The Demon King Who Draws

Chapter 7

30 minutes ago.

Chamar, an adventurer and a slave hunter, was searching the depths of the rainforest in the Kalheil region.

Clank…

The chain in his hand was connected to the neck of a young demon boy, who was barely as tall as his waist.

“Didn’t you get a good deal when you bought me? Why can’t you do it right?”

“Water… some water… it’s been days…”

“Shut up, I’m already pissed off enough from wasting a month on this.”

“…”

In this era, the lives of the demon survivors were worth less than flies. After Solomon’s reign, humans became the rulers of all races on this land.

All humans accepted this as natural.

This was their right, as humans.

“…I found it.”

“What?”

“I found it, a dungeon.”

“Is that true? Not another rabbit hole like last time?”

“Here… come closer and see.”

Chamar didn’t bother to listen to the young demon’s words and approached the pit in front of him.

Sure enough, he saw a fissure in the rocks that led to somewhere underground. It was a spot that could be easily missed if one wasn’t careful.

Both the young demon and Chamar were certain that this pit led to a dungeon.

One was because the demons were more sensitive to magic than humans, and the other was because he had often explored new dungeons and sold their rights to skilled adventurers.

That’s how they knew.

A faint magic that could only be felt in a very ordinary and low-level dungeon was leaking out of the pit.

“Hehehe… perfect. Now I just need to bring the others who scattered…”

Chamar had companions, but as the dungeon search dragged on, he became impatient and decided to act separately for a while.

That was his small mistake.

Bang!

He felt his body floating.

Someone pushed him hard from behind.

Of course, it was the young demon.

“Die! Human!”

“You crazy…”

Splash!

As Chamar fell into the pit, he pulled the chain hard.

It was a failed move in a desperate situation.

Snap…

The demon’s neck broke instantly, and his body fell into Chamar’s arms.

“Damn it!”

Chamar wickedly used the young demon’s corpse to cushion the impact of the fall.

Crack!

Crunch!

Vroom!

The shock of bouncing off the cliff of the pit crushed the bones and flesh of the corpse, but fortunately or unfortunately, Chamar was not badly hurt.

He was worried that he might die like this, but the landing was successful.

Chamar dusted himself off and got up.

Bang!

“That