Demon Realm.
In a very distant past, there was a place where people lived normally, and civilization thrived.
Now, it’s a land where no one can reside.
The sky isn’t perpetually filled with dark clouds, nor is there suspicious purple mist flowing around. Instead, it shares many similarities with lands inhabited by humans.
The sun and moon rise just fine.
‘Of course, if you go deep enough, the differences from habitable land increase…’
Anyway.
The environment of the Demon Realm is harsh to the point of being barren.
Most of it is desert.
Sand or rock.
Sometimes, you encounter steep ravines.
There are spots where a person could take a short rest.
Places like tiny oases with small forests.
It even rains.
When that happens, the paths that were flowing with water become rivers.
Naturally, you can drink it.
While it’s rough for humans to settle down, it’s not an environment where people absolutely cannot live.
The truly dangerous issue lies elsewhere.
It’s the monsters.
Even if humans try to cultivate the land, they’re often interfered with.
Anyway.
We, the 13th Room, were walking through that demon realm devoid of any trace of humans.
It’s been a week since we set off toward our destination.
Finally, we arrived.
Dillon said,
“This rocky ravine is marked on the map.”
A steep rocky ravine.
Thanks to me leading the way, we arrived relatively smoothly without encountering any enemies.
After all, a Dark Wizard is still a human.
Even if they feast on monsters, they still need to find water.
They can only settle near places where water is easy to obtain.
One of those places is this ravine.
It can become a river when it rains, and it’s easy to access groundwater.
There are plenty of shaded areas too.
“Ah… shade…”
Esmo mumbled while wiping his sweat.
After walking under the scorching sun for so long, he must be tired.
Dillon warned those eager to hurry,
“It’s dangerous to go ahead. The shade is a good resting place for monsters.”
“Ugh…”
First, we watched and searched around the entrance of the ravine for any dangers.
There was nothing particularly threatening.
After a tough journey, Yuel and I took a moment to rest.
I gave Yuel some water while patting her head.
“Isn’t it hot?”
She gulped it down eagerly.
She’s also had a tough time.
It’s the first time I’ve seen her look so exhausted.
“We’ll rest a bit in the shade.”
While the group checked the surroundings, I organized my thoughts.
‘No matter how much of a Dark Wizard they are, they wouldn’t live in a place this deep in the demon realm…’
Dark Wizards who sacrifice lives to mimic magic are inevitably ostracized from society.
They become addicted to the power of magic and can’t hide it.
Ostracized Dark Wizards hide and live in the demon realm.
‘Still, if the map Eliya gave me is true, there are a few places where a Dark Wizard could stay.’
One of those places is the ravine in front of me.
To be precise, it’s the hidden place beneath this ravine.
‘What kind of Dark Wizard would come all the way to such a deep place?’
By the time Yuel whined for more water, our investigation ended.
Dillon declared,
“There are no dangers near the entrance of the ravine. Let’s proceed!”
Once again, Yuel and I took the lead.
As we entered the shade, the air changed immediately.
It felt much cooler.
“We’ll rest here for a bit.”
Everyone dropped their bags and leaned against or sat on the rocks to relax.
Various groans could be heard.
“Ugh, this is tough…”
“I’d rather face a Dark Wizard than suffer this heat…”
“Anyone still have some water left?”
In the meantime, Dillon and Richard were looking down at the map.
I squeezed in between them.
“Ah, Judas. Thanks to you, we could make it here comfortably.”
Dillon said with a smile.
“Don’t mention it.”
“I wish I had one like you…”
Richard reached out toward the Moon Deer, looking envious.
But Yuel subtly dodged him.
“Tch, you still hate me, huh?”
“Given how you act, it’s only natural.”
“Who’s acting? Anyway, I wonder who you take after that makes you only like your owner…”
“Can I hit you once?”
“Sure, but then you’d be rebelling.”
“I’m no longer a candidate; shouldn’t we consider that I’m above you?”
“…What? What did you just say!”
“Nothing?”
I casually petted Yuel while pretending not to know.
