Ch.70Chapter 70. Tunnel Devil (1)

Chapter 70. Tunnel Demon (1)

The reply came very quickly.

ㄴ [DinaPrincess: We’ve captured one high-ranking demon.]

ㄴ [MeleeSpy: …I see]

ㄴ [DinaPrincess: Did you capture the other high-ranking demon?]

Oh. That’s right.

MeleeSpy asked if we caught two. That means he already knew about one being caught.

Is he implying that he caught one himself?

ㄴ [MeleeSpy: That…]

ㄴ [MeleeSpy: You don’t need to know]

I knew it. This bastard caught one.

ㄴ [DinaPrincess: I heard about AtomicRex from a colleague.]

ㄴ [DinaPrincess: Would you like to join our special forces? You could be a great help.]

ㄴ [MeleeSpy: Nope]

ㄴ [DinaPrincess: We might be able to catch the Dark Cloud demon.]

ㄴ [MeleeSpy: Is that so… you don’t know…]

God, he’s so irritating.

Is that some kind of meme?

ㄴ [DinaPrincess: Excuse me? What are you talking about?]

ㄴ [MeleeSpy: Info 1) There are over seventy high-ranking demons]

ㄴ [DinaPrincess: …That many?]

ㄴ [MeleeSpy: Info 2) Dark Cloud is on a different level from the one you caught]

ㄴ [MeleeSpy: If you really want to catch it, try with about three level 10 users]

ㄴ [MeleeSpy: If you can’t do that, just give up. Make living longer your goal]

ㄴ [MeleeSpy: This fucked game wasn’t made to be cleared in the first place]

ㄴ [MeleeSpy: Bye]

And with that, MeleeSpy left.

[DinaPrincess: Three… I don’t think we have that kind of time.]

[DinaPrincess: None of us do.]

DinaPrincess also disappeared, leaving behind what seemed like bitter words.

So we need three max-level paladins to catch the Dark Cloud demon?

That could take years.

– …

I should feel good after hearing the news about a high-ranking demon being caught, but something feels off.

I can’t even begin to imagine how strong Dark Cloud is.

We’d probably have to kill hundreds of lesser demons and dozens of mid-rank demons that guard it before we could properly fight it.

Lakye alone can handle dozens of lesser demons, but even three mid-rank demons would be too much for him.

Kanto might be able to hold off three or four lesser demons, but that’s about it.

Regular warriors struggle with just one lesser demon.

It’s unthinkable right now.

Let’s focus on the enemy in front of us first—the Tunnel Demon. It’s no pushover either.

***

The promised day arrived.

All tribal federation warriors have completed their preparations and are waiting for my orders.

It sounds impressive when put that way, but in reality, it’s just a bunch of grown men and women kneeling before the mini totem Lakye is holding.

You could call it a horrifying human version of the Simba birth scene from “The Lion King.”

– He is cunning, but no match for us. With me, Malak…

I gave them a somewhat impressive speech. I stayed up a bit late yesterday thinking about it.

This is our third expedition, so I couldn’t just wing it.

Is this how school principals feel when preparing their speeches?

Back then, I’d just think “this old fart talks too much” and swallow my frustration, but now that I’m an adult, I understand.

They probably prepared those words after careful consideration.

Maybe that’s why they kept saying “just one more thing to add~” while reciting speeches filled with effort, sweat, and passion.

“Woooah!”

The response is better than expected. No one is whispering or getting distracted like during school assemblies.

– …I, Malak, promise victory.

Everyone listened attentively to my words until the end with bright eyes.

I’m moved.

“…huh? Ah?”

It would have been perfect if not for that sound.

The guy who was dozing off and suddenly woke up, looking around nervously… it’s Noah.

Tsk tsk.

Now I understand.

The meaning behind what elders always said: “Kids these days lack focus.”

They were criticizing the weak concentration of 21st century Earthlings.

“Let’s go! This is revenge! This time, we strike at their heart!”

Kanto led the warriors with a booming voice.

Our commander can now win against a lesser demon after a “decent” fight.

In this raid, unlike last time, I’m not letting Lakye monopolize demon killing—I want to give Kanto a chance too.

“L-let’s gooo~!”

I can even let our Noah, who’s awkwardly shouting, have the final blow on a lesser demon.

He rides well, probably because of his paladin physique.

Good. The main force has departed.

I sent divine possession to Paya, who should be scouting the enemy base with Chubby.

