Chapter 351

Chapter 351
Chapter 351

—

“Incredible! You actually moved!”

The unthinkable had occurred.

For the very first time, Ruin had descended from its seat of power.

This moment arrived precisely after the fifty-second bout.

With every passing conflict, the Demon of Greed was accumulating power.

His development was occurring at a staggering velocity.

While he was still no equal for Ruin, he had managed the feat of forcing the entity to abandon its throne.

“Aaaargh! The pain! It’s too much! Mercy!”

Ruin proceeded to tear Greed apart.

The entity left him in a state of near-death.

It was a condition so severe that even divine intervention from the goddesses could not easily mend him.

He was left in a state where he would have to endure agony for years to come.

By the time he could recover, the world would likely be nothing but dust.

And yet.

“Ruin! I have returned!”

Greed stood before the throne again after a mere seven days.

How was such a thing possible?

The explanation was straightforward.

During that brief window, he had achieved a spiritual breakthrough and cast off his former limitations.

He did this repeatedly, reaching the absolute peak of his discipline.

He had already moved beyond the strength of the Four Evils, the primary commanders of the Knights of Ruin.

Still, Ruin remained out of reach.

Ruin was the ultimate manifestation of celestial wrath.

It was only natural that he couldn’t bridge the gap.

However…

“Well? Do you intend to engage me seriously now?”

“…You.”

“What’s this? You have a voice?”

“You are a peculiar creature.”

It was a revelation.

For a being that had laid waste to an infinite number of civilizations,

To find itself genuinely fascinated by a single individual was unprecedented.

Now, the entity grasped why the goddesses had offered their aid and their devotion to this man.

He was a being of singular focus, desiring nothing but pure power.

In that specific regard, he shared a commonality with Ruin.

Yet Ruin had never encountered a true rival until this moment.

Even the most exalted deities in the heavens were trivial compared to Ruin.

This lack of challenge had led to a deep, weary apathy.

But the Demon of Greed became more formidable with every strike exchanged.

His potential for expansion seemed to have no ceiling.

Consequently, Ruin continued to trade blows with him.

After their 223rd engagement, Ruin finally drew its blade.

By the 569th battle, Ruin began to exert its divine sovereignty.

When the tally hit 1,201, Greed was capable of trading ten consecutive strikes.

By the 2,650th clash, he had moved past the boundaries of demonkind.

Following 5,110 separate duels, the fundamental truths of the cosmos became clear to him.

And the instant they crossed the threshold of 11,247 encounters.

“I… I finally did it…!”

For the first time, Greed’s strike found its mark on Ruin.

It was not a lethal blow.

It was merely a thin line, a wound that would vanish almost instantly.

…But things changed after that.

Observing his constant metamorphosis, Ruin’s perspective shifted.

Perhaps it would be more beneficial… not to erase this world entirely.

To be cast into the void meant the end of all potential.

It meant the cessation of birth, the end of rebirth, and the total destruction of all existential loops.

The sentence of Ruin typically involved the entire land falling into the dark sea to suffer for all time.

Under those conditions, the Demon of Greed would also lose his ability to grow.

Therefore.

Ruin issued a command to the figure lurking in its shadow.

“Observe him. Commit every detail of Greed to your memory.”

This was the entity that had been watching from the darkness since the beginning.

The steward of the ‘Eye’ of Ruin, tasked with monitoring every corner of existence.

“For Greed is the essential spark required to forge ‘The End’.”

Ruin cast its gaze toward the firmament.

The high heavens, located in a realm far beyond sight or reach.

Even a force as grand as Ruin was, in the end, merely an instrument of the celestial will.

But if ‘The End’ could be manifested, the hierarchy might be overturned.

Slowly, Ruin shifted its focus.

It addressed the subordinate standing in the rear.

“Hypnos, Sovereign of Dreams.”

The God who had been stripped of memory reclaimed his identity.

“My name is Hypnos.”

His physical form regained its strength and vitality.

Though his eyes retained their pale, smoky hue, the decay had vanished.

