Chapter 44: C-Rank Labyrinth — Nightmare World (2)
Chapter 44: C-Rank Labyrinth — Nightmare World (2)
Cultists and black mages.
In the present age they were merely unfortunate existences, but in the future a thousand years ahead—manifested here as Nightmare World—they were overwhelmingly powerful classes.
Enemies capable of strength impossible in reality continued chasing us relentlessly.
“Lonely Silence!”
Flames shaped like a long serpent shot toward us.
[Po · Devourer].
A Fourth-Tier Mystery of Lonely Silence so terrifying that even the punctuation mark was part of its official name.
Whoooosh—!
The flaming serpent swept across the ground, and a scorching wind followed in its wake.
Hot.
It hadn’t even touched me, yet my skin felt like it was burning.
“Bite them apart!”
At the same time, rows of sharp teeth appeared in the air.
Sixth-Tier black magic—
Demonic Teeth.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
A Mystery capable of chewing through the fragile bodies of intelligent beings like meat rushed toward us from all sides.
Smaller curses were mixed in as well.
Every attack flying from every direction was capable of easily disabling our expedition members.
So I ran forward and took them all myself.
“…Mm.”
The flaming serpent ignited my head and shoulders while the teeth chewed at my limbs.
Scorching pain and the agony of being consumed like meat.
I endured it all through the combination of Membrane That Defers Wounds and Ghoul Mobility, along with the transcendent patience I had developed under the relentless harassment of Deputy Chief Choi, the evil spirit.
Then I gulped down a recovery potion.
“This way!”
By absorbing the incoming attacks with my body, a small opening appeared.
“…….”
Rosalia seized the opportunity immediately.
Stepping on my shoulder, she leapt forward and hurled a flurry of shuriken that shimmered in her hand.
Dreamlike Shuriken.
An assassin-class Mystery that briefly forces the target to relive horrifying memories from their past.
“Ah—ah—AAARGH!”
“…Father, please!”
“Loneliness is devouring my body…!”
Tearful screams and shouts of despair echoed everywhere.
Moments later, blood erupted across the battlefield.
The enemy demon cultists panicked under the assault of an assassin fighting at full strength, yet they began preparing large-scale black magic.
“Would you kindly look this way!”
I converted my right hand into lightning and hurled it in all directions.
At the same time, I continued absorbing the incoming Po · Devourer and Demonic Teeth attacks with my body.
“You rebellious one who dares refuse death!”
“Be swallowed by silent solitude!”
The Watcher of Lonely Silence governed inevitable death.
Simply refusing to die and continuing to endure was enough to provoke the priests.
For the black mages, however, I drew their attention for an entirely different reason.
“T-That lunatic!”
“How is he enduring that?!”
The priests shouted in fury while the black mages stared in shock.
Perhaps impressed by my reckless struggle, every enemy’s attention focused on me.
“Asmi!”
While I deliberately attracted aggro with exaggerated movements and blocked the surrounding attacks, Pendrick dashed forward past me.
Slash!
The famous sword wrapped in starlight aura cut through demon bodies one after another.
With a warrior rampaging in the center of the enemies, the environment became perfect for an assassin who could merge with shadows.
“…Beware the unseen reaper!”
Only after two of the highest-level priests had fallen did the others finally shift to defense.
But it was too late.
“Why… my limbs….”
The Crimson Death Rose produced by Fresh Companion had already scattered paralyzing poison through the darkness.
As the priests fell into confusion, Pendrick swung his sword widely.
“Ghk!”
The head of a Level-4 black mage was severed in a single strike.
Pendrick’s current level was 2.
His absurd trait Master of the Sword elevated the ordinary First-Tier Mystery Powerful Cleave to the level of a technique used by a Level-4 swordsman.
And mages had only one real weakness: their fragile bodies.
If the vital point was struck during a surprise attack, even a low-level explorer could kill them.
《Remaining Life Force: 50 / 100》
《Remaining Mental Energy: 20 / 100》
Despite taking countless attacks, I still had some margin.
As I drank another recovery potion, one of the remaining priests shouted:
“Do not think this is over!”
My body trembled, thinking he was about to perform the cultists’ final suicide ritual.
But it was merely his final line before fleeing.
They ran away.
“…We did it.”
Pendrick collapsed onto the ground in relief.
A counterattack from the black mages had injured his shoulder.
“…….”
Rosalia, emerging behind me, was not unscathed either.
Her clothes smelled faintly burned from the flames.
“Well done, everyone.”
After giving them recovery potions, I waited until my throat—partially melted from heat—recovered enough to speak again.
“We’re almost there now.”
We still could not rest long, but even a brief moment of relief helped.
I forced my battered legs forward and led the exhausted members onward.
Just as the desire to collapse onto the ground and roll around in exhaustion began rising—
A small house appeared ahead in the darkness.
“…A house?”
