Chapter 157
Chapter 157
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: Demon Continent
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A monster roaring as it charged at me.
It raised its massive front paw to crush me flat, so I couldn’t even think about blocking. I had no choice but to dodge.
‘This is insane!’
The sheer weight behind the attack was on another level. The power of a weapon swung by a human is predictable, no matter how fierce.
Even Anton’s devastating strikes—I could block one if I set my mind to it.
But this thing was in a whole different weight class.
Just eyeballing it, the beast in front of me had to weigh over three tons. The equivalent of forty grown men.
“Tch!”
I wanted to flee, but with no knowledge of the local terrain, running off could lead to who-knows-what.
‘Better to take it down quick.’
Once the smell of its blood spreads, it’ll draw all the attention, and they’ll lower their guard on me.
‘I have no idea what this monster even is, but…’
I turned its second charge against it.
Sure, its size was absurd, but that meant its agility suffered for it.
On top of that, I was beyond superhuman by human standards. Beasts like bears or tigers? I’d handle them without breaking a sweat.
Dodging its attacks was child’s play.
I slipped past the strike, kicked off a nearby tree with a thud, and leaped onto its back.
“Kuaaaah!”
It thrashed wildly in a frenzy, but I drove my spear straight into its skull with a squelch.
No matter how tough its head, it couldn’t withstand a spear infused with aura.
Foam mixed with blood bubbled from its mouth as it collapsed in a heap.
I yanked the spear free and dropped down from its back. Only now that it was dead could I get a good look at it.
‘Yeah, this is definitely…’
No ordinary animal. The kind of monster you’d only read about in books.
“…”
I started sorting through the hypotheses forming in my mind.
‘No time for that right now.’
I couldn’t let my guard down.
Who knew what else might come sniffing the blood.
I wiped the blood from my spear and slung it across my back.
That was when it happened.
Shrrrr! The monster’s corpse dissolved into light.
“What the…!?”
Its enormous body vanished in an instant. When the glow faded, only a pile of unidentifiable sludge remained in its place.
The sludge reeked so badly it stung my nose—a stench even I struggled to stomach, and I’d endured every foul odor on the battlefields.
Still, I had to investigate this bizarre phenomenon.
I prodded the sludge with my spear.
“This… a corpse?”
It looked half-digested—sticky chunks of flesh mingled with bits of bone.
No telling whose bones. The monster must have chewed them bones and all; none retained their proper shape.
But I could tell.
A human body had been in there.
Traces of what looked like cloth from clothing were mixed in with the sludge.
And then there was the clincher.
“This…!”
Metal hadn’t fully digested yet—a necklace.
I fished it out with the spear tip.
A silver necklace.
Call it weird, but this was a good sign. Still being in the monster’s gut meant whoever wore it had been eaten recently.
In other words, there were people nearby. That was a safe bet.
I pocketed the necklace, left a mark at the spot, and cautiously followed the sound of water.
Soon, I heard it.
But it wasn’t the river flow I’d hoped for.
‘The sound of crashing waves!’
Whatever it was, a good sign. I headed toward the noise.
Chaaarush! Too dark to make out the waves clearly, but the rough surf was unmistakable.
And there, along the shoreline—a humble hut.
Light leaked from inside.
I leaped down the gentle cliff toward it.
‘What the hell?’
The hut’s walls—little more than a shack—were plastered with what looked like talismans. Trap, maybe? I poked at them with my spear tip. Nothing happened.
After scouting the entire area, I knocked lightly on the door.
“Anyone home!”
Rustling came from inside.
I felt eyes on me from the window. Then—click! The bolt slid free, and the door swung open.
A middle-aged man stepped out. The place smelled of fish; he must be a fisherman.
He eyed me up and down, brimming with suspicion.
Then he spoke in an unfamiliar tongue.
“Where do you hail from?”
I could guess the gist. The words were mostly intelligible.
Like an brutally thick dialect.
I tried communicating with gestures mixed in.
He seemed to get the rough idea and waved me inside.
‘This is a problem. Didn’t expect the language barrier to be this bad.’
The situation was way more precarious than I’d thought.
*
*
*
Fortunately, the hut’s owner took a liking to me.
When I asked why, he pointed at my sword and spear.
