Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: A Demon in the Dark
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First, we dealt with Pam's body.
It was just a matter of carrying the body, digging a hole nearby, and burying it, but it was better than leaving him out in the open.
This was all we could do for now.
“…Later, I'll have to ask the Doctrine Teacher to perform a proper funeral. As an official priest of the Sun Cult, he'll know the proper etiquette and procedures.”
Evan's eyes grew dark.
“And whoever did this to Pam… will pay the price.”
I thought his resolve was a good thing.
An unwavering goal acts as a sturdy anchor, helping one not get swept away in difficult situations.
But Evan's current state seemed somewhat precarious.
It felt like his goal might have an adverse effect instead.
I didn't say anything in particular and returned to the cabin with Evan.
“About that cabin.”
“Yeah.”
“I think it might have been intended as a shelter prepared by the instructors. Pam probably found it while wandering the forest alone and was trying to catch his breath there.”
“…I see.”
When we returned to the cabin, it seemed Charle and Mir had tidied up the messy interior while we were gone.
Though they couldn't completely wipe away the bloodstains.
“…So, what do we do now?”
Mir answered Charle's question.
“Weren't we looking for a place to sleep?”
“You want to sleep here?”
“I didn't say that… but if there's no other suitable place, we don't have much choice.”
Mir's words were surprisingly practical.
He was right.
Despite the bloodstains and the lingering smell of blood, the fact remained that this was an excellent shelter.
At least, it was far better than sleeping in a tree or out in the open.
“…What do you think?”
Charle asked, seeming to acknowledge me as the team leader for now.
I thought for a moment before speaking.
“I'm thinking we should put off sleeping for a bit.”
“If we're not sleeping, what are we doing?”
“Searching the area.”
My teammates blinked at my words.
“Not just for the test. We're looking for other teams, not monsters.”
Charle, the quickest on the uptake, nodded.
“To ask about the situation. An incident like the one we saw might have happened to another team.”
“Exactly. It's a long shot, but we might even run into an instructor….”
Of course, this could all be my misunderstanding, and Pam could have simply been killed by a monster.
Then we'd be on a complete wild goose chase.
‘Would that be better?’
It might be better to go through the trouble only to conclude, ‘It was just my mistake.’
“We'll search for a few hours. If we don't find anything, we'll come back and get some sleep. In shifts, of course. How does that sound?”
With no objections, everyone on the team nodded.
I stood up and said.
“Then let's start right away. Before the night gets any deeper.”
* * *
The Butterfly Forest was gloomy even during the day, but at night, it was much darker.
This was because the butterflies that had illuminated the surroundings were all gone.
Everything was pitch-black, and strange noises occasionally echoed through the darkness. Above all, the biting chill made me feel like I was freezing.
“…If I'd known it would be like this, I would have bought a lamp.”
For Charle, who was more serious about saving points than anyone, to say such a thing spoke volumes.
“By the way, are we even going in the right direction?”
“If you're so worried, why don't you take the lead?”
“……”
Using Fiery Eyes significantly improved my night vision, so I had no choice but to lead the way.
The other three followed behind me, wary of our surroundings.
“See anything?”
“Not yet.”
Despite the atmosphere, the forest itself was quiet.
To be more precise, it was eerily silent.
There were no sounds of animals or insects, and even the wind seemed to have died down.
*Rustle-*
The only sound was that of our own footsteps.
When moving through such a quiet place, even the most talkative person would know to keep their mouth shut.
We pressed on through the night forest without any unnecessary conversation.
And then, about ten minutes later.
For the first time in this forest, I spotted an unnatural presence.
“……”
I, who was leading, raised a hand, and the others following me all stopped.
“…What is it?”
“About fifty meters ahead.”
“Incredible……. You can see that far in this darkness?”
I had no time to respond to Mir's compliment.
They must have noticed my hardened expression, as their own faces changed.
“…What are you looking at right now?”
If I told them what I was seeing, would they even believe me?
Believe it or not, we had to prepare.
“Have any of you fought a demon before?”
“…What?”
In truth, running was never an option.
Its blood-red eyes had been fixed on me long before I spotted it.
*Flap!*
The moment the demon spread its wings, I shouted.
“Formation!”
Immediately after, a terrible shriek echoed throughout the forest.
The roar was so intense I instinctively covered my ears, a jolt running through my entire body.
‘Dammit…….’
Why is there a demon in the Bednicker's domain?
* * *
The fur of a black panther, the horns of a mountain goat, the wings of a bat, and the tail of a snake.
Eyes that burned as if filled with lava and an ominous black aura emanating from its entire body…….
It was my first time seeing a demon, too.
But this thing possessed all the characteristics of a demon I had read about in books.
*Flap-!*
The demon didn't attack us right away. Instead, it spread its massive wings and soared high into the sky.
*CRACK!*
It was a noisy ascent, shattering every tree branch in its way.
Soon, the demon reached the night sky and looked down on us, silhouetted against the moon.
“A, a demon…….”
Mir's voice trembled.
I understood.
Very few people have ever seen a demon in person.
A creature of the Demon King, a horrifying being whose very existence was like a plague.
A monster incomparable to any other—that was a demon.
“No way… a-a demon……. W-we're all going to die here.”
I whipped my head around and slapped Mir, who was spouting the most pathetic nonsense.
“Are you going to keep talking nonsense? You really want to die here? Did you forget what you promised?”
“A promise…?”
“We were going to start a delightful rebellion, remember?”
“Ah…….”
At my words, a little light returned to Mir's eyes.
Thank goodness.
I didn't have the luxury of coddling him any further.
