The Hunter Who Walks Alone
Ding!
A quest has been received.
A quest. For Doyun, it was a favorable situation, but if you really thought about it, it was a sign that the world he was walking through was reaching its final destination.
"Is that so?"
Then the quest he just received must be separate from the chain quest.
Subjugate the corrupted Demon Hunters. They likely shared similar tendencies to the Arceine he had defeated on the previous floor. That was the prevailing atmosphere of this 10th floor.
A dead village, victims. Remnants of a past that was once happy, now reduced to mere skeletons. The stage Doyun was walking through had such a backdrop. Whenever he dealt with beings that were alive but under the influence of the system, he always felt a sickening sensation. They were clearly people who had already died, yet they were in a state where they didn't realize they were dead. And within that, they were divided into NPCs and villains, interacting with the hunters. Perhaps they were no different from the Boss Mobs in the Gallery.
Crunch. Crunch.
As he walked through the ruined streets, which were no different from a dungeon, he heard a chewing sound from somewhere.
Snap.
It was not a sound he wanted to investigate deeply.
"There's something there."
Aira, who had also sensed the presence, spoke up.
"Yeah."
Doyun responded, staring at the owner of the sound. A body a head larger than a human's. It was entirely dark green, and its grotesque, vaguely human-like form stood out. What made Doyun frown was when he saw the corpse in its hands. The equipment visible on it was far too professional to be an NPC.
'A Hunter.'
Perhaps they hadn't accepted their own death yet, as their eyes were wide open.
"Kiri-kiri?"
The monster, a Parasite Mimic, which had been chewing diligently for a while, finally noticed Doyun's presence.
"P-please, save me...?"
It even mimicked what was presumed to be the voice of the hunter it had just eaten. It properly ticked Doyun off.
'Our baby is cute...'
He remembered the Boss Mob who had been excitedly bragging about its children in the Gallery. Cute my foot. He realized it once again: it was truly disgustingly ugly.
"Kueeeek!"
There was no time to lure it; the monster revealed its true colors and rushed at him. However, Doyun's speed far exceeded the monster's expectations. By the time it realized what was happening, it had already lost sight of him.
"...?!'
'It's definitely gotten faster.'
He could clearly feel the impact of his dramatically grown Agility stat. Even he was surprised by it.
Doyun, who had instantly dived beneath the Parasite Mimic, swung his curved blade. The memento of Chomos-i. That which had once threatened Doyun's life was now a more reliable weapon than anything else, serving as his fangs.
Swoosh!
"Kiek!"
The creature tried to defend itself by weaving its tough stems, but Doyun's blade reached it faster. Its skin split. Dark green body fluid sprayed everywhere, and its head was split in two, along with the teeth that had been chewing on the hunter.
Thud.
With more than half of its head severed, there was no way for it to survive. 'Still.' Just in case, he swung again to finish off the remaining half of its head. Delivering a few more attacks to its chest was just a bonus.
Twitch. Twitch.
He waited until the minute, twitching movements stopped, and soon a status window appeared, notifying him that his experience had increased.
"...."
The corpse sprawled out in front of Doyun caught his eye. A terrible sight, still unable to close its eyes, lying pathetically on the ground. Doyun approached it and willingly closed its eyes for it.
"Corpses must be burned."
"...?"
However, he turned around at the dry, emotionless voice that followed. A different Demon Hunter than before was watching Doyun.
"They have a habit of planting their seeds in corpses. If you leave them be, they'll end up just like them."
'Damn it.'
"So, they must be burned."
The Demon Hunter walked over with familiar movements and held up a lantern.
"Did you know them?"
"No."
"Then, just take something to prove their identity."
Take it. There was nothing Doyun could do with such things. So, he shook his head to convey his intention to the Demon Hunter.
"...Then."
Whoosh!
A massive flame erupted over the hunter's corpse, lantern and all. Doyun stood before it for a moment, offering a silent prayer for the dead.
"Where are you going?"
"Beyond the commercial district."
"That place is dangerous."
"I know."
The Demon Hunter, who had tilted his head for a moment, belatedly checked the badge on Doyun's chest.
"I see. So that's how it was. My gratitude to our benefactor."
"Yep."
He passed the Demon Hunter, who moved aside just as easily as before. However, this time, he stopped in the middle.
"Ah."
