Chapter 30
"Oh, I knew it! There was no need for pretense."
"Yes, sir. He told me to follow the Demon's Shard upon arrival here. How may I assist you?"
The sound of Luna grinding her teeth reached here. She too had distanced herself from my side.
"No, that can't be! Zero would never do that!"
Even in this situation, Raymon stayed by my side.
But why is his loyalty so high?
I haven't done anything.
"Kehehe, it's simple. Just help me take root in this place."
"Couldn't you do it alone? Although it's an initial type of erosion, I thought you could handle that."
"Hmm! Before I went to sleep, I had an accident. A sacred sword... I never imagined. So, I lost most of my power." "A sacred sword? Where is that?"
"I'm not quite sure. Before I fell asleep, it was over there..."
The Demon's Shard moved its only eyeball.
Everyone's gaze turned there.
There lay human bones, clothes, and traces of a shattered sword.
"Friend! Friend!"
The parrot screeched almost like a scream.
There was no longer any need to hide it. These were Luterus's traces.
He had perished after a fierce battle with the Demon's Shard.
That was part of the story created in the game.
"Kehehe, a fine sight. Well, I had to rest due to severe damage... but now it doesn't matter. You're here, after all."
"How much of your strength has been restored?"
"About 20%. The only abilities I can use are erosion and thorny tentacles. Damn, how did I end up like this..."
Black tentacles writhed around the Demon's Shard.
Tentacles with sharp, spike-like ends. That was his way of attacking.
"Oh dear, can't you move?"
"That's right. The power of erosion isn't what it used to be. I doubt I can take over space in one go. It would have been a disaster if you hadn't been here."
"Hmm, did he give you any other orders? Like plans for the future..."
"Huh? The plan was to replicate me after my completion. I overheard that another plan is underway on the white plains to the north of the empire... Wait a minute."
The Demon's Shard moved its eyeball in a circle.
It seemed to be thinking.
"But why are you asking this? You should have much more information than me who was asleep."
Oh, that?
Because...
"Keke, I am your enemy."
"...!!"
His pupil dilated.
His surprise was palpable to all of us.
"Such a cunning human!"
"Keke, how foolish. Truly befitting a demon. A race known to be worse liars than humans."
"What are you saying, you insolent brat! Lying is a demon's forte!"
"Yes, bring on the next demon. Playing with losers isn't fun..."
"This, this brat...!"
The orb vibrated violently.
The tremor clearly conveyed his real anger.
It was time to observe his trembling form.
Luna stepped beside me again and said.
"Well done. I believed in you from the start."
"...Didn't you just grind your teeth?"
"Ahaha... Ye-yes, acting, just acting! I wouldn't betray a friend, right? How was my acting?"
If that was acting, she could be a great actress.
Next was Rodelin.
"Zero, just one question."
"Go ahead."
"How did you know that thing was the Demon's Shard?"
Did I mention that?
A mistake. But there were plenty of excuses.
"It was written on the door."
"...On the door?"
"Yes."
No joke, it was really written there.
The Demon's Shard was temporarily sealed here to give it time to recover.
'It also says "Do not awaken for 50 years," but saying that would be counterproductive if they could read it.'
Demon archeology is not as advanced a field as one might think.
Even a little research would have you branded a black magician and burned at the stake.
It's a discipline that's only recently come to be seen as necessary.
So, it's best to be sparing with words.
"Damn humans! I'll kill you all!!"
A black aura burst forth from where the Demon's Shard was.
A roar signaling the start of battle.
At the same time, a blue window appeared before me.
[Hidden Quest]
- Defeat the Demon's Shard.
Reward: 300exp, 30 gold
Penalty: Death
This game has hidden quests too.
After all, it's an old game that revolves around quests and dialogues.
For Episode 1, the reward is quite generous. But I wasn't feeling good.
'A death penalty already? The level difference must be huge.'
A penalty of death means there's no harsher penalty that could be given.
What's the point of any other penalties like stat reduction after death? You're already dead.
In other words, it's a sign that the difficulty is too high for my current specs, almost like a bad ending.
A kind warning to be extra cautious while playing.
'Information window.'
[The Demon's Shard: S]
Lv: 39
Strength: 58
Agility: 39
Intelligence: 18
Stamina: 350
Magic Power: 250
Disposition: Evil
A creation born from someone's research. Appears to be made by a considerable expert.
Gradually erodes everything around, destroying all.
Harbors tremendous malice towards humans.
Currently weakened due to the influence of the sacred sword.
Owned Skills: [Space Domination S], [Erosion B], [Demon Magic B], [Corrosion D]
"I'll kill you all!!"
Whoosh!
Black thorns were shot towards me.
If I get hit, I'll end up dead, just as it said.
My level is only a mere 12.
But.
'My companions are quite strong.'
Clang! Clash!
Rodelin and Luna shattered the thorns heading towards me.
Luna's level is low, but she has specs comparable to a main character.
Having caught the invisible slime with me, her level would be higher than usual.
'And she’s specialized in attack, so her attack power is strong.'
Though she may lack in defense and stamina, her attack power is more than sufficient.
Plus, the Demon's Shard is weakened compared to its specs due to the influence of the sacred sword.
So, it's not strange that Luna could shatter the thorns in one go.
"Earth Flip!"
"One Flash!"
Boom!
Crack!
The ground flipped and a flash of light from a sword strike.
A stream of blood flowed from the body of the Demon's Shard.
The damage was there, but minimal.
