Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods
Chapter 66: A Stranger in a Stranger World

Chapter 66: A Stranger in a Stranger World

In this world, everyone was born with a gift from the gods. It was called a blessing. And it was different for everyone.

Some people were good at swinging a sword. Others could aim perfectly, even with their eyes closed. Some had super strength, while others could do little things really, really well, like sew the finest clothes without a single mistake or count huge numbers faster than anyone else.

These blessings were more than just talents. They were like a sign, a whisper from the gods saying, "This is what you’re good at. This is who you are."

Your blessing shaped your whole life. Especially if you wanted to become an adventurer.

Adventurers were the ones who suffered the most with this reality. Your blessing had to be strong enough.

Some people were born with weak blessings. Nothing wrong with that, it just meant they lived quiet lives in villages or cities. But others were born with something special.

That’s where appraisers became highly solicited in wealthy families. These were people trained to see the true strength of a blessing.

When a child was born, an appraiser could look at them and say, "This one will be a farmer," or "This one could become a knight."

It was scary, in a way. Imagine someone telling you you might be a failure for the rest of your life when you’re still in diapers, resulting in some children being neglected.

Just for this, people started soliciting appraisers less and less.

Yet, among these blessings existed something even more extraordinary and exceedingly rare: the Sacred.

People didn’t talk about Sacreds like they were normal. Because they weren’t. These were the ones whose blessings were so powerful, so beyond anything normal, that it felt like the gods had poured all their love into one person.

A healer who could regenerate lost limbs in seconds, a tank impervious to any weapon who fought with the strength of an entire army, a mage whose spells were powerful enough to shatter mountains with a single blast.

These people weren’t just adventurers; they were legends.

But even among Sacreds, there was one role greater than all others.

The Hero.

The Hero was considered humanity’s ultimate protector and champion, capable of performing miracles that seemed utterly impossible.

These Sacreds served as humanity’s strongest shield, protecting them from harm, and as their sharpest spear, striking back against evil.

Their powers were so immense that people saw them as living embodiments of the gods themselves

That night, the guild bar was loud and packed with energy. People were laughing, mugs clinking, music playing from the corner.

After all, three dungeon raids in a day? That called for celebration.

Dusteria and Sienna sat together at a table near the middle, surrounded by snacks and drinks. Sienna was already sipping something fruity, while Dusteria just held her glass, staring at it like it had betrayed her.

"He’s doing it again," Sienna muttered.

They both glanced across the room.

Crest was sitting alone. Arms crossed, jaw tight, drink full. Classic grumpy mode.

"Seriously, he’s like a baby when he pouts," Lyraen laughed as she dropped into the chair next to them. "Dusteria, go cheer up your boyfriend before he explodes."

Dusteria blinked.

"... Don’t say that. He’s not my boyfriend."

"Oh?" Lyraen raised an eyebrow. "Could’ve fooled me. The way you kept sticking to him every time? Come on."

Dusteria looked down at her glass, lips pressed tight.

"I mean... I care about him, yeah. But lately, I don’t know. He’s been so distant. It’s like I’m not even part of his world anymore."

Sienna snorted softly.

"That’s on him. If he wants to act like the world betrayed him because Bel is better than him, that’s not our fault."

Lyraen leaned in closer, eyes sparkling.

"Sooooo, if you’re not dating Crest... what do you think of Bel?"

Dusteria instantly choked on her drink, coughing into her sleeve.

"Wh-what?! No! Why would you even—"

Lyraen grinned wider.

"Come on. You saw him in that dungeon. Mister cool voice, super powerful, flames everywhere, then boom, ice. And now that we’ve seen that face? He’s like... a deadly angel. Total heartthrob."

"He’s not—! I mean, he’s not not good-looking, but that’s not... ugh, shut up!"

Sienna leaned over the table, chin resting on her hand, dreamy-eyed.

"He’s soooo mysterious... and powerful... and that hair? Gorgeous. He didn’t even break a sweat. I bet he could carry me with one hand..."

"Sienna!" Dusteria hissed, her face turning redder.

Lyraen wagged a finger, smirking like a fox who smelled gossip.

"Oooh, that’s a very interesting reaction, Dusty. Maybe Crest’s little tantrums won’t keep your heart tied up much longer."

Dusteria’s face turned pink.

"Shut up! I’m not—! I’m just saying, Bel’s... weird, okay? I’m just... curious. That’s all."

