After Saving The Universe A Thousand Times: Chapter 3

Chapter 3: All Gods Descend 3

Within a short span of just ten minutes, Dong Jin’s series of audacious moves pushed his livestream into the top ten of the Seven Universe global rankings at an unbelievable speed.

At that moment, Lei Ming, one of the chief judges, was bored as he casually patrolled various livestreams. Occasionally, he would even commentate on intriguing moments for the audience, providing explanations for instance highlights. Naturally, he also noticed the rising popularity of Dong Jin’s livestream.

As the audience’s demands for him to analyze Dong Jin’s actions grew louder, the God of Night and Drama merely licked the right side of his beast-like sharp fangs absentmindedly, his voice low and languid as he said, “Not interested.”

“Hmm? You’re asking why… Because when he stepped out, he led with his left foot ¹.”

The “he” Lei Ming referred to was, of course, Dong Jin, who had just exited his room and was heading toward the hotel elevator.

The flimsy and dismissive excuse Lei Ming threw out left a large portion of the audience speechless. However, one sharp-eyed viewer quickly noticed a detail and sent a comment filled with doubt:

【Just now, I double-checked. Dong Jin did step out with his left foot first. But you never even opened that livestream—how did you know that?】

This comment disappeared almost instantly amidst the torrent of others flooding the screen every second.

But by sheer coincidence, Lei Ming caught sight of it.

In the very next moment, without warning, his dark golden eyes lifted, staring straight through the screen at the audience.

That gaze hit like burning alcohol down the throat, like a cold blade slicing the neck.

Even across the screen, the audience could feel the towering dominance and raw, blood-forged power radiating from him.

Everyone, including the viewer who had raised the question, thought that their persistent inquiries had finally irritated Lei Ming.

In an instant, the tone of the comments shifted dramatically.

【…I’ve really overstepped. What right do I have to expect this supreme being, the absolute pinnacle of battle power in the highest universe, to explain things for me? The fact that he’s even sitting here quietly doing commentary is shocking enough. What more could I possibly ask for?】

【Speaking of which, let me share a little rumor. Lately, for some unknown reason, Lei Ming apparently owes the will of the highest universe a massive amount of energy. At first, I thought it was just some baseless joke—this is Lei Ming we’re talking about! But after seeing him here today, struggling to hold back his impatience, I’m starting to think there might be some truth to it.】

After a while, some viewers lost interest and left the commentary stream, returning to Dong Jin’s livestream.

At that moment, Dong Jin was walking alone down the hallway on the 10th floor of the hotel.

In his hand, he was holding an all-black long-handled umbrella, taken from the cabinet near the door. He gripped it in reverse, using it as a walking stick in an odd and absurd manner.

As he walked, the hard tip of the umbrella occasionally made dull thudding sounds against the hallway carpet. This strange and indifferent behavior, as though he cared nothing for the world around him, was like a newborn supernatural being subtly and bizarrely announcing its arrival.

At the very least, the human guests he encountered along the way were clearly intimidated.

Whenever someone was about to cross paths with him, they would instinctively bow their heads and stop walking, waiting for him to pass first.

What was going on? Wasn’t there a single person who would confront him about his identity?

As Dong Jin stepped into the elevator at the end of the hallway, he couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of disappointment at the thought.

Originally, Dong Jin had planned to catch someone questioning his identity to establish his authority, and maybe even gather some useful information in the process. He had already come up with a series of strategies—A, B, C, D—but ended up not using any of them.

*This is supposed to be a place full of scoundrels, can’t anyone muster up a little courage?* 

After recalling the information he gathered from the people he had passed, Dong Jin let out an inexplicable sigh.

He had encountered three people in total.

Under the minimally activated “Eye of Truth,” which was conserving energy, the words “Thug,” “Thief,” and “Con Artist” floated above their heads.

As for the two currently holding their breath inside the elevator with him due to his sudden sigh…

Dong Jin looked at their reflections in the elevator door, where the words “Robber” and “Bomber” appeared. He couldn’t help but marvel at the diversity of criminals within Feng Mo.

