awakeners, they were merely a form of entertainment.

[Title] Guys, it’s been a few years so I’m asking.
Nickname: BellOfTruth
Content: Excluding skill bugs, Varg VS Empire? Which one would you pick for the NPC release character?

[352 Comments]
▷PraiseBe: Isn’t that a balance collapse?? Definitely the former.
▷CoodiIsEverything: Visuals, skills, coolness—Varg wins by a landslide lol. What even is the Empire, you otaku lol.
▷FurLover: For starters, Wolf << will always be at least decent.
▷ChairmanOfSerialAgreement: If Empire had become monsters, no one would have used the skill bugs, agreed? Who would use that shitty bloodsucking.
▷WalkingTheUnknownDog: How long ago was that Dracula concept;
▷PearlyInNightSky: If you want to see vampires, just go watch Twilight.

The fact that his desperate longing to be chosen, even at the cost of his pride, was not because they truly wanted him, but was merely the plaything of the Awakeners.

The fact that the Awakeners, whether they were ‘monsters’ then or ‘servants of God’ now, still regarded them as toys and mocked them incessantly.

After learning all the truth, he could not bear it.

[This is the ‘Legacyth Chronicle Official Cafe’.]
[To register as a member, please complete the nickname duplication check.]

Unable to contain his sense of betrayal, he even broke the rules and intruded into the space where the Awakeners exchanged written conversations.

[Baalzeph]

• This nickname is already taken.

[BaalzephvonBloddyhen]

• This nickname is already taken.

[Empire]

• This nickname is already taken.

The Awakeners had already taken even his name and race.

[CantDieWontDie]

• Nickname creation is complete.