Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Translator: Penny
Episode 16: The Commoner and the Demon [End]
Episode 16: Commoner and Demon [END]
My vision swam in crimson.
"Ugh... What's happening? I feel terribly dizzy."
Through the blurred vision, something kept pressing in, relentless and overwhelming.
Could this be the effect of absorbing a fragment of Mephisto into my eye? It felt like being reborn.
- Wooooosh...!!
Mana surged through my body with an intensity unlike anything I'd ever experienced.
- Crackle...!!
With just a casual flick of my hand, the cave's rocky walls didn't shatter, but warped and twisted like clay.
This power... it's quite useful.
"Huff... At least there don't seem to be many side effects on my body... Cough?!"
I never expected there to be no side effects at all.
After all, I was directly implanting a part of the Final Boss's body into my eye. Expecting to be perfectly fine afterward would be insane.
"Cough, cough!"
I instinctively brought my hand to my mouth, only to find it cupping a handful of dark crimson blood.
"Cough, what's... suddenly... cough... this?!"
Compared to the agony of implanting the eye and the torment I'd endured so far, this felt like a tickle—infinitely lighter.
The only real problem was this: I'd expected mere pain, but now my vision was blurring and gradually darkening. A nasty bonus effect.
"Ugh... this side effect is utter garbage..."
Thud!
After some time passed, I regained consciousness to find myself collapsed on the floor.
"Ugh... That was a truly unpleasant experience."
Seeing the dark crimson blood smeared near my mouth, I realized I must have coughed up a torrent of blood during the seizure and passed out.
If an ordinary person had suffered this side effect directly, they would have died instantly. Was it only thanks to my Recovery (S) that I managed to survive with such reduced damage?
I wiped away some of the blood clinging to my mouth with a wet wipe from my pocket and quickly assessed the situation.
"Status Window."
If this ability turns out to be useless, I'll just ditch it and get out of here.
No matter how likely the Demonic Eye is to exhibit cheat-level power, it's utterly worthless if it can't handle Shena outside.
I don't need something with high potential. I need a skill I can use right now...
As if sensing my inner turmoil, the information displayed in the Status Window proved surprisingly useful.
Status Window
Name: Yun Se-a
Age: 18
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Skills
Psychokinesis (A)
Mastery over telekinesis.
Recovery (S)
Completely heals any injury, but pain is still felt.
Blunted Senses (B)
Prolonged experimentation has dulled her sensitivity to pain.
Stats
Strength: C+
Defense: D
Mana: A+ → S+ (Temporary)
Stamina: F
Agility: B+
Luck: A+
"Her alignment has shifted to Chaotic Good... and her Mana... it's temporarily risen to S+?!?"
Characters with S+ Mana were exceedingly rare—a handful at most, including Eve Meitner, who by now would likely be losing to Shena.
Such stats were usually only possessed by exceptional magic-based Heroes, or by bosses from the late stages of the game.
Just by implanting Mephisto's remains, my Mana stat, which had been around A+, had skyrocketed to this level?
How much of it was there? With this output... it's nearly on par with Yun Se-a during our Boss battles. Wait a minute, where's the Demonic Eye-related skill?
Ah, now that I think about it, the [Demonic Eye of Suggestion] was also in my Inventory.
"In... Inventory."
Please let it be something good...
Inventory
[Demonic Eye of Suggestion] (Inactive)
[Fragment of ???] (Active)
Ah, thank goodness.
It wasn't a skill at all; it just appeared in the Inventory as an equipment item.
But what's this 'Fragment of ???'?
[Fragment of ???] (Active)
[Mana increased.]
[Censored]
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When the %$ thing is $%# from the $$ of the %$# and the Ta$% Che$% %#, %& shall come to pass.
You can convert all the ###@ you imagine into 현$%#.
Why is there so much censored text?
For now, the only clearly legible part was the short phrase: "Mana increased."
It's been ages since I've seen an item with such a simple and strangely worded description.
Items or skills with concise descriptions typically fell into two categories:
First, there were skills and items that were utter garbage because they offered no real explanation, like "It's an old sword" or "You can create a fist of smoke and throw it."
Second, there were ridiculously overpowered skills and items that could be understood with just a conceptual explanation, like "Anything it cuts will be severed" or "You cannot die."
"...If that's the case, this seems to fall into the second category..."
For now, the situation was quite favorable. While there was a mountain of research to do on that Demonic Eye... at least it increased my Mana stat from A+ to S+, which is already an excellent effect.
With this level of Mana... I can now apply the Demonic Eye of Suggestion's effects to Shena as well.