“I was once a deity, the Master of Dreams, a turncoat who fell to Ruin and played the traitor….”

And a god who had harbored deep feelings for the two goddesses.

Ah.

Every detail came rushing back.

His title, his history, and the purpose of his presence here.

Hypnos shook with the weight of the revelation.

Then, he turned his gaze toward him.

Greed.

No, that was no longer a fitting name.

Hypnos dropped to one knee in a gesture of absolute fealty.

“I shall serve you, O The End.”

《The ‘Knight Order of the Golden Rule’ has reached the base of the World Tree.》

《All Legendary Achievements are being finalized.》

《Bonus Legendary Achievements have been triggered and fulfilled.》

《The ‘World Tree of Honor’ is undergoing total restoration.》

《The acquisition rate of ‘Intact Golden Rule’ is now doubled.》

《The resonance of ‘Golden Rule’ from the ‘World Tree of Honor’ is being heightened.》

《The ‘World Tree Community’ has been established.》

《’Main Quest 6 – Complete the Party Dungeon’ is successful!》

《Computing final results.》

《Computing final results.》

《Computing final results.》

…

…

The Architect.

“I… no, I am prepared to reveal every secret I hold.”

Hypnos spoke.

His gaze was brilliant, reflecting the light of the stars.

I tilted my head in confusion.

“Haven’t you already shared the whole story?”

The revelation that I was once the Demon of Greed.

To be honest, it was a shock, but the more he spoke, the more the pieces seemed to fit.

However, Hypnos signaled his disagreement.

“There is a specific reality that you, The End, must comprehend.”

“And what would that be?”

“The Architect.”

“The Architect?”

“I ask that you listen. And that you provide me with answers. If we assemble these fragments, the full picture will finally be revealed. …This is a narrative that can only be shared within this sanctuary, where no prying eyes or ears can reach us.”

Hypnos looked deathly serious.

It was as if he feared someone might be eavesdropping the moment he stepped outside his domain within the World Tree’s Dungeon.

Seeing his extreme level of wariness, I could only give my consent.

“Very well. Speak.”

“First, let me clarify my own origin.”

With that, Hypnos began a tale that felt both eternal and fleeting.

Hypnos.

He was the divinity with dominion over the realm of sleep.

He functioned as a witness to all living things.

This was because a dream is the mirror of a creature’s soul.

Their virtues, their vices, their aspirations, their fears—every thought and every fantasy eventually manifests in the dreaming mind.

Thus, by peering into dreams, one could truly understand the essence of a person.

Granted, he occasionally enjoyed minor cruelties, like inducing night terrors or forcing people to relive painful moments, but at his core, Hypnos was a student of observation.

‘Divine beings do not dream.’

Because of this, the halls of the Pantheon were a tedious place for him.

Gods are not granted dreams.

The act of dreaming is a unique gift reserved solely for those who can die.

This was a fundamental law.

It was a decree established by the Truth itself.

But, when exactly did it start?

The two goddesses began to occupy Hypnos’s attention.

‘Lea, Pina… the pair of goddesses are dreaming.’

The images were hazy.

But Hypnos could sense that the two of them were experiencing dreams.

It wasn’t a divine vision or a glimpse into a potential future, but the raw, unadulterated experience of a ‘dream.’

‘It is a violation of nature for an immortal to dream.’

Hypnos was consumed by a burning curiosity.

The mystery was driving him to the brink of insanity.

If the goddesses were truly dreaming.

‘Does that mean… I am also capable of it?’

It implied that he, too, could experience that privilege.

That was likely the catalyst.

Hypnos began to watch the two goddesses constantly, and that obsession eventually morphed into a form of devotion.

At the time, however, Hypnos lacked the self-awareness to recognize this feeling.

Yet he was acutely aware of the person who starred in the goddesses’ dreams.

‘The Demon of Greed. He is the one they dream of.’

Why would a divine being dream of a hellish entity?

The ‘affection’ the other deities mentioned was nothing more than what one feels for a common pet.