The Demon's Shard raised its thorns in defense.
"Ugh!"
"Argh!"
Rodelin and Luna retreated simultaneously.
And that's not all. Their arms and legs turned a light purple.
Due to the [Space Domination] and [Erosion] skills possessed by the Demon's Shard.
'Erosion is a low-level skill, but the damage is stronger due to the Space Domination skill.'
Specifically, the efficiency of stats and skills increases in the area declared as its space.
The blood-red ground is the space successfully dominated by [Space Domination].
And gradually, that space will expand.
'In the game, being hit by erosion three times consecutively meant instant death.'
Three consecutive times.
Meaning, if you step out of the range in between, it resets.
That's why experienced players use a strategy of rotating three characters to distribute damage and attack.
'Of course, a minimum amount of stamina is needed.'
You still take damage when hit by erosion.
Rodelin and Luna retreated again.
Dangerous.
Rodelin should be fine, but Luna's health must be critical.
"Kehehehehe! I'll kill you all!"
"Luna, step back. I'll handle this alone."
"Damn...!"
But it's time for Rodelin to retreat too.
She's already been hit by erosion twice.
Proving this, the erosion had reached up to her neck.
"Everyone, come over here."
"Zero, the area of erosion is expanding. If we delay any longer..."
"There's a way. Come here, and I'll explain."
Luna immediately retreated, and after a moment of thought, Rodelin approached my side.
"Kehehe... Foolish humans. It's useless anyway. This body is..."
"Would you be quiet, please? Can't you see we're having a meeting?"
"Impudent human! I'll kill you right now!"
"I know your range doesn’t reach here. You can't even move without legs."
"..."
Swoosh!
He shot out thorns, but they landed 20 meters away from where we were.
The Demon's Shard, muttering to itself 'Hmm, I'm a bit rusty after waking up. I should do some stretching,' planted thorns around itself.
Seems like it was embarrassed too.
Given the situation, we decided to be understanding.
"How is your physical condition?"
"Actually, a bit dangerous... Huh?"
Rodelin moved her body.
Soon, the skin that had turned purple reverted to its original state.
"It seems to be an initial form of erosion, different from what I've experienced before."
"I see. The speed of erosion is fast, but its duration is pitifully short."
"Keke, premature. That's unfortunate."
Rodelin's face turned red.
She really isn't immune to such crude jokes.
'I'm not premature, I'm just tired because I woke up after a long time. Ah, just thinking to myself, but keep that in mind,' grumbled from somewhere.
Are demons sensitive about such things too?
"I'll explain the strategy. If you're hit by erosion twice, retreat immediately. You must wait outside the erosion area until fully recovered."
"I understand. But the attack is the problem."
"I will remove the eroded land. So, please protect me until then."
"...You mean to say you'll eliminate the eroded land? That's impossible."
Rodelin was someone who has first hand experience with erosion.
So, she would know. Erosion can't be removed.
It can only be eliminated with immense holy power, so Rodelin's statement seems accurate.
However.
"What we have is not complete erosion. It's an initial type. So, it should be possible to remove it."
"Assuming that's true, how do you plan to remove it?"
With a sly smile, I raised my right hand.
In it, I held my weapon.
A very large and beautiful... mop.
"...You can't be serious."
Rodelin's expression soured.
But, unfortunately, she was right.
"Let's clean up. This dirty land."
The unfortunate skill obtained after paying 100 potential points.
The power of [Clean S].
* * *
Parrot's Diary #5
"Friend!"
Suddenly, the ground collapsed. I flew towards Luterus, who was falling.
He was falling much faster than my speed.
'Damn, damn, damn!'
Thud!
"Argh!"
Luterus screamed.
Fortunately, he wasn't dead. There were layers of plants cushioning his fall.
"Friend!"
"Uh... I'm okay. But what is this place?"
Plants turned black.
A place full of dead plants, an ominous atmosphere.
"Huh? What's that..."
The land stained with dark red. In the center, there was a black egg.
"Who's there?"
A giant eyeball popped out from the black egg.
At the same time, a black aura engulfed us.
This is how we die...
Whoosh-!
Just when I thought we were dead, a light burst from the sword Luterus was holding.
"Sacred sword...!"
"Kaaah!!"
The black egg screamed in agony.
Simultaneously, hundreds of thorns were shot towards us.
'That must be the demon...!'
Vroom-!
Whoosh!!
With the swing of his sword, Luterus released a holy light.
Hundreds of thorns melted away.
There was nothing more to say. The battle had begun.
Crack!
"Damn it!"
Luterus couldn't approach. He was too busy fending off attacks.
I may be a parrot, but I've seen many sparring sessions.
There's no chance of winning. We'll lose at this rate.
Realizing this, Luterus spoke to me.
"Bring people. I'll hold on until then."
No, I can't do that.
I can't leave you, my friend, behind. We can run away together, you fool!
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Luterus smiled brightly.
"The kids mustn't get hurt."
"..."
"You'll definitely bring people. You're my friend, I trust you. Remember, it's team play."
Team play.
Right. We can win.
Alone we can't, but together, we can.
I'll be back quickly. So, please.
Hold on a little longer, friend.
I flew faster than anyone.
The ground was back to its original state, but there was a gap created when the sacred sword was pulled out, allowing me to escape.
As I burst onto the surface, I shouted.
"Demon! Help! Demon!"
Please help! A demon has appeared!
"Friend! Save!"
Please save my one and only friend.
Please.
--TL Notes--
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