Empty House (1)

– KWAH-AAAAAAANG!!

Aris relentlessly struck the barrier.

– KADUDEUK!!

At last, cracks appeared in the barrier.

“Th-that!? Look, it’s cracked!!”

The hooked-nose demon looked up at the barrier in shock.

The barrier now looked like it could shatter at any moment.

“H-how much longer can it hold?!”

“A-at most thirty…! No, not even twenty seconds!”

If Aris swung her enhanced energy once more, the barrier would shatter immediately.

“We have to escape! At least us!!”

The bald demon hurriedly dug into the ground.

Soon, a broad flagstone buried in the ground was revealed.

This too was a demon artifact provided by the cult.

It was an escape portal device.

“W-we’re just escaping by ourselves!? Can we handle that!? If the boss finds out, we’re dead!”

“Then what do you suggest! The others are nowhere in sight! Hurry up and help!”

With his hand on the flagstone, the bald demon urged roughly.

“D-damn it!”

Now that the barrier was cracked, the hooked-nose demon had no time to weigh things deeply.

In the end, he too put his hand on the flagstone.

― KURURURUK!

― KURURURUK!

As they infused their demonic energy together,

― JYUAAAK!

With a stench of rotten sulfur, a red portal shot up from the flagstone.

“It’s up!”

Their combined demonic energy could maintain the portal for only about 7 seconds.

“Hurry!”

The bald demon hastily grabbed the portal device.

“W-what! You’re taking that too!?”

The hooked-nose demon grabbed the other’s shoulder.

“If you take that with us…!”

Any comrades left here would lose their means of escape.

“The rest are as good as dead already, idiot!!”

Once the barrier broke, Aris would storm this place immediately.

A grandmaster’s magic sense was beyond imagination.

Moreover, demon artifacts released abundant demonic energy whenever used.

Aris would be sure to check this place first, where demonic energy was thickest.

“It’s not our fault those who didn’t make it till now are late!”

With the grandmaster’s terrifying speed, she would probably arrive within ten seconds of the barrier breaking.

Leaving the portal device behind in such a situation was insane.

If even one comrade was taken prisoner, Aris would use them to reopen the portal and track it back to the hideout.

In that case, everyone would be doomed—no escape for anyone.

“No time! If you want to live, run!”

In the face of the disaster called a grandmaster, the demons could do nothing once the barrier fell.

Comrades or not, they needed to flee to survive.

“U-uhh!!”

Even without lengthy explanation, the hooked-nose demon understood quickly.

“Shit! Fine! FINE! We’re really leaving with nothing here!”

All they’d secured was a single target.

They’d lost as many as six comrades.

Trading one target for six comrades.

‘No matter what, the boss should have made it back…!’

There was a dangerous prisoner in the hideout that only the boss could handle.

‘If we go back alone… How can just the two of us handle her…?’

At that moment.

– KWAH-AAAAAAANG!!

– KWAJAZAZAZAJAJAK!!

Aris’s enhanced energy shattered the barrier to pieces.

“N-nooo!! It’s broken!!”

“Q-quick! Run!! RUN!!!”

In panic, the demons hurled themselves into the portal.

Comrades, prisoners, everything else was secondary.

Survive first, worry about the rest later.

― UUUNG!

― UUUUUNG!

A tingling static ran through their bodies; in an instant, their surroundings changed.

The lush forest vanished, replaced by the darkness of an underground space.

“Close the portal!! Quickly!!”

“I know!! I know, damn it!!”

The bald demon hastily withdrew the demonic energy from the device.

― SHUUUUUUUK!

As the energy was withdrawn from the device, the red portal shrank rapidly.

In a flash, it was so small that not even an adult woman could pass through.

“H-ha…!”

Now, even if Aris made it to the portal, she couldn’t cross over.

Only then did the hooked-nose demon let out a sigh of relief.

― UUUUUNG!!

― PAAAT!!

Something shot out from the portal’s small opening like a bullet.

“What!?”

“What the—!”

― CHIIIIIK!!

Something slid across the floor, swiftly brushing past the two demons.

They instinctively tracked it with their eyes.

“Wha…?”

It was a person.

Thick, muddy gray hair.

Black eyes.

Ian Greysel.

“I-Ian Greysel!?”

“H-how the hell is HE here!?”

The demons instantly recognized Ian.

He was one of the targets of this raid.

There was no way they could fail to recognize him.

‘Why is HE here!?’

He should have been the D team’s target.

If he was to appear, it should have been dragged in by D team—why is he showing up alone!?

‘Ah!’

The demons’ gaze dropped to Ian’s waist.

‘He isn’t wearing a belt!’

The training hall belts distributed to check cadet status.

Ian was not wearing his.

He had ripped it off immediately after the demons’ barrier went up.

‘So that’s why D team….’

The demons’ trackers worked by following magic stones embedded in the targets’ belts.

If Ian took his belt off right away, then the trackers were useless—of course D team couldn’t find him.

That’s why they failed to find Ian and didn’t return in time.

‘He must have grasped the situation as soon as our barrier appeared and ripped off his belt.’

A bold and quick decision.

In this exam, tearing off the belt on your own meant a penalty of 5,000 points for cheating.

A typical cadet would fear the risk and never dare.

But Ian, upon seeing the situation, immediately judged he needed to use his aura and ripped off the belt sealing his power.

‘Gifted people really are sharp, even with details like that.’

But then, why go so far as to chase them through the portal?

‘If he’d taken off the belt, he could have stayed safely hidden somewhere by himself.’

The bald demon chuckled to himself.

‘Heh. Don’t tell me he’s come to rescue his friend? Did he throw himself through the portal just to save Kargon, without thinking ahead?’

If so, what a noble kid.

