Chapter 57
Chapter 57
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Crimson Flower
-----------------------------------------------------------------
While everyone was pulling themselves together.
“Number One, what the hell happened to us?”
Thompson was the first to demand an explanation from me.
Before answering, I turned to him with a question of my own.
I needed to get a clear picture of the incident straight from the source.
“Could you describe how it felt first?”
“Uh, well... you see.”
Thompson scratched the back of his neck, as if recalling the moment.
His stiff, rigid expression didn’t look pleasant at all.
“It was like... suddenly becoming someone else in an instant? My heart was racing, my chest felt tight, I was constantly angry... like the part of me that controls emotions had just broken.”
“I see. What about the rest of you?”
“Same here. I kept wanting to pick fights...”
“One thing’s for sure—I wasn’t myself.”
Everyone had similar reactions.
Only then could I draw a clear conclusion.
This incident had definitely been caused by her ability.
“You all probably fell victim to Asmodeus’s power.”
“Asmodeus? You mean... the Legion Commander of Desire?”
“That’s right. The symptoms you experienced match exactly what happens when you’re exposed to Asmodeus’s ability. I don’t know how it reached you, but...”
I said that, then looked at each of them one by one.
It was a signal—did anything come to mind?
A moment later.
“Ah, no way?”
Kayla, lost in thought, clapped her hands as if something had clicked.
“Was it because of that flower?”
“Flower?”
Did everyone understand what Kayla meant?
Excluding me, they all widened their eyes in realization.
“...Miss, that might be it.”
“Right?”
“...That flower did feel off, now that you mention it.”
They were all connecting the dots without me, so I gestured for them to hurry up and explain.
Thompson spoke up first.
“There was... this one flower blooming all alone in the deepest part of that turtle’s den. Anyone would’ve thought it looked suspicious.”
“...What did it look like?”
“It had crimson petals, and I think it was glowing or something...? Anyway, it was so beautiful that it kept drawing my eye even in the middle of the fight.”
“Hmm.”
A flower...
It wasn’t the form I’d expected, but the possibility was high.
Crimson was Asmodeus’s favorite color, after all.
“Did it have a scent, by any chance?”
“A scent?”
Thompson, reminiscing, soon made a puzzled face.
“There was a unique fragrance inside the cave, but I’m not sure if it came from the flower.”
That was when Kayla chimed in.
“If you’re talking about that perfume-like smell, then yes. I sniffed it myself after the battle ended.”
A perfume-like scent.
Kayla’s words tied everything together perfectly.
Asmodeus must have infused that flower with her power somehow.
And that power had turned our party members into maniacs.
“I didn’t even get close because it looked suspicious, but I still got affected?”
“If you breathed in the scent even from a distance... it’s entirely possible.”
“Damn, that’s a scary power. No matter how careful you are, demons like that don’t give you a moment’s respite.”
Then Thompson looked at me curiously.
“But Number One, how did we snap out of it?”
How did we snap out of it?
The method had been simpler than it seemed.
You just had to make good use of the game’s systems.
“You remember me saying dungeons are spaces in a completely different dimension?”
“Yeah, you did. But what’s that got to do with it?”
“That’s the whole explanation. That’s why you escaped the corruption.”
“What?”
Thompson paused, deep in thought, then jolted as realization hit.
“You’re saying that thing’s power doesn’t reach this far?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Thompson nailed the answer right away.
Looks could be deceiving—he was sharper than he let on.
Well, that’s probably why he was a mage.
Anyway.
“It wouldn’t matter if it was Asmodeus’s corruption or anything else. No power can affect you in here.”
From a game perspective, it was even simpler to explain.
‘All buffs and debuffs are removed upon dungeon entry.’
That was it.
“Unbelievable. I never imagined dungeons were this mystical... Or should I be more shocked that someone figured out how to exploit it?”
“I only knew the theory until now. First time actually using it.”
It was a lie.
I’d profited from this thousands of times in the game.
You couldn’t even say you knew [Devil Fantasy] without mastering it.
Find a dungeon, grind nearby for levels, then enter to wipe all status effects and rack up extra gains.
Known as ‘dungeon con’ in shorthand, it was practically the national rule—a must-know exploit for veterans.
Sure, it had taken me a while to think of it this time.
‘...Bringing game logic into reality doesn’t click as smoothly as I’d like.’
Even knowing this world came from the game, that subtle disconnect kept clouding my judgment.
