novelraw Chapter 57 : An Unusual Minor Demon Realm (1)
Chapter 57 : An Unusual Minor Demon Realm (1)
An Unusual Minor Demon Realm (1)
There was a time in the past, reading posts on the Belkhazium community, when I found myself deep in thought.
-[ Author: OnlyRaisingGoodElf ]
-[ Title: Character I raised for 350 hours got struck by lightning and died. ]
-[ Views: 2,734 / Recommendations: 24 ]
Because Belkhazium is such a hardcore game, posts like these would pop up every now and then.
People would boast about how ridiculously and tragically their characters had died.
'If I had posted the death capture of my 1,500-hour character, would I have gotten a ton of recommendations?'
Thinking such things, I clicked on that post for a quick look.
I skimmed the picture of the elf who died right in front of an advanced-rank Spirit Orb and scrolled down.
-[ㅇㅇ: 350 hours, lol, here's a comfort upvote.]
-[ㅇㅇ: Wow, looking at the gear that dropped, it's level 6. Lol, this must be so frustrating you can't sleep tonight.]
-[ㅇㅇ: He was acting cocky, saying he'd reach level 7 with this old nickname, lol. Ah, but it's too sad to tease you, so here's a comfort upvote, lol.]
Most of the initial comments were like this.
But the mood soured quickly.
-[GameSucksGroan: As always, these irregular Minor Demon Realm rumor baits come up regularly, lol. Such pathetic liars, geez.]
-[GameSucksGroan: Always dying 'cause you suck, then talking about some nonexistent irregular Minor Demon Realm. Stop pretending it exists; out with the fabricators, lol.]
Because the appearance rate of irregular Minor Demon Realms is so low,
there were even some who denied their very existence.
Well, that kind of person is always on the internet, right?
People who, just because they don't know something, immediately deny it.
If it were me, I'd have just ignored them.
But the author of this post, GoodBoy, was not like that.
-[OnlyRaisingGoodElf: You're a newbie who's never even been to level 6, right? Stop talking if you don't know.]
And so, a keyboard battle began between the author 'GoodBoy', and 'GameSucksGroan', who would later become an infamous name.
Ah, to get back to the original story,
the dilemma I had was this:
'Should I side with GoodBoy, or not?'
Since he always posted guides and kindly answered newbie questions, I felt a bit of an internal bond.
After much deliberation, I decided to leave a comment.
-[SoupChung: Irregular Minor Demon Realms are real. There are two types. 1- Human demonkin worship, 2- Artificial Demon King creation.]
Replies started piling up under my short comment.
-[ㅇㅇ: How did this happen? Level 8 guy has appeared.]
-[ㅇㅇ: Lol, here comes that guy.]
-[ㅇㅇ: Long time no see, level 8! Welcome!]
-[PinkkuPinkku: Please reveal more guides, oh Level 8!]
I wasn't very active in the community,
but I was kind of a 'legendary Pokémon'—someone who showed up very rarely to give correct answers and was considered a name to know.
About 30 minutes of praise and questions followed like that.
Then, finally, a reply came in from the previously silent GameSucksGroan.
-[GameSucksGroan: ngm]
I had been weighing whether or not to post the clear method in case GameSucksGroan threw out some logical rebuttal, but I just laughed it off.
Like that, most players probably had no idea.
'How to clear an irregular Minor Demon Realm.'
KWA-AANG!
Leaving those memories behind, I dodged Gardoc's punch.
The power was overwhelming, but not enough that I couldn't avoid it.
That bastard was just toying with us right now.
'In other words, he could kill us at any time.'
So I needed to figure it out, fast.
Was that guy just a simple summon,
or was he in the process of becoming a Demon King?
To know that, I'd have to draw blood first.
PUNG! PUBEONG!
But with Plerine's weakened magic, we couldn't inflict any meaningful damage on Gardoc.
Ralph and I couldn't swing our blades carelessly either.
Even a graze would mean death.
So, as expected,
'Let's use Hunting Time.'
Even if I couldn't land a fatal blow, I could still get some intel.
Tick-tock.
Dodging Gardoc's attacks, I waited for my opportunity.
'Focus. Focus.'
As befitted a 6th-rank, it wasn't easy to find an opening to land a hit.
Worse, I had to keep his attention, dodge attacks, and constantly stay on the move.
Still, the chance came.
As Plerine burst a flame close to his face,
'Now!'
I quickly threw one of my last two utility knives.
SWISH-! THUD!
The utility knife I threw stuck into the flesh of his thigh.
"Heh. Kuhahaha!"
