Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Phenex's Inferno
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Phenex’s sword strikes matched in intensity—no, perhaps her foreleg was even tougher.
[Agnea uses Mark.]
‘Dodge it!’
Kwaaaaang—!
The way it immediately countered after blocking the attack made it clear: at Agnea’s range, Phenex was at a definite disadvantage.
‘What do I do… what should I do?’
Memories of her previous contract, traumatic like a nightmare, flooded back.
- So, that’s all you’ve got? Useless. I’ll cancel the contract through ritual. Disappointing.
Phenex had tried so hard…
- Ha, this is ridiculous. Seriously. Are you even a demon? What do we do with this… Hey, I think we’ll have to scrap the contract. Yeah? Why? I need a strong demon, not someone like you.
There’s no place for you here.
A useless demon who just eats and shits.
‘…No!’
Phenex is definitely useful!
No, …she will be useful.
‘…S-soon.’
She had to shake off the negative thoughts.
She couldn’t stay here if she couldn’t defend the dungeon from experts or even properly drive out the monsters infesting it.
She had no way to fight at range, and even if she closed in, she couldn’t break through. Even trusting her innate regeneration, she’d clearly be torn apart by Agnea’s vicious foreleg first.
‘What should I do…’
- I’m not saying don’t rush in. Create a sure moment.
Faust’s words echoed in her mind.
‘A sure moment…’
A sure moment to close in on Agnea.
Hwaruruk…
‘I got it!’
[Agnea uses Acidic Venom.]
[Very fast venom contaminant shoots toward the target.]
[Deals strong acidic damage to the target.]
Chwaaaaak—!
Phenex barely dodged the acidic venom and began a bizarre action.
Paaaat—!
With Agnea behind her, she fiercely broke through in the opposite direction.
Chwaaaaak—!
Chwaaaaaaaaak—!
She finally burst through one side of the defensive formation spun by the baby spiders.
Hwarurururuk—!
- Kiiiii—!
Phenex charged straight ahead and set fire to the still-unhatched cocoons.
Hwaruruk…
Though her flames were intense, they weren’t enough to instantly kill the baby spiders, so the number of enemies she had to face exploded instead.
A baffling move, hard to understand at first.
“Good, you’re all awake now?”
- Kiiiii!
- Kiik!
- Kiiik…
Phenex stood with her back to the wall.
A pitch-black wave of Agnea’s offspring filled her vision.
A dizzying situation.
But from now on, she would carve through this wave toward Agnea.
Suuuu…
Phenex raised her sword vertically, then twisted and swung it horizontally.
Hwarurururururururuk—!
In response, flames surged in a fan shape, advancing with tremendous momentum.
[Phenex uses Pain Sharing.]
[Phenex fires a fan-shaped flame wave.]
[The flame wave deals 150% of combat power, divided among enemies in range.]
Hwaaaaaaaa—!
- Kiii?
- Kiiii!
150% of combat power.
A skill from Phenex’s basic set—straightforward, with ambiguous performance.
But its true value couldn’t be expressed by that alone.
Area damage.
Low individual damage, but covering a wide area.
Even users who maxed out Phenex often employed Pain Sharing for this reason.
Its true power emerged when combined with her basic passive.
[Phenex’s basic ability: Heat Transfer activates.]
[Enemies damaged by Phenex’s basic attacks or abilities enter the Ember state.]
…
Dozens—perhaps hundreds—of baby spiders were instantly set to Ember state.
Embers lasted 30 seconds, transferring to surroundings on death and refreshing duration.
In dungeon defense, a party with a priest could cleanse Ember, but most monsters couldn’t resist it.
[Basic ability: Heat Transfer affects basic ability: Burning Flames.]
[For each enemy in Ember state, Burning Flames’ health recovery effect strengthens.]
30 seconds.
The Ember-infested baby spiders turned Phenex into an immortal being for those 30 seconds.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
Paaaat!
Chwaaaaaaaa—!
Phenex, cloaked in flames, cleaved through the black wave like a vengeful spirit.
- Kiiiii—!
Agnea’s roar rallied the baby spiders, but it wasn’t enough to stop her.
Barriers that crumbled in an instant.
If they couldn’t block her, then face her head-on.
- Kiiiii—!
Whoosh…
The grotesque foreleg flew toward Phenex’s shoulder.
Tchweeeek—!
Kwajiiiiiiik!
She couldn’t dodge.
Pitifully, Phenex’s one arm dangled like shredded meat.
But the punishment wasn’t over.
[Damage from Agnea’s Mark.]
[Follow-up strike occurs.]
Whoosh—!
Kwajiiiiik—!
The foreleg pierced Phenex’s left chest.
Dead!
The sensation of her heart being crushed transmitted clearly to her nerves.
Euphoria dyed Agnea’s body.
If she devoured the demon’s manifested flesh, her crushed hind legs would heal too.
That’s what she thought, for sure.
Prrrr…
Phenex grabbed Agnea’s foreleg.
“Ugh… It doesn’t hurt…”
Phenex had a pristine arm wrapped in armor and a vividly beating heart, as if the last moment had been a lie.
“Phenex… is a demon, so it doesn’t hurt.”
