Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: The True Demon Realm (3)
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Wondering if a floor boss was about to appear, I quickly spread out my consciousness.
...?
I could feel an immense number of life forms beneath the ground.
At a rough estimate, there had to be several thousand.
“Desert demons, especially Death Scorpions, live in colonies. A single colony usually numbers over ten thousand.”
“If you knew that, you should’ve told me sooner!”
I chided him, but honestly, this was even better.
My leveling speed had slowed down recently since I'd been focusing solely on training.
“Everyone, prepare for battle.”
It was time for some long-overdue power leveling!
****
Three days had already passed since we crossed into the 66th floor, the True Demon Realm.
My excitement about power leveling was already a three-day-old memory.
I'd leveled up to my heart's content, but we hadn't been able to move from our initial arrival point at all.
*Boom— Boom— Boom—*
[You have defeated a Desert Demon Death Scorpion.]
[You have defeated a Desert Demon Death Scorpion.]
...
[You have defeated a Desert Demon Death Scorpion.]
Timi's magic sent a whole group of Death Scorpions to the afterlife with a massive explosion, but just a few seconds later, a new swarm erupted from the empty ground.
Not just Timi, but the other companions—even Nix—joined in to kill the monsters, yet their numbers simply wouldn't decrease.
“Bio, didn't you say there were about ten thousand?”
Over the past three days, it felt like we'd killed tens of thousands, no, over a hundred thousand Death Scorpions, but their numbers didn't seem to be dwindling at all.
“Didn't I say *over* ten thousand, not *about* ten thousand? And I believe I said *usually*.”
He never loses an argument.
Still, they weren't particularly threatening, so it wasn't a huge problem.
With my companions here, I could leave the fighting to them for a bit to eat or rest.
Of course, it wasn't exactly an environment for starting a fire and cooking a proper meal.
But killing them endlessly with no end in sight was mentally exhausting.
I imagined this was how our ancestors felt during the Korean War, facing the endless tide of Chinese soldiers.
“Still, the end seems to be in sight. There are no hostile beings beyond a distance of about ten thousand paces.”
How encouraging.
No enemies beyond that distance meant the space within it was packed solid with them.
Still, just as I thought it was a relief that the end was in sight, I was a little surprised.
“Hyeon-ung?”
[Hidden condition (Defeat 200,000 Earth-attribute monsters) has been met. The trait 'Lord of the Desert' evolves.]
[Lord of the Desert evolves into Emperor of the Desert.]
I'd evolved 'Failed Game Master' with the Dragon God Kalonipe's orb before, but I didn't know traits could evolve this way too.
I wanted to check it immediately, but there was no time. As soon as the battle ended, I opened my status window and clicked on the trait.
[Emperor of the Desert (Special Hidden)
Retainers: You can subdue Earth-attribute monsters and make them your retainers.
Your stats will increase according to the abilities and number of your retainers.
Desert Specialization: All stats increase by 10% in the desert.
Emperor of the Desert: Against all monsters appearing in the desert, damage increases by +50% and damage taken decreases by +50%.]
Heh, all that hard work paid off.
Both of the new effects were situational, but they were pretty sweet.
I did feel a bit lighter after the notification popped up, but a 10% increase to all stats? What an absolute jackpot.
“Alright, I know everyone's tired, but let's gather the loot together.”
[Golden Dragon Agnus has acquired the Sun Mask.]
[Golden Dragon Agnus has acquired the Venom Dagger.]
Geum-yong was already flying around diligently collecting items, but there were just too many.
It took me and my companions nearly half a day to collect all the items.
[You have acquired the Blue Flame Goblet.]
[You have acquired the Venom Force Shield.]
...
[You have acquired Altera's Mace.]
Since this was our first time on the 66th floor, Miter's Blessing activated, and items were dropping quite frequently.
“Hyeon-ung? What are you doing? Why are you putting items on the ground...?”
“We can't carry everything.”
I opened my inventory and tossed out all the green-glowing Advanced-grade items and below without even checking their stats.
“But it's such a waste. You can put them in my inventory, right?”
“I was just about to ask. Huh? Why are you picking that up?”
“What? You told me to hold onto them for you.”
“That's the stuff I'm throwing away. This is what I want you to hold.”
I handed a pile of blue-glowing Rare items to Ha-young.