But the guy just nonchalantly pulled out the knife and aimed it back at me.
To him, my utility knife was like a toothpick.
"Stupid black-hair. Thanks for the weapon. Reeeet-tanun!!"
Ignoring his words, I kept my eyes on where the knife had stuck in his thigh.
Szzzzz.
Smoke issued from the knife wound and it closed up almost instantly.
Rapid regeneration.
There was no way to kill this guy.
'It's not a normal summon—it's a Demon King transformation.'
Most Belkhazium gamers faced with this situation would fall into despair,
but if you play as much as I have, you're not just experienced—you're rotten water.
The solution is in my head.
'All I have to do is find and destroy the soul-binding medium.'
Break the medium, and the Demon Realm is destroyed instantly.
I just had to find that.
So, what was the medium, exactly?
'Damn it.'
It came to me at once.
The ugly Mor-ozen statue.
That stone necklace hanging on the statue!
'Shit. I just thought it was a difference between the pixel graphics and seeing it in person.'
From now on, if anything even seems off, I'll suspect it all.
KWAANG!
Debris flew up from another of Gardoc's punches.
Batting them away, I pressed on with my thoughts.
'One of us has to get over there.'
But who?
If any of us three left the fight, we'd lose our balance.
And Gardoc might get excited if he sees someone trying to make a run for it.
Crack.
Perhaps from clenching my jaw too hard, I ground my teeth,
and at that moment, the three of us found ourselves thrown a good distance away from Gardoc.
He too didn't rush at us.
Because—
BZZT.
Someone was entering, breaking through the boss room barrier.
'Shit.'
Who is it? Who's coming in, damn it.
As my nerves frayed, Gardoc only looked more delighted.
"KUHAHAHA! Guests have arrived! This is getting fun! I'm so happy!"
BZZT.
An outsider fully stepped into the boss room.
And the moment I saw her, my thoughts got even more tangled.
On top of her red-haired head, there were rabbit ears stuck on like a sticker!
'Shit. She's a beastkin.'
We were doomed.
If only it had been one of Granfen's company commanders,
even if we got punished later, we could have survived for now.
But of all things, it was a beastkin, from Heroni Federation, Granfen's greatest enemy.
Just as I was thinking that—
Ralph shouted out.
"Special Investigator Legion?!"
Ralph sounded like he recognized the red-haired beastkin, like he was glad to see her... Wait, hold on.
'Did he just call that beastkin the Special Investigator?'
What the hell was that about?
My mind couldn't keep up with the situation as the short woman—who looked like a beastkin—lifted one side of her mouth in a smirk.
"Looks like coming here was the right move after all."
BAM!
She charged at us,
whipping out two sticks and snapping them together to form a long staff.
In a flash, she closed the distance.
I reflexively gripped my kitchen knife tighter to prepare to defend myself,
when she slammed the end of the long staff into the ground.
CRACK!
"Lux Aurea. Sanctum Descendat."
From the point of impact, golden light burst forth and a divine aura swirled around the area.
'This skill... Is it Sanctuary?'
A sharp, pleasant wind surged with the holy power.
Whoosh! Whiiing!
The rabbit ears on the girl's head flopped around in the wind like a giant balloon doll—
Srrip.
'Huh?'
The rabbit ears... flew off her head, carried away by the wind.
Wait, on closer look, that's not right.
What flew away wasn't her actual rabbit ears,
it was a headband shaped like rabbit ears.
'She wasn't a beastkin after all.'
*
"Is everyone alright?"
The girl's—no, Special Investigator Legion's—voice snapped me back to my senses.
'How did the Special Investigator get here?'
I wanted to ask, but unfortunately there wasn't time.
"Reeet-taaa-nuuuunnn!"
Gardoc roared, his face flushed.
Not angry, but truly flushed.
"My body feels heavier. But I'm enjoying this! More tasty treats to eat!"
The stupid barbarian shouted joyfully about his new debuff.
Sure enough, the skill Legion had used was 'Sanctuary'.
It boosts allies' magic resistance and slows enemies within its area.
But—
'Why do I barely feel a difference?'
I should have gotten a rise in magic resistance, but it was negligible.
But it seemed Plerine was different.
"This is good. Really good."
She grinned with satisfaction, a ball of flame rolling in her palm.
Ralph hopped in place and said enthusiastically:
"Now it finally feels like being outside. Thank you, Special Investigator."
Come to think of it, those two only get about half the effect from my buffs.
In other words, they weren't really fighting at full strength up to now.
That means...
maybe things will look up from here.
"Forget the report for now—do that after we're done. I'll handle the front, you three cover the flanks and rear!"
