After defeating the strange monster, Lian urged the group to move faster. Strange monsters appeared from time to time, but they managed to handle them without any trouble.
‘…! Found it!’
As expected, the hidden path that appeared in the original story was still intact. The path was wider than described in the original, looking wide enough for over 60 people to line up and move through.
Lian immediately handed a map indicating the destination they should head to after leaving the forest to the executives.
Though the executives were weaker compared to Lian, they weren’t lacking in strength, so they would make it to the next destination without any problems.
“I’m going to take the others and join you over there.”
“Yes, please return safely.”
“Make sure to save Lily!”
As expected from the organization members who were brought in based on personality, they all had serious faces, worried about Lian and the disappeared group.
“Take this. It will help.”
Mukan, one of the group, handed Lian a pouch the size of an adult man’s fist. Inside were medicinal herbs and bandages for emergency treatment. After thanking him, Lian parted ways with the group. Once they were completely gone, Lian began walking in the opposite direction.
‘If I keep going, there should be the building Lily mentioned—not a dilapidated house.’
The large road they had been walking on passed by a dilapidated house and led out of the forest, while the hidden path continued from the back of the house into the woods.
Walking along the hidden path would lead to the building where Lily had screamed.
‘There might be other groups that haven’t discovered it yet… Everyone must be safe.’
While Lian was worried about his precious people, he heard the excited voice of the Demon Sword.
[Hehehe! Finally, it’s my turn to shine! Now that the kid is gone, I can show off my amazing self, right?]
The enthusiastic Demon Sword began to transform from a somewhat flashy sword into a dangerously enchanting one. A reddish aura started to ripple, and the gem embedded in the hilt sparkled alluringly, captivating anyone who saw it.
The sword blade, which had a color similar to an ordinary iron sword, became stained with a dark red hue as if drenched in darkness. Even from 300 meters away, one could instantly recognize it as the Demon Sword.
‘Isn’t it too conspicuous?’
[This is still not enough! Make it more dazzling and beautiful! Yes! Like an explosion!]
As the Demon Sword shouted like a madman, the energy surrounding it began to thrash wildly. Hearing the maniacal laughter of the sword made Lian’s troubled heart feel a bit lighter.
‘Sure, do as you please.’
After muttering that, Lian looked ahead. With no more party members to worry about, he hastened his pace, and as a result, the building Lily mentioned was right in front of him.
‘It’s not really a dilapidated house.’
While Lian was examining the building, the Demon Sword was gleefully oozing red blood from its blade.
[Hehe, I was waiting for that.]
The Demon Sword, thrilled by Lian’s offhand comment of “do as you please,” created a blood-red puddle right under Lian’s feet.
Slosh, slosh.
Every time Lian moved, the shallow blood puddle squelched. He glanced down and thought, ‘Here we go again, Gargandoa’s at it again,’ ignoring it lightly.
After all, he believed that whatever the Demon Sword was doing, it wouldn’t harm him.
‘I was planning to circle around the building to where Lily disappeared, but… maybe I should just ask those guys?’
Lian’s gaze landed on two robust men guarding the entrance. Both were so large they could easily remind anyone of orcs.
‘Alright, let’s just ask them once.’
Lian approached what seemed to be the back entrance of the building.
*
“Hey, someone is coming!”
“Didn’t they say no one would come today?”
“But someone is approaching. Look over there.”
“What’s with that feeble guy?”
The two big guys were twin brothers. Born with innate strength, they had built their reputation as mercenaries, living off the blade.
For the pair, who preferred stomping their opponents down with their inflated muscles, Lian, walking confidently, looked like a pathetic slender fish with a decent build.
“Isn’t he lost?”
“From the looks of it, he seems to be.”
Even without an ambush or invasion, it wasn’t uncommon for travelers or mercenaries to lose their way in the forest and stumble upon the hidden path, thus arriving here. The location of the laboratory was confidential information, known only to a select few.
“Hey, can I kill him?”
“No way! You killed the last one! It’s my turn this time!”
The job of guarding the laboratory entrance was comfortable compared to the pay, but it was dull by the same token. For the two who lived every day stained with blood, it was even more so.
Had they not lost all their money to gambling, they would have been out on the battlefield, not stuck here.
With no way to escape, their only remaining amusement was to toy with an idiot who had lost his way and kill him.
“Then let’s play together.”
“Just don’t get too excited and smash his head.”
“Got it, bro.”
As they drew close enough to see each other’s faces, they quickly came to a consensus and stared at Lian with bloodshot eyes.