With another shriek, the demon that had risen into the sky plummeted toward us.
“Get back!”
I shoved my teammates aside, then drew upon my internal energy to catch the demon as it crashed to the ground.
*CRASH!*
Is this what it feels like to block a siege weapon with your body?
‘Ugh…….’
My insides felt like they were being violently shaken, and my vision went black for a moment, but…….
Even through the excruciating pain, I tightened my grip.
This cold, hard thing I was holding seemed to be the demon's horn…….
Come to think of it, I'd heard that a demon's power is concentrated in its horns.
Should I try to break it?
*Crack…….*
Was that the sound of my ribs?
‘Okay. A contest of strength is out of the question.’
I immediately let go and tried to push it away, but it was too heavy.
The thing was huge, like four or five bulls combined.
Should I pour in more internal energy?
“Ruan-!”
Just then, with a shout from Mir, the demon's body was pulled back.
The sight that was revealed made me let out a dry laugh.
Mir was yanking on the demon's snake tail with brute force, as if playing tug-of-war.
Spurred by Mir's actions, the other two snapped out of it and began attacking with their respective weapons.
Small wounds started appearing on the demon's body, but none of them seemed to be effective.
“Use your Blessings!”
Blessings were the very power that countered demons.
At my words, my teammates snapped to their senses and used their respective Blessings.
A spirit-like entity, the same one Charle had used to escape the swamp, appeared behind him, and the mace in his hand turned red.
Evan showed no major outward change, but his swordsmanship became much sharper.
As for Mir… I couldn't tell if he was using his or not.
In any case, thanks to them, the three were managing to buy some time.
Which meant I had an opening.
“*Hoo…*”
In that case, it was better to use this time than to jump right back into the fray.
The strongest attack I could currently unleash.
‘One big hit.’
If I couldn't kill it in one blow, things would get complicated.
I thought of the first half of the White Sun Eclipse techniques I already knew, but it was hard to find one suitable for this situation.
When I made contact with it just now, I got a feel for the thickness of its hide and its muscle density.
I concluded that an ordinary attack wouldn't be enough to kill it.
So, as I gathered my internal energy, I searched for a technique.
The frequent sparring matches with the Hunting Master Teacher during this training retreat.
The countless techniques I'd come up with for fun back then flashed through my mind.
‘The one among them that was the most powerful, with the highest killing potential…….’
A technique that used the hardest part of the human body.
*Fwoosh!*
My knee grew hot.
Just as the demon, faltering from the onslaught, spread its wings and let out a fierce roar, I kicked off the ground and shot into the air.
At that moment, the demon turned its head, saw me, and opened its mouth wide.
Whatever it ate, its throat reeked of sulfur.
Not only that, but something seemed to be writhing below its uvula…….
Flames?
“Ruan! Dodge!”
Immediately after, my vision was filled with fire.
Crimson flames engulfed my entire body.
“R-Ruan's been hit!”
“Stay calm! Maintain the formation for now…….”
“You monster bastard!”
Shut up.
I inwardly cursed my teammates' fussing as I grabbed both of the demon's horns.
*Growl?*
The demon made a strange sound for the first time.
Was it surprised? So demons could be surprised.
Well, from its perspective, it had just witnessed two hands emerge from the flames and grab its horns.
I grinned.
Being demonic flames, they were certainly much more intense than ordinary fire.
My whole body might be covered in burns.
The demon opened its mouth again.
Flames writhed in its throat.
Of course, I wasn't about to let that happen twice. I kneed it in the jaw, forcing its mouth shut.
*CRUNCH!*
It must have slammed shut pretty hard, because I could see the demon's shattered teeth fall to the ground.
But of course, this wasn't nearly enough.
“Cover me!”
My teammates, who had been watching blankly, came to their senses and attacked again.
The one who performed the best was, surprisingly, Mir.
Mir brandished his hammer with monstrous strength. Each time he swung, deep dents appeared on the demon's body.
The demon's ear-splitting screams were an added bonus.
As the demon thrashed about, my body, clinging to its horns, was thrown around.
Its head was so disproportionately large that just grabbing both horns was difficult.
It was like trying to hug a massive, ancient tree with all my might.
I gathered energy in my forehead and headbutted the demon.
*CLANG!*
“Ugh…….”
My head was spinning.
Strangely, it felt like I took more damage.
Still, it seemed I wasn't the only one affected, as the demon momentarily lost its balance and staggered.
Finally, the demon gave up on shaking me off and reached for me directly.
In that moment, my teammates' attacks struck its body again, but it seemed focused on getting rid of me, the biggest nuisance.
Seizing the opportunity, I stepped on the demon's nose and clung to its back.
Its neck was too thick; I couldn't choke it like I did with the Majin Osel.
Still, I had to be the one to finish it.
With me clinging to it, my teammates were forced to attack more cautiously.
I brought my elbow down hard.
*CRACK!*
This was the feeling.
The feeling of certainty that this attack had landed properly.
The demon flailed its arms and then collapsed.
*THUD…!*
The demon made a dull sound and flailed its arms, but soon collapsed.
“*Hah, hah…….*”
Charle looked at me with surprised eyes.
“What… was that just now?”
“I don't know.”
I hadn't named the technique yet.
I left the rest unsaid and wiped the blood from my forehead.
“We need to get out of here.”
“Why? Didn't we defeat it?”
“We did. But this was a Beast, one of the lowest-ranking demons.”
“So what.”
Charle said with a stiff expression.
“…The lowest-ranking demon, the Beast. Their defining characteristic is that they move in packs.”
No further explanation was necessary.
Because at that same moment, mournful shrieks echoed from all around us.