Chapter 37
The shattered spire.
The splintered stained glass.
Walter stopped in front of what had once been a cathedral, now reduced to ruins.
“This is ironic in many ways.”
At Doyun’s remark, Walter paused, his expression thoughtful.
“A demonic trial hidden in a sanctuary… Yes, ironic indeed. But what do you mean by ‘in many ways’?”
“The kind of man who would scoff at gods thought of this place at the edge of death—and even found salvation here.”
“What nonsense. I only found it while being chased by a monster.”
“…?”
Doyun frowned inwardly.
‘That’s odd.’
But he didn’t have time to dwell on it. Every nerve in his body suddenly went on high alert.
[Detection -23] had picked up traces of the trial.
Following the tug of instinct brushing across his skin, Doyun crossed the silent cathedral and turned his gaze behind the broken altar.
On the wall, partially destroyed and chipped paint revealed a fading mural.
Twelve saints and angels performing the Holy Communion.
As Doyun turned, Walter nodded.
“The saint holding the Holy Grail. That’s the entrance to the trial.”
“Got any luck to spare?”
“Hmm… You’ll have to make your own.”
“So stingy.”
“Be grateful I’m not wishing you bad luck instead.”
“Heh, fair point. Alright then. I’m off.”
As Doyun turned away, Walter muttered softly under his breath.
“…Just don’t lose yourself in there.”
At that moment, Doyun touched the mural.
[This is a land steeped in trials.]
[The Dark Manor is a sanctuary for the chosen.]
[Only those guided by darkness shall reach it, and only those fated to the abyss shall endure it.]
[Attempts: 0]
[Failure: Random skill deletion]
[Success: Trial will vanish]
[Will you accept the trial? Y/N]
‘Let’s dive in.’
The moment his resolve solidified—
Whooosh.
The stone floor beneath his feet gave way.
Doyun was sucked down as if into a swamp.
Darkness.
Pitch-black, consuming all vision.
The landscape that stretched below stood in eerie contrast to the dilapidated cathedral.
Black marble floors. Twisted pillars.
Gloomy, yet majestic.
And throughout, the faint, evil energy of a mansion drenched in malevolence.
Then—
Rumble—
The black marble that had been the ceiling now rose rapidly to become the floor.
Simultaneously, the ruined cathedral above—the upper level Doyun had fallen from—was buried deep underground.
Like flipping an hourglass upside down.
The underground rose to become the surface, and the original world vanished beneath.
Thud.
His feet hit solid ground.
Doyun now stood in a completely different place.
A hallway shrouded in cold darkness.
[The Trial of the ‘Dark Manor’ has begun.]
“Ohoho~ You’ve arrived! We’ve been waiting for youuu!”
A shrill, almost gleeful voice echoed as footsteps rang out.
‘They didn’t say this was just stage one.’
Sharp horns curled like crescent moons, brown fur, red eyes.
A goat beastman dressed in a tuxedo and bowtie appeared before Doyun.
‘Should I kill it…?’
But there was no hostility from the goat.
Rather, he had his right hand placed over his left shoulder and bowed deeply.
“Permit me to introduce myself. I am Romiromi, the second butler and your guide for tonight’s banquet.”
“…?”
“Now, please follow me.”
The goat butler opened a door and led Doyun into an adjacent room.
“This way, dear guest~”
Inside was a dining hall, a long table laid out at its center.
Romiromi pulled out a chair made of bones with exaggerated politeness.
“Please, have a seat~”
“And if I refuse?”
Doyun narrowed his eyes.
The goat’s rectangular pupils gleamed ominously.
“Giving up so soon? Confirming the challenger’s will.”
“If this is part of the trial, then I’ll do it.”
The moment Doyun sat—
[Stage 1: Enjoy the appetizer of the ‘Dark Banquet’.]
[Remaining Dark Hotpot: 2]
“Hmm hmm~ Our manor’s specialty is, without a doubt, this dark hotpot!”
Romiromi reappeared with a boiling cauldron on a tray, approaching gracefully.
“Slice, dice—what could be inside? A mystery~ Stewed in the fires of hell, perhaps? That would make it exquisite~ Positively divine!”
Setting the pot down, Romiromi clapped his hands.
“Now, the seasoning of darkness!”
Shuuung.
All the lights in the dining hall vanished.
Doyun tried to enhance his vision, but it was useless.
This wasn’t just the absence of light. It was like a thick curtain of darkness smothering the entire pot.
“Hehehe~ The first Dark Hotpot is served, dear guest~”
The lid opened.
A stench too strange to define wafted into the room.
“Please, take a bite.”
Doyun scooped some broth and brought it to his lips.
The taste was… unique.
Savory, even.
“The broth alone is never enough. Try the ingredients too~”
On his fork was a tender chunk of meat.
A squishy resistance pushed against his fingers.
“Just one bite~!”
Romiromi’s voice dripped sweet and sticky like syrup.
After a brief hesitation, Doyun brought it to his mouth.
Soft, gelatinous textures filled his mouth.
Gulp.
He swallowed.
“Uhoho~ Uhohoho~!”
Romiromi began to giggle maniacally, his body shaking.
“He ate it! Swallowed it whole! Right into the belly!”
