I Gain Infinite Gold Just By Waiting-Chapter 258: Episode 4-1_Purification (2)

2.

In countless games—whether single-player or multiplayer—the protagonist is always the player.

The player is the main character of the world, everything revolves around them, and the story progresses as they change a world that was otherwise fixed.

Nine times out of ten, that’s how it goes.

It has to.

There’s only one reason why so many games share the same basic framework, even if the story details change.

Because that’s what makes money.

When the player becomes the protagonist and the world revolves around them, players who invest their time and money in the game feel engaged and immersed. And then they spend more money.

That’s why developers bend over backward to create plausible reasons for the player—the protagonist—to control the world.

The most classic example is something simple and bulletproof, like being a hero chosen by the gods.

Players are used to it.

Every player who has ever picked up a game probably feels that way.

Reality isn’t much different, even though it’s not a game.

Not everyone can literally be the protagonist, but in their own minds, everyone is the main character of their own story.

For players living day by day, people who don’t get a second chance, every single moment of their lives is important. They grow and experience a thrill and satisfaction that goes beyond becoming the protagonist in a game.

Because of that, most players live with the illusion that the world wouldn’t function without them.

That isn’t a bad thing.

Thanks to that mindset, dungeons are being cleared at a rapid pace, and many players willingly sacrifice some of their own profit, risking their lives to stop dungeon breaks and challenging themselves to grow stronger.

Buja was the same.

If anything, he was an extreme case.

Maybe not in reality, but on the continent at least, he was fully aware that he was the protagonist.

It wasn’t a delusion.

The quests he received and the way the continent changed in response were proof that went far beyond a simple "game setting."

’If I’m not here, the continent is finished.’

That was the root of his thinking.

The Demon King had appeared, and the only one who could stand against him was Buja.

While he returned to Earth to grind levels, the continent would be destroyed.

His magic circle would, at best, buy them some time.

But that assumption had been completely wrong.

“The Demon King and the seven Great Demons have each formed their own legions and invaded the various kingdoms. Working with the remaining kingdoms, we have already destroyed two of those legions.”

The Imperial Knights, the clergy of the Church, and the remaining peoples of the continent—once divided between the Empire and the Allied Nations, busy tearing each other apart—had finally faced reality. They joined hands and were now fighting for the peace and future of the continent.

They weren’t just resisting.

They had already achieved results that made him wonder if he could have done the same in their place.

An entire legion.

They hadn’t killed the Demon King, but annihilating a demon army led by a Great Demon proved they had real power.

’So all I have to do is land the finishing blow.’

The moment he realized that, he also realized that he wasn’t the protagonist here.

It had always seemed like he was the main character, but the actual story had been progressing around the princess. She had been at the center of every incident.

Buja was only mentioned among the few who knew him, while the people of the continent praised and worshipped the princess.

The burden he’d carried into this Chapter vanished.

“I will face the Demon King. When the final moment comes, I ask that you finish him.”

Kallis’s words confirmed it.

He felt no "main character syndrome," no greedy impulse to take the spotlight at the crucial moment.

Of course, he was going to record everything and use it as material for points, but this wasn’t the time to worry about cinematography.

He had briefly forgotten, but Kallis was the greatest knight on the continent.

From the start, there had never been any reason for Kallis to hand the final battle over to him.

“So where are we headed now?”

“We are preparing for war against the legion marching toward the Kingdom of Kerin.”

“Let’s go. I’ll make sure to pull my weight while I’m here, then head back.”

As always, he wouldn’t be doing something "for the continent." He would simply walk the path he always had: squeezing every last drop of profit from the situation.

If he did that, the picture would come together on its own.

Just like it always had.

’First, a little shopping.’

With a relaxed stride, he headed for the dragon’s lair.

* * *

His worry about being unarmored turned out to be pointless.

Among the items left in the dragon’s lair after the Imperial Knights had taken their share, there were plenty of pieces he could throw on that still made him whistle in awe.

Were they good enough to wear until the very end? He’d shake his head.

But that didn’t matter.

’For a single war, this is more than enough.’

This wasn’t the Chapter where he would fight the Demon King.

He was going to face a legion led by a Great Demon, one positioned on the complete opposite side of the continent, far from the Demon King. And he wasn’t going alone.

This was the greatest army the continent could field, a force mobilizing the Empire’s elite, countless priests, and mages.

They were veterans who had already defeated one legion.

As long as his armor kept him from dying to some stray attack from a demon, it would be doing more than enough.

On top of that, the gear even had options that dealt extra damage to demons.

With high spirits, they cut through the darkness and advanced.

The marching force included the saintess and the princess.

He didn’t even consider telling them to stay back because it was dangerous.

This was a time when anyone who could help needed to lend a hand.

If they tried to hide just because it was dangerous, they would all end up dead anyway.

