Chapter 27
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Phantom (2)
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"Master. The barrier should be wearing off by now. Won't you send me to the entrance?"
While I was lost in thoughts about points, Erzse approached me, grumbling but still helping with the cleaning.
"The barrier's worn off already?"
"I'm talking about the barrier I set up at the entrance to detect intruders. Since I made it with low-grade blood, its performance is pretty weak, and the duration is short."
The entrance to this ruin right now had a barrier spread by Erzse in preparation for any potential intruders. She'd said it would let us notice right away if anyone came. But since it was Erzse who had once missed that invisible woman-like figure, I didn't fully trust it...
"Hmm... It's been about a week, so its duration is roughly a week?"
"If I shrank the barrier's size, weakened some functions, or used purer blood, the duration would extend... but as it stands now, yeah."
That won't do. What if an intruder slips in during that brief moment the barrier's down?
"Go check... Wait, should I send you?"
"That strange magic you showed me yesterday? How does it teleport someone without them even noticing...?"
I'd been about to send Erzse off, but the [Quick Movement] function popped into my head, so I paused her. It'd be faster if I just moved her with this. The sooner the barrier's reset, the better.
"How long to set it up?"
"Hmm. Considering the amount of blood coming from that magic tool you have... about 20 minutes."
"Mm. Off you go."
Generously estimating, I could bring her back here in 30 minutes, right?
I activated the [Quick Movement] function and placed Erzse's marker on the map toward the entrance where we'd finished cleaning.
Move employee [Erzsebet] to the designated area?
'Move.'
-Whoosh!
As soon as I confirmed the system's message, Erzse vanished from in front of me. She said 20 minutes... Wait, isn't this just her slacking off?
'She seemed kinda lazy about it...'
Should I summon her back exactly at 20 minutes? Nah, for now I'll leave her be, and later I'll go check myself how long it actually takes to set up.
"This is... a forest?"
After sacrificing another five of his subordinates to break through the trap section, Phantom spotted a fresh green forest that didn't match the previous scenery at all, his eyes lighting up.
'Did it change the dungeon's internal environment?'
Among the dungeons scattered across the continent, some had unique internal environments. Famous examples included the 'Abyssal Maw' dungeon surrounded by writhing flesh walls, or the 'Sea Dragon's Nest' with a vast ocean inside.
And dungeons with such special environments... all of them wielded infamously powerful might.
'Good... perfect!'
Feeling his expectations for the dungeon core here swell, Phantom urged his injured subordinates onward, the only one among them unscathed. They no longer had the confidence to backtrack through the trap zone anyway, and having survived on Phantom's magic so far, the demons feared returning to their old lives of fleeing humans—they meekly followed his lead.
"Ugh..."
But they couldn't ignore their accumulated injuries, and as the excited Phantom pushed ahead quickly, the severely wounded demons began lagging behind bit by bit. Among them, Pattos, who had the worst injuries, chased after Phantom desperately before collapsing in place.
"Huff... huff..."
His arrow wound throbbed. His leg muscles were torn, making it hard to walk properly. Finally, his knees buckled, and Pattos sat there, enduring the pain while catching his breath.
-Wr wriggle. Wr wriggle.
'...? What's that? Something under the ground...'
Sitting still on the ground, he felt something wriggling beneath his butt. Thinking maybe some bug was crawling around, Pattos frowned and dug into the dirt with his fingers, pulling out the wriggling thing.
"...A tree root?"
But what emerged from the ground wasn't a bug or small animal—just a brown tree root.
-Wr wriggle!
"Wh-what the hell is this? It moved...!"
-Swish!
"Boss... Pattos is gone."
"Tch. He was falling behind... Did he run?"
When Pattos, whose steps had been slowing, completely vanished from sight, the demons reported it to Phantom. He frowned briefly but soon dismissed it.
He planned to keep his subordinates for whatever lay ahead, but a guy that badly injured was useless anyway. Whether he died from worsening wounds or fled, it didn't matter. Once he got the dungeon core, it was all over.
-Shhhk...
"Hm?"
Sensing something, Phantom whipped around in surprise, but all he saw were the 14 surviving demons peeking at him fearfully and some swaying trees.
"Tch. Press on."
Dismissing it as his imagination, Phantom urged the demons forward. First, toward that massive tree that stood out.
'The dungeon core has to be there.'
If the dungeon core altered the internal environment, it had to be at the center. And that suspiciously huge tree—clearly, the core was inside it.
-Swish! Whish!
"...!!"
