Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Demon King Qlus, Descends! #8
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Extreme rage. Nothing else could be felt amid that furious emotion. How dare they beat my Buril to death? I could never forgive them. No one could touch my subordinate and walk away unscathed!
I would kill them no matter what!
"Dieee!"
My airborne body sliced through the air. Was it the adrenaline surge? Every single moment of that sequence felt crystal clear.
And then.
-Thwack!
The rat-headed monster that had been pummeling Buril—one of them—took my sole straight to its temple and flank.
Feeling every bit of it, I extended my slightly bent leg with explosive force, shoving the bastard away!
"Kyurrrrk?!"
-Boom!
The thing let out a grotesque screech as it went flying! It was barely kid-sized at best! There was no way it could shrug off a full-power dropkick from an adult demon like me! It couldn't withstand that!
-Thud roll!
As the rat monster tumbled across the ground, I crashed down too, but sprang back up with agile precision.
"Buril!"
"Ke, kek?!"
I shouted his name, and the cowering Buril, who had been taking a beating, looked up at me. Quick check. Injuries? Some blood, but nothing broken or torn off.
Then he could be saved!
"Kyu, kyusat! Gyuaaah!"
And the other one!
The remaining rat monster bristled its fur, puffed up its tail tuft, bared its maw, and bellowed! Those protruding buckteeth looked seriously threatening!
But!
"An absolute difference in class can't be overcome!"
-Flash!
I instantly raised my hand axe high, then -whoosh! Charged like a battering ram, slamming it down vertically into the ground for momentum!
-Crack!
"Kwek!"
A crisp sound burst out as I smashed its head. The axe was too blunt to split it open, but... my weapons weren't limited to just the hand axe.
"Uoooo!"
At point-blank range! I rocketed an uppercut with my opposite fist right into its jaw.
-Thwack!
Its head snapped back. At the same time, I dropped the hand axe. Then I grabbed its left arm with both hands!
"Dieee!"
Twisting my body around, I swung it with massive force!
-Whoooosh!
The rat monster's feet lifted off. It soared through the air like a hefted flail.
-Crash!!
And collided with the ground!
"Kuk...!"
A short death rattle.
I'd swung with full power, and it smashed right into the earth. It was lighter than I'd expected. Fitting for something so outclassed, with low durability. A fatal blow for sure.
So I judged.
But once in battle, I had to finish it off properly.
-Leap!
I jumped high.
Aiming down at it mid-air.
-Boom!
I planted my sole into its chest upon landing.
-Crunch!
"Kyak!"
Ribs shattering, breaking. Heart crushed. The rat monster spewed blood and rolled its eyes back.
I'd won.
"My victory!"
Victory in battle! My heart pounded wildly, heat surging through my body! I'd fought and won! I'd beaten that thing! But this wasn't the time to bask!
There were two of them in total!
The remaining one!
"Kyusaaaah!"
The one I'd dropkicked into oblivion.
"Keruk! Kerrrrk!"
It was currently pinned under Buril, thrashing helplessly. Buril had taken a beating to the face and gotten hurt, but the moment I arrived, he'd reignited his fighting spirit and was battling it.
"Kerrrk!"
Primal fury unleashed.
The enraged Buril roared savagely, tearing into the rat monster's neck. Already smashed by the dropkick, it couldn't even move properly.
No resistance at all.
-Swish.
I snatched up the dropped hand axe and moved to support Buril.
"Buril! Get back!"
"Krrr...!"
"Kuk, kukgrrr...!"
-Whoosh!
At my command, Buril swiftly dodged, and I buried the hand axe into the now-defenseless rat monster's neck.
-Thwack!
-Thwack!
-Thwack!
Until its breath stopped. I hammered it in, raised my arm, slammed down again. I'd keep going until it was dead.
"Gyurk...!"
And that was it.
Done.
"Huff! Huff! H-huff...!"
"Kerrrk! Kek! Kek-kek!"
Both rat monsters were dead.
"We won, we won. Victory. We won...!"
My breath came in gasps.
Euphoria. Ecstasy. Thrill. All those emotions fused into one, piercing my heart. Native lifeform. Enemy. Powerful monster! Hellish beast! Buril and I had teamed up and slain those mighty beasts!
