Execution

My laughter clung to Priscilla's ears like thick, sticky syrup.

Her pupils dilated to their limits, flooded with absolute terror.

It was the look of a fox that had believed itself the apex predator, only to realize it had shoved its head straight into a tiger's jaws.

"Cough... ugh..."

Priscilla foamed at the mouth as she shook uncontrollably. Her ribs were crushed and her organs twisted into knots. Left like this, she'd die from shock in a matter of minutes.

Should I just kill her...?

I looked down at her and pondered for a moment. This bitch had tried to kill me three times already. Ending her breath here would complete my revenge.

But.

It's such a hassle. She's going to die if I leave her anyway...

No need to stain my own hands. The professor and the others were already approaching from a distance. If I delivered the finishing blow here, the professor might accuse me of killing a comrade.

"Kikikik... Hey! Safe travels. Try living like a decent person in your next life."

I sneered coldly and turned away. The moment I took a step without a shred of hesitation—

Grab!

Something caught the hem of my trouser leg.

It was Priscilla.

"S... save me..."

She clutched my pant leg like it was a lifeline. All pride had vanished, leaving only the desperate, primal struggle to survive.

"......"

I paused, then slowly knelt, sitting down right in front of her face.

Shing.

I drew the Guardian Dagger from my coat and pressed its cold edge against her carotid artery. The angle was hidden from the professor and the others by my back.

"You fucking bitch... Let go. These pants weren't cheap."

"Gurgle... Please... Please spare me..."

"I don't see a single reason why I should. I'll give you exactly three seconds."

I counted in a flat, emotionless voice.

"One."

"My f-family... my clan is being held hostage... If I die, all my little siblings will be killed..."

"Two."

"I'll do anything you say! Anything at all! Please!"

I lifted her chin with the tip of the dagger and spat out the question.

"Hey. You're a demon, aren't you?"

"......!"

That single sentence stopped Priscilla's breathing cold. Her face, twisted in pain, drained of all color from pure shock.

"H-how..."

It had been a flawless disguise that fooled even the Academy's archmages and the Imperial inspectors. Yet a mere F-class student had seen straight through her true identity.

She looked up into my eyes, terrified of finding contempt or disgust directed at a "monster." But there was none of that in my gaze.

Only a cold "vengeful spirit" and "killing intent" toward an enemy who had tried to murder me twice. That pure, unfiltered emotion terrified her even more.

"How did I know? Does that really matter right now?"

I asked with a smirk.

"Who ordered it? Who was using you like a hunting dog?"

Her pupils trembled. Speaking meant death. But not speaking meant this man would kill her immediately.

"Helios... ordered it."

"......!"

"That crown prince... commanded me to kill you. He said you were 'bothersome.'"

My eyes narrowed to slits. I'd had my suspicions, but no proof. Yet here it was, that name coming straight from her mouth.

Helios. The Empire's sun. The next emperor, a hypocrite who pretended to be a saint while ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠committing every filthy act imaginable behind the scenes. So it really was that bastard. Taking an entire demon clan hostage just to kill an F-class like me.

"Hey. Don't you feel pathetic? Being a lackey for some human royals."

"......I have no power."

She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, tears of blood streaming down her face.

"The Empire bastards... are using our clan as living mana fuel... If I disobey, my siblings will slowly wither away and die in their laboratories..."

"Ha. What a complete shitshow."

I let out a hollow laugh. Humans who were more demonic than actual demons. But thanks to this, my justification was rock solid. Keeping her alive and turning her into a double agent would be far more profitable than the cheap satisfaction ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of killing her.

"Okay~ Perfect. You pass!!"

"Uh... what?"

"Are your ears broken? I said I'll spare you. But... you'll have to pay the price."

I flicked the dagger against the buttons of her uniform.

"Return to your true form."

"......!"

"Take off that fake human skin you wore to match the crown prince's tastes."

She hesitated at my command. I pressed the dagger tip a little deeper. A single drop of blood welled up.

"Ah... if you don't want to, you can just die instead?"