Pendrick spoke uncertainly, perhaps thinking he was hallucinating from exhaustion.
“Closer to a villa.”
If there had been time, I would have explained everything in detail.
But there wasn’t.
Priests and black mages were still searching for us.
“I will enter first.”
I approached the window and transformed my right eye into a blind crow.
—Caw.
“Please.”
The crow nodded and pecked at the lower frame of the window.
Crack.
Through the broken gap, I reached in and unlocked it.
Once again I felt grateful to the creator Kato Roger, who had explained even the design of windows inside Nightmare World houses in his MiTube video.
That man was meticulous in every respect.
—Caw.
“Well done.”
After patting the crow’s head, it twisted its neck happily and returned to my eye socket.
I stepped inside.
The interior was just as silent as the outside.
“Rosalia.”
The moment I quietly spoke her name, the silent assassin moved beside me.
“There’s a room upstairs. The owner should be living alone. He probably has no idea we entered. Ideally, keep him alive.”
At this point, further explanation was unnecessary.
“…….”
Rosalia, swiftest when dealing with matters in her field, vanished into the darkness.
Meanwhile, I sat down on a long sofa with Pendrick.
“Let’s rest for a moment.”
“…Yes.”
Even the ever-energetic genius swordsman immediately collapsed.
—How long can we rest?
Astrimia’s voice sounded tired as well.
Ignoring the curses spreading through my body, I replied:
“Perhaps fifteen minutes at most.”
—Not very long…
“But it’s still something.”
Within Nightmare World, this was a comfortable hiding place.
While enjoying the brief rest, Rosalia soon returned.
She dragged someone by the hair with one hand.
The body was completely bound and limp.
《Dream Tourist Kiriaka (Demon, 37). A high-ranking demon visiting the dream world on vacation. Hobby: locking human families together and pretending to spare one survivor before killing them all.》
—So he’s not a cultist or black mage, just an ordinary demon…?
“Exactly.”
Creatures like this were scattered everywhere across the vast Nightmare World.
“Demons survive by feeding on negative concepts emitted by intelligent beings. Pleasure Metropolis is essentially a dream-world human farm where they periodically consume ‘vile desires.’”
That was why anyone who stayed idle in their room would eventually be dragged into the hidden side of the city—Nightmare World.
It was no different from fish farmers removing sick fish from a pond.
“Fortunately, demons in the real world are not wealthy enough to create and maintain something like this.”
—That is extremely reassuring…
“Now we will conduct a ritual. Time is limited, so please assist.”
Following my instructions, Rosalia stripped the demon of his clothing.
Pendrick arranged stones in a circle and set up candles, creating a makeshift temple and altar.
Meanwhile, I prepared the offering.
Let’s try this pose today.
First, lay the demon down.
Then cross the hands behind the head and place the left leg over the bent right knee.
A relaxed lounging pose.
Preparation of today’s offering was complete.
The Evil God who would receive this sacrifice preferred raw offerings.
“O king who twists the earth with pitch-black lightning and bestows dark authority upon the world—your offering has been prepared.”
Recipe: Relaxed Raw Demon.
An offering utilizing the generally handsome appearance of demons and their affinity for dark environments.
“Sue’je. Your meal is ready.”
Crackle!
Black lightning burst from the tattoo on my collarbone and swallowed the offering instantly.
The demon’s body burned black from head to toe.
Violent currents flowed through my own body as well, but thanks to Black Lightning Bloom I could control them.
【Delicious again, pretty one!】
When the offering had burned completely to ash, the exalted being began delivering an oracle.
【You’re the best. Why not abandon that old fossil and come entirely into my arms instead?】
Despite the chatter filling my mind, I felt neither dizziness nor headache.
The golden stole Radiant Faith smoothed communication with the divine.
【Come here! Kiss!】
The returning lightning brushed against my right cheek.
As a cultist, one should willingly perform acts that please the divine.
“Would you do the other side as well? This time perhaps a little deeper and longer.”
Somewhere in the far distance of my mind echoed a low laugh like that of a perverted old man.
【Hoo… Kar, pretty one. Don’t tempt me further. I might hug you too tightly!】
If a weak intelligent being were embraced directly by such a deity, they would instantly transform into a monster-like creature.
Not only Sue’je.
Excessive affection from any Evil God could turn a cultist into a mindless monster.
That was why the trait Blind Devotee, which attracted the favor of all Evil Gods, had never been well regarded.
【I’d love to talk with you all night… but that would be troublesome, wouldn’t it?】
The lightning that had brushed my left cheek returned to the collarbone tattoo.
【What shall I give you this time? Do you want a Mystery?】
“Not this time.”
Mysteries were not the key element for clearing Nightmare World.
“I would like a sacred relic.”
A relic imbued with divine power.
In simpler terms—an object version of a Mystery.
“Please grant me Sky Invader.”