"Ooooooh!"
I couldn't hold back the cheer!
I spread my arms wide and roared!
"Keraaaaaah!!!"
And Buril bellowed fiercely too.
"We wooooon!!!"
True exhilaration gripped my heart.
What I'd just done... was murder. Destruction. Violence. Back when I was human in Korea, I'd never killed anything besides bugs or insects. Maybe rats in the army, at most. I was that far removed from violence, a modern man through and through.
Yet here I was...
Killing a rat monster.
And winning.
It felt utterly surreal.
"Huff! Huff!"
This was the joy of survival...!
"Keruk!"
I wanted to cheer more, but suddenly realized how overly excited I was. Not good. I took deep breaths to calm myself.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Haa."
As the excitement faded, my body cooled rapidly. I'd expended energy explosively. Gotten overly hyped. Strength drained from my limbs.
Regret washed over me at the same time.
"Fuck."
What a shame.
So damn regrettable.
When I definitely killed one, the other rat monster was pinned by Buril. If I'd tested domination on it then, I might've gained another minion.
Of course, not 100% guaranteed.
I'd heard black magic had no absolutes. Still, that point nagged at me.
But it couldn't be helped.
Honestly, no choice.
I was too pumped up at the time. What can you do when you're that hyped? It was my first real battle, not a hunt. I couldn't control my reason.
Not good. Losing reason is dangerous. In survival, getting so excited you can't rein in emotions is poison.
"Lesson learned."
This was my first real combat lesson.
Actually, coming out of it this well was lucky. If it happens again... I'll handle it coolly next time. Regrets aside, growth is growth.
Swallow today's experience, move forward. That thought skyrocketed my confidence in surviving this wilderness.
"Kek-kek. Keruk."
"Hm?"
Maybe worried seeing me just standing there breathing? Buril, only reaching my waist, tugged at my clothes and made worried sounds.
Cute little guy.
"Yeah, I'm fine. More importantly, your injuries?"
"Kerrrk?"
I checked his wounds again.
"Hmm... not too bad."
Bite marks and scratches. Some blood, but not gushing. Infection's the worry... but as a native monster, he'd tough it out.
"Hold still."
"Keruk!"
I uncapped the canteen, rinsed his wounds simply, then placed my hand on his back.
"Demonic Power infusion! Yap!"
I'd healed him once before. I was getting the hang of infusing Demonic Power for recovery. Time to cast it.
"Keruk...!"
As I channeled it in, the claw marks began to knit. Good. Feed him well, let him rest, and he'd recover quick.
"Done. Treatment over."
"Kerrring."
Happy Buril.
But then.
"These things."
The scattered rat monster corpses.
Long snouts. Rat-like monsters. Bipedal ones. Size-wise, just about 10% smaller than Buril. Not a huge difference. Covered in brown fur. Their long tails were furred differently from real rats.
Like goblins?
Those buckteeth looked threatening, but claws not so much. Overall, seemed weaker than goblins.
"Hey, Buril. Aren't these your neighbor monsters?"
"Keruk?"
"Whatever."
Alright, time to name them.
What were rat-like monsters called?
"Kobold? Ah, right. Kobolds."
From now on, they'd be kobolds.
"Buril. These guys are kobolds from now on. Got it?"
"Kek-kek?"
"Fuck, he doesn't get it."
"Keruk..."
Buril was just drooling over the kobold corpses. Kid must be hungry after the fight.
"Yeah. Eat the guts."
"Keruk!"
At permission, Buril bounded over excitedly, shoved his snout into the dead kobold's belly, and tore into the flesh. Total wild child. No trace of civilized manners.
"Haa."
Anyway, the intense fight had sapped my stamina.
"No energy to process all these and carry them."
Guts aside. No strength to skin and butcher. Just haul 'em roughly and roast... That's when it hit me.
-Flash.
"Ah! Right! Kartiya!"
Kartiya's secret black magic! Yeah! That was it!
"Two freshly killed corpses!"
Too many to carry both! Can't abandon one! So, time to try Kartiya's secret black magic!
"All monsters have trace amounts of Demonic Power...!"
Recalling that, I looked at the kobold corpses.