And, to top it off, his brainwashing magic was useless against me.
KUGUGUGUNG...!!
As expected, the moment I implanted a fragment of the Demon King into my eye, the space began to collapse with a deafening roar.
To think I'd ever directly implant a piece of the Final Boss!
This was a first even for me. I had to get out of here, and fast.
In this situation, where I don't even know how long I've been unconscious, checking on Eve's condition takes absolute priority.
She was a crucial character who needed to remain active until the very end of the story.
Just please, let her still be alive...
With that thought, I threw myself toward the Gates within the collapsing Dungeon, tumbling across the floor with a loud crash.
THUD!
Ugh, did I get caught?!
I quickly turned my head to assess the situation, and in an instant, lightning flashed past my side.
Fortunately, neither of them seemed to have the room to focus on me, as they didn't immediately attack.
Still intact, it seems...
Thankfully, sensing Eve's Lightning Magic, I swiftly turned toward the source of the lightning, but...
Thwack!
"Gah...!"
...?!
Unfortunately, the lightning appeared to be her last desperate act. Immediately after it struck, black tentacles pierced through Eve's entire body.
"Whoa, that was a close call. If this space had been any wider, I would've been fried in two seconds flat. That brat who went through the gate must have kept you from unleashing your full power, right?"
"Ugh..."
Thud!
"...!!!"
Eve was suffering so terribly she couldn't even scream.
"Since you're going to die soon anyway... I'll tell you. That little girl is probably dead by now. What's inside is part of our Demon King's remains."
"Re...mains?" Eve struggled to speak.
Shena chuckled derisively, whispering mockingly, "There's no way a human could withstand that overwhelming Demonic Energy! They'd probably be corrupted and die in agony as soon as they stepped inside. But that little girl? She probably didn't even have time to suffer before she died~"
As she spoke, Shena used her tentacles to pull Eve closer, then sank her fangs into Eve's neck and began to drain her blood.
Crunch!
"Ugh...!"
"Your blood is so delicious... It'd be a waste to kill you. Once I've drained you dry, I'll toss you into a nearby goblin or orc nest, so don't worry too much. Or, how about becoming my personal blood bag?"
...Damn it. Can I actually do this?
Judging by the stats in my Status Window, I could unleash a trump card powerful enough to overwhelm her. The problem is, if Shena dodges that attack, it's game over instantly. And with Eve so close, she might get caught in the crossfire.
Clatter
Then, I heard something snag on my ankle.
"Ah... I was about to go mad with frustration because of that pesky First Seat. But now I get to drink such delicious blood and find the Demon King's remains? My luck today is insane!"
Fortunately, Shena was so engrossed in savoring Eve's blood that she didn't notice the Gate behind her had vanished. She was completely focused on her feeding.
With the harpoon gun in my hand, I could safely separate Eve from Shena, albeit with some pain.
...Right, I just need to think of this as the newly released Boss Dungeon.
Using psychokinesis, I created a semi-transparent wall and gazed at my reflection.
This isn't real. It's just another trivial Dungeon monster, like the ones I always face when I dive into the full-immersion machine and play this like a game.
Okay, my trembling hands finally seem to be calming down.
No, it's more than just calming down.
My body feels more responsive than usual, and I'm starting to feel like I can do anything right now.
Thwang!
"...What the?!"
Shena stared in disbelief as Eve was suddenly pulled away, a harpoon embedded in her waist.
Alright, let's estimate the time I can use Mephisto's power... about 20 seconds. Judging from when I collapsed earlier, that should be feasible.
[ Demonic Eye of Suggestion ], activate!
Whoosh!
Using telekinesis, I lifted the stone dust from the floor, creating a makeshift smokescreen. Then, combining my telekinetic force with the harpoon's retrieval mechanism, I hurled Eve toward the dungeon entrance.
This was a task of such high difficulty that it would have been impossible with my usual psychokinesis. However, with an overwhelming amount of mana, I could simply ignore all limitations.
"W-what's going on?! All of a sudden?!"
She's probably thinking, 'After so long, I finally get to taste the blood of a top-tier Hero. I'm not giving up that easily!'
"Don't move, Shena."
".............!!!! You?!"
At my single command, Shena froze in place, paralyzed as if she had heard the dragon's draconic word.
Got her.
I clasped my hands together and visualized Yun Se-a's appearance from the game.
If this were reality, I couldn't have done it. But this world is just a game, a typical dungeon. I'll just imagine Yun Se-a has become a playable character.
Now, then...
The tables have turned, you bastard.