Richard muttered to himself, unable to retort, and Dillon rubbed his forehead with a tired look as he sat against a rock.
Everyone was quiet during the rest.
It was probably due to their exhaustion from the forced march.
‘We’ll rest for a bit and then start moving again, naturally guiding us to where the Dark Wizard might be.’
The rest ended quickly.
It was time to walk again.
Dillon discussed various things with his companions as we crossed the ravine.
Just then, Gauss spoke up.
“How about the Underground City?”
“The Underground City?”
“Yes. The Underground City where ancient people hid. It’s notorious for being hidden all over the Demon Realm, right?”
“Hm…. I thought it was just a legend among adventurers… but maybe it’s worth considering.”
The Underground City isn’t just a simple legend or rumor.
It exists.
‘And, it’s underneath this ravine.’
It’s one of the spaces where a Dark Wizard could settle.
That was precisely why I brought us to this ravine.
‘But that’s strange. The Underground City I know is just an empty space…’
I had explored this Underground City before my possession.
While the perspective was different back then.
There was no Dark Wizard at that time.
‘Well, I’ll find out if I dig around.’
As I pondered how to lead us to that location…
Suddenly.
Yuel froze.
An arrow pierced the ground right in front of her.
Someone shouted.
“Ambush!”
At the bottom of the narrow ravine.
Steep rock cliffs blocked either side.
From those cliffs layered high above, shadows began to appear one by one.
Red skin.
Small stature, but solid muscles.
The protruding fangs are menacing.
The enemies snorted loudly through their large noses.
Monsters with slightly lower intelligence than humans, but with far superior fighting spirit.
They hunt in packs…
“It’s Red Orcs!”
Dozens of Red Orcs emerged from various spots in the ravine.
They bang their shields and stomp the ground, intimidating us.
The ravine trembles as if an earthquake has occurred.
The thudding noise beats against our hearts.
The Orcs drew their bows.
They pulled back their strings and released.
A rain of arrows filled the narrow ravine sky.
Shooting sharply down.
Dillon shouted urgently.
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
*
Dillon shouted loudly.
In the brief moment before the arrows fell.
“Stay calm! Hold up your shields and lower your stances! Take cover behind the rocks and regroup!”
Everyone moved in perfect unison.
I turned my body and hid behind the largest rock.
I needed to calm down the startled Yuel.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Just wait here.”
Yuel settled down quickly.
I peeked out from behind the rock.
‘I didn’t notice any traces because we were descending into the ravine. I can’t believe the Orcs were here…’
Our companions had all taken cover.
Five skilled archers.
Jerry, Gauss, Perlyn, Nils, and Esmo.
They immediately pulled out their bows and returned fire.
Arrows fell in a parabolic arc.
A few arrows soared up, defying the rain as they crossed paths like shooting stars.
Thud! Thud!
Two Orcs fell, struck by arrows to their necks.
After a few more return shots, the same number of Orcs fell.
“Let’s find a gap and retreat!”
“The back is blocked!”
Lindell shouted.
The passage we came through was filled with Red Orcs.
The front was the same.
The narrow passage was packed with Red Orcs.
“What the…!”
Dillon gritted his teeth in dismay.
Meanwhile, I felt a bit curious.
‘Why are there so many…?’
Red Orcs usually form small groups to hunt prey.
While they sometimes merge groups, they don’t act on such a large scale.
‘And why are they so calm?’
Normally, Red Orcs are ferocious and impulsive.
They have enough cunning to set traps and ambush, but they’re not this organized.
‘Something’s off…’
While I hesitated for a moment, our allies quickly responded.
The five archers took cover behind the rocks and prepared to shoot.
The rest split into two groups of three and two.
Two of them pushed back the incoming Red Orcs on the front.
The other three battled with the Red Orcs from the back, trying to clear a path.
I quickly thought.
‘Five archers. Five in close combat. Dillon is the commander, so he can switch to close combat. That means my best option here is…’
“Captain! I’ll ride Yuel up to the cliff and take care of the archers!”
