Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Solidifying the Foundations #15
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Is that really a human?!
My brain flatlined for a second—I couldn't even process why a human was here in the first place. But whatever it was, this was bad news.
An armed adult male? And he looked like some ragged homeless guy. At a glance, the dude screamed psycho serial killer! No normal person could wander into this jungle alone!
It was terrifying!
But with Lumika right there, I had no choice but to fight!
I needed to lure him to terrain that favored us!
"Uwaaaaaah!"
"Y-you crazy bastard!"
I glanced back, and the guy had drawn his longsword, charging after us like a berserker, screaming his lungs out! And his hair was red! The color of madmen!
This wasn't like any of the foes we'd faced before. This was on another level entirely. Iron weapons in this world? We were still at polished stone age tech, and here he was with iron all by himself! Insanely dangerous.
"Mawang-nim! He's chasing us!"
"Got it!"
I matched Sharan's pace, sprinting down the familiar path. Should I lead him all the way to the dungeon like this?
"Grrrroooowl!"
He was faster than expected. And Sharan wasn't great with endurance. No way we could make it to the dungeon. Time for a quick change of plans!
Skreech!
I slammed on the brakes like hitting the gas pedal in reverse, digging in my heels, then veered hard right.
"Sharan! We're heading back to the lake! You, me, and Lumika—we'll hit him with a three-way combo!"
"Yes, Mawang-nim!"
"Sharan, stay a bit behind me. When I signal, come in for support! Hide and get ready for an ambush!"
"Got it!"
Rustle.
Sharan immediately veered further right. Once I confirmed that, I swung back toward the lake.
Thud thud thud!
"Stop right thereeeee!"
"This asshole!"
The human warrior was still hot on our tails! Why the hell was he chasing us this hard?! Had he even seen me before to want me dead like this?!
We looped back to the lake.
"Demon King!"
Lumika, in the middle of the lake, lifted her upper body out of the water and called out to me in a loud voice.
"Lumika! Get Water Arrow ready! Hit him when the moment's right!"
"Got it!"
Lumika immediately began casting her spell.
Now we had to fight this human for our lives. Honestly, I wasn't thrilled about it, but he was chasing me down to kill me! Even if it was some misunderstanding, he was coming at us with that longsword!
When you gotta kill, you kill decisively!
Otherwise, I'd be the one dying!
"...!"
I sized up his gear. No full plate armor or anything. Cloth armor with leather gauntlets and greaves, and the longsword.
The blade was scary, but with defenses like that, we could definitely hurt him.
Splash!
I leaped mid-stride and landed at the lake's edge. I whipped around instantly, spear at the ready.
"...!"
Thump thump thump!
The red-haired human warrior came charging, face twisted in rage, sword pointed right at me. He fully intended to kill me. The thought made my balls shrink up tight, but!
I'd been through real fights before—this wasn't the time to chicken out!
I sucked in a deep breath!
"Kieeeek!"
I bellowed my war cry and unleashed Demon Breath!
Whoosh!
"Gah!"
The warrior flinched, stumbling as he charged, caught off guard by the sight.
And in that instant.
"Lumikaaaaa!"
I yelled her name and dove nimbly to the right.
Splash!
Splash!
Splash!
Lumika, waiting in ambush behind me, fired off her Water Arrows. It was like everything slowed down. The three arrows streaked toward the warrior.
"What?!"
He threw up his arms in a desperate block.
Splat!
Water Arrow's power matched a spear thrust. One slammed into his leather gauntlet, bursting blood everywhere!
"You fucking bastard!"
I didn't miss a beat! I rolled to my feet, gripped my spear like a harpoon, kicked off the ground, and lunged at him! The curses spilling from his mouth were just icing on the cake!
"Gah?!"
It all happened in a flash. He swung his sword at me, but his arms were already mangled. Without hesitation, I drove my spear into his torso.
Thud!
Maybe something under the cloth armor blunted it. It wasn't a full pierce—honestly, a stone-tipped wooden spear had its limits.
But I'd put my full body weight behind it, focused on one point. And it didn't penetrate. So.
Whoosh!
He lost his balance and toppled backward.
Crash!
"Grahhh!"
Adrenaline surged. I yanked my spear free, darted in, and stomped down on his chest. Take him prisoner? No way I could handle a guy my size as a captive. Decision made, I raised my spear overhead, reversed grip.
And.
Squelch!
I slammed the spear tip down into his throat.