"I-I understand...!"

She squeezed her eyes shut.

Crack! Snap!

It wasn't the sound of magic dispelling. Horrible tearing noises erupted from her entire body as bones twisted and muscles swelled.

Shape Shifter.

A rare demon race capable of transforming every cell in their body.

Riiip! Rip!

The school shirt stretched until it looked ready to burst, then the buttons gave up entirely and flew in every direction. The already impressive figure she'd had as a human swelled into something unrealistically voluptuous once her limiter was removed.

Jiggle.

An overwhelming, eye-devouring volume spilled shamelessly through the torn fabric. Her short bob hair grew rapidly, transforming into flowing, mysterious blue locks that reached all the way to her waist.

"Haa... Haa..."

She panted heavily, as if exhausted. Small black horns had sprouted from her head, and her pupils were now vertically slit and golden. She was an overwhelmingly beautiful, dangerously seductive demonic beauty.

"Gulp."

I swallowed dryly without thinking.

Fuck... What the hell? Isn't she supposed to be a demon?

Now that the "monster" label was gone, this was straight-up nation-toppling beauty. The original novel had described her true form as "hideous." Was this a complete setting collapse? Or had Helios and his people remodeled her to suit their tastes?

"How... did you know my identity...?"

Priscilla asked, her face flushed as she tried to cover her chest.

"Knowing too much will get you hurt. There are ways to know everything."

I forced my eyes away and turned coldly.

"Hey Scarlet! Get over here! Priscilla's in danger!"

Scarlet came running frantically.

"Adelia unnie!!!"

But she ignored me completely, diving straight toward Adelia, who sat off to one side.

"Unnie! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Why are your eyes closed?!"

Scarlet shook Adelia desperately, tears in her voice. But Adelia didn't move an inch. She sat cross-legged on the floor with her eyes closed.

Uuuung.

A gentle golden aura swirled around Adelia's body.

Mana Breathing.

Like the qi cultivation from martial arts novels, it was the hero's unique meditation technique to recover depleted mana and stamina through extreme focus. She wasn't injured—she was restoring her full strength for the next fight.

"Scarlet. Don't touch Adelia."

I grabbed the back of her neck.

"She's recovering her mana right now. Wake her improperly and she'll suffer mana backlash."

"I know that! I'm a mage too, you know? But who are you to boss me—"

"Shut up and look over here."

I spun Scarlet around to face Priscilla.

"Huk?! A d-demon?! Oppa! Get back! She has horns!"

"I know. Scarlet, you can write a Soul Contract, right?"

Her eyes widened.

"What? That's an eighth-circle taboo spell... How do you even know about that, oppa?"

"Ugh, seriously... Can you do it or not? You at least know the theory."

"I know the theory, but... the formula is so complicated..."

"I'll simplify it. Write this down."

Instead of the complex ancient tongue, I gave her only the core keywords.

"Soul Link, Absolute Obedience, Life Sharing. Draw the circle using just these three. Use all this blood as the catalyst."

"......!"

Scarlet's jaw dropped. It wasn't just knowing magic—he was reconstructing an eighth-circle spell by extracting only its essence. This level of application was difficult even for archmages.

"Prepare it immediately. The target is this woman."

"B-but oppa, why should I?"

Scarlet regained her senses and protested.

"I'm not your subordinate. I'd do it for Adelia unnie, but a contract with a demon bitch like her? Are you insane?"

She crossed her arms and turned her head. As expected from the original story—she was completely immune to my persuasion.

That was when it happened.

"Hey! Mage bitch, do it now...!"

A chilling voice came from behind us. Adelia, who had been meditating, slowly opened her eyes. Her crimson gaze bored into Scarlet.

"U-unnie?! You're awake?"

"Extra... do as you're told."

Adelia's voice held no emotion. She was placing absolute trust in my judgment in this situation.

"If you don't... I'll kill you."

"......!"

Scarlet's face turned deathly pale. The unnie she idolized was emitting genuine killing intent toward her.

