Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Demon Murals
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“Alright, that’s done.”
Before heading to the next room, we treated Thompson’s injuries first.
As we left Asteron, we’d packed some medicine, which I applied to his wounds. Thompson’s face relaxed immediately.
“Ooh… That’s much more bearable.”
“It’s supposed to be the best for minor injuries, so I picked it up. Glad it’s working well.”
And it wasn’t just this ointment.
From emergency treatments to gold coins, and even artifacts we hadn’t needed yet.
Barundel’s hefty bag was still stuffed with useful items.
“Shall we head in, then?”
Thanks to that, we stepped forward with confidence.
We could handle most variables now.
Step, step.
Thud!
We all squeezed into the space where the pattern had been, and a massive stone slab dropped down, sealing off the area behind us.
“No way back now.”
“Not like it matters.”
We had to escape all five rooms to leave this dungeon anyway.
Fleeing to a room we’d already cleared would just waste time.
Anyway.
‘What’s this room got?’
I quickly scanned the room’s layout.
The first thing that caught my eye was the murals painted on one wall.
There were five in total, every one grotesquely bizarre.
They almost looked like carvings of monsters.
But they weren’t unfamiliar.
“These murals…”
“They feel familiar somehow.”
The others nodded along as they stared at the murals, sharing my sense.
Kayla spoke up first.
“Is this one a hunt?”
Hunt.
I agreed.
All the images on the wall depicted demon monsters.
‘From the left: [Demon Gargoyle], [Demon Skeleton], [Demon Golem]… then [Demon Slime]. What’s that last one?’
I’d already guessed their types and shifted my gaze to the final mural.
It was pitch-black, like it had been colored with a black crayon, impossible to tell what demon it was meant to show.
One odd detail: there was an unidentified lever next to it.
“Should we start from the left?”
I tabled my thoughts on the last mural for now and asked the group.
Whatever it was, this room didn’t have a time limit.
Unlike the previous one, no water was rising.
Meaning we could puzzle out that final mural anytime.
So it made sense to handle what we could right now.
I summed it up, and the others nodded in understanding right away.
“Okay, one mural per person?”
“Why bother? No rush, so let’s take them one by one, old man. Who knows what variables might pop up.”
“I agree with Miss Kayla.”
“Sounds good. Let’s go in order.”
Now things moved along without me needing to chime in.
They’d gotten better at this with experience.
“Here I go.”
“Right.”
Thompson took the lead toward the leftmost mural.
Pointed ears, a pair of wings wrapping its body, limbs like a human’s.
The [Demon Gargoyle] mural.
The moment Thompson touched it.
The mural writhed, and a living creature clawed its way out of the wall.
“Kweeeek!”
Just as we’d expected: a [Demon Gargoyle].
‘Mid-grade demon at best. Nothing dangerous.’
Whoosh!
My allies and I summoned mana and unleashed it on the thing.
Boom! Bang! Crunch!
“Kku… kwee…”
Outmatched in numbers and power, it died without putting up a real fight.
We pressed on to the next mural without pause.
“This one’s a [Demon Skeleton].”
Clatter! Clatter!
Barundel touched the mural, and a bone-only demon squeezed through the wall.
Its gear marked it as no ordinary skeleton.
A massive shield in its left hand, a spiked mace in its right.
A [Heretic Inquisitor Skeleton].
A rare type from other games, with one clear purpose.
Punishing heretics.
And its definition of ‘heretic’ was simple.
‘Anything not a demon.’
Clatter!
Whoosh!
It leaped forward with a rattle of bones, swinging its mace.
We’d anticipated it and reacted fast, but the surprise was hard to hide.
“What kind of speed for a bag of bones…!”
“Almost got dangerous there!”
Anyone unfamiliar with it would be shocked.
Its edge wasn’t just the gear.
This [Heretic Inquisitor Skeleton] had physical abilities ten times that of a normal skeleton.
In simple terms, vastly superior.
Its rank was two levels higher.
‘High-grade demon.’
No room for carelessness.
Though high-grade demons were no match for us anymore.
Clatter! Clatter!
Clang!
It swung its shield desperately to resist.
But it couldn’t block our relentless attacks alone.
“Raaah!”
Crack!
