If I had to name one of the toughest jobs in the world, being a security guard would definitely be included.
I was a security guard at an apartment complex.
So, why do I say being a security guard is a tough job?
Because of people’s power trips? Or maybe the harsh working conditions?
You see news like that online, but the apartment where I worked didn’t have any of those issues.
It was quite a luxury apartment complex, so the security room was well-equipped with an air conditioner and even a bed, making it pretty comfortable.
Moreover, the residents, possibly because I was in my twenties, were generally kind.
While the job was a bit busy, the elderly treated me with a smile as if I were their grandson, and kids politely bowed as they greeted me.
Although being called ‘security uncle’ did sting a little bit…
But after hearing it enough, I got used to it and didn’t really care anymore.
In conclusion, the apartment where I worked as a guard was pretty good.
So, why was it still one of the toughest jobs?
Well, that’s because, despite working at such a nice place, I was dying with a knife stuck in my stomach.
The reason? A lunatic, presumed to have escaped from a mental hospital, was threatening people with a kitchen knife, and I got stabbed while trying to stop him.
I heard a scream from a kid who often greeted me, so I ran out of the security room, only to find some crazy guy chasing a child with a bloodstained knife.
I called the police, but it was too late to wait for them to arrive.
And I couldn’t just stand by while the kid, now cornered, was turning pale.
In the end, I managed to save the kid.
The lunatic with the knife got knocked out by a punch to the jaw just as he stabbed me in the stomach.
I wanted to ask someone to call an ambulance, but unfortunately, the kid had fainted from the shock.
Not that it mattered much.
I could already tell, judging by the lack of pain and the amount of blood loss, that I wasn’t going to make it.
Saving the kid and dying in the process—no regrets there.
Maybe because of the lack of blood in my brain, the only thing that popped into my head was:
‘But I left my cup noodles boiling.’
Funny how that became my last words.
Of all the things to think about before dying, it had to be the cup noodles swelling up on the table.
Somehow, it was more absurd than getting stabbed while working as a guard.
***
“There’s an intruder outside right now! This is no time to be leisurely eating those noodles or whatever!”
“If you don’t eat before you go, you’ll regret it.”
So, from now on, I decided to always eat my cup noodles in advance.
Life’s strange like that.
I thought I died after getting stabbed.
Anyone would’ve been sure I was dead after seeing the mess I was in.
Yet here I was, staring up at the ceiling, alive again.
Do hospitals use chandeliers instead of lights these days?
And this bed… it’s too fancy to be in a hospital.
Not just the bed—everything around me looked more luxurious than anything I’d ever seen in my life.
It felt like I was inside the home of a noble from a medieval European movie.
***
“Are you awake, human?”
Soon after, the door opened, and a strange woman walked in.
She had horns on her head and wings on her back—definitely not a normal foreigner.
White hair, red eyes, and sharp teeth… what country is she from?
No, is she even human?
“You were fated to die at that moment.”
“Then why am I still alive?”
“Because I saved you. I grabbed your hand as you flailed about in the swamp of death, begging for your life.”
‘Could she be a fellow patient from the same mental hospital as that lunatic?’
I didn’t understand what was going on, but I got up from the bed to check my body.
To my surprise, there was no wound from the knife.
Not only was the injury gone, but even the scars and blemishes that had been on my body had completely disappeared.
It felt like my body, yet somehow not.
“How do you like your new body? It’s incomparable to the frail human body you once had, isn’t it?”
“Hm…”
“You’re so stunned you can’t even speak, aren’t you? Of course! After all, this is a body crafted by none other than the magic of the Great Demon King Arsep!”
The strange foreign woman, who introduced herself as the Great Demon King, spouted even more incomprehensible words.
“I’m the one who summoned you to this world.”
“I did feel like my body had changed.”
“It felt much lighter than before, and I wasn’t plagued by the fatigue that usually came with my job as a guard.”
I hadn’t felt this refreshed in a long time.
‘Maybe I’ve just been asleep for a really long time?’
“So, don’t you have anything to say? Like thanking me for saving your life, or pledging to serve me for the rest of your days…?”
“Uh, can I leave now?”
“…What?”
“Well, I’m fully conscious, and my body seems fine, so I’d like to be discharged if possible.”
“What are you saying? Wait a moment!”