"Hiiik... I-I got it! I'll do it! Please don't be mad, unnie!"

Scarlet drew the magic circle on the ground with a tearful expression. Purple mana blazed up, completing the contract.

I tossed the completed contract to Priscilla.

"Stamp it. Read every clause carefully first."

Priscilla read the terms with trembling hands. It was worse than a simple slave contract. This was soul-grinding. But she had no choice.

"Don't like it? Then die right now."

When I turned away, she stamped her bloodied handprint on it while crying, like swallowing bitter medicine.

Sizzle!

With the stench of burning flesh, my name was branded onto her soul. The system announced the contract's completion.

"Huu... Sob..."

Priscilla hung her head and wept. The despair of knowing her fate was sealed. The misery of having to live as an F-class human's slave forever.

I crouched down and brought my lips close to her ear as she drowned in despair.

"Hey. Don't you feel wronged?"

"......?"

She looked up at me with wet eyes. I smirked and whispered.

"Do you know the best way to give that arrogant crown prince bastard a taste of hell?"

"What do you..."

"I'm going to rescue your entire clan that he's holding hostage. I'll steal his most precious toy and make it mine instead."

"......!"

Priscilla's pupils shook violently. It was something she'd never even imagined. To challenge the Empire's crown prince and rescue hostages? But the look in this man's eyes was completely sincere. It wasn't mere bravado. A massive, blazing fury toward the crown prince burned within them.

"Since you've become mine, I'll take responsibility for saving your clan. Understand?"

Thump.

Those words struck Priscilla's heart like a hammer. No one had ever listened to her. This man had just declared he would shoulder the burden of being the family head that she'd carried alone.

"Ah..."

For the first time in her life, her heart was pounding wildly—not from fear or survival instinct, but for another reason entirely.

At that moment, a new status window appeared before my eyes.

Wait... sexual desire...?

I was making a strange face at the bizarre status effects when—

"Ha..."

Adelia, who had been watching with her arms crossed, stared at me with ice-cold eyes. The corner of her mouth twisted as she muttered quietly.

"Extra, you're seriously S-class when it comes to picking up women."

A chill ran down my spine. But that wasn't the end of it.

"Hmph... Human! This is absolutely ridiculous."

Another cold voice. Iris had approached at some point, her silver hair swaying as she clenched her fists tightly. Her transparent blue eyes scanned Priscilla from head to toe, narrowing in clear displeasure.

Whoosh!

A red lizard—the fire spirit—appeared on Iris's shoulder and hissed at Priscilla. It was a mixture of elven pride and unmistakable jealousy.

"Hey, human."

Iris snapped at me.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm only listening to you because your commands are somewhat useful. That doesn't mean I'll tolerate you fooling around with a vulgar demon like her."

Her words were icy, but the tips of her ears had turned slightly red. Yet the look she gave Priscilla was pure, absolute-zero contempt.

"And you, cow demon."

"......!"

"Don't you dare wag your tail at this human. If you prance around without knowing your place, I'll feed you to my spirits."

"Hiiik..."

Priscilla flinched in fear and hid behind my back.

On my left was a mad hero with blazing red eyes. On my right was a tsundere elf with burning blue eyes. And in front of me was the master who now held her soul.

I broke out in a cold sweat from the killing intent pressing in from both sides and deliberately stared off into the distance.

Hierarchy established.

Master (Roy) > Mad Hunting Dog (Adelia) > Spirit Mage Iris > Genius Mage (Scarlet) >>> Slave (Priscilla).

A perfect food chain had been completed.

We quickly shared potions and reorganized ourselves.

"Scarlet, hurry up and heal us."

"Ugh, I don't want to! Why should I waste my mana..."

"Use Great Heal."

Adelia growled lowly from the side. Scarlet made a tearful face and waved her staff.

"F-fine, unnie! I'll do it! You people are all so mean!"

Warm light enveloped Priscilla. Her shattered bones knit back together and her torn organs were restored. Color returned to her previously pale face.

"Huu..."

She stood up, breathing heavily.

