NPC Survival Guide - Chapter 1. 1 – The City of Sin

Chapter 1. 1 – The City of Sin
Inside temple of the demon king…

The hall was large and empty, so large that one could not see the four walls at a single glance, and so empty that not a soul could be seen inside. The whole place, except for a few decorative statues which stood at random, was occupied only by a dark figure, sitting on a large stone chair at the end of the vast corridor.

It was the demon king, the most notorious evil, the source of all terror. Everywhere he went, there was bones and ruins.

At this time, shrouded in his usual black clothes, those eyes, which put countless of people in shambles, were staring motionless at a certain corner. If some ordinary people would be under the scrutiny of those eyes, they would directly quiver in utter fear. Worst scenario was that his stare was enough to lose their sanity, even die on their spot.

The strongest of mages would not even dare cross with the demon king. A pair of eyes can already achieve such an effect, enough to illustrate the horror he brings forth to the world.

At the end of his gaze was a far away corner on the floor. The light was dim, but it did not hindered the demon king to see it clearly as if it was just right before his eyes. Two ants; one red and the other, black was in a brawl. They tangled, rolled and wrestled with each other with their thin limbs. After watching it for a long time, the demon king finally closed his eyes, sighed low and said to himself, “It’s really boring. When will the protagonist come and kill me?”

He ceased talking abruptly as soon as he sensed someone approaching. Opening his eyes, he returned to his usual state of indifference and majesty.

It was a black crow, silently flying from a distance hundred of meters away from the temple. Upon arrival, its form changed dramatically into human garbed in the similar clothes; its feathers morphed into a black attire, though not as magnificent as the demon king’s. The man immediately knelt on one knee before the king and said, “His majesty sought for me?”

The demon king nodded his affirmation while his hand reached for the mirror situated on the table next to him. In an instant, an image of a handsome young man appeared in the once empty mirror.

“This man -” he held the mirror closer to his companion “is growing up too fast that I’m afraid he might be a threat in my reign in the future to come. So I have to get him killed while he’s still weak. I’ll leave it to you.”

The crow man looked up at the image in the mirror, then lowered his head respectfully and said, “Yes, your majesty.” He acquiesced but didn’t move an inch from his place.

Seeing this, the demon king waved his hand and said, “Go.”

“Yes.”

Another yes, yet the man still had no intention of leaving. He stood frozen in his place with his head bowed down.

This unresponsiveness made the demon king frown, and immediately, black smoke seeped from his body. The whole hall darkened, and a great sense of fear overwhelmed the man.

“What do you mean yes?” Sinister voice resonated around the place — the voice of a seething demon king. His terrorizing gaze settled over the crow man, as if he was to devour him at any second.

The crow man’s cold sweat dripped through his clothes, showing his utmost trepidation. Facing the wrath of the demon king was the last thing he or anyone else wanted to experience! He cowered deliberately and said in a strained voice, “De—demon king, you forgot something.”

“What?!”

The pressure grew immensely, the demon king didn’t have the heart to let this incidence pass! In fact, he had no heart at all! If he wanted him to leave, then he better leave. One thing was for sure, patience was never his best asset.

“What I am trying to say…” At this critical and hopeless moment, the crow man didn’t care for his life anymore so he said in one breath, probably his last, “You forgot to give me the soul-eating knife. The City of Sin has made it clear that I must use it against the protagonist…” It was noticeable that every word the crow man said was delivered in his faintest voice, as if he was telling a secret.

“Er..Well…”

There was an awkward silence as the demon king realized his mistake. The tension suddenly dissipated, darkness swept away, and when the crow dared to lift his head from bowing, he found that everything had returned to its original state. The demon king who was truly livid for his mistaken insolence was now sitting coolly as if everything had just been an illusion.

But the crow man could see traces of sweat on the forehead of the demon king indicating his previous ire.

“This man is growing up too fast that I’m afraid he might threaten my position in the future. So I have to get him killed while he’s still weak. I’ll leave it to you.”

The demon king repeated what he had just said, as if it was the first time he had uttered it. The crow man knew better and he played along. He bowed down and said respectfully, “Yes.”

“To make things sure, I give you this, the soul-eating knife. Don’t let me down.”

With a wave of the demon king’s finger, a long black knife flew out from behind his seat and rolled toward the crow. The crow man raised his hand and caught the long knife with precision. He then stood up and paid a respectful salute to the demon king once again.

Then, his whole body twisted violently until he turned into a crow and flew out of the hall.