‘How touching. All for a friend… truly a tear-jerking sense of justice.’

And foolishly reckless, to an absurd degree.

‘What—does he think he can do alone?’

The portal had already closed.

Ian could neither return to the island nor receive help from those on the island.

And by himself, he would be helpless against the demons.

‘Don’t tell me he thinks he can win with just his own talent?’

Then he really was naïve and arrogant.

‘Do people gush about his genius so much that he thinks he can solve everything just by trying?’

Ian was indeed considered one of the continent’s top prodigies.

He had proven his brilliant talent by overwhelming Yuria, said to be a natural genius, during the entrance exam to the Sword Dragon Hall.

But—

‘Talent that hasn’t fully bloomed is worthless in real combat.’

Ian’s level was known to be at the lower end of Expert.

Whereas both demons were at the peak of Expert.

‘And that kid… he doesn’t even have a weapon!’

Indeed, Ian was unarmed.

Lower in level than the demons and without even a decent weapon.

On top of that, his real combat experience must be far behind theirs.

To these demons forged in carnage, Ian looked like nothing but a tasty feast.

‘Easy prey. There’s no need for both of us; one is enough.’

With a wicked grin, the bald demon sneered.

‘… What luck!’

A tasty bonus had walked right into their hands.

‘Since he’s come all the way here himself, let’s give him a good lesson in return.’

Let him learn that talent alone can’t solve everything.

‘I’ll break his pride—and take his limbs as payment for my lesson.’

― SRRRING!

The bald demon drew his sword.

“I’ll take him.”

“Suit yourself.”

― STEP. STEP.

Sword in hand, the bald demon walked slowly toward Ian.

He had always been plagued by inferiority to the gifted.

Becoming a demon was the product of countless failures and frustrations over his lack of talent.

So, the thought of shattering the future of a continent-level genius with his own hands filled him with savage joy.

“Kh, heh heh…!”

The bald demon cackled, shuddering with anticipation.

‘I thought this raid was a total loss, but thanks to this guy, it’s not so bad. I can take comfort in that much.’

See if your precious talent can withstand this sword, Ian Greysel.

No matter how gifted you are, you can’t defend against my sword right now!

With these ordinary hands, I’ll dirty your wretched gift!

No matter how you resist, your limbs already belong to me!

― SHWEAAAK!!!

The bald demon lunged, bringing the sword down on Ian’s shoulder.

However—

― TAP.

“……!”

“What!”

A lifetime’s worth of force—blocked with ridiculous ease.

With just two fingers.

Ian caught the demon’s sword between just two fingers.

“Light.”

Ian’s voice was laced with scorn.

“Wh-What!? “

Blood vessels burst in the demon’s eyes.

“How—what is this!?”

Desperately, the bald demon tried to pull his sword back, but it was stuck as if caught in a rock crevice.

“Ughh!!”

Even gripping it with both hands, he couldn’t budge it.

― KWA-AAK!

Ian didn’t let go of the demon’s sword even a little.

“This won’t be difficult.”

― SUUK!

Ian reached into subspace and pulled out Vladiark.

“W-what—!?”

“Danger! Retreat, idiot!”

“Uh…!”

Too late.

― KWAJIK!

Ian’s Vladiark sliced right through the demon’s arms.

“Guh!? U-AAAHH!!”

His arms severed, the bald demon collapsed backwards.

― KWADEUK!

Ian brought Vladiark straight down onto the demon’s chest.

“Kkh! KUHRK! KUHRRK!”

― SHUA-AAAAK!

Like a drain sucking up water, Vladiark devoured the demon, swallowing him whole and smoky in an instant.

“H-huh…!?”

Shocked stiff, the hooked-nose demon held his breath.

He nearly collapsed on the spot from weak knees.

“A-agh!”

He quickly pulled himself together.

‘I’ll die here!’

If he didn’t move, he would die.

As he slung Kargon up as a potential hostage—

― TU! KWANG!

“Ghh—AAGH!?”

Ian blasted forward like a cannon, grabbed the demon by the throat, and smashed him against the wall before the demon could blink.

“KKHH!? KRRRR!”

Gripped by the boy’s small hand by the throat, the demon couldn’t breathe and trembled.

‘Wh-what monster strength is this…!? K-KKAK!?’

It felt less like a human hand, more like the jaws of some beast.

“S-spare… K-KKHH! Spare me…!”

The hooked-nose demon managed to gasp a plea for his life.

― KWADEUDEUDEUK!

“KUH—KKHK! S-STOP! K-KUUUHK!?”

But Ian, showing no mercy, squeezed harder and harder.

“KKKHK!? Kghk!!”

The demon clawed at Ian’s arm with all his might.

But Ian’s arm was like an ancient tree—not budging an inch.

Ian kept crushing the demon’s throat against the wall.

― KWADEUDEUDEUK!

― CHUUK……

The demon’s limbs went limp as he hung like a broken doll.

― FWIP!

Ian tossed the demon’s corpse to Vladiark.

― SRURURUK! SRURUK!

Vladiark sent out its tendrils and devoured the corpse hungrily.

“…”

With that, the two demons were finished.

‘The others…? Any more?’

Ian spread his sense, scanning the surroundings.

He sensed no additional presence.

It seemed these two were all the demons here.

‘Now then…’

Time to recover Kargon.

‘I’ll search this place after I’m done with first aid.’

He wasn’t sure whether this was a temporary camp or the main hideout yet.

But if this was where the elite demons who had attacked Hisperion stayed, there was likely a vault containing many demon artifacts and treasures.

‘I’ll find everything and take it all.’

If he found a good demon artifact, it would greatly help in preparing for future battles against the demon race.

Now was the time to claim the spoils.

————-= Clacky’s Corner ————-=

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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