I ordered Priscilla to transform back into her human form. There was no time to feel relieved. I turned my gaze away from her and spoke to the professor in the distance.

"Professor... I mean, Captain. Hurry and prepare your weapon."

I spoke firmly.

"What? We caught the tentacles, so we should be heading out now..."

"Sorry for interrupting, but my senses are screaming that this isn't over yet."

With a pale face, I pointed deeper into the cave. The Observer's Eye was warning me.

Rumble rumble rumble—

A heavy, ominous vibration shook the ground, far more intense than the tentacles from before. This wasn't a simple earthquake. The space itself was screaming.

Screeech... Grooooan...

A spine-chilling metallic sound. The noise of a heavy mass of iron scraping against the floor echoed from the darkness. An oppressive feeling that made my heart shrink.

Step. Step.

What emerged from the darkness was a giant over five meters tall. Its upper body was that of a muscular human, but its lower half had the fur-covered legs of a minotaur.

And on its head...

It wore a massive red triangular horned helmet covered in blood and veins.

In its hand was a three-meter-long black greatsword that scraped against the floor as it walked. The cave's rocks were sliced apart like tofu.

"......"

My breath caught in my throat. The tentacles now felt like nothing more than an appetizer. I recognized this thing. It was the monster that had chewed and swallowed Priscilla's upper body alive in a previous regression.

Then it happened.

Click. Clack.

The front of its triangular helmet began to open with a grotesque sound.

Riiiiip—!

What I had thought was a helmet was actually its jaw. The entire triangular horn split vertically more than a meter wide, revealing thousands of saw-like teeth and a blood-red maw. It was large enough to swallow three people at once.

"KRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHH—!!!!"

It wasn't a simple roar. It was Wide-Area Terror, a mental attack that tore eardrums and struck the brain directly. A massive wave of psychic energy washed over us.

"Uwaaaaagh!"

Professor Cain clutched his ears and staggered. Even this A-class adventurer who had seen it all nearly collapsed as his legs gave out from the overwhelming pressure of a superior predator.

"Kyaaaaa!"

Scarlet and Iris were on the verge of foaming at the mouth. Even Adelia lost her balance and stumbled. The previously confident demon Priscilla was now flat on the ground, trembling from the instinctive racial fear.

Fuck... Ugh...!

My head felt like it was splitting open. My heart felt ready to explode. Every instinct screamed at me to run. That I would die. That I could never win.

But at that moment—

A warm energy surged from within me. The intense faith energy they offered me had materialized into a protective shield through the system. The terror that had been gnawing at my brain was washed away in an instant.

Ha, I feel like I've become the leader of a cult.

With a clear mind, I lifted my head. Then I activated the Observer's Eye.

Crackle... Static!

Red noise filled my vision as the creature's information burned into my retinas.

Insane... It gets stronger by feeding on fear?

Then being scared right now was suicide. The more we feared it, the stronger it became. I bit my lip until it bled and shouted at my terrified companions.

"Everyone snap out of it!!!!"

My desperate roar echoed through the cave.

"Don't be afraid! It gets stronger the more you cower! Weapons up! Captain! Adelia!"

My shout struck their fear-addled minds like a hammer. The aura of Believer's Grace flowing from me reached them as well.

"Huk...!"

Professor Cain snapped back to his senses and stood, using his greatsword like a cane. Adelia steadied her shaking gaze and gripped her holy sword properly. Priscilla and Scarlet still looked terrified, but they forced themselves up at my shout.

Roy was standing firm. The weakest F-class was staring at the monster with clear eyes. That sight forced the others, paralyzed by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fear, back onto their feet.

Carnifex's gaze locked onto me. I was the only prey not feeling fear—the first target that needed to be eliminated.

I gripped the Guardian Dagger tightly and twisted my lips into a smirk.

"Hey... fuck, if the gatekeeper is something like this... what the hell is the boss? Is this dungeon difficulty even real?"

The creature exhaled hot steam through its vertically split maw and slowly raised its massive sword. A death sentence had been passed on us all.