"Gurk...!"
Done.
Wild animals might survive a throat wound, but humans? Not a chance. I ripped the spear out and backed off.
"Guh, glurk!"
He clutched his neck, thrashed for a bit, then went still. Dead.
"..."
...We won.
"Hoo, haa! You crazy fuck! What'd you charge in with a sword for?!"
"Mawang-nim!"
"Yeah! Sharan! I'm fine! Already killed him!"
"Phew, that's a relief!"
"Demon King!"
Sharan and Lumika rushed over, faces pale with worry. I reassured them, and we all checked the body together.
"Mawang-nim! This is that...!"
"Human. It's a human."
"Yeah... a human."
Sharan had never seen one. Lumika had a few times. Strictly speaking, this was my first too. A real human.
"..."
Our first encounter, and it ends like this.
Regrettable, but whatever.
I'm a demonkin. This was inevitable. No point moping. I shook it off and asked Lumika.
"Lumika. What happened?"
"I dunno. Felt something, came out, and there he was."
"Hm... And then?"
"I was just peeking out, watching him... for a while? Yeah, pretty long. Then he started coming in. That's when you showed up."
Perfect timing on my part.
"Planning to eat him if he came in?"
"Well... if he drowned, I was gonna suck his blood..."
Classic water ghost rusalka.
"Good thing you're unhurt. As long as no one's injured, it's fine. Right?"
I patted Lumika's shoulder reassuringly. She blushed, looked away, and mumbled.
"N-not really. Nothing even happened..."
A bit of a tsundere, huh.
"Thanks for the help. Without Water Arrow, I'd have been in trouble."
"That's what I wanted to say. Demon King."
"Want headpats?"
"Y-yeah. Without me, you'd be hurt."
"Heh heh, of course."
But not now.
"Anyway, Lumika. You don't know much about humans, right?"
"Like I said before, I've sucked blood from a few. That's it."
"Good enough. Let's loot the body."
Time for spoils and intel.
"Hm."
The corpse first.
Red-haired vagrant-looking guy. Decent-looking face. A bit shorter and slimmer than me. Light gear, but solid. What do you call stuff like this?
Mercenary? Warrior? Soldier? Knight?
No clue, but why was he here alone...? The ragged look from days in the jungle? Meaning human settlements nearby?
As I pondered.
"Mawang-nim. This is cool."
Sharan picked up the longsword.
Yeah, she'd never seen one.
"Shiny and cold. What's it made of?"
"It's a sword. Made of iron."
"Iron?"
"A weapon made from top-tier material."
To our stone age asses, it was straight-up overpowered cheat gear.
"Lemme see."
"Here, Mawang-nim."
I grabbed the sword and inspected it.
"Oho..."
A real sword? No cap, first time holding one. Lighter than expected. Under 2 kg, maybe 1.5?
"For real."
Huge score.
Iron sword?
Cheat items like this exist?
But.
"Hm?"
The pommel—the round counterweight at the base of the hilt—had some engraving.
An emblem.
Looked like a tower or something.
"...Emblem?"
Hold up.
"Let's strip him."
"Mawang-nim?"
I peeled off his clothes. Removed the leather gauntlets, wrestled off the bloody cloth armor. First time handling a human corpse, but I didn't feel a thing.
And there.
"Necklace."
A necklace emerged.
"..."
Same emblem engraved on it...
No way he's some noble kid?
I barely knew human customs, but this screamed high-class. Engraved sword and necklace? Stuff for rich kids.
"A noble?"
Why'd a noble crawl into here?
Dead now, so no answers.
But wait.
"More importantly, if he's a noble..."
That could be trouble. Missing noble kid from a big family? They'd search the jungle. Realizing that, I needed to erase evidence.
"Demonic Power Extraction."
Fwoosh.
Not sure if it'd work, but I cast the spell anyway. Placed my hand on his chest.
Squelch!
"Hss...!"
It sank in! My hand went right in! But the sensation was off—my demonic power was draining fast...!
Still, I could handle it.
Crack!
I extracted the magic stone. The body melted into black goo, absorbed into the earth.
"The body's gone!"
"Mawang-nim! Humans are monsters too?"
It actually worked!
Beyond imagination!
"Didn't think it'd really work!"
Shocking as hell, but right now, the magic stone from a human wasn't the real prize.
"..."
Gulp.
I eyed the gear scattered on the ground.
...Top-tier equipment we stone age demons could only dream of.