More importantly, the princess was an ability player herself.

He’d been told that the princess’s song was an enormous help in the war, especially against demons.

Every time he saw her in action, he couldn’t help but be impressed, to the point where he wondered if she wasn’t the real protagonist.

He hadn’t just heard about it; he had already seen it several times.

Her power was maximized in war.

It was a power that not only strengthened allies but also struck enemies even harder.

It was no exaggeration to say she did the work of tens of thousands of soldiers. She stuck close to him, not leaving his side for a second as she peppered him with questions.

“What is it like over there? Has the danger in your world been dealt with safely?”

So much had happened on Earth in the past few months that he had to think for a moment about which danger she meant.

“Hmm. What was the last thing I told you?”

“The Sand Castle!”

“Ah, that’s finished. After that, there hasn’t been anything I’d call a real danger yet. I’m just working on reducing potential threats. I’m planning to challenge a 9-star dungeon, too.”

“Wow.”

Her eyes sparkled at his mundane story, and she looked so adorable it was almost ridiculous.

Whether as a lover or a cherished younger sister, she was someone he had met at his lowest point and spent a long time with. Now, he genuinely wanted to protect her.

That thought brought something else to mind.

“Next time I come, I’ll try to bring some videos from Earth. I don’t know if you’ll be able to watch them, though.”

“Really?”

“If there’s a way, I’ll show you. If not, well, it can’t be helped.”

Gold Maker evolved as it leveled up.

It had gained the ability to record his every move as video, and it had advanced to the point where he could show those videos to ordinary people who had nothing to do with the system.

If he leveled it up further and unlocked more content, there might come a time when he could go beyond just showing things and actually let others experience them firsthand.

The continent and Earth.

The fact that he could travel between them meant it wasn’t impossible for others to do the same.

’Someday.’

Of course, he had no idea when that "someday" would be.

It might be in an unexpectedly near future he couldn’t even imagine, or he might never find a way before he died.

But since it wasn’t an impossible dream, giving her that hope wouldn’t be torture.

“I hope that happens.”

“Yeah. Me too. It would help a lot.”

Chatting and catching up, they reached their destination in no time.

Screeech—!

Monsters began to appear, and the land around them grew more blighted.

This wasn’t just any region.

From a certain point onward, an oppressive atmosphere hung over everything like a fog.

A bloody mist blurred their vision, and a foul stench stung their nostrils.

“We have entered the demons’ domain.”

They called it a "demons’ domain."

It wasn’t just a name for land where demons happened to be; it was a place that had a powerful, detrimental effect on anyone who wasn’t a demon.

[All stats are reduced by 10%.]

[Your vision becomes blurry.]

[You are exposed to demonic energy.]

Under normal circumstances, a "demons’ domain" would never appear on the continent; it belonged in the Demon Realm.

Demonic energy wasn’t something that appeared just because demons were present, nor could it simply linger.

For their domain to form, the demons had to put down roots, and enough time and sacrifices had to be poured into the land to firmly stake their claim.

Simply put, the land had been devoured by demons.

In other words, the human army wasn’t here to reclaim their own territory but to invade land that now belonged to the demons.

The old saying about having the home-field advantage didn’t apply to the humans here—it applied to the demons.

The monsters that surged in from all directions without warning proved it.

“Ugh!”

“Arghhh!”

“Hold the formation!”

Even though this was an army that had already defeated one legion, they were not invincible.

Their courage in standing their ground against the swarming monsters and lesser demons was impressive, but the demonic onslaught was just as fierce.

If the battle continued like this, they would suffer heavy casualties long before they even reached the heart of the demon legion.

To prevent that, a cascade of holy light burst forth.

Flash!

It erupted right in the middle of the darkness.

Normally, this would have been impossible.

Just as it was nearly impossible for a patch of darkness to bloom on the bright continent, it was even harder for a bud of light to blossom in a land saturated with darkness.

But they did it.

They pulled off that impossible feat.

The saintess and the priests.

A brilliant light flared out.

On top of that was the 9-star “Heavenly Earrings.”

’Wow. I had no idea it could do this.’

He hadn’t used the “Heavenly Song,” which could be activated once per day.

All he had done was stand beside the saintess while wearing the Heavenly Earrings, which reacted to holy power.

He didn’t know whether the holy power imbued in the item had supported the saintess or if her own power had triggered some hidden option not listed on the item’s description.

All he knew for sure was that the synergy between the two had pushed back the darkness that had swallowed the army, if only for a moment.

At the same time, the light that seeped into the soldiers burned the demons more fiercely than ever.

And then, something else joined in.

SCREEEEECH—!

KRAAAH!

’No matter how you look at it, she’s the real protagonist here.’

The song of God.

Once again, it was the greatest force driving back the darkness.