Chương 171: The Inventor and the Demon

Luke had arrived, guided by Artemis, and now stood deep within the cave—face to face with a man who, by the way he dressed and carried himself, didn't seem like someone enduring the same hellish tutorial as the rest of them. He wore a black suit, his beard was immaculately trimmed, and until seconds ago, he'd been sipping wine from a crystal glass. Nothing in that place felt like it belonged to the tutorial. It was clean. Organized.

A strange fusion of library, laboratory, and living room—all carved into the heart of the cave.

"A pleasure, Luke. My name is Samael. I serve Azazel... the one you knew as the Dark Demon. The Darkness that granted you your bloodline." His eyes were cut through by vertical slits—like a serpent's. Luke froze for a moment at those words. It couldn't be a bluff. That name, Dark Demon, was something only he knew. No one else had been there when it happened. No one but him knew how, at the edge of death, the Darkness had reached out and given him a bloodline. This... he hadn't expected.

All this time, the mission orb had remained connected to the Forgotten Temple Dungeon. To that power. To his lineage.

"You're an envoy of that Darkness?" Luke asked.

"Exactly," the man replied, calm as ever. In that moment, Luke's mind spun through a thousand possibilities, trying to uncover motives and connections. The truth was, he'd never fully understood why that Darkness had saved him or offered him such power. So much had happened since—he'd simply learned to live with it. Beside Samael, a wine bottle floated into the air, followed by a glass.

"Would you like some?"

"No, thanks," Luke replied. With a snap of his fingers, the items vanished. He had only seconds to organize his thoughts, to run back through everything he'd experienced. It had all started when he found that special mission orb back in the Wild Zone. It told him to search for a necklace. He'd spent days tracking it down, eventually deducing it was hidden inside a church. After battling a giant spider, he claimed the necklace as his reward. That was the first part of the mission.

Then came the second—an update directing him to find the necklace's creator. And now, he had. Looking back, it was obvious: everything had been leading toward his bloodline.

"You're a demon too?" Luke asked.

"Of course."

"A real demon? Like… horns, red skin, that whole thing?" Luke added, genuinely curious. Samael swept a hand through his hair, revealing a pair of black horns.

"I hide them with magic. And as for drinking blood, eating souls, that's more pop culture from your world than actual demonic behavior. Though… I do know a few who are into that sort of thing." He smiled, stepping closer with measured elegance.

"By the way, did you like where I left the necklace? In a church, remember? I know, I know—explaining the joke ruins it. But as they say in your world…

'The devil is in the details.'" His gaze drifted to the necklace.

"Hello, Artemis. I hope you didn't cause too much trouble for my guest along the way."

"Me? Trouble? Never. Just my usual charming self," Artemis replied in her sarcastic tone. Samael gave her a courteous nod.

"Fair enough." Luke stepped forward.

"I have a few questions." Before he could continue, Samael snapped his fingers. Two torches lit up on the wall, revealing a massive, ancient painting.

"I understand. But first… let's take it slow, shall we? Let me enjoy the moment. You gave me a bit of work, Luke. I wasn't even involved with your universe at first. I had to become an 'investor' just to watch you more closely. Bad luck, huh? You just had to fall into this particular tutorial…" If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Charlie still had her hand on her sword. The tension in her stance was obvious. Samael noticed.

"By the way... your first bloodline servant is fascinating. A skeleton. Brilliant choice. Doesn't drown, doesn't feel cold, heat, hunger, pain, doesn't sleep, can't be suffocated. Fits any situation. Perfect."

"That was luck," Luke replied.

"I wasn't thinking about all that when it happened." Samael studied Charlie for a moment.

"Princess Charlie…" he said, as if savoring the name.

"You don't know who she was, do you?" Luke frowned.

"She was just... a skeleton in the dungeon. In the temple where I met the Darkness." Samael gave him a long look.

"So you really don't know…" He turned slowly, facing the large painting on the wall.