Then he said this:
“You’re from the Savior Alliance, right? They said folks from the Savior Alliance would show up soon. That’s you, then.”
Savior Alliance? I asked about it.
He realized I wasn’t affiliated and looked disappointed.
Even so, he explained patiently. In the meantime, I picked up the language fast. The basic structure was similar enough. Just treat it like a dialect.
Of course, it wasn’t easy. Imagine a modern American hearing ancient English. Actually, this felt simpler.
The man introduced himself as Rudolph and gave a quick rundown on the Savior Alliance.
I didn’t catch everything, but they sounded like troubleshooters—adventurers or mercenaries, that sort.
“If it’s no trouble, could you spare a book on the language?”
“A fisherman’s shack like this? No such thing.”
“…Fair enough. What about a map, then?”
Figured a seaside home would have one.
Sure enough, Rudolph rummaged beneath the drawer where he was drying fish and handed me a sheet of paper.
“From the Savior Alliance. Marks the current situation in pretty good detail. We’re here, by the way.”
“…”
I stared at the map, at a loss for words.
The writing was tough to parse, so I asked Rudolph to explain it.
He didn’t seem annoyed and filled me in. His eyes held some expectation toward me, or so it seemed.
Whatever his angle, it helped.
I’d once looked at our continent’s map and thought it too simplistic. Guessed there must be other lands beyond the sea.
Looked like I was right.
I had to ask.
“What’s this Demon Continent here?”
“Where the Demon King lives!”
“Wh-why do you think that?”
“Dunno the details myself, but folks say the powerful barrier encircling the Demon Continent messes with mana flow, making monsters swarm. Gotta be the Demon King’s work. So he’s holed up inside.”
I was certain.
This Demon Continent was the one I’d come from. No Demon King there, of course. Hell, not even monsters.
“And this Lost Land?”
“Monsters took it over completely. Places no human can live anymore.”
According to him, just two hundred years ago, things were worse. North Continent, South Continent—all overrun. Every nation perished except Elan Kingdom on the West Continent.
Even Elan Kingdom teetered on collapse under monster assaults, but Great Sage Bandalin devised a magic breakthrough that turned the tide. They launched a massive counteroffensive, leading to the current state.
“What about this Savior Alliance?”
“That’s… complicated. As a citizen of Elan Kingdom, it’s awkward for me to say.”
Sounded like there was some backstory.
Not my concern right now, so I let it slide.
My immediate situation mattered more.
The DLC world.
Or rather, the hidden route fit better.
My guess: in the game, Als learns about this world only after everything wraps up.
The clue was in Magic Research Log Volume 4, the last book.
Assuming he got them in story order, Volume 4 came dead last.
After snagging the books and unifying the continent, Als dives into magic research proper. Like how the Pensilon Empire crumbled from overpopulation—he’d plan countermeasures. Learns of this world through Eonia, then plunges in to revive magic.
That’s the logical path.
But my butterfly effect skipped a ton of steps.
The continent was still in turmoil, for one.
‘I need to get back.’
Without me, no telling how things play out. Svenner and the West might unify it. Or Juras could seize dominance, forcing every nation to kneel. Buran or Albad could throw a wrench in.
Luckily, the continent had just entered a fragile truce, buying time. Two or three years, at least—I could be gone that long without total collapse.
Still, I had to return, no matter what.
Final goal: get back within three years.
With that set in my mind, I considered side issues.
Namely, the retainers and acquaintances swept up with me.
Couldn’t ditch them and go solo. First, track them down and regroup.
‘That’s worrying.’
Master Ilya or Gaspar would manage fine, but the group skewed toward non-combatants.
Estelle and Erina. Mother and Julia. Melodia, Princess Sophia, Meisen—all the same.
No clue where they landed, either.
Worst case, dropped in the open ocean. Best case? Lost Land. Nothing to be optimistic about.
‘The elves designed the spell, so they wouldn’t dump us in the sea, at least…’
If it was properly engineered, we wouldn’t be scattered. The thought spiked my anxiety.
‘No, too soon to assume everyone’s split up.’
They could be somewhere on this island.
I asked Rudolph if he could show me around.
He jumped on it like he’d been waiting.
“Then how about the village tomorrow?”
“There’s a village after all.”
