The Anti-Intellectualism Demon King’s World Invasion

Chapter 25. Evolving Without Conscience (+1 Volume Epilogue)

The lifeform consulting industry was cruising along. I only took simple measures with four people, but I was able to scrape 80,000 points from them.

[Gaon Kuruan: Excuse me. You’ve raised it so much more than I expected, so I’m a bit short on points to give you. Can I pay with items from my world instead?]

[Bean: Ah;; No ㅠㅠ]

[Gaon Kuruan: Really, can’t I? I really didn’t expect you to generate this level of contribution with that amount of divine power. If I go on like this, I won’t even be able to buy a common trait.]

[Bean: Ah;; No ㅠㅠ]

[Gaon Kuruan: Then I’ll give you items from my world at half price.]

[Bean: Ah;; No ㅠㅠ]

[Gaon Kuruan: …Alright.]

There was a guy like this too. He said it was okay to use a lot of points and divine power, so the points he had to pay me increased, but what kind of nonsense is this?

“Ah. But I’m curious. What happens if the points go negative? Can’t I receive the points I’m supposed to get?”

“No. You receive the points normally, and you get random penalty traits until the negative becomes positive.”

The penalty traits are scary. They have a tremendous negative impact and can’t be removed in the game. Once you get them, you have to carry them until you drop out or win.

What’s worse is that if you accept someone with these penalty traits as a subordinate through ‘alliance’ or ‘surrender’, they will continue to have a negative impact on your world until their soul is extinguished.

“That’s the structure. In other words, you can infinitely extort them.”

“That’s right. Since they can’t receive penalty traits, they’ll desperately sell off items from their world…”

That’s not my concern. The terms we contracted were public. It’s their problem that they didn’t know I would do such a good job.

The points I have now, combined with what I originally had, are a little over 130,000. From now on, as long as I choose the best conditions and raise the ecosystem points, I can buy mythic traits.

The next applicant applied with unlimited divine power and 4 points per contribution. There’s no way I can’t generate about 3,600 contributions with these conditions. With a little tuning, I can raise it as much as I want.

So, the world I crossed over to was a bit miserable.

No, it was very miserable. The ecosystem was completely destroyed, but the magic and technology were relatively high.

However, the total score of the world is just over 3,000. The remaining population, or rather, the individuals, are about 250 at most. Fortunately, there’s a hero among them, so it’s not completely ruined.

[Bean: Oh? Wait a minute. Do you have points?]

[Elkaider: Yes. About 30,000. I raised it by selling my knowledge.]

[Bean: How did the world end up like this?]

[Elkaider: I originally came from a super-mystical world, so I’m not familiar with the physiology of the material world. Still, I tried to make a stand by developing the mysteries my original race had learned… But I ended up encountering four consecutive war maniacs.]

I see. Even if you want to cooperate, if you can’t, you have no choice but to fight until you die.

And in the last fight, they exhausted all the resources of the ecosystem and reduced the population to a mere 250 people, leaving it in this terrible state… Is that it?

But then there’s something strange.

[Bean: Why didn’t you disembark during the disembarkation phase?]

[Elkaider: …I couldn’t.]

[Bean: Huh?]

[Elkaider: At that point, it was impossible to fix myself with my score.]

Hmm?

[Elkaider: I’m a person addicted to gambling. But they say that using points can curb the negative aspects of such a person. I want to find a new life. Pay off all my debts, maybe even give myself a genius investment talent, and if that doesn’t work, at least I need money.

It takes 20,000 points to fix my gambling addiction. That’s the minimum condition, and by the second disembarkation, I should definitely have that much, so if I earn just about 20,000 points from now on, I’ll use it all to fix myself and convert the remaining points into money and definitely disembark.

So, points and high-level traits are meaningless right now. I must survive until the next disembarkation phase.]

Suddenly, I remembered that only 100,000 people had disembarked.

100,000 people. It seems like a lot, but it’s only 100,000 out of 67 million. Too few. Logically, those who fought and lost, couldn’t do it, failed in strategy, or just had terrible luck should have been about a third of the total.

But 100,000. Only 0.14% of the total. By the end of the third collision, it would have been a wreck. If they were in the lower ranks, they might not have even had 1,000 points.

The angel’s statement that ‘10,000 points is 1 million dollars’ means, conversely, that 1,000 points is 100,000 dollars.

For a number that stakes one’s soul, it’s too small. Even if you base it on money, there would be more goals if you base it on ‘services’.

So, no one could disembark in the first section. If you were lucky just three times and only met weaker ones, cooperated, or devoured them, it would theoretically increase more than ninefold.

If it takes 20,000 points to eliminate or improve one person’s addiction, conversely, it would also take about 20,000 points to extend one’s lifespan, rejuvenate, or regain health.