If I’d seen it on a monitor instead of with my own eyes, I’d have gone straight to ‘dungeon con.’
Of course, complaining wouldn’t change anything.
‘In the end, I just have to adapt myself.’
I vowed to view things more like a gamer from now on and changed the subject.
We’d barely escaped one crisis.
Now it was time to tackle the next hurdle.
“Shall we get going?”
We had roughly three hours left.
We had to escape this place somehow within that time.
***
“Still, this one’s a lot better. No need to find the path, and way fewer traps than yesterday’s.”
I nodded in agreement with Thompson.
“This is the standard dungeon layout. Yesterday’s maze was the unusual one.”
Just as I said, this dungeon had a very ordinary structure.
Mostly straight paths with only one route forward.
The differences were that it spanned multiple floors, unlike the maze.
“Hup!”
Kieeeek...
And that the monsters here gave experience points.
Swoooosh-.
I sheathed my sword, feeling the satisfying rush of power flowing into me.
‘Yeah, about now...’
I was calculating exactly how much experience I gained each time.
This let me gauge the effect of my experience-boosting artifact.
Unlike normal fields where mobs gave varying amounts, here it was standardized by level, making it possible.
‘About half full now.’
I’d just finished the math when.
“Hey, Number One, about that Asmodeus demon...”
Thompson, walking ahead, turned back with a curious look.
“Why the hell did she plant that flower there?”
“Huh?”
“Doesn’t it seem weird? Planting it in District 7 where hardly anyone goes, inside an inconspicuous turtle den no less.”
Now that he mentioned it, it was a pretty valid question.
I’d been so focused on escaping the corruption that I hadn’t pondered it myself.
“Hmm... yeah? It does feel off.”
Why would Asmodeus plant a flower in a place like that?
And it wasn’t just that.
‘Come to think of it... wasn’t that Valefor’s kin’s territory?’
We’d fought one of Valefor’s kin just a day ago.
Meaning the whole area was under Valefor’s control.
Yet Asmodeus’s power lingered there?
‘...Definitely strange.’
Demons guarded their territories fiercely—it shouldn’t happen under normal circumstances.
So there had to be something more going on...
‘Ugh...’
Maybe I lacked evidence?
I mulled it over for a while, but no answers came.
‘...Whatever. If it causes trouble, I’ll find out naturally.’
I shelved the thought and focused on exploring the dungeon.
Escape was our top priority, after all.
That was when.
“Huh?”
Kayla, walking beside Thompson, pointed ahead as if spotting something.
There sat an object in a familiar shape.
“That’s the thing you mentioned, right?”
The first treasure chest we’d found in this dungeon.
“Ah, Miss! Careful!”
Thompson reacted instantly, yanking Kayla back.
They were handling it perfectly without instructions—like proper party members at last.
“Jeez, I know all about it already. Why are you overreacting?”
“...The fact you can call it overreacting is a good thing. Once you see a mimic in action, you won’t talk like that.”
“How scary could it possibly be...”
“...It’s plenty scary, Miss Kayla.”
As they bantered.
I stepped forward first, Light Sword in hand.
Ting!
I thrust, and the blade bounced back.
‘Looks like a reward, at least.’
Fortunately, no mimic.
Now luck would decide.
‘Gold, gear, artifact, stat, trait...’
Five possible rewards from the chest.
All useful, but if I had to pick, we needed two right now.
Artifact and trait.
More precisely, mental-type ones.
Our party was way too vulnerable to mental powers.
If we hadn’t had to protect that survivor auntie during the demon turtle fight, the whole party could’ve been wiped.
And besides.
‘You never know when or where it might hit.’
Now that we knew it was Asmodeus’s power, mental rewards felt essential.
Of course, that was optimistic thinking.
I kept hopes low.
‘What are the odds of getting exactly what we need from one chest?’
Expectations only led to disappointment.
As I reached to open it.
“Wait, can I open that one?”
Kayla, watching from a bit away, suddenly asked.
“Why?”
“Just seems fun.”
“Doesn’t matter who opens it.”
“So... yes or no?”
Her slightly sharp tone made me step aside.
“Do what you want.”
If it didn’t matter who opened it, let the eager one do it.
“Heh heh heh, great.”
Kayla rubbed her hands with a mischievous grin and stood before the chest.
Clearly excited for her first time.
“Come on out!”
Without a hint of hesitation, she flung the lid open.
And.
Clunk-!
The ever-pleasing sound rang out, golden light scattering everywhere.