“H-Hyeon-ung? So many Rare items...”
“We killed a lot of them. And this is just the beginning.”
I went back to tossing all the Advanced and Common items while handing the Rare ones to Ha-young one by one.
“Hyeon-ung, I'm at my limit. I can't take any more...”
“Already? Just a little more...”
As I said it, the words felt a bit strange, and I paused.
I wish I could feed some to that rascal Geum-yong, but he hasn't eaten any items since swallowing that Mythic one.
Thanks to that, even after giving Ha-young and the others everything they wanted, half of my inventory was still filled with Unique items.
It was a bit disappointing not to find any Legendary or Mythic items, but the monsters weren't that strong to begin with.
Still, I was able to get some decent items to replace the equipment I lost before.
[Cape of the Red Desert's Thorns (Unique)
A cape imbued with special power, decorated with thorns from the cacti of the True Demon Realm's red desert.
Defense +10, Magic +20, Luck +20, Stamina +20
Earth Attribute Resistance +30%
Special Effect.
Damage Return: Stores 10% of damage taken in the cape's thorns and returns it to a designated target.]
[Death Scorpion Tail Armor (Unique)
A special leather armor made from the hide of a red desert mongoose, finished with the shell and stinger of a Death Scorpion.
Defense +15, Magic +25, Stamina +25, Agility +20, Luck +10, Earth Attribute Resistance +30%
Special Effect.
Poison Force
User's physical attacks have a 20% chance to inflict the 'Poison' status effect. (50% chance when hit).]
They weren't as good as my old gear, but they were decent enough as temporary replacements.
After sorting everything, I checked the items and cooked a proper meal for the first time in a while.
By the time I was done, the sun was beginning to set.
I was sick and tired of the desert, and with only a few days left until the labyrinth closed, I needed to hurry...
That was my thought, but when I looked at my companions, they all looked completely exhausted.
True, I had at least taken a short break to eat, even if it wasn't enough, but my companions had been fighting nonstop without a single rest.
My companions' stamina wasn't infinite.
“Let's rest here for today. We'll move out tomorrow.”
“Oh, but is that okay? The labyrinth closes soon...”
“I'm tired too.”
Even Bio, who always pushed us, didn't say anything and agreed to rest for the night.
It wasn't like we were on a timer; there was no need to be impatient.
“So, does everyone want to play a game?”
“A game?”
Ha-young grinned and pulled a board game out of her inventory.
It was that territory game, the first one we ever played together.
“You brought a board game?”
Seriously? The labyrinth isn't some vacation spot. I was dumbfounded.
“W-Well, everyone forgets the rules when I explain them outside. If I teach you in here, I won't have to explain it every time... I just thought you might be bored... Should I put it back?”
She looked a little dejected, but she had a point.
We were resting anyway, and Bio had said there were no enemies nearby.
“What's a game?”
“Oh, I think I've seen this in a video.”
“How do you play?”
Everyone showed interest, so I briefly explained the rules.
“So if you can't pay, you die.”
You don't die, you go bankrupt, but maybe because the concept was hard to explain, Ha-young just nodded.
“Sounds fun.”
“There are eight of us, so we can make teams of two.”
As soon as Ha-young finished speaking, all the companions swarmed toward me.
Everyone wanted to be on my team, so to be fair, I made lots for us to draw.
It ended up being me and Elaine, Rina and Alpen, Timi and Milli, and Hanna and Bio.
At first, I thought it was ridiculous, but once we started, it was surprisingly fun.
The game itself was fun, but the biggest source of entertainment was Bio's increasingly stiff expression.
He was the only one who hadn't shown any interest, but we made him play to even out the numbers. Turns out, that bastard Bio was completely hopeless at games.
“Ha-young is really good at this.”
“Luck was on my side. Who's in last place this round?”
“Bio went bankrupt first again.”
“Present your back, please.”
We'd decided the loser would get a light smack on the back.
“...Our team has been last three times in a row. Isn't this rigged?”
“That's because you're terrible at rolling the dice.”
Every time Bio threw the dice, he landed on someone else's property.
“Bio, please try a little harder.”
Hanna, who had also been smacked three times in a row, shot Bio a resentful glare.
“But...”
“Just turn around.”
“Let's play one more round.”