It seemed his earlier assumptions were somewhat wrong.

These people probably hadn’t been deceived by evil supernatural beings and become their followers. They were likely just inherently bad—a group simply lured by the malice of supernatural beings, willingly submitting to their power and doing whatever evil they were ordered to.

This so-called Feng Mo was essentially a playground for wicked beings.

No wonder it was named “Feng Mo.”

Hell is empty, and all the devils are here ².

The elevator quickly descended to the first floor.

Ignoring the two who remained motionless behind him, Dong Jin walked straight toward the hotel lobby without so much as a glance.

Whether it was because it was midnight or for some other reason, the front desk was unmanned.

Dong Jin’s gaze skimmed over the registration book on the desk and then toward the dimly glowing computer on the counter. The information displayed on both made him abandon the idea of trying to delete his registration record.

The messages read:

【Hotel Front Desk Computer: The latest model of computer this century, used solely for self-registration of fake check-in information.】

【Hotel Registration Book: Although it’s a registration book, no one has ever written the truth in it since its first use.】

Well, that makes sense. A hotel like this wouldn’t have real name registration anyway.

The instance description had mentioned that he accidentally checked in, likely because the lobby had been empty when he arrived. After completing the self-registration, he ended up staying here by sheer coincidence.

Since the registration information was automatically considered false and didn’t need to be altered, and as he had checked in at midnight with almost no one seeing him, there was no need to waste energy worrying about this aspect.

If he later encountered someone who had seen his appearance before he disguised himself, he could simply improvise. Whether he claimed to be possessed by another or had devoured that person overnight, regardless of whether they believed him or not, he was confident he could talk them into believing it.

With the potential issue of his identity more or less resolved, Dong Jin became increasingly aware of the sound of piano music coming from the lobby, which he had previously ignored.

If he remembered correctly, there was only one piano placed in a corner of the lobby, right? How fast must the player’s hands be to produce a sound resembling a duet?

As he listened to the deep bass, whispering like secrets in the night, constantly changing tempo until it grew frenzied, even manic, Dong Jin suddenly felt an urge to let loose, follow his instincts, and revel in wild abandon.

Upon realizing that there was something odd about the music, Dong Jin didn’t show any discomfort. Instead, he quietly bit down on his tongue, holding on until the performer finished their piece. Then, with a slow and deliberate grace, he made his way toward the player.

Unlike the hallway, the lobby wasn’t carpeted.

Thus, at this moment, the rhythmic tapping of the umbrella tip on the floor was crisp and unmistakable.

This caught the attention of the performer, who turned their head slightly and looked at Dong Jin with calm, golden eyes.

To be honest, their appearance surprised Dong Jin—not because they were extraordinarily perfect, but because of how unexpectedly ordinary they looked.

Dong Jin glanced briefly at the red hair and golden eyes of the other person.

The man looked perfectly normal—two eyes, one nose, one mouth—very standard. With such an average appearance, he was the type who could easily blend into a crowd and become unnoticeable.

Even though Dong Jin deliberately took a second look, he still couldn’t remember any specific details about the man’s face.

And that was precisely the point.

Red and gold were both highly saturated, bold colors. Even with a plain face, the combination shouldn’t result in such forgettability.

—The man was most likely disguised.

However, it didn’t really matter what his true appearance was, nor how convincingly he posed as a human. The moment he played that sanity-disrupting melody, it silently declared his non-human nature.

With that in mind, Dong Jin no longer hesitated to expend energy. He activated the “Eye of Truth” to its maximum capacity, without sacrificing any of his lifespan.

Soon, a deeply meaningful piece of information appeared before his eyes:

【??: Male, adult ▉▉, inherently wicked.】

【Calm in madness, smiling in insanity, a ruthless individual.】

【An artist at heart, hiding secrets even he himself doesn’t know.】

【By the way, he has been fervently craving the soul of ▉▉▉▉.】

This wasn’t the first time Dong Jin had encountered information with so many words censored.