Declaring this, Legion charged straight at Gardoc.
I followed at her pace without complaint.
Breaking the medium was still crucial, but right now, deceiving Gardoc's attention took priority.
Reaching Gardoc, Legion jumped high, using her momentum.
Then, from above, she swung her long staff downward.
Gardoc responded with an uppercut.
"Let the sacred light descend!"
FLASH. Holy power blazed up from the staff and crashed into his fist.
WHACK!
The holy power in the staff blew away half his fist.
A chunk of meat flew off.
But Gardoc's halved fist didn't stop.
"LET-TA-NUN!"
His blood-soaked fist rushed for Legion in midair,
with no time for Plerine to intervene with an explosion.
THUD!
Legion was sent spinning in the air.
Plerine detonated flames to keep Gardoc from following up.
In that gap, Legion landed—
she barely twisted her body out of a direct hit,
yet her forearm was soaked with blood, likely broken.
It all happened in an instant.
'Shit.'
The curse stayed on my lips.
Gardoc—he had immediately boosted his fighting power to match our side having gotten stronger.
Despite the debuff, his speed was unchanged.
And that's not the end of it.
He's already in the process of turning into a Demon King.
SIZZLE.
Smoke rose from Gardoc's fist.
With rapid regeneration, it completely restored itself.
Watching this, Legion muttered quietly,
"Barbarians can do something even I can't..."
—Hearing her say that, I understood.
Seeing the staff and skills, she's a monk class, but if she can't use any recovery spells yet, Legion must be a 4th-rank.
The conclusion followed.
'Even with Legion here, it's the same. There's no way to win by fighting.'
So, as expected, we needed to destroy the medium. As I thought that—
"!"
I suddenly felt the strength draining from my body.
The strength buff from the rice ball I'd eaten while dealing with Skel had expired.
SMAAACK!
Ralph was knocked away by a kick from Gardoc.
He'd had a rice ball with me too, hadn't he?
He hadn't even realized the buff was ending—
WHACK! Roll roll roll.
The world spun round and round.
My mouth filled with the taste of blood.
It hurt like hell.
'This isn't the time to worry about Ralph.'
I spat out the saliva pooling in my mouth. Ptui.
At least, I hadn't been struck as directly as Ralph.
Because I noticed the buff ending, I managed to take a glancing blow.
"Kuhahat! Black-hair, is that all you've got?"
Gardoc shouted, still keeping me in his sights,
and as he moved in my direction, Legion—covering the front—intercepted him.
"You two, get out of here! Go, report to Granfen headquarters about this!"
KWAANG!
Gardoc's fist slammed into the ground again,
and Legion, dodging, kept his aggro focused on her.
'Truly fitting for a Special Investigator.'
Her ability to assess the situation was outstanding.
Judging that we'd never win if this continued, she meant to buy time while sending the wounded out for help.
But that was all the more dangerous.
If I disappeared, with Gardoc's focus on me, there's no telling what he might do.
Still,
'With the aggro off him for now, at least Ralph can escape.'
I summoned every drop of strength left and ran to Ralph.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm... fine. Kgh."
Ralph propped himself up with his sword.
But his body was trembling slightly.
He couldn't keep fighting, that much was clear.
"Ralph. Do you remember the statue at the forked path at the entrance of the Demon Realm?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"The stone necklace hanging on it. You have to destroy that."
"......"
Ralph just stared at me in silence.
Well, I was asking him to do something bizarre at a life-or-death moment—it probably didn't make sense.
But he was the only one who could do it.
"Please, Ralph. I'm begging you. It's the only way any of us survive."
I put everything I had into it, desperate and sincere.
"... You're going to stay here?"
I nodded.
"......"
Ralph thumped my chest and said,
"Don't die."
And then he ran for the exit of the boss room.
Fortunately, Gardoc was still preoccupied with Plerine and Legion.
'He may have decided to let him go even knowing.'
Before diving back into the fight, I opened my backpack.
Without the rice ball's strength buff, I was painfully weak.
As I tried to grab the last remaining rice ball,
my hand paused as I caught sight of the Goblet of Blood Iron.
No—more precisely, the spare meat lying underneath the goblet.
'Imp's wings.'
My mind raced.
In my system, a completed Korean dish provides an extra buff,
and if it includes meat, it adds a meat and dish tier bonus for an even greater effect.
'And imp's wing is meat.'
I'd made my decision.
I cut off a portion of flesh from the imp's wing.
A drop of blood dripped down as I stuffed it into the rice ball.
CHOMP.
I took a big bite.