The angel also mentioned that immortality is cheaper than expected.

In other words, a third of those who should have disembarked probably participated because they would die anyway, or they participated because it was no different from dying.

Or they could just be fools soaked in desire, but I didn’t think that was the case.

I was a bit like that myself. The organizers wouldn’t want a game where disembarkers come out in droves. It wouldn’t be a game then, so they must have gone through some selection process.

In short, the participants were already determined to participate in a game where their souls might be annihilated. So, they had already crossed a dangerous bridge once.

So, whether rational or irrational, wouldn’t there be a huge number of people who deliberately crossed a dangerous bridge even though they had to disembark to be safe?

[Elkaider: So, I hope you can raise my world score as much as possible.]

Hmm. I see.

[Bean: Then I’ll make the conditions clear again. Let’s maintain the non-aggression pact until the end, and all the services received will be kept confidential except for the increased score. I will never disclose Elkaider’s information! 4 points per contribution. Since the use of divine power is unlimited, I’ll do as much as I can.]

[Elkaider: Yeah. It doesn’t matter.]

So, the contract conditions are complete. With unlimited divine power consumption, let’s use it to our heart’s content.

First, since they seem to have a slightly better understanding than Sesaisa, let’s start by fixing the producer ecosystem, including plants.

Create plants and modify them to fit the terrain.

And create insects. Especially those like earthworms that make the soil fertile. Increase their numbers, and in return, create excellent livestock like chickens that will eat them and become livestock.

Create intelligent creatures like ‘dogs’ to protect livestock from wild animals. And tune those dogs a bit so they can guard and herd the livestock. Increase plants and crops. Create a large number of easy-to-pick and easy-to-manage but nutritionally deficient creatures. Because the population is too small right now.

And… And…

I accelerated time and overwhelmingly developed civilization for these species. Anyway, this side has done a lot in terms of technology, industry, and mystery, so as long as biological resources are endlessly supplied, the rest somehow worked out.

[Elkaider: Wait a minute.]

Endlessly. Infinitely. Unlimited divine power consumption means it can’t be stopped midway. I created what I thought was the most ideal ecological civilization, and for that, I also drew on Elkaider’s divine power.

As the flourishing species offered endless worship, the divine power surged like crazy.

And when the modification was complete, Elkaider’s world had risen by 6,422 points. The basic base was at the bottom, but still, there were no threats to the world, and the basic technology was at least average, so it was quite comfortable compared to Sesaisa. The land was also vast.

[Bean: How much is the contribution?]

The angels answered with stern faces.

“15,311 points.”

The contribution could rise more than what was actually done because it could measure long-term impact. Especially when touching the ecosystem, this tendency was stronger.

I see. Then I should receive 61,244 points. It’s a profitable business. A complete jackpot. Jackpot…

Hmm.

I waited for a moment, but there was no response.

[Bean: Elkaider, thank you for your hard work ㅎㅎ]

[Elkaider: Ah, wa-wait!!! Can’t you reduce the points a little!!!]

[Bean: Oh;; No ㅠㅠ]

I understand the sentiment. Because the penalty traits are terrible. There’s something like ‘Eternal Famine’. The name itself is terrifying.

One penalty trait per point according to the ＜Standard Level＞.

In other words, if they lack about 30,000 points, since there have been 4 collisions now, the standard score is 7,409. They have to receive about 4 to 5 penalty traits.

They can never win the next collision.

If they lose, no one will accept their surrender.

It’s practically a public execution. There’s no difference.

[Elkaider: Please! Just reduce it a little! I never imagined I could raise the contribution this much!]

[Bean: Oh;; No ㅠㅠ]

[Elkaider: Stop repeating the same thing, please!]

[Bean: Ah;; No, ㅠㅠ]

I’m sorry for the fool, but there’s nothing I can do.

If I save you here, what about the other players who perished for me? Do you think they had no circumstances?

I hate intelligent beings. In messages, it’s “ㅎㅎ ㅋㅋ ㅠㅠ” but in reality, I’m not smiling or crying at all. Just talking to others is stressful. I really hate it.

Humans, intelligent beings, are shameless. They have to be to gain benefits. There’s something called conscience, but ignoring it can be beneficial. That’s why they evolved that way.

You’ve been a loser all your life. Just die.

[Elkaider: I’ll do anything if I can just pay off my debt!]

Then die.

[Elkaider: I, I really want to become a new person! Just give me one chance!]

Everyone gets one chance. And you’ve already wasted it on a reckless gamble. You gambler.

[Elkaider: Please······. Please······. I’ll do anything······.]

······Please.

Ha······.

[Bean: I can’t give you a discount. Do you have anything you can sell instead?]

“Huh?”

I feel my angel, who had been silent all along, looking at me.

