Jealousy Dungeon - Floor Two
The second round of stabbing. Only after being pierced roughly twice as much as the first time did I finally win my freedom.
This time she went for the sensitive spots—eyes, temples, prostate, groin, and the rest. It hurt like hell.
Even after the wounds closed almost instantly, a lingering sense of wrongness remained, like aftereffects that refused to fade.
I had survived in one piece, but I swore I would never let Yukiko catch me again.
Not that I plan on just taking it if she does grab me now…
Still, it wasn’t all bad news.
Because Yukiko had stabbed and slashed without a shred of mercy, the doll clothes had long since been reduced to tattered rags.
I was free of the restraining suit that had been holding me down.
Who knew freedom could taste this sweet.
“At last—freedom!”
“No point wasting time. Let’s head straight for the depths.”
There was nothing left to fear.
Even if Yukiko caught me again I wouldn’t die, and now I had a way to fight back.
I still couldn’t use magic, same as before, but that hardly mattered.
With Bern’s reinforced body and Frach alone, world domination didn’t feel out of reach.
But what the hell was that snowman doll, really? Calling it cursed gear feels too simple—it definitely had a will of its own.
“Hmm… even this body cannot say for certain.”
The question remained unanswered, but I used the key to open the final door on the first basement floor.
Beyond it lay a staircase leading deeper underground.
Lust had been three floors down; the Wrath dungeon Kang Junhyuk had cleared was six.
From the memories before possession, I recalled the Jealousy Dungeon only had two floors.
I didn’t know the exact layout, but Leviathan was definitely somewhere down here.
“Our opponent is an ancient demon on the same level as Asmodeus. Can you win?”
Back then I couldn’t use your power because of Princess Charlotte, remember? Now I can draw on you freely. I’m not afraid.
“……Contractor.”
Yeah?
“It is vulgar to say this, but……”
What is it?
“Hearing those words has made this body… thoroughly wet…♡”
A sword that wasn’t even human, getting wet? Was that even possible?
I was about to snort at the ridiculous joke when a damp sensation spread across my thigh.
I looked down. Water was dripping steadily from the scabbard.
What the actual hell?
Why is water leaking out of a sword?!
“Because the Contractor has declared that he needs this body! Every rune across my form is trembling with joy!”
I really wish you hadn’t implemented that particular feature……
“In any case, your single sentence has set this body ablaze. Take responsibility at once!”
How exactly am I supposed to take responsibility for a sword?
Swords don’t even have holes.
And even if they did, I had zero desire to stick anything in one.
I might have learned the pleasures of certain orifices, but I still possessed basic human dignity.
No matter how far I fell, I refused to end up like Kang Junhyuk, who would put it in anything that wasn’t human.
Watching a guy reincarnated for the sole purpose of stuffing every hole is comedy from a distance; up close it’s pure tragedy.
“Kuuugh! How frustrating! If only this body possessed Polymorph, I would pin the Contractor down right here and now…!”
So that was the real reason you wanted Polymorph all along?
“Of course! Do you have any idea how it feels to watch the Contractor make love with other women every single time?!”
W-well, something could happen at any moment, so a sword has to stay close!
A swordsman and his blade are inseparable.
You don’t leave your own limbs lying around somewhere far away.
Besides, you’re the one who ordered me to keep you nearby at all times!
Back in the Lust dungeon, when I propped the sword up at the entrance so I could enjoy some happy time, Frach had chewed my ear off until it nearly fell off.
She had even called me insane for putting privacy above keeping my sword within arm’s reach.
“Yes, I did say that. But how am I supposed to stop feeling envious? This body also longs to achieve a sticky, scorching Shingeomhapil with you!”
“……”
I shut my mouth as Frach poured out every desire she had been bottling up.
All I could do was shake my head.
So that’s the filthy thought you’ve been nursing. Looks like the magic-sword hunting plan needs a serious rethink.
“Heh heh…! Contractor, you are forgetting something important.”
Which is?
“Why do you think this body has lent you power countless times without ever demanding a price?”
Don’t tell me you’ve been holding off on payment this whole time just for one Polymorph ability?
“Exactly. Every single free loan was build-up so that the Contractor would have no choice but to grant this body’s wish! I shall accept payment only in the form of a magic sword that possesses Polymorph. No other compensation will be permitted.”
Frach was every bit as unhinged as Yukiko.
Great power always demands a price.
She had shouldered the full cost of every ability she had ever lent me—
all for a single transformation skill.
What kind of obsession was this?
“……Fine, you win. I’ll do it your way.”
“Truly?”
“But! Sleeping with you is a completely separate issue. Get that through your head.”
“Worry not. The moment I obtain Polymorph, this body shall seduce the Contractor with my exquisite beauty!”
Yeah, right. I swallowed the retort and kept my mouth shut.
Even if a magic sword managed to Polymorph, it would probably just turn into some damp, seedy-looking woman.
With that comforting thought I continued down the single path.
Unlike the maze-like first floor, the second basement level was a straight corridor with only one route.