“Th…! I’m counting on you! If it gets dangerous, retreat without getting hurt!”
“Understood!”
I hopped onto Yuel, patting her neck.
Calm Yuel promptly followed my order.
The feeling of being lifted off the ground.
The ground feels farther away as we ascend.
Yuel jumped powerfully upwards.
‘A bit short.’
The Orcs are much higher up.
But that didn’t matter.
Yuel used the wall to bounce back up again.
She reached the top where Orcs were lined up in no time.
To the left is a precipice.
To the right is the wall of the ravine.
A narrow path stretches straight ahead.
It’s the perfect environment to face multiple foes alone.
“Squeak-!”
The Orcs snorted loudly and drew their weapons.
Short swords or axes.
Shoddy shields.
Their level of armament is unimpressive.
They are monsters that torment humans with strength and tenacity.
The Moon’s Sword slipped smoothly from its sheath.
I took a quick glance to the opposite side.
There are many archers lined up on the opposite cliff as well.
I spoke to Yuel.
“Go drop Richard off on the opposite side. Even if you don’t want to, just this once. Got it?”
Yuel didn’t hesitate and went down.
She’s a smart creature and can read the mood.
Immediately, she dashed forward.
Red Orcs.
This was my first encounter with them in real combat.
But there’s no need to be scared.
I’ve defeated monsters stronger than this in actual combat.
“Squeak-!”
An Orc let out a battle cry and charged forward.
An attack relying on brute strength without technique.
No need to enhance my weapon with magic.
I’ll break them head-on.
Step forward and slice diagonally.
The axe along with the Orc got severed.
I cleared the fallen body to the right.
The left side is the cliff.
I can’t let it drop on my allies.
The second attack is a thrust followed by a sideways push.
At that moment, someone cheered.
“Whoa-!”
It was Richard riding Yuel.
“Did you really get to do all this fun stuff by yourself?!”
That crazy guy….
I shook my head in disbelief and kept running.
To my right was me.
To my left was Richard.
We steadily reduced the Orcs.
Dillon hurriedly directed us.
“We’ve gained the advantage! Reduce the rear guards by two and focus on defense! Push through while advancing! Match Richard and Judas’ speed!”
I found one thing odd.
The body of an Orc that was about to kill me, eyes wide open until the last moment.
No matter how strong their fighting spirit is, this was over the top.
‘This is the area where we suspect a Dark Wizard might be. Given what’s happening, are there any connections between the Church of Molsin and the Dark Wizard?’
The probability of the Dark Wizard being nearby has increased.
*
By the time I finished off the last Orc in front of me, everything was settling down.
I got down from Yuel.
“Are you okay?”
Dillon asked.
“Yes. Not a scratch.”
“Thank goodness.”
“Hey-!”
Richard shouted from above.
It echoed back.
“Aren’t you supposed to let me down?!”
Yuel pretended not to hear and turned her face away from me.
“Come on-!”
“Since it’s noisy, I don’t think leaving him here would be a bad idea…”
“Dillon, what did you say, you punk-!”
“Wh-what…? There’s no way I could hear you…”
I chuckled and patted Yuel’s rear.
“Really, just one last time, let me ride.”
She seemed reluctant but eventually placed her feet against the wall and jumped.
I looked around at my companions.
“Is everyone alright?”
“Yeah. Thanks to you drawing their attention from above, we were able to recover quickly. It startled us, but no one got hurt.”
The companions seemed fine.
They efficiently wrapped up the battle, showcasing their veteran experience.
It’s the result of five years without a single personnel change.
Yuel came down.
After shaking off Richard, she hid behind me.
Richard grumbled while dusting off his rear.
“Who do you take after for your personality to be like that…?”
Dillon murmured with an expression that showed exhaustion.
“Pointing out someone else’s personality, you’re lacking a bit in conscience.”
“What, punk?”
“Oh my. I misspoke. You are greatly lacking in conscience.”
“I can’t believe this.”
A suitable amount of tension.
