Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Salamander
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Salamander.
One of the spirits hiding in various parts of the world, tasked with the element of fire.
Why was a spirit that hung out with elves doing in a place like this? The question arose, but the answer came quickly.
It seemed to be a spirit born from the lava flowing through this valley right now.
Well, Hell had all four elements, so there was no reason it couldn't be created here.
"Wait, hold on!"
"......You want me to talk?"
"Just a second."
"I'm not doing anything? Speak."
The salamander wriggled its body out from between the broken golem.
It looked like it was scheming to escape, but when I slowly swung my scythe, it flicked out its tongue.
"You guys... are you humans by any chance?"
"......Yeah."
"Uh... oh... wow! I've been waiting for you to come here!"
The fairies in this game were too mischievous, always screwing with players.
And this one claimed it had been waiting for us?
I didn't buy it for a second.
"Why."
"Uh... um... ah! I've been waiting for you to come save me from this dangerous place...."
[The Flame Spirit 'Salamander' sends you a plea for salvation.]
"Dangerous place? Isn't anywhere with fire the same to you?"
"Ah, no! Even a spirit doesn't like living in Hell."
"......Why?"
"Why? Uh... um... because of the smell? Hell's unique pungent smell makes it so hard to live here."
The excuse sounded plausible, but it was definitely a lie.
I grabbed the salamander's head hard with a suspicious look.
"You're lying right now, aren't you?"
"Aaack! Aaaack! L-let go of my head and talk!"
"No. Answer first."
"Wh-what answer- aaack!"
"Lied? Or not?"
The salamander shook its head vigorously.
"I didn't! Please, please let go of my head. It hurts so much!"
"......"
Was keeping this thing alive a gain or a loss? It seemed useful, but I wasn't sure exactly how to use it.
If it was here, it had to have some purpose.
I slowly released the pressure from my hand and said to the salamander.
"For now, I'll let you live."
"Haa.... haa...."
It glared at me with some real venom. If it had combat ability, it might be worth keeping around.
But my level was too high to bother with a low-grade spirit.
Maybe use it to light cigarettes?
"You asked me to save you, right?"
"......Yes."
"What did you mean by that?"
"Hm? Just..."
"Save you from what being?"
The salamander slowly rolled its eyes to the side and flicked its tongue.
"From... demons?"
"Save you from demons?"
"Y-yeah. If there were no demons here, I could move to another place with flames."
"Move?"
"Uh... um... because I could hang out with my spirit friends there?"
I tilted my head.
"No other spirits here?"
"Yes! I've never seen a single one since I was born."
That at least seemed like the truth. The answer came without thinking.
"......I see. So when were you born?"
"When? Well... I don't know how to answer that."
"How many years since you were born?"
"I have no idea how humans count years."
"Then what was the first thing you saw when you were born?"
Its eyes shifted sideways again. Making up a lie? Or actually thinking?
"A temple was being built not far away."
"......A temple?"
Was it talking about the place where Raphael was imprisoned?
"Yes, I didn't see it myself, but I heard the dullahans living here were involved in building it."
'......Dullahan.'
So it was here after all.
I'd figured it was hiding in the Forgotten Valley, and my guess was spot on.
A temple being built meant the salamander was pretty old, yet still a low-grade spirit—that meant it was defective.
"......You're older than you look."
"Am I?"
"Yeah.... Hold on! Have you ever seen a guy named Lucifer?"
The salamander nodded without hesitation.
"Of course."
"Where'd he go?"
"......No idea."
"When was the last time you saw him?"
"About two days ago? Or was it three?"
"Where?"
"......Over there."
The salamander pointed with its long finger toward the back of the valley. The winding path made it hard to tell exactly where.
I placed the salamander on my shoulder and let it guide me.
"You really saw Lucifer there?"
"Of course! That foggy day, suddenly a whoosh of wind blew strong, and he vanished."
"Wind whooshed...."
"The spot he left was scorched like it had been burned."
"......"
A way to leave a trace after teleporting—something Lucifer always did when he went to the modern world to attack humans.
He had to leave a trace to return.
I stroked the salamander's head. It flinched thinking I'd hit it, then relaxed into a soft expression.
"Oh man.... Thought you were gonna hit me."
"Thanks to you, I can finish what would've taken days in an instant. That's why."
* * * * *
Ma Jeongwoo's group, having fled from the dullahan, were hiding in some cave.
They didn't know the exact location, but this was the best way to avoid the dullahan's instant-kill.
No matter how strong or weak, dying in one hit would be too pathetic.