No monster presence, and this time no traps either.
I fretted about what might be waiting ahead, yet I kept glancing over my shoulder.
“There is nothing behind us. Why do you keep looking back?”
“I just feel like something’s about to happen.”
In a single-path corridor, the classic setup is a ghost, monster, or serial killer charging from behind.
The absurd silence only made me more uneasy.
When the future that absolutely should happen fails to show up, you can’t help but get twitchy.
“A new door. In the end, nothing occurred—contrary to the Contractor’s expectations.”
“Hmm……”
At the end of the corridor stood a single jet-black door.
Its surface looked like pure darkness given form; it practically screamed “cursed.”
I carefully took hold of the handle and waited for a reaction.
Nothing happened. I let out a long breath of relief.
Click! Rattle—! Rattle—!
But the door was locked tight and showed no sign of opening.
I hadn’t seen any other paths on the way here, so progress was completely blocked.
“At this point I feel like I could just yank it open with raw strength.”
“Unfortunately, that is impossible.”
“Why?”
“The door you are looking at is forged of dark obsidian. It has no magic resistance, yet its hardness rivals even orichalcum.”
And since magic is sealed in this place……
“Unless you use the proper method, entry will be denied.”
The real problem was that, unlike every other door, this one had no keyhole.
They said to follow the orthodox method, yet no method was visible.
In reality it was just a dead end with a decorative handle.
“Should we head back the way we came?”
Maybe I had missed something, or there was a hidden gimmick along the path.
The handle existed, so there had to be a way in somewhere.
“I sense a presence at the entrance we came from. If we turn back, battle with the snow woman will be unavoidable.”
“It’s not like I have no way to fight her. I’ll just knock her down again.”
“Are you certain? The space is narrow; the conditions will be far worse than before.”
This was a magic-forbidden zone, yet Yukiko still possessed the innate powers of a snow woman.
She could drop the surrounding temperature and freely generate ice.
Since it wasn’t magic, facing her with only a sword would be extremely troublesome.
Unlike the one-sided fight on the hill, this would not be an easy picture.
“So what? There’s nothing I can do right here, is there?”
“This body has an excellent idea.”
“What is it?”
“Before I tell you, there is one request I wish to make of the Contractor.”
“If it’s about Polymorph……”
“It is not that.”
“Then?”
“Trust this body completely. No matter what happens.”
Frach’s tone was unusually serious. I nodded.
“Good. First, draw me out still inside the scabbard.”
I pulled the sheathed sword free.
“Next, use the tip to draw the diagram I show you on the floor. Not a single error is permitted.”
I began reproducing the image she projected directly into my mind.
What Frach displayed was a magic circle.
I wanted to ask why we were drawing a magic circle in a place where magic was sealed,
but I had promised to trust her.
I pressed my lips together and silently continued etching the circle.
“Strange……?”
Thud. Thud.
Footsteps approached from far down the corridor.
The voice left no doubt—it was Yukiko.
“Why does a stranger smell like Papa?”
She tilted her head in confusion as she slowly drew closer.
“Hey, won’t you tell me why Papa’s scent is coming from your body?”
“……”
I wanted to answer.
But Frach’s method demanded absolute concentration.
I couldn’t spare even a breath for talking; my hands and eyes had to keep moving.
“……I see. You’re ignoring Yukiko too.”
When I stayed silent she hung her head.
A moment later she lifted her face again—wearing the same bloodthirsty smile I had seen on the first floor.
That pure madness.
“If you won’t tell me, then I don’t need you.”
Yukiko began forming a massive icicle in front of her.
Its bulk completely filled the corridor.
There was zero room to dodge; if she fired it, I would be skewered for certain.
I needed to take a stance and prepare for the icicle right now.
Yet Frach continued giving the same calm order to finish the magic circle.
“Now grip the blade with your bare hand. You possess regenerative power that heals wounds instantly, so hold on tightly.”
Drip…! Drip…!
Blood from my palm ran down Frach and fell drop by drop onto the floor.
My blood filled the magic circle.
Meanwhile Yukiko completed her one-hit-kill icicle.
Without the slightest hesitation she launched it the instant it was ready.
The tip was so sharp it was almost artistic.
The thought of my entire body being swept away made my blood run cold—
and then the signal I had been waiting for finally came.
“Now! Drive this body into the floor!”
“Hup!”
THUD—!
I slammed Frach down as if planting her into the stone.
At once the blood pooled on the magic circle began crawling toward the center.
Then the entire circle flashed crimson, and a crack split open in midair.
“What the hell did you just do…?”
“Hmm? Ah, nothing much……”
That was when it happened.
From inside the fissure, a thick, knotted, dark-red tentacle burst forth.
“Who dares summon me? This Archdemon Leviathan… Kyaaaaak!!”
The voice that scraped across the air like nails on a chalkboard made me wince for only a second.
The icicle that had been flying straight at me vanished into the crack, followed by a death-scream that was more howl than words.
“Demon summoning. I simply called the master of the house.”
“Ahaha!”