I ignored her and headed for the door.
I had no idea how long I had been asleep, but if I left the security post vacant for too long, they might hire a new guard.
Not that it was a job I planned to do for a long time, but I didn’t want to lose a hard-earned job since I still had to work here and there to save money.
Then again, they might have already hired a new guard.
A security position can’t stay empty for long.
It’s like having no gatekeeper for a huge castle, like the one I seemed to be in now.
‘A huge castle?’
“What the…?”
At first, I thought this was just some kind of fancy hospital, but that thought was soon contradicted.
When I opened the door, I found myself in a hallway luxurious enough to call a mansion—or even a castle.
Through the windows, I could see more of the estate, with its mansion and castle walls, making me wonder if I had somehow ended up in Europe.
One thing was for sure—this wasn’t Korea.
***
“Where do you think you’re going without permission?! Didn’t I tell you, human? I’m the one who saved your life, so you must naturally follow my orders!”
That strange foreigner from earlier rushed out of the room after me.
“Um, excuse me, but where exactly am I?”
The only person who could explain anything about this place was the strange foreigner.
It seemed like there was no one else here except her and me.
“This is my mansion, built in one of the most scenic and beautiful natural spots in the Demon Realm.”
She crossed her arms and proudly raised her chin as she spoke.
‘Could it be that all that talk about magic earlier was actually true?’
“What’s with those eyes full of disbelief?!”
Up until now, I had assumed she was just a mentally ill foreigner who wandered into my hospital room.
But could it be true?
Did I really get stabbed, die, and then somehow get summoned to some place outside of Earth?
What in the world is going on?
And is it true that this strange foreigner is really a demon king or something?
“Excuse me, but which country is this?”
“What do you mean, which country? This is my country. I am Arsep, the ruler of the Demon Realm.”
‘…Am I going insane, too?’
“Why do you keep reacting like that?!”
‘No, she definitely looks like a strange foreigner to me.’
She kept calling herself a demon king, but there wasn’t anything particularly “demonic” about her.
Not to mention, despite her odd appearance, she wasn’t giving off the overwhelming aura I would expect from a demon king.
Normally, when you think of a demon king, regardless of gender or appearance, they exude some kind of intimidating, powerful presence.
But this self-proclaimed Demon King Arsep had none of that.
“T-That’s only because I’ve been asleep for too long… My power…”
When I questioned her, Arsep averted her eyes and nervously fidgeted with her fingers.
She certainly didn’t fit the typical image of a demon king.
I told her that I couldn’t believe she was a demon king and that she just looked like someone with a mental illness.
“Do you really not believe me?! Fine! What about this?! You humans can’t fly without the help of magic, can you?! But I can!”
She then flapped her wings and floated about 30 centimeters off the ground.
I had thought they were just decorative wings attached to her back, but it seemed like they were some kind of elaborate mechanical device.
With the advances in cosplay these days, it’s probably possible to make wings that move like that.
***
“Why won’t you believe me?!”
‘Well, there’s no wire attached to her back.’
“Of course, there isn’t! Why would there be?!”
‘Maybe I teased her a bit too much.’
Arsep sat down on the floor, looking like she was about to cry.
“If only my power… If only my power was still intact, a mere human like you…”
Seeing her like that made me feel a little guilty.
It seemed like I’d gone too far with the teasing.
“I was just joking a little. Sorry about that.”
“Y-You’re apologizing?”
“Yes, I apologize.”
Honestly, at this point, anyone with half a brain would have figured out that this wasn’t Earth, and they’d probably have a decent grasp of what’s going on.
I’ve been told I’m not the most perceptive person, but even I could tell what was happening by now.
I had definitely died.
I had been stabbed in the stomach and lost so much blood, and since the ambulance didn’t come right away, there was no way I could have survived.
So, no matter how unbelievable it was…
For now, I had no choice but to believe what this self-proclaimed Demon King Arsep was saying.
But then…
***
Bang!!!
“Huh?”
Suddenly, I heard an explosion from outside.
It was similar to the loud noises that sometimes startled me when I’d check outside the security office to see if there had been a traffic accident.
Though it rarely ever turned out to be a traffic accident.
“Those fools again…!”
“What fools?”
“Who else? Those lunatics who call themselves heroes and claim they’re here to defeat the demon king!”