In fact, the stronger the subject, the less information he could obtain, and what he did get was often incomplete. This was actually one of the better cases—when he had tried to analyze Lei Ming earlier, all he got was pitch-black nothingness.

No matter. Dong Jin wasn’t the type to dig too deep into things.

He only needed to know that this being was a powerful creature and, for the time being, had no desire to attack him.

Since he hadn’t been able to get any useful information from the other hotel guests earlier, perhaps if he played his cards right, he could extract something valuable from this one.

With that thought, Dong Jin began his performance.

He smiled, lightly tapping the tip of his umbrella. Under the creature’s emotionless gaze, he asked in a completely self-absorbed and contextless manner:

“What’s that? And… what is this?”

The creature seemed to have a rather mild temperament, and its intelligence was intact. Despite Dong Jin’s abrupt questions, it understood him perfectly and responded to each one:

“That is a piano piece titled 《Gods’ Descent》. And this is a piano.”

The instance’s name, All Gods’ Descent, was already on the nose, but even the music within the instance had to carry a thematic easter egg, huh?

As Dong Jin inwardly griped, he followed through by glancing at the creature’s hands resting on the piano’s black and white keys.

Three seconds later, more information surfaced about its hands specifically:

【These are the hands of a performing artist. As for what constitutes art, that is naturally defined by the owner of these hands.】

Judging by its character, this creature seemed to be a reclusive artist, teetering between isolation and madness.

Noticing the other’s gaze lingering on the lower half of his face—specifically, the two red marks at the corners of his lips, which were not covered by bandages—Dong Jin mentally added an extra note to his assessment: perhaps this being also had a keen aesthetic sense and was something of a “face-con.”

After settling on this definition in his mind, he didn’t waste time worrying about whether this creature’s so-called art would involve him. Instead, he casually brushed aside the hand that was resting on the piano keys and tersely commanded, “Move.”

Although his face showed no tension, in that split second, Dong Jin was fully prepared to retreat at high speed if the other made any sudden moves.

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario didn’t occur.

The creature simply stared in silence at the red marks by Dong Jin’s lips for a long moment before finally stepping away from the piano bench, giving Dong Jin space.

But the creature didn’t go far. It merely stood quietly three steps away, as if watching to see what Dong Jin intended to do.

Dong Jin had no intention of shooing him further away.

First, he casually pressed each of the piano’s seven scales, as if testing the instrument. When this made the nearby figure frown in impatience, Dong Jin finally raised both hands and hovered them over the keys. The next second, he began to play, his fingers striking the keys with the intensity of a sudden downpour.

It was a fast and eerie melody.

As the high and low notes intertwined, the rushing waves of fear and trembling in the music were so vivid and layered, it perfectly mirrored the terror one would feel when realizing for the first time what it meant for a devil king to descend.

Even someone with no musical knowledge would understand how this piece stirred the emotions—it was a masterpiece.

Let alone this being, who was certainly no amateur.

It could hear, better than anyone, the endless temptation and madness woven into the melody. Its uniqueness even surpassed the creature’s own Gods’ Descent.

Nearly five minutes later, as Dong Jin finished playing and stood up, the creature, who had somehow crept up behind him and was now almost pressing against his back, spoke in a hoarse voice, “…What is this?”

The creature was so close that, for a brief moment, Dong Jin could even feel its scorching breath.

Dong Jin’s response was simple: “The title of the piece is 《Devil King》 ³.”

He wasn’t surprised at the creature’s drastically different reaction compared to before.

After all, this was none other than Earth’s renowned 《Devil King》.

Who could possibly resist Franz Schubert, the “King of Songs”?

He admitted that this Gods’ Descent, which he had never heard before, was pretty good, but anyone with ears would know that 《Devil King》 was better.

If the Supreme Universe liked to annoy people with musical easter eggs, then today he would achieve his goal while returning the annoyance tenfold.

“…What are you?”

Hearing the creature’s familiar follow-up question, Dong Jin finally let out a sigh of relief—it wasn’t in vain that he played until his hands were sore. The creature had finally taken the bait.

For an artist type like this, nothing was more captivating than a great work of art.

“What am I? Can’t you tell?”