Roar!
Boom! Bang!
Thompson charged as a rhino, shoving it back; Kayla’s flames scorched its body…
Barundel’s ranged strikes from the [Asu Pendant] piled on, making it pitiful.
Not that my body waited for such thoughts.
Boom boom boom!
[Light of Fluid Motion] clung to it and detonated with holy power.
How long did that one-sided beatdown last?
Cla… tter!
Drained or broken, it creaked and slumped.
Finishing spells flew right on cue.
Boom!
It exploded into gray ash.
“Whew… Impressive for a skeleton.”
After a brief rest, we moved to the next mural.
This one: [Demon Golem].
Covered in black rock, demon blood pulsing between the cracks. Grotesque.
“Ugh… uuu…”
Grind! Screech!
A low echo like in a cave, grinding stone with every move.
Another ‘high-grade demon,’ like the last.
‘If we’d gotten stuck on this wrong, we’d have met our end in the dungeon.’
Two high-grade demons already in one dungeon.
Lucky we were strong enough now; earlier, we wouldn’t have stood a chance.
These dungeons weren’t common, so I hadn’t worried before.
‘Guess we got lucky.’
Anyway, this [Demon Golem] was no issue now.
Step, step.
“I’ll handle it.”
Barundel gripped his axe confidently and stepped up.
Seemed the last fight hadn’t satisfied him.
He swung relentlessly, venting that frustration.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Pang!
Sky-blue energy surged toward the [Demon Golem] each time.
Its strengths: tough durability and raw power.
Making it vulnerable to ranged attacks like that.
“Uuuu!”
It had only endured Barundel’s strikes so far, but now its red eyes gleamed.
Couldn’t read its face well, but it was pissed.
“Uuuu!”
Thud thud thud!
Heavy footsteps as it charged Barundel.
Taking every hit head-on.
“Dwarf, let us join in!”
“Me too.”
The rest of us, who’d held back, jumped in.
Barundel was strong, sure, but soloing a high-grade demon was still too much.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Thompson-as-rhino barreled into the [Demon Golem].
Rock versus massive beast colliding.
Boom!
A massive roar shook our ears.
Crunch! Grind!
Even strength; a deadlock tug-of-war.
Honestly, beyond expectations.
I’d thought Thompson would lose in a direct power clash.
‘Come to think of it, he looks even bigger now?’
Maybe tied to Thompson’s growth and the [Body Transformation Magic]’s scale.
That’d explain Ashion Gale as a huge white lion.
Anyway.
Our side wasn’t just Thompson.
Roar!
Kayla launched a fireball, timed perfectly.
Her spell slipped past Thompson to slam the [Demon Golem]; I added my power.
In a slightly different way.
‘Gotta practice this in moments like these.’
The black mana orb left my hand and hit the [Demon Golem].
Instantly.
“Get back!”
Fwoosh!
It expanded into a black void.
About palm-sized.
But the suction defied its scale, yanking the [Demon Golem].
The others too, unlike me with some resistance.
No need to worry, though.
“N-number one!”
“It’s fine.”
The [Demon Golem] was way closer to the void.
As expected.
“Uu! Uuuu!”
It got sucked in first.
Not the whole body—just one arm.
But that sufficed.
‘Got it.’
I released the mana before it got worse, closing the space magic.
Then.
Crunch!
“Uuuu—!”
The arm tore clean off, vanishing with the void.
Space magic’s destructive power outdid light magic, no doubt.
This without the lich’s wand? Impressive.
“Now!”
Barundel and Thompson pounced.
Off-balance without an arm, the [Demon Golem] had no answer to their combo.
In the end, Barundel’s final blow shattered its core.
Rumble!
It collapsed like it had never moved.
Its rocky body turned to gray ash in the wind.
Thompson sighed, wiping sweat from his brow.
“Whew… That was actually close.”
“Feels like they’re getting tougher toward the end.”
As they talked, I eyed the next mural.
‘Not quite.’
Next up, obviously a [Demon Slime].
Unlike the skeleton, no mutant variant.
So, standard mid-grade demon strength.
Some concern lingered, though.
I glanced at the end.
‘…The final mural.’
Still unsolved.
What would emerge from that one?
We’d find out soon enough.