The Demon Hunter's Madness

Due to the magical interference, I had dealt with the madness-stricken hunters without much trouble.

A status window popped up informing me that my experience had increased, but it wasn't enough to trigger a level-up.

'Even if I kill a hunter.'

Experience points go up.

Facing that fact, I felt like I understood their motivation.

They weren't strong enough to enter the boss room, and they didn't want to risk their lives fighting Lycans.

Isn't that why they were digging these pathetic traps and hunting other hunters?

So.

"P-please, spare me..."

With a hunter whose life was fading away right in front of me, I decided not to hesitate.

-Crunch!

After the brief commotion passed—

Leaving behind the half-mangled corpses of the Lycans and the hunters who had died with their eyes rolled back.

"Ugh, uh..."

One hunter stumbled away in a hurry.

Ridley.

The hunter who had barely managed to save his life was moving away from them.

"...Is it really okay to just let him go like that?"

Lakiya Belz asked me, looking somewhat suspicious.

"There's no justification. No justification."

Even if this place is the Tower, a space disconnected from the original world.

It's better to avoid murder without a clear justification.

Besides, the hunters I killed were the ones who attacked first.

It's best to avoid killing beyond what is necessary.

This wasn't some internal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sense of justice for me, but rather a kind of social maneuvering.

His innate background.

From what I'd heard, Ridley had direct ties to the Upper Council.

Just like Lakiya Belz.

'Getting involved with them is a hassle.'

In the current situation, I had to avoid catching the eye of that absurd organization as much as possible.

'If you do it again, you're really dead.'

'I-I'm telling you, I didn't order it!'

The look of injustice on Ridley's face was still vivid in my mind.

Part of me had actually hoped that this whole thing was truly his doing.

Unfortunately, I realized ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that the circumstances made that unlikely.

'The magical interference, too.'

I remembered Ridley's eyes, which still held a spark of intelligence.

They were definitely different from the dull, hazy madness of the hunters who had ambushed me.

"I don't care, though."

Lakiya Belz, misinterpreting my silence, spat out from the side.

"What?"

"If you were worried about me... I was just saying you could go ahead and do it."

'Why would I worry?'

Is there anything to worry about regarding Lakiya Belz here?

Just like me, Lakiya Belz was known as a powerhouse on these floors.

Who is worrying about whom?

For me, who was busy enough just taking care of my own business, that statement didn't make sense.

Still, I didn't want to make the atmosphere weird, so I just made up another reason.

"I have other purposes."

"Then we should let him go."

Lakiya Belz, who had been trying to carve Ridley into pieces with her axe just a moment ago, easily let go of her prey at my words.

The reason I spared Ridley was because of the reactions in the Gallery.

Those who usually have a negative view of hunters naturally gave the answer I expected.

Revenge, thorough revenge.

That it was the only way to survive in the Tower.

The Gallery always gave me the same response.

However.

The moderator, who suspiciously knew a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lot of information about hunters, stopped me.

"Ah."

There was such a method.

ShortEaredElf seemed to have a sense for reading someone's magic just from a photo.

Maybe it's because she's an elf by birth, but she seemed to possess transcendent senses in this area.

"Still, don't worry. Now that he's seen you, he won't be crazy enough to attack again."

"That would be true."

I hope my bad relationship with Ridley ends here.

'If not, whatever.'

If he attacks again later, then I can really kill him.

Doyun closed the Gallery and decided to enter the boss room.

"Aren't you going?"

"I, I have to go."

Lakiya Belz, who had been standing by Doyun's side until then, replied with a flinch.

Is it okay to be this relaxed?

From what I'd heard, Lakiya Belz's older sister was someone with an unusual temperament.

At least in front of me, she was showing a gentle demeanor, but it didn't seem to be the case for Lakiya Belz.

"I'll go first."

"Yeah."

"Take care of yourself."

"Thank you."

Lakiya Belz kept looking back, as if she had some lingering regrets.

'She's like a pet.'

It would be very rude if she heard me say that.

I was reminded of a video I'd seen on my phone once.

The image of a large dog checking to see if its owner was following well during a walk.

-Whoosh.

Just like that, Lakiya Belz's figure completely vanished.

"Shall we go too?"

"We should."

And behind her, I pushed my body through the boss room without hesitation.

As I surrendered my body to the unpleasant sensation of magic wrapping around me.

Before I knew it, I opened my eyes in a space with a different atmosphere than before.

There were no unidentified cries, nor were there white bones rolling on the floor.

Like an empty vacant lot, only a heavy silence welcomed me.

-Step.

As I walked through that stage, a figure began to appear in the distance.

"...."

What caught my eye even more was the red something staining the surroundings.

Chunks of meat.

As if it wasn't enough to kill them once, the scattered pieces of flesh, minced to the point of being unrecognizable, strongly grabbed my attention.

The stench of rotting corpses wafting from them was a bonus.

'Lycans?'

I could barely confirm their shape.

That they had once lived as ferocious beasts.

"Were there still beasts alive?"

In the middle of that hellscape, a man's voice rang out.

"Excuse me?"

A man who spoke human language too clearly to be a monster.

"You."

Beneath a wide-brimmed hat.

Eyes with red madness faintly leaking out stared at me.

"I see the beast sleeping inside you. A beast that craves death and hungers for flesh."

"You've got the wrong person."

"No. My eyes do not deceive me. I am a noble hunter. I must hunt even one more demon to bring peace to everyone."

-Shing.

The demon hunter, who had been stroking his scabbard, drew his blade.

A blade reflecting the moonlight, tinted with a red hue.

At a glance, it was an extraordinary weapon.

"Otherwise, my wife, my children, whom I killed..."

"Calm down, sir."

"So, I must prove it."

Soon.

The demon hunter, Arcane, turned his body completely to face me.

Under his coat, blood that hadn't yet dried was dripping down.

"For the sake of the demon hunters who have already died, and for the sake of my precious people."

-Clack.

Taking a combat stance ready to pounce at any moment, the demon hunter let out the final words signaling the start of the battle.

"I will put an end to the demon inside you."

A demon hunter who had already lost his sanity to the curse.

A dead man, bound to the Tower and repeating an endless cycle of reincarnation, lunged at me.