In truth, it did hurt.
It hurt enough to black out right then.
But she’d endured enough pain.
A body without scars was perhaps a curse in itself.
It hid the path she had walked.
She had always fallen, and always risen.
- Kiiiii!
Agnea let out a chilling screech. A distress signal.
Horde! Protect your mother!
- Kii!
- Kiiii!
The baby spiders leaped in unison to save Agnea. They had to block her, even throwing themselves in the way.
But they couldn’t block her.
Phenex wouldn’t die.
Crunch…
She crunched and spat out a baby spider’s leg aimed at her head.
Kwaaaang—!
She smashed away a baby spider clinging to her back, fangs sunk into her shoulder.
Crunch!
Then lightly trampled it.
With that one act, the embers spread anew to the surroundings.
[Ember-state enemies, upon death, burst into flames and transfer Ember to surroundings.]
[Transferred targets refresh Ember duration and inherit the deceased’s remaining flame damage.]
Ember refresh.
She was still immortal.
The acrid stench of burning flesh filled the air.
Agnea, desperate with Phenex already inside her foreleg range, spat acidic liquid.
[Agnea uses Acidic Venom.]
[Very fast venom contaminant shoots toward the target.]
[Deals strong acidic damage to the target.]
Chwaaaaak—!
Phenex’s body, drenched in acid, seemed to melt for an instant.
“Useless.”
Puhiiaaaak—!
Phenex thrust her sword into Agnea’s belly.
- Kiiiii!
Puhiak!
Puhiiaaaak!
Phenex swung her sword wildly, slicing everything in its path.
Her mind, consumed by pain, forgot all else and commanded only to keep slashing.
Agnea’s innards.
Agnea’s legs.
The baby spiders’ resistance.
Sometimes, her own restrained limbs.
She burned and laughed.
“Ahahaha!”
She swung and laughed until no other noise remained but her laughter.
“Ha… ha…”
Like a demon.
She was the demon of revival.
* * *
Step…
Step…
The choking smoke had cleared somewhat, but the cavern still reeked of thoroughly charred flesh.
Faust walked the path lined with dying embers.
He stopped abruptly.
He stared piercingly at what he had found.
The silken cocoon binding the adventurer Chamar—the root of all this chaos.
He would probably die like this. Chamar’s pale complexion proved it.
“…Lucifer.”
“Yes.”
“Bind him in the heart chamber.”
Lucifer didn’t answer immediately.
After a brief pause, she asked,
“May I inquire as to the reason…?”
“……?!”
Faust caught the intent behind Lucifer’s question. She was suspicious.
Wondering if the actions to follow were sparing the life of the intruder who had stirred up the dungeon.
…One could certainly think that.
If one weren’t certain of Faust’s character.
‘If it were me… if it were the complete me…’
If it were solely Kim Seojin’s judgment, not Faust’s, Lucifer’s concern might have been justified.
“There will be no such worries as you fear.”
“…As you command.”
Suwik…
Lucifer slung the silken cocoon over one shoulder and returned to the heart chamber.
Left behind were the protagonist of this scene and Faust.
Crackle…
Pop…
They two were alone in this place where flames still flickered here and there.
“…Nex.”
“…….”
“Phenex.”
Her creaking head turned stiffly toward the voice.
It was Faust.
And Kim Seojin.
‘…Ruthless.’
Soot. Everywhere.
Soot blanketed everything.
Like the horrific abstract painting she had created.
Kik…
Kikik…
Phenex gazed at the thoroughly roasted Agnea.
“…My lord.”
“…….”
“Did… Phenex do it?”
Being chased out terrified her.
This body didn’t scar, but loss was unbearable.
That alone frightened Phenex. The desire to one day be acknowledged by someone—a void that ensnared even the demon of revival.
Her body bore no scratches, but her words were etched with forcibly hidden wounds.
“Was… Phenex useful?”
In this hellscape, Faust maintained his cool as always.
A cold demeanor unfit for a place swept by flames.
But to Phenex’s question, Faust might remain impassive, yet Kim Seojin could not.
Someone had fought, staking their life on his command.
Kim Seojin within was moved by the desperate struggle of Phenex, once just a game character to him. But as Faust, he showed no great reaction.
For that was the path to save both Faust and Phenex.
Preparation so they wouldn’t falter before trials to come.
…Still, he offered at least one phrase to free her from torment.
This was a words from Kim Seojin, still himself, Faust and demonkin.
“Not bad.”
Phenex beamed through tears.
“Ugh… heuk…”
[Dungeon Defense Mission complete.]
[Mission result: Chamar (Captured)]
[Acquire intruder’s possessions as Dungeon Defense Mission reward.]
[Got lucky. Acquired Magic Stone ×1,500 from intruder’s possessions.]
[Got lucky. Intruder’s whereabouts not transmitted to anyone.]
[Neutral leader ‘Limping Agnea’ boss battle ended.]
[Acquire Magic Stone ×4,500 from corpses of adventurers long dead in Agnea’s webs.]
[Agnea’s death weakens monsters under her territory.]
[Agnea’s death causes anomaly in territory boundaries.]
…
[Agnea carried a great treasure.]
[Check heart chamber-bound items.]