Who cares. I have to see if there’s a possibility of a bigger gain. If you’re just asking for pity without any plan, that’s nonsense.

[Bean: If you can pay the lacking points by selling something instead, I’ll take it. What do you have? You said you came from a world that knows magic, what did you do?]

[Elkaider: I, I was a civil servant.]

[Bean: A teacher, perhaps?]

[Elkaider: ······No. Civil engineering.]

That’s meaningless. If you were a teacher, maybe I could get a magic textbook that even a fool could learn from.

[Elkaider: In, instead. Wait a moment. Yes. I have this. I’ll sell this! How about it?]

?

[Bean: ?]

[Elkaider: Huh? This thing.]

[Bean: Are you kidding? I can’t see anything.]

[Elkaider: ······? Ah. Maybe it’s that. Switch to the spirit realm perspective.]

Huh. What’s that.

“Change your perspective to see the mystery, not the material world.”

Ah. That. That was in the game too. I didn’t pay much attention to it because it was complicated to focus on while playing…

So when I changed it like that, there was something unbelievable in the world.

A gigantic structure built with magic was floating in the sky. No, I don’t even know if it’s magic or a building.

It was just that the flow of magical power was swirling, absorbing the magic from the ground, and spitting out another magic downward.

[Bein: What is this?]

[Elkaider: I built it to the end, even though I kept losing in the war. It’s a temporary spiritual realm that can last about six times. If there’s someone with knowledge about spiritual pressure and flow, they can use it to do something. Can’t we take it? It’s still damaged and incomplete, but it roughly functions…! I’ll give you the blueprint so you can expand and modify it. No, I’ll give you everything! All the spiritual knowledge I know!]

I looked at the angel.

The angels seemed to be calculating the contribution, and then carefully answered.

“If we consider the value of the knowledge and the spiritual realm existing there as contributions, it’s about 8,566 points? Rather, Mr. Bein, you might need to pay about 2,000 more points.”

[Bein: Oh, then I won’t take it^^;;]

[Elkaider: I’ll give you a discount!!!]

[Bein: How much?]

[Elkaider: …3,000 points.]

[Bein: …you mean I have to pay 3,000 more points, right?]

[Elkaider: …Yes.]

Then let’s go with that.

Elkaider will now have to run around to earn the 3,000 points he owes, and I… should I take this mysterious knowledge and magical structure?

Well, I could sell it later if I want. I can ask the expert Sesaisa about it… Even if not, it seems impressive enough…

I returned to my world. The endless struggle was still repeating in the hellish place. I was about to tell the angel that I wanted to buy a mythical trait, but the angel asked me a question right away.

“Why did you do that?”

What?

“I thought you would mercilessly kill them. You said it was to gain a bigger benefit, but thinking about it, it didn’t seem like you were stalling to gain an advantage, and it seemed like you changed your mind midway.

It was like you could press a button to kill an invisible opponent, but couldn’t pull the trigger when they were right in front of you.”

…

“Angel.”

“Yes?”

“How many points would it take to erase all my humanity?”

In other words, how much would it cost to erase my weak heart that feels guilty for not lending money to my mother, who abandoned me and talked about the ‘grace of giving birth’?

How much to erase it all?

“That… huh. Well. It’s not much, but…”

“Really? If you say so, then I must be suffering my whole life over nothing.”

“Hmm. Well.”

I hate humans.

I am human.

Therefore, I hate myself.

If I win, I become a god beyond humans, and if I lose, one human simply disappears.

That’s why I participated in the game without hesitation.

Alright. Now, I am the Demon King. If I don’t face it with that mindset, I can’t win.

“Hurry up and show me the mythic traits in the shop. Pick one that’s good.”

Author’s Note

This is the afterword for Volume 1 (Chapters 1-25). Usually, web novels don’t have afterwords, but I always include them. You don’t have to read it to understand the content, so feel free to skip it.

-Reason for Writing-

(Editor who has cared for this author for 4 years): Author, you did everything you wanted during the Stone Age, right? Now it’s time to write a real commercial novel.

Author: A commercial novel, huh. You mean one with a Sword Master.

Editor: Yes!

Author: Or one with a Grand Mage.

Editor: Yes!!

Author: Or maybe one where a genius monopolizes everything by doing things alone…

Editor: Yes!!!

Author: Then I’ll write a novel about a protagonist who hates humans and builds a Biosphere alone in a civilization game.

Editor: Why.

Surprisingly, it became popular, so I kept writing it. Ignoring the editor’s plea for 4 years to write a commercial novel, I feel accomplished writing only the novels I can write.

Anyway, let’s start the afterword for Volume 1.

-Questions & Answers-

Question 1. Is Yog-Tosos endothermic or ectothermic?