A suitable amount of ease.
Red Orcs are strong.
Not fearsome enough to be truly scary, but they’re sufficiently threatening.
Yet they overcame this without great difficulty.
After over a week of traveling, they still reacted sharply even when exhausted.
‘At this level, they should be fit to be an elite squad.’
*
“Yuel? Where are you going?”
Judas slipped into a crevice in the ravine.
I followed him.
“Judas? What’s going on?
“Just a moment, this fellow….”
At the end was a wall.
A dead end.
“Is there something here?”
Yuel stepped aside slightly.
The wall was revealed.
The excessively straight wall felt strangely out of place.
Feeling around, I pushed it gently as if it were a sliding door.
It opened smoothly.
“Oooh…?!”
“What? I can’t see! What is it?!”
Beyond the wall, stairs leading down were revealed.
It’s the entrance to the Underground City.
I had no confidence in persuading them how I knew about the Underground City.
So, I decided to use Yuel’s cleverness.
I tricked them into thinking Yuel discovered it.
I had grown so close to Yuel that we could communicate complex and sophisticated ideas just through a few glances.
“It seems like there’s something down there.”
“Is this the Underground City or what?!”
“How did you find something like this?”
“It’s thanks to this fellow.”
I patted Yuel while avoiding eye contact.
I was still clumsy with lies.
I might get caught if we make eye contact.
Fortunately, they were engrossed in the discovery of a new area.
“But we shouldn’t go in recklessly; we have no idea what’s inside…”
“Adventurers say there are traps where ceilings can drop and floors can collapse!”
That’s all a lie.
The Underground City built by ancient people.
It’s very mysterious, but it’s not anything special.
It’s just a tunnel.
I know it was primarily used to escape disasters.
However, it’s not without its dangers.
Monsters or vagrants sometimes inhabit the Underground City.
Given the high probability of a Dark Wizard’s abode, there may also be magical traps.
“I’ll take the lead. Yuel, remain up high. If it gets dangerous, run away.”
There’s no need to worry.
The adult Moon Deer of the celestial entity is powerful enough to roam the demon realm alone.
She’s quick and hard to catch.
I stepped onto the stairs leading down.
I pointed my sword forward for caution.
Thanks to the mana I infused into the Moon’s Sword, I didn’t need to carry a torch.
Lindell muttered from behind.
“Ugh, it feels like a ghost might pop out…”
“Don’t say that…!”
The stairs weren’t very long.
A passage was revealed.
Walls and ceilings made by digging and tamping down the earth.
There were also forks in the paths and spaces dug out like rooms.
It was like a gigantic anthill.
There were no lights except for ours.
We couldn’t see an inch in front of us.
I activated [Hunter’s Senses], scanning the surroundings.
If a Dark Wizard used this place, there should be some trace….
‘…there are. Footprints. Wait a minute, why are there so many? How many people….’
“There’s something up ahead!”
Everyone focused forward.
“Did you hear that sound?”
Sound?
Everyone held their breath.
Clearly, they were all straining to listen.
Indeed, it was true.
Thud, thud….
The sound of heavy footsteps on a dry floor.
And they were approaching slowly.
‘Only two?’
I kept my guard up, watching ahead.
One by one, our companions drew their weapons.
Through the light, the edges of the dark began to reveal someone’s feet.
Worn armor hastily patched up.
Slow and jerky movements.
A foul smell of decay wafted through the air.
‘…Is that a Ghoul?’
Did the Dark Wizard revive the corpses?
Finally, the face became apparent.
For a corpse, it had a relatively mild expression.
“That face… I think I’ve seen it before…”
Just as it was said.
It was a very familiar foe for me.
Five years ago.
Following Balak’s orders, I learned that they were a knight from the Church of Molsin.
And this was a candidate who had once traded and assaulted Dillon.
‘Why are these two here…? Could it be that there’s some connection between the Church of Molsin and the Dark Wizard?’
Gaston and Salaman.
Those two stood as Ghouls before me, blocking the way.
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