“…Could you shut up for a second?”
“Oh dear, have I been too loud? Then, your impressions, please…”
The goat’s voice suddenly dropped—echoing from the pit of a cave.
“How did our guest find the taste of… their fellow kind?”
“…?!”
A single sentence stabbed straight through his mind like a blade.
And in that instant, the puzzle pieces fell into place.
His heart clenched.
His blood ran cold.
His thoughts, breath, soul—
All of it froze in that very moment.
‘Heeheehee… Heeheehahaha!’
Romiromi, self-proclaimed butler.
True name: Romideus, the Demon of Sadism.
And this—this was the moment he had been waiting for.
The flattery, the ridiculous theatrics, all for this final blow.
“Why stop now? Not to your taste? You mustn’t leave food behind. The banquet… only continues once your plate is clean~”
Doyun’s frozen hand reached for the fork again.
Chomp.
More of the hotpot went into his mouth.
‘What the—?’
But Romideus only grinned wider.
“Ohoho~ Delicious, isn’t it? The way you clean your plate warms my heart. I’m sure the friend you just devoured is sobbing joyfully inside your stomach.”
Munch.
“You can still hear their cries, can’t you? Wailing for their mother, bawling, ‘Waaah, waaah!’”
Gulp.
“Still smelled of milk, that one. Such a cute little fellow. Soft flesh, brittle bones—crunch, crunch.”
The guest kept eating in silence.
Romideus raised a hand.
“I believe you’ve had your fill.”
Clap, clap.
The lights came on.
The dark curtain lifted, revealing the contents of the pot—baby goat stew.
‘Keh… Kehkehkeh.’
Romideus sneered.
This banquet only welcomed those who had cast away their humanity.
The guilt trickling down your spine would slowly fade.
The immense relief of avoiding a worse truth would sink in.
And when that sliver of remaining humanity showed—bam.
That was disqualification.
‘Instant fail. Challenge over. Game over!’
But Doyun didn’t even flinch.
He quietly set his fork down and muttered with a blank expression—
“No wonder the meat was so tender.”
‘Wh-What is this bastard…?!’
[Remaining Dark Hotpot: 1]
‘This trial is no joke. What kind of monster passed this before me?’
The world turned pitch-black again.
Romideus returned, dragging another tray, forcing a smile.
“The second Dark Hotpot, served for our dear guest~”
He slowly opened the lid.
“Eat up, eat up. This one is even more special~”
No broth. No smell.
Something felt off from the start.
Thunk.
The ingredient was dense. Heavy.
Doyun brought it to his mouth, and before it even touched his teeth—
Snap.
A metallic clink rang out.
The ingredient was a chunk of meat laced with metal shards.
‘This is the real hell. Kekeke. Taste it.’
The true sadism begins now.
The first dish tested guilt and disgust.
The second—asked if you were willing to destroy yourself.
‘Player Hyun Doyun, welcome to the feast of masochism and self-destruction.’
But then—
Crunch—
Crunch, crack—crack-crunch.
Crackle. Snap. Crumble.
“…?!”
Between his molars, steel shattered and broke apart.
No hesitation. No pain on his face.
Doyun chewed as if nothing was wrong.
Romideus’s leering smile froze.
“Uh, excuse me… dear guest…?”
For the first time, his voice trembled.
“Don’t talk while I’m eating.”
“N-No, I just meant… was the seasoning okay? Not too metallic?”
“It’s perfect. Great texture too.”
Just before the metal touched his tongue, Doyun had drawn on [Heavenly Fire Scripture], wrapping his tongue in a thin film of internal energy.
At the same time, he formed tiny threads of sword energy around his molars—breaking the metal before it could cut him.
‘Not sword qi—this is… tooth qi, I guess.’
Fragments flew through his mouth, but the Scripture’s rebound energy neutralized the force step by step.
This was the oral control of a martial master.
Flawless manipulation of internal energy.
Not a single cut. Not a drop of blood.
Gulp.
“Goes down smooth.”
Without pause, Doyun picked up the next shard-covered piece.
‘What is this freak… Is he even human?’
Romideus’s face twitched.
‘Why… am I the one getting scared?’
It chilled him to his bones.
“Damn it!”
Romideus hurled the iron pot onto the floor.
[Remaining Dark Hotpot: 0]
[You have fully enjoyed the Dark Hotpot.]
[Stage 1 Trial cleared.]
[Reward: ‘Forbidden Tome – Volume I (Epic)’]
[Stage 2: Enjoy the main dish of the ‘Dark Banquet’.]
“This time! You’ll taste the pure essence of pain!”
With a snap of his fingers—
Click, click, click!
Restraints burst forth from the bone chair, locking around Doyun’s limbs.
Ruuuumble—
The space began to twist.
The floor bubbled and churned like boiling red liquid.
The walls and ceiling bent, folding inward.
The entire dining room began transforming into a giant cauldron.
“How do you like it, guest?! This one’s just for you!”
Hissss!
Steam shot up from the floor.
Bound and immobilized, Doyun sat at the heart of the pot.
Romideus looked down on him with eyes filled with madness, spreading his arms wide.
“The main course—A special hell stew… brewed from YOU!”