As his anticipation for the dungeon core grew, Phantom's pace quickened, leaving the injured demons struggling to keep up. Inevitably, some started falling behind again. Sensing another odd presence, Phantom turned.
"...What? Where'd Connie, Bran, and Luto go?"
"Huh...?"
The 11 demons chasing Phantom's back finally looked around and realized three more had vanished in that short time, bewildered. But Phantom glared at them in anger.
"Cowardly bastards... If you're gonna run, then run. But don't expect any of my grace once I become the dungeon master."
"........."
Still assuming the cowardly demons had fled, Phantom barked at them. Unlike him, the demons who sensed something off clustered in pairs or threes, faces paling.
"...I'll slow down."
Not that he cared what happened to his minions, but there might be sections ahead needing their help. Phantom eased his pace. As they advanced slowly, he clearly heard an odd sound this time.
-Swish!
"Who's there!!"
Whirling toward the sound, Phantom witnessed a grotesque scene.
"...Guhh..."
"...?!"
The demons paired up had their bodies impaled by massive roots bursting from the ground, trembling without even a scream. Silently, the surrounding earth heaved, more roots erupting to swallow the pierced demons and drag them underground.
"Wh-what?! Where'd Rohan and Guccio just go?!"
"W-we don't know!"
The subordinates' faces drained of color at the sight, backing away. But now, no longer sneaking, masses of roots exploded from the earth, lunging at the demons.
"Argh! What is this?!"
Another demon fell in an instant. Phantom drew his sword and slashed at a root charging him.
-Clang!
"Ngh?!"
It felt like striking massive metal, not wood—the rebound nearly knocked his sword flying. Failing to sever the root, Phantom rolled aside to dodge, but his injured minions, unlike him, were one by one devoured by the roots' assaults.
Initially relying on sword and basic martial arts against the roots, Phantom drew his true power when it proved ineffective.
"Tch... Mere roots!"
Roaring, Phantom surged with demonic energy. His dream demon blood boiled, his spreading mana warping reality at the boundary of dream and waking.
-Grrrrrind!!!
Unlike the mere illusions he'd used to alter his minions' appearances, this was illusions with real substance manifesting.
Black tentacles resembling roots burst forth, blocking the roots' attacks.
This was the source of Phantom's confidence that he could slay a dungeon master—the power of the ancient demon race from mythic times, the dream demons.
-Squish!!
"Wh-what?!"
Phantom panicked. The moment the roots latched onto his manifested illusions, they distorted and were absorbed into the roots. His body, brimming with mana moments ago, felt utterly hollow.
"My... my mana...?"
The roots, gluttonously devouring the mana itself, now turned toward him.
Why was this? They weren't even animals, just plant roots... yet they looked like hunters drooling over prey.
-Thud thud thud!!!
"Gaaah!!!"
The roots slammed into his body. Beyond the pain of pierced skin, he felt something inside him being sucked away.
'Wh-what...?'
His mana—the root of all demons' power—was being drained somewhere. The great dream demon bloodline flowing in him was being siphoned. As terror gripped him, a man's voice rang in Phantom's ears.
"...What? Who are you?"
A mysterious man had appeared without warning, no prelude at all—not even Phantom had noticed. The half-demon with jet-black hair gazed at him with an inscrutable look.
And like fawning over their master, those horrific roots clung cutely to the man's legs.
'This guy... no way?'
The sudden half-demon. The roots behaving tamely like obedient pets. Witnessing it, a rumor among humans flashed in Phantom's mind.
'...The dungeon's master is a half-demon.'
Information he'd dismissed as nonsense upon hearing. Tidbits from a hero who'd survived the dungeon lacked credibility, but now Phantom glared at the half-demon with bloodshot eyes.
"...So it's you! It was you all along!"
This man was the dungeon master! Otherwise, he with the great dream demon's power wouldn't be faring this poorly. If so... kill this man, and...!
"I... I am the descendant of the great dream demon...! Destined to become the dungeon master!!"
Resisting the roots burrowing deeper, Phantom thrashed and detonated all remaining mana inside him.
-Groooowl.....!!!
A massive mana clump formed in the air, writhing into tangible shape.
'My ultimate illusion containing all my mana!'
If these roots were this man's doing, slaying the sorcerer would end it. Kill the dungeon master, and... among the demons inside, the highest would be chosen as the new master—himself, obviously.
Just claim the dungeon's power. If he could obtain it...!
"Die!!"
Sneering at the illusion morphing into an indescribable monster,
"What... Is this also a pollutant?"
the half-demon muttered cryptically.
"Collect."