Ma Jeongwoo pulled a peanut snack from his pocket and crunched into it loudly.
Crunch.
"Damn dullahan. If Cheonjae was here, we'd have taken it down easy."
Michael, polishing his gun, replied.
"When's Cheonjae Kim coming?"
"Soon. He said he'd come right after finding the ancient dragon, so he's either here already or almost."
"......Is there a chance Cheonjae Kim fails?"
"Cheonjae? Ha ha.... No way!"
"No way?"
"Yeah, he's no ordinary player in this game. He's not some noob who can't grab a hidden item."
"......Okay. I believe in Cheonjae Kim."
Ma Jeongwoo gave a bitter smile and walked toward the cave entrance. He moved slowly to muffle his footsteps, wary of enemies hearing.
As he neared the entrance, an inexplicable killing intent prickled. The dullahan was still nearby, showing hostility.
"Does that bastard have nothing better to do? Why's it still...."
Even after the fight with the angels ended, the dullahan kept showing battle lust.
It had been chasing Ma Jeongwoo's group for three hours now.
Kim Yeonhee, tired of waiting, asked him.
"Ma Jeongwoo, let's just go out and fight."
"......You think I'm here because I don't want to fight?"
"It might not even trigger the instant-kill."
"It might."
"That's why we should try fighting."
"......Hey."
"Yeah?"
Jeongwoo turned serious.
"If it triggers even by chance, it's not just game over. Your life is gone."
"......"
"Aren't you scared of dying?"
Kim Yeonhee honestly wasn't afraid of death. As a teenage girl, her thinking was simple. If she died, she'd go to heaven anyway, then live as an angel.
The bickering pair decided to go with Michael's opinion.
In cases like this, majority vote kept it neutral and shut down arguments.
Michael neatly arranged the polished gun parts in order and answered.
"Simple question! Those who wanna fight do it, those who don't just stay put."
Clear-cut answer.
Whoever wanted to could go do it.
Jeongwoo nodded and told Kim Yeonhee.
"There, decided. Do what you want. I'm not fighting now."
Kim Yeonhee whistled through her teeth and shrugged.
"Fine, whatever. I'll pass on fighting too."
"You said you wanted to a minute ago?"
"That was just-"
Boom!
The cave shook.
Those inside had no idea why. They didn't know the 'dullahan,' called the master of this valley, had run into Kim Cheonjae's group.
* * * * *
The salamander's guidance felt off. As far as I knew, the dullahan's lair was nearby.
Walking a path of skulls from unknown creatures, the salamander suddenly yelled with a sleazy face.
"Lord Dullahan! I brought humans! Lord Dullahan! Lord Dullahan!!"
"What?"
"Haha! Fooled you, you idiots! I'm actually a fire spirit contracted with Lord Dullahan!"
So that's how it was.
'Ha ha....'
I'd known it would betray us, but not that it'd lead us straight to the dullahan.
Right to its lair, no less.
"You really wanna die?"
"What spirit in the world wants to die~"
"......"
Annoying.
Really annoying.
Annoyingly enough to kill it right now.
Unable to hold back, I grabbed the salamander's head and swung it around wildly.
Thud! Boom!
Shaking it vigorously side to side, it gasped for breath and yelled again.
"D-du Lord Dullahan, please, pleeease, Lord Dullahan! Lord Dullahan!!"
Whether the dullahan was away or not, it didn't show up until I'd split the salamander's body in two.
"Even if the dullahan came, nothing would've changed."
"Kuh.... Damn human."
"A spirit talking like a demon?"
"I'm a spirit born in Hell—closest thing to a demon if you wanna split hairs!"
"A spirit close to a demon? Different species entirely."
"Yeah.... Born and raised here. Humans adapt based on birthplace too, right? Race doesn't matter."
Not wrong.
Humans are shaped by their environment too.
'......The story dev stuck weird lines in this monster.'
I clenched my fist, ready to finish it.
"Last words?"
"Even if I tell you where the real trace is, you'll kill me?"
"Don't believe you."
"......Hmph."
"Hmph my ass. Get ready to die."
"......Sigh, if I get reborn, I wanna live in the elves' forest with my friends."
"That's your last words?"
"Yeah, gonna die anyway. Nothing else to say...."
The salamander suddenly looked pitiful, like it'd given up on everything. But I knew.
It was manipulating the player's emotions like this.
"Then scram."
As I swung my fist wide to smash the salamander,
Whoosh-
Clang!
A flat blade blocked my fist.
"That's far enough."
I looked up at the sword's owner.
"......Dullahan."