“Mm. But there’s a slight issue.”
“Issue?”
“There’s a monster lair nearby now. A dungeon. That’s why I couldn’t head back rashly and holed up here.”
“Dungeon…?”
“You’re clueless about a lot. Ask the village chief tomorrow about that. He’ll explain better than me.”
“Got it.”
All the day’s events had worn me out.
I wanted sleep, but the monster flashed in my mind. It could pulverize this rickety shack easy—kept my nerves on edge.
‘Probably crawled out of that dungeon.’
The pieces clicked: why Rudolph lounged so casually in this dump, why talismans etched with magic circles plastered the outside.
I asked about it. He nodded.
“Yep. Hides you from monsters. Bought it from the Savior Alliance—works like a charm.”
“Not the kingdom?”
“Well… haha. The kingdom doesn’t bother with backwaters like us. We fend for ourselves. So rest easy.”
Hearing that straight settled my tension.
I leaned against the wall and dozed off.
A world ruled by magic and monsters. A headache for sure, but I adapted fast.
Accept the mess, figure out how to fix it.
Right now: find my comrades.
Top priority—locate the non-combatants and pregnant Ymir.
Roughly six or seven months till her due date. I’d find her before then, no matter what.
*
*
*
Dawn broke, and we prepped to head to the village.
Per Rudolph, it sat at the island’s heart. Population around five hundred.
“Should take thirty minutes to reach.”
“Not far. So why didn’t you go back yesterday?”
“Too risky right now. Came fine, but chickened out on the return. Decided to crash here for the day. Anyway, let’s move. We can talk en route.”
“Right.”
Rudolph loaded his dried fish into packs and slung them on his back.
The fishy stench was brutal. No wonder he’d been scared—monsters would swarm that smell.
He glanced around nervously, picking up the pace in a jitter.
“Whew, this is nerve-wracking.”
“…Hold up.”
“What!?”
“Hear something ahead.”
“Something?”
I pressed close behind Rudolph.
“Move forward slow.”
“Forward? Can’t I hang back?”
“If enemies hit us from behind, we’re screwed. Me glued to your back is ideal for protection.”
“R-right. You’re seasoned at this, huh.”
Seasoned? Yeah.
Young as I was, I’d fought in major wars aplenty. More brush with death than most my age, for sure.
The sounds sharpened as we advanced.
Human voices.
“Damn it! Didn’t expect monsters this thick!”
“S-sorry! It was fine till yesterday…!”
“Never mind! Lena, Delroph—cover the villagers! Cus, clear a retreat path!”
Ten people total.
Four fighters escorting what looked like villagers, falling back step by step.
Encircling them: ten vicious-looking monsters.
Smaller than yesterday’s brute, sure—but each packed the mass of an adult human.
Eerie beasts resembling wolves, or maybe hyenas.
“Hellhound pack means a beast-type dungeon. Beast dungeons in the mountains are such a pain…!”
The leader-type muttered that, then finally spotted me and Rudolph.
The monsters noticed too.
Sniff sniff! They wrinkled their noses at Rudolph’s fish reek and fixed on us.
“Eek!?”
Rudolph yelped. I whispered:
“Rudolph—on three, bolt for the people.”
“Huh?”
“One, two, three! Go!”
“Urgh…!”
He clenched his teeth and ran.
The monsters reacted and lunged.
Weapons out, I speared the head of the one charging Rudolph with my right hand.
Pivoted and slashed the opposite beast’s throat with my left-hand sword.
“Grrrrowl!”
Two down, but the pack saw an opening and zeroed in on me.
‘Pretty quick, but…!’
Not enough to outpace me.
Aura surging, I dodged their assaults like a circus act, carving them apart with both weapons.
This was the Chester style’s true strength.
Unrivaled in chaotic brawls.
“Kyeeng!”
The last one panicked and fled. I hurled my spear and dropped it.
Shrrrk! Just like yesterday, they dissolved into mana and vanished.
“Phew. Close call.”
I let out a light breath and stowed my weapons.
“Sorry if that startled you, Rudolph. Couldn’t risk them suddenly switching targets to us.”
“…Ah. Y-yeah.”
Rudolph gawked at me, dazed.
And he wasn’t alone. The others stared too, slack-jawed.