Slosh, slosh.
Despite no rain, they heard the sound of someone stepping in a puddle. Simultaneously, their keen noses caught the tangy scent of blood. A sinister feeling gripped them, snapping them back to reality.
“Bro…”
“What the hell is that?”
The brothers’ eyes trained on the Demon Sword, which was spilling its crimson aura. They were entranced, like someone bewitched.
“Bro, I want that!”
“…Me too.”
With their sheer strength and low mental fortitude, the brothers quickly fell under the spell of the Demon Sword.
Splash!
As the sound of the blood puddle being stepped on thundered like a lightning strike, the puddle beneath Lian began to quiver violently.
Dark red blood that was blacker than wine began to creep up Lian’s feet and clothes, quickly rising to engulf his whole body.
Whoosh—…
The blood that had shot up to the sky then poured down over the heads of the brothers and Lian. In no time, Lian’s attire transformed into a uniform that suited the taste of the Demon Sword.
The rain made of blood that poured down from the sky stopped before five seconds passed. The brothers, soaked head to toe in blood, looked like they were caught in a shower, while Lian remained completely dry.
Under normal circumstances, the brothers would have felt nervous at such an unusual phenomenon, but they were fixated solely on the Demon Sword with bloodshot eyes, having completely lost sight of everything else.
“Give it to me! That’s mine!”
Impatient, the younger brother shouted fiercely and swung his greatsword.
Thud.
“…!”
Lian casually raised his left hand to catch the greatsword, which felt like stopping a child’s punch. In that fleeting moment, the younger brother regained a tinge of sanity. But it was far too late.
Clang!
As Lian tightened his grip, the greatsword splintered and split cleanly in half. Faced with such an overwhelming difference in strength, the younger brother stumbled back. Taking advantage of the gap, the elder brother lunged with a dagger.
“Die!”
The attack aimed directly at Lian’s neck was—
Creak.
Rendered moot by the Demon Sword, which blocked it. The elder brother, with crimson eyes, strained even harder, but—
Fwoosh!
Lian’s kick to the elder brother’s solar plexus was faster.
“Gah, ugh!”
The elder brother, hit in the solar plexus, dropped to the ground and began to vomit. The younger brother, finally regaining his senses, charged in with clenched fists only to be knocked out by blows to his solar plexus and jaw.
Lian frowned at the two men rolling on the ground.
‘Why are you blocking with your hands? You scared me!’
[That’s true “coolness.”]
Ignoring the strangely sentimental Demon Sword, he turned to the trembling man staring up at him with fear and said,
“I have a few questions… can you answer them?”
“..Eep!”
Lian’s smile was soft and angelic, but it felt eerily non-human due to the complete absence of warmth. The faint aura of the Demon Sword enveloping him added to the oppressive atmosphere.
“Y-Yes! I will tell you everything I know!”
In the land of the Demon King, the law of the jungle ruled, and the mercenary quickly began to spill all the information he had.
After hearing enough valuable information, Lian struck the man’s head, knocking him out cleanly. Then he fashioned the Demon Sword into a spade, digging the ground and burying him with only his head sticking out. Having offered the information willingly, he had granted him a chance to live.
Shaking off his hands, Lian proceeded to the door the two were guarding. The Demon Sword looked down at the slumped figures with only their heads exposed and thought.
[If left like this, those monsters will surely eat them alive… My partner’s nature is more ruthless than I imagined.]
The Demon Sword spoke proudly, its voice filled with admiration.
[Hehe, as expected, my partner.]
“Huh?”
Lian did not quite understand the Demon Sword’s words and tilted his head. He shrugged it off and intended to head into the laboratory. Or so he thought.
“Hmm?”
When he stepped slightly inward, a door-like entrance refused to open. He knocked, but there was no response.
“Ah!”
With a hopeful expression, Lian pushed the door. It didn’t budge. He then tried pushing it sideways.
“Oh?”
It began to move slightly. Lian put more strength into it and began to push it sideways. The door actually shifted a little.
[I’ll assist!]
The moment the Demon Sword’s energy wrapped around Lian’s body.
Bang, crash!
The door, as if kicked by a giant, was smashed sideways. It was more accurate to say it was broken rather than opened.
The door, programmed to allow entry only for those with markings, emitted a crackling sound.
{Intruder… intruder…}
Instead of sounding an alarm, the door fell silent. Lian looked at the crumpled doorway and remarked,
“Guess it was a door that opened sideways after all. At least put a sign on it.”
With that, Lian passed through the broken door and stepped into the laboratory.
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