“Again? I think it's getting too late.”
“Have you no shame? No one sleeps until we play one more game.”
He was completely fired up.
Seeing Bio, trembling as he demanded another round, I couldn't help but laugh.
It was a very insightful time, allowing me to see a human side to the guy I thought was perfect at everything.
And I got to hit him, fair and square.
In the end, he lost one more time, got smacked on the back, and swore he'd never play again, but I bet he'd cave if I coaxed him a little.
I asked my companions to keep watch and set up a tent.
The moment I thought the sandy ground was better than usual, the tent flap opened, and Ha-young poked her head in.
“Wow, your tent is huge, Hyeon-ung.”
“It feels stuffy if it's too small.”
“This is big enough for two people to sleep in, don't you think?”
Nice try.
“I talk in my sleep. We can't sleep together.”
“W-Who said anything about sleeping together? I was just making an observation.”
Her impure intentions were obvious, and though she denied it, I could see a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
“I'm tired. Good night.”
“You too, Hyeon-ung.”
...Kids these days are really forward.
****
Thanks to a good night's rest, our condition had improved, and we set out early after breakfast.
We encountered a few demons along the way, but thankfully, there were no high-ranking ones, so we dealt with them easily.
“If you're talking about a temple, I think that's it over there.”
Following Bio's pointing finger, I saw a building made of pure white marble.
It looked quite similar to a Greek temple I'd seen in a video once, but it felt out of place in a red sand desert under a violet sun.
Perhaps because of the distance, my consciousness couldn't pick up anything.
We got a little closer, and then—huh?
“Hyeon-ung, I can't see ahead.”
“Me neither...”
“I think I'm going to be blown away.”
A fierce sandstorm kicked up, and from within the gale, a giant that looked to be about five meters tall came striding out.
Its colossal frame seemed to easily exceed twenty meters, with a body more solid than an ogre's.
A single massive eye took up half its face, making it look somewhat like a cyclops, but I'd never seen a cyclops of this size.
“This area is forbidden, restricted by the Demon King's command. You should leave while I'm asking nicely... a human?”
A subordinate of the Demon King?
“I'm here to take that Demon King's trial.”
“A trial? Ah, right. There was such a system. How unlucky for you.”
Why is he suddenly talking about bad luck?
“Hyeon-ung, that guy has a real attitude problem.”
“Should we take care of him?”
Starting with Timi and Milli, my companions bristled, but he didn't seem to be an enemy, so I held them back.
“Whether I'm lucky or not isn't for you to judge. You look like a gatekeeper, so just guide us.”
I was against killing him, but that didn't mean I would tolerate his rudeness.
“G-Gatekeeper? I am Tyrex, the Guardian of the Seal...”
“Right, right. Tyrex, whether you're a guardian or a gatekeeper, if you're not going to fight, then guide us.”
The giant frowned but then gave a meaningful smile and told me to follow before turning away.
When we reached the temple entrance, he stopped and turned back to us.
Up close, I could see a faint blue barrier sealing the temple entrance.
“What's that blue thing?”
“That is a sealing barrier personally erected by the Demon King. Only the summoner undertaking the trial may enter.”
This was a bit perplexing.
It seemed certain that Ha-young couldn't come with me, but surely my companions could?
“Oh, then I'll wait here.”
“Ha-young, wait a second.”
I took a step past the blue light.
I passed through without any issue, but not only Ha-young, none of my companions could get through either.
I tried unsummoning and resummoning them, but that didn't work either.
When I asked if I could just break the barrier, Tyrex jumped in surprise.
“Can you take responsibility if Arpeus escapes?”
I looked at Bio, but he shook his head, seemingly out of ideas.
In the end, I entered alone.
Well, even if my companions had been allowed, I would have been a little uneasy leaving Ha-young alone with that giant.
I climbed the marble stairs and saw a massive door.
*Creeaak—*
As I stood before it, the door opened automatically.
“Oh, it's been a very long time since I had a guest.”
The moment I saw the man sitting in the antique chair, calmly looking at me, I couldn't help but be shocked.
“Y-You're Arpeus?”
I thought I might be mistaken and looked again, but no matter how I looked, it was unmistakably a familiar face.
“Yes. I am the former Demon King. Why do you ask?”
But the former Demon King didn't seem to know me at all.