“And how does this melody sound to you? I was deeply impressed the first time I heard it.”

Not knowing if the creature could see through his lies, Dong Jin chose to respond with a question of his own, using the piano piece to further divert its attention.

However, after taking a small step back and meeting the other’s gaze again, Dong Jin suddenly had a vague premonition that something was slipping out of his control.

The other’s gaze was pure—like that of a beast licking, gnawing, and tearing into its prey.

It was still unmistakably a human face, yet anyone who saw this scene would never mistake it for a human anymore.

“I know you’re not human,” the creature said, now solely focused on Dong Jin.

The golden eyes appeared calm at first glance, but if one looked closer, they would notice the tumultuous undercurrent beneath that calm exterior. “What I’m asking for is your name.”

At the moment those words were spoken, Dong Jin almost fancied he could hear the distant blare of celebratory horns, see flames roaring, an endless banquet in full swing, and smell a primal, instinctual sense of freedom.

Just what kind of creature was this?

After staring at Dong Jin for a long time without receiving a reply, the creature seemed to misunderstand something and spoke first: “My name is Kale.”

“Dong Jin,” he replied, recalling a rule in the Supreme Universe that one’s true name should not be casually revealed.

Knowing the true name of a deity or demon established a unique bond with them. Under certain conditions, the one who knew the true name could even summon the deity or demon directly.

But that was a rule of the Supreme Universe, and he was in a third-level universe. It was also a rule for gods and demons, and he was human.

He neither accepted prayers nor summons.

So there was no reason to hide his name.

“You descended tonight, didn’t you?” Kale asked more directly after the exchange of names.

It was as though he had personally torn apart the clear boundary separating them, his entire being exuding a decadent yet indulgent aura.

While Kale’s attitude remained polite, his words instinctively made Dong Jin start calculating the exact time he had played Gods’ Descent earlier.

Judging by the structure of the piece, the total length was about four minutes. Dong Jin had entered the room from the lobby ten minutes ago, so there was no way he could have encountered Kale within that time frame.

After a quick mental assessment, Dong Jin glanced at Kale again.

Based on the expression, it didn’t seem like Kale had noticed anything out of the ordinary, confirming that they hadn’t met before.

Then why was Kale so sure about the time of his arrival?

The next moment, as if reading Dong Jin’s confusion, Kale continued, his voice clear yet lacking restraint: 

“You carry the scent of a storm.”

“Before tonight, I hadn’t met you.”

“If I had, I would never forget.”

Hearing this, Dong Jin silently met Kale’s gaze through the bandages.

Good news—he had successfully achieved his goal of building rapport with an supernatural being.

Bad news—it seemed he had overdone it, making their connection a bit *too* good.

Dong Jin studied Kale’s suit, predominantly red with gold accents, stitched together from various geometric patterns. Despite the avant-garde design, Kale’s imposing physique was impossible to conceal. Dong Jin began calculating his odds of survival if things went south right here and now.

Once he arrived at a concrete number, Dong Jin wisely chose to feign ignorance.

He had no conscience, no morals, and certainly no qualms about dealing with someone like this—a born malevolent being from this instance.

With a mad dog like this delivered right to his doorstep, of course, he would use it while he could, and think about shaking it off later if needed.

After all, once the instance ended, they would never meet again anyway.

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Translator Notes

1. A superstition about always starting good things from the right side. I’m not sure about this one though.[↩]
2. Quote from William Shakespeare, The Tempest[↩]
3. “Erlkönig” is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It depicts the death of a child assailed by a supernatural being, the Erlking, a king of the fairies. Franz Schubert composed his Lied “Erlkönig” for solo voice and piano setting text from Goethe’s poem.The singer takes the role of four characters — the narrator, a father, his small son, and the titular “Erlking”, a supernatural creature who pursues the boy — each of whom exhibit different tessitura, harmonic and rhythmic characteristics. A technically challenging piece for both performers and accompanists, “Erlkönig” has been popular and acclaimed since its premiere in 1821, and has been described as one of the “commanding compositions of the century”. [↩]