They would never consider a demon to be anywhere near their own status.

But Lea and Pina were exceptions.

They viewed the Demon of Greed as a peer.

Their gaze was filled with longing and a profound, gentle warmth.

Why?

Why waste your dreams and your heart on a lowly demon?

‘I will give you a nightmare.’

Hypnos decided to plague the Demon of Greed with horrific visions.

Locating him was trivial.

The demon spent every day staring up at the heavens of his own accord.

If it is the law that gods cannot dream, it is equally the truth that demons cannot look toward the light of the sky.

So why was this individual defying the natural order of the world?

Day after day, without fail, Greed was subjected to a waking nightmare.

Under such constant psychological assault, any mind should have shattered.

A demon that subsists on emotion should have been especially vulnerable.

But…

Greed refused to break.

In fact, he did more than just survive.

“You think a few bad dreams can stop me?”

“If you dare show your face in my mind again, I’ll tear you apart!”

…He conquered the fear.

He fought against the nightmares as if his very existence depended on it, emerged victorious, and reached a new level of spiritual clarity.

‘A demon, achieving enlightenment?’

It was preposterous.

There were rare legends of heroic mortals overcoming terrors to ascend to godhood, but this was Greed.

He was a creature of darkness.

Enlightenment requires a sincere heart and a recognition of one’s flaws.

Could a demon truly admit its faults and seek to change?

Such a creature was unheard of in the history of the world.

…Greed was clearly an anomaly among his kind.

But Hypnos’s pride would not allow him to accept this.

He could not fathom why a demon deserved the love of the two goddesses.

He believed that if a goddess were to dream, her heart should belong to him, not a monster.

But Lea and Pina never once looked his way.

That poisoned obsession soon soured into pure malice.

‘I… I am full of regret.’

Later, when Ruin descended.

Hypnos turned his back on the heavens.

He embraced the path of a fallen god and offered himself as the Eye of Ruin.

Because of his treachery, Ruin was able to locate its targets with lethal efficiency.

The secret vessels hidden by the deities, the sacred icons of the gods, and every other artifact of supreme power.

Ruin rapidly expanded its reach, equipping its legion with weapons stolen from the divine.

And that wasn’t the end of it.

He sowed nightmares among the mortal population, poisoning them with suspicion.

Driven by visions and paranoia, they tore each other apart.

He also rooted out those who plotted against Ruin, turning allies against one another before they could even strike.

‘It was far too late.’

Hypnos was eventually haunted by his own choices, realizing they had all stemmed from a petty, misplaced rage.

He watched as Greed stood his ground against Ruin.

He watched as the goddess Lea finally perished by Ruin’s hand.

As the majority of the world fell into the dark void, Ruin ceased its devastation once Lea was gone.

And when the Goddess of the Sky, Pina, lifted the surviving remnants of the land into the clouds.

‘The only path left for me is…’

Hypnos reached a conclusion.

It was a belated, desperate attempt at redemption.

But there was one final service he could perform.

‘I must ensure the dark gods cannot touch that land.’

In a world abandoned by the high gods.

Countless minor deities and corrupt spirits would surely try to claim the floating continent.

They would employ every deception to gain a foothold.

So, Hypnos lured every dark god he could find into the World Tree, intending to be erased from history along with them.

The World Tree’s Dungeon was a realm of illusions crafted by Hypnos.

It was his personal domain, a place where he and the dreams of the past could fade into nothingness.

He believed this was his only chance to pay for his crimes.

He intended to vanish forever alongside those evil spirits, but.

“O The End…”

As if steered by the hand of fate itself.

A person carrying the essence of Greed’s soul had arrived.

Bearing the combined blessings of the two goddesses.

Systematically destroying the dark gods.

And in that moment, he understood.

‘Goddess Pina. You as well… were you watching over him?’

Goddess Lea.

She had stayed Ruin’s hand and ensured the safety of Greed’s soul.

Following that sacrifice, Greed’s spirit must have found its way back into the cycle of life.