Answer: The level of the first question is extraordinary. Due to the unique desert terrain and the heat generated through magic, it mainly has mechanisms to lower its body temperature. In other words, it is a homeothermic poikilotherm.

Question 2. During the shop phase, can’t an alliance easily obtain mythic traits by pooling points to one person?

Answer: It is impossible for three reasons. First, if there is an alliance in the world, the alliance does not gain the total points of the world, but divides the total points according to their shares. Second, the price of mythic traits is nearly 20 times the ‘standard level’. In other words, even if the majority scrapes together all the points in the world, they still need ten to twenty times more points. The protagonist was extremely successful, but even he had to do extra business to get it.

Thirdly, characteristics are attributed to gods, not the world, so they cannot be shared. In an alliance, there is no reason to share my points with others to give them mythic-level characteristics.

Question 3. Is Abhojuice also subject to evolution? Does it reproduce?

Answer: No. It is classified as a fairy (nymph), and since it is bound to the terrain, it cannot evolve or reproduce. However, it can create minions (fairies).

-SF-

As for the previous work… At the time of writing this review, the SF writer who reviewed the fantasy starting from the Stone Age, which is being serialized simultaneously, said, “This work is just SF.”

Well, that’s true, right? It’s not a space opera, but it uses the grammar of SF that deals with science and civilization. The goal is to win the SF Literature Award in the web novel category.

I originally liked creating creatures that could only appear in fantasy, creatures that made sense. It’s nice to be able to try many things.

In that regard, there were some criticisms about biological accuracy. I didn’t particularly revise it at the time of the first volume.

Because, to be honest, since it’s a novel, I sometimes intentionally made the expressions a bit extreme or described them from the protagonist’s biased perspective. Maybe my writing skills were lacking, or I was completely wrong, or maybe it makes sense now but won’t academically later.

Basically, it’s a web novel that conveniently uses plausible knowledge. Think of it like the Grappler Baki series.

-Protagonist-

The nickname ‘Bieen’ literally means non-human. The protagonist wishes he wasn’t human.

So the protagonist is extremely ugly, evil, hates intelligent beings while being one himself, dislikes intelligent beings but socializes with Sesaisa, actively uses communities, and thinks about hidden advertisements when promoting, showing all sorts of ugly aspects. This is 100% intentional. These aspects won’t always be shown in the future, though.

I have a theory that I never make the protagonist unconditionally likable. Rather, I believe that in any work, the protagonist must have flaws. Not flaws in character completeness, but flaws as a character.

Instead of having the protagonist unintentionally make stupid or strange decisions, it’s easier to create consistency in the character by intentionally giving them flaws and causing incidents centered around those flaws.

-Cthulhu-

The names of the creatures in this work are derived from desserts and creatures from the Cthulhu Mythos. It ended up being named like a Yu-Gi-Oh card group.

Originally, I was just going to use the names of creatures from the Cthulhu Mythos, but my girlfriend said, “Why isn’t it called the Dessert Legion if it’s about desserts?” so I added more elements in a hurry.

Abhojuice: It’s Abhos + juice. Many people ask if it’s Abhos + apple juice, well… let’s just go with that.

Yog-Tosauce: It’s Yog-Sothoth + yogurt sauce. I thought it was a brilliant idea when I came up with the name.

Bisyakit: It’s Byakhee + biscuit. It’s fun because it resembles the Byakhee from the Cthulhu Mythos that drinks honey.

-Anti-intellectualism-

In fact, anti-intellectualism is not about attacking and rejecting intelligent beings, but about worshipping ignorance and undermining the authority of academia.

So strictly speaking, the protagonist’s ideology is not anti-intellectualism. Rather, it’s extreme environmentalism that believes humans are harmful and should voluntarily go extinct (there are real active groups, and South Korea is already practicing this). Honestly, calling it ‘Eco-friendly Demon King’s World Invasion’ didn’t seem right, so it became the Anti-intellectualism Demon King.

I also thought of titles like ‘Mindless World Invasion of the Demon King’, and various other titles for a web novel. The official abbreviation is ‘Anti-ma-world’.

-Postscript-

This work has a clear end. Whether due to my mistake causing a mass exodus of readers, or because it becomes so popular that I want to continue it… In any case, it ends when the protagonist loses, quits, or becomes the last remaining player and wins. Theoretically, if everyone except the protagonist quits at the next quitting stage, he wins.

I always think about the ‘end’ when writing a work, so the result of the protagonist’s final game and the ending of the work are already in my mind at the time of writing this review.

To break the monotonous structure of battle-protection-battle, I’m trying to add various variables. Elements like communities and events are part of that effort.

I am just grateful to the readers who have watched and supported me so far. Although I am an ugly and unskilled writer, I always strive to write stories that only I can write.

I hope to see you in the next volume’s afterword!