"The dungeon was a tomb. In your world… Ancient Egypt… when a pharaoh died, he was buried with his greatest treasures. Hence the pyramids. Let's just say that dungeon held some of the finest dead—not in terms of power, as they were only shadows of who they were in life—but in quality, you might say." He gave a low, amused laugh.

"The reason she's called 'Princess' is because…" he paused for a beat, then smiled.

"I think I'd rather not spoil the surprise. You two can discover who she was on your own." A heavy silence settled in the room. Luke and Charlie exchanged a glance.

"... Now I'm curious," Luke muttered. Samael ignored the comment and stepped toward the dark painting on the wall.

"I only hope your next servant is as good as the first," he said with a faint smile.

"I haven't really thought about that yet," Luke admitted, approaching alongside him. In truth, that had been the last thing on his mind these past few days. There were so many things Luke wanted to ask—about the tutorial, the bloodline, even whether there was some way to return to Earth. But Samael didn't seem like someone who had come here just to play the role of guide. And Luke wasn't ready to lower his guard. The painting before them was filled with nothing but darkness.

A blot of black ink that revealed nothing… but seemed to pull everything into it.

"I came under orders from my master, Azazel. He told me about you," Samael said. Luke watched him, still trying to process what he was hearing.

"You came from Hell?" Samael let out a quiet laugh.

"Let's clear something up. This whole 'Hell' concept is from your world. It doesn't exist the way you think. Demons are just another race in the multiverse—like elves, humans, orcs, kobolds, vampires, and whatever else is out there. We have our own worlds. Our own homes. Just like anyone else." Charlie lowered her weapon. The tension she'd carried since their arrival seemed to fade. Samael didn't give off any hostile intent. He sat in an elegant armchair and gestured to the one beside him.

Luke hesitated, then took a seat.

"Azazel is the supreme ruler of several universes—and of course, the highest leader of our divine order. He's a god. A true cosmic entity. I'm a god too, but I'm not on his level. I wouldn't even dare to compare."

"You're a god… serving another god?" Luke raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. It's more common than you'd think. I'm also classified as an Apostle. Meaning I have direct contact with our deity." Luke remained quiet, absorbing the weight of that statement.

"To interact with this tutorial, I had to negotiate with the divinities already tied to your universe. I'm only here because the system allowed it."

"The system… allows, or controls?" Luke asked. Samael made a sweeping gesture with one hand, as if explaining something self-evident.

"It's more complicated than that. The system is part of reality. It is reality. It's not something you obey—it's something that simply is. You don't argue with time. You just live through it." Luke glanced at Charlie, then at the necklace around his neck. Artemis remained silent. But inside her pocket dimension, he noticed something odd: the fruit he'd stored earlier had been partially eaten. She was probably distracted, snacking.

"The reason we can speak so freely right now… is because you've accomplished two major feats," Samael said.

"You killed the only orc general and became the first to open the gate to this section of the Wild Zone." Luke said nothing.

"Those actions displeased certain deities. There are forces that didn't want that gate opened. But thanks to your achievements, the system granted me more time with you. Enough for a real conversation—not just a brief encounter." Samael looked at him, eyes steady.

"You can ask me anything. No filters. There are no gods watching right now."

"Is there another way to leave this tutorial?" Luke asked.

"No." The response was immediate, firm.

"The tutorial follows system laws. Absolute laws. The only way out… is to complete the mission." Luke exhaled slowly.

"Actually," Samael added, "even if I wanted to, it wouldn't be possible. I'm not really here." He reached out toward Luke—and his hand passed straight through him.

"See?" Luke blinked, unsettled.

"I can interact with certain elements. In this case, I'm limited to this room. But like I said—technically, I'm not here. I'm a projection. Think of it like… a video call from your world. Something like that."

"What is this tutorial, really?" Luke asked.

"It's obvious this isn't normal. The level is way beyond what we were told to expect. And there's no defined time limit. That means we're stuck here until the mission is finished." The sound of footsteps interrupted the conversation. Luke turned toward one of the hallways. A woman was approaching.