"What is it?"
"By any chance, did you see people similar to me on your way here?"
"Of course I did. They were either hunted by the demon's minions like the one who just died, or they were half-mad."
"Are there any near here?"
"I don't know the exact location. They'll keep moving. If you need to, I'll ask other Demon Hunters for location information."
"Oh, thank you."
Is this the power of the token? Cooperation was obtained so easily. Doyun, having parted ways with the Demon Hunter, began to pass through the commercial district while checking the map he possessed.
#
"A-are you sure this is the right way...?"
"Look here. Do you know how much I paid on the 9th floor to get this information?"
At the other hunter's irritable question, the man growled back, asserting his innocence. They had already circled what was presumed to be the same spot five times. The monsters mimicking the voices of hunters seemed to be gradually wearing down their mental strength, and three fellow hunters had already been sacrificed. Their lives depended on that damn man who knew the location of the boss room.
'Damn it...!'
The hunter, whose mental state had become unstable, trembled. Was it enough to just deal with the Parasite Mimics? That wasn't it either. Every Demon Hunter they encountered required them to tense up and prepare for battle. Because they didn't know when or where they might be attacked by those who misunderstood them.
'If I had known it would be like this...!'
They should have prepared more in the non-combat zone on the 9th floor. However, the truth was that there were plenty of people who thought the same way as that hunter. The floors always presented new trials to the hunters, and the intensity grew fiercer as they climbed higher. Perhaps to the point where one might mistake everything for being purely a matter of luck.
"W-we're better off than most. Didn't you see the state of the others? They were torn apart or hunted long ago...!"
"I know. I know, but..."
Still, he couldn't help the fear creeping up from deep within his heart.
"And if we meet other hunters who are still alive, we can just join up with them then. It's a simple matter."
"Y-yeah. There's no time to be hesitating here."
Five in total. The hunters, huddled together, steeled their resolve once more. 'Again.' The hunters recalled the teachings of the reliable senior hunters who had their backs. There was no reason to collapse in a place like this.
"F-found it."
In the midst of that, the hunter who had finally found the proper path was filled with joy.
"You found it!"
"This is... yes. It's definitely the commercial district. Once we pass through here, we can head straight to the boss room."
"That's a relief!"
"Yeah!"
The hunter in the lead responded to his colleagues and turned around.
"Yeah, it's a, a, a relief. A relief."
One of them. He encountered a hunter whose head was twisted in a bizarre way, laughing until his mouth tore open.
"...!"
"T-there was one who had already been caught!"
"Since when...?!"
The hunters' hell was not yet over. They hurriedly killed the Parasite Mimic, but now they were four.
"Still, still, we're better off than most. The others are probably still wandering around far away."
"...."
"Come on, come on, everyone cheer up, let's go to the next one immediately. We have to climb the floors, don't we?"
That wasn't wrong. The surviving hunters forcibly put strength into their trembling knees and attempted to move on to the next area.
Step. Step.
And then, they encountered him. An unidentified man walking alone through this insane area.
'A Demon Hunter?'
They thought so instinctively. Because it didn't seem like a fellow hunter would be walking around alone, wanting to die like that.
"No."
However, another hunter immediately brought them back to reality. Black hair. Light equipment similar to other hunters. And various pieces of equipment leaking unusual magical power. It was clear he was a hunter like them.
"H-hey, you."
"...?"
At the uneasy call, the hunter who had been walking down the road in the distance turned his head. His expression and attitude were far too calm, not fitting for this space that was going mad.
"Me?"
"A-are you a hunter?"
"Yes."
"But. You're walking around here alone?"
"Yes, well..."
"Didn't you see the Demon Hunters? And the Parasite Mimics?"
"I did."
"You, do you want to die? Or is this a new method of suicide? If you've seen those things, there's no reason to walk around here alone..."
"It just happened."
"...What?"
"I'm comfortable being alone."
Doyun answered too easily. Parasite Mimics were no match for him. The Demon Hunters, who could be variables at any time, had long since been brought into cooperation. The floor that was manifesting as hell for other hunters could not stop Doyun.
"That's ridiculous! Do you know what kind of guys the Demon Hunters are...!?"
"They were good people, though?"
"...What?"
The starting point was different. Doyun already had a relationship as a benefactor with the very beings they were trembling in fear of.