Sienna tilted her head, completely unbothered.

"Honestly, I am wondering what he’s thinking. Probably something smart and scary... That man could melt my armor with a look. Or freeze it. Or both. I’d thank him either way."

Lyraen burst out laughing.

"Careful, Sienna, at this rate you’ll have to fight Dusteria for him."

"I—what?! What the heck is wrong with you?!" Dusteria stammered, her cheeks now burning.

The girls burst into laughter, drinks clinking and the teasing echoing through the bar, much louder than Dusteria would’ve liked.

Meanwhile, at the quest board of the guild, a different conversation was happening.

Cassandra, Ronan, and Arkel were facing Bel, who looked as bored as someone waiting for a storm.

"Come on, just one drink," Cassandra said, nudging him gently. "Everyone wants to celebrate with you. You’re the star of the night."

Bel barely reacted.

"I was thinking of raiding another dungeon."

Arkel groaned.

"Dude. Seriously?"

"The party’s exhausted," Ronan added. "We can barely walk straight. We’ll start again tomorrow. Ten dungeons, like you wanted."

Bel’s eye twitched.

"You say ten, but you’re out after three. How do you expect to clear more when you burn out like this?"

Arkel scowled.

"We’re not all monsters, Bel. That’s only the first day."

Bel exhaled loudly, annoyed.

"You could have warned me before. I would’ve picked up some extermination quests to pass the time."

Ronan leaned forward.

"Look, it’s not just about the raid. It’s about the people. They want to celebrate. With you."

"There’s food," Cassandra added. "Alcohol, stories, laughter. You don’t have to talk much. Just... be there."

Bel stayed still.

Everyone held their breath.

He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing faintly as a thought had just cut through the fog in his mind.

He just realized that he hadn’t eaten food for a long time. He couldn’t remember the last meal he had, not even the taste of anything that wasn’t a magic core.

Cassandra blinked, caught off guard by this long time for consideration. She reached out, gently wrapped her fingers around his arm with a smile meant to reassure.

"So... come eat with us," she said sweetly, leaning closer. "It’ll be fun. I promise."

Bel looked at her hand. Then at the door.

"... No. I wasn’t prepared for cooling down, so if we’re not continuing, I prefer call it a day."

And just like that, he pulled away and left.

Cassandra stood there for a long second, hand still reaching out, lips parted like she wanted to speak but the words never came.

Ronan let out a long sigh, dragging a hand through his hair.

"Great. Our star of the night just ghosted."

Arkel exhaled loudly, arms crossed.

"Tch. He’s more beast than man, that one. Doesn’t even blink when he leaves a whole party hanging."

Cassandra didn’t respond right away. Her eyes lingered on the door for seconds, and then she let out a quiet breath, her arms folding across her chest.

"Everyone was looking forward to seeing him," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "You really need to learn to be more sociable."

Behind them, the party raged on, but it would feel hollow soon. The star of the night was gone, and they had the huge task of explaining that to the group.

Outside the guild, Bel walked with no destination.

The night was quiet. The stars above twinkled like little silver bugs, scattered all over the sky. Bel stared at them, walking slowly, hands in his pockets.

For the first time in a long while... he felt empty.

It was strange.

Usually, there was always something to do. Something exciting. Hunt monsters, level up, devour cores, get new powers, test them on something bigger, and repeat.

But now? Nothing. No noise. No fight. Just silence. And stars. A celebration? He didn’t feel like it.

He stopped near a quiet patch of road, looked down at his hands.

They weren’t the same anymore.

Not like before.

Cleaner, smoother, perfect, but also stronger, sharper, colder.

His old self would’ve loved a party. Anything he wanted to eat? That was the technique to make him do whatever you wanted. He had no ambition, just an empty stomach.

All he wanted was freedom.

And now that he had the power to have it, he wasn’t sure anymore.

"Is this really what I wanted?"

He stared at his hands longer, then slowly clenched them.

Vezalia’s voice echoed in his head.

"You’re not human. You’re a demon. The stronger you get, the harder it will be to fake that. And when they find out... they won’t try to understand. They’ll try to erase you. So stop killing our children. Get what you want from theirs."

Bel closed his eyes. Exhaled.

It was all starting to feel... complicated.

Too complicated.

He opened his eyes again. The stars hadn’t moved. Still shining, like they didn’t care about his problems.

He didn’t know what to feel. Or what to do next.

And for someone like him... that was a very dangerous feeling.