“Ah, Lord Malak.”

Paya’s vision showed the Imperial Arena.

She was looking down from above.

Unfortunately, in divine possession state, I can’t use the totem’s power to zoom in and see the arena’s situation in detail.

– How’s the situation?

“They’re heavily armed. Seems like they know about our attack and are prepared.”

Did they check the tunnel that Lakye and I reopened and prepare for a defensive battle?

They might have used tunnels we haven’t discovered to monitor the tribal federation’s movements.

Whatever the case, this one is smarter than the Gorilla Demon.

Let’s stay alert since we don’t know what might happen.

Several hours later, our tribal federation’s main force entered Polaris.

At the end of the long wasteland lies our target, the Imperial Arena.

“Hyah! Hyah!”

The cavalry tried to speed up, but they encountered an unexpected obstacle.

The ground beneath the horses collapsed. Tentacles resembling carnivorous plants emerged, binding both horses and warriors completely.

“Argh!”

Neeeigh!

The warriors and horses screamed like insects caught in a Venus flytrap.

Lakye quickly rushed over and cut the tentacles with his curved blade.

“Th-thank you!”

The horse was injured by the sharp thorns at the end of the tentacles, but the warrior was fine.

– Lakye.

“I couldn’t detect them until this person stepped on it. They didn’t move at all. I’m sorry.”

– It’s alright.

If even Lakye with his superhuman senses couldn’t notice them…

Did they suspend all life activity until receiving external impact?

“They’re living creatures, not magical traps, so they can’t be detected.”

Harry scratched his head while examining the tentacles.

“D-does that mean we have to step on each one as we go?”

Noah, who had been slowly approaching us, turned pale.

– That won’t be necessary.

We can’t get bogged down from the start.

I used the blessing “Malak’s Domain (Lesser).”

This is exactly what this blessing is for.

Swoosh!

Blue clouds in the sky dropped rain.

Uuuuugh…

As the ground became wet, flower-like tentacles crawled out.

Perhaps they couldn’t stand the cold. Either way, we successfully neutralized them.

The warriors seized the opportunity and cut down the tentacles with their swords.

Stage 1 cleared.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

…Just as I thought that, insect-men hiding in tunnels jumped out and spat needle-like stingers.

“Block!”

Everyone immediately raised their shields and was fine, but the attack was fierce enough to push them back slowly.

They were too far away for immediate suppression.

About 300 meters away—too far for even Lakye to notice.

“Twenty-eight. I’ll handle them.”

Lakye, who had determined the number of tunnels with his superhuman senses, charged at them.

The insect-men retreated back into their tunnels before Lakye could reach them.

This isn’t whack-a-mole.

The stinger attacks concentrated on Lakye.

“Tch.”

Of course, their attacks couldn’t penetrate Lakye’s skin. But they did annoy him.

As for me, I just clicked a button.

The blue cloud moved toward where they were.

Hiding in tunnels won’t help if they fill with water.

How sneaky, trying to hit and run.

Sure enough, the soaked creatures shivered and poked their heads out.

Slash!

Lakye harvested their necks.

“Haaah!”

Luna lent a hand too.

Lightning shot from her fingertips, chasing and electrocuting the insect-men who had retreated into the tunnels.

‘The winged ones are moving!’

No time to rest.

I heard Paya’s prayer. I sent divine possession to check the situation.

Beetle-like worshippers carrying rocks were heading toward our main force.

Damn. They have flying units too?

Tunnel Demon… a formidable opponent. Is it really a mid-rank demon?

It doesn’t seem like an ordinary mid-rank demon. It might be close to becoming high-rank, or one that just recently became high-rank.

I have my trump card, the Totem of Confusion. Let’s kill it today before it gets stronger.

“Should I attack?”

Paya watches them with a grave expression. She looks ready to have Chubby breathe fire at any moment.

– It’s dangerous. Wait until the main force arrives.

They’re an army. Different from other worshippers who were just armed and left to fight on their own.

They might have anti-air measures that could bring Chubby down.

“I’ll follow your instructions, Lord Malak.”

– Maintain stealth.

I transferred my consciousness back to totem #3.

– Flying worshippers are coming this way. We need to prepare.

Lakye nodded and loudly relayed my message to everyone.

Unlike our previous battle that ended with mindlessly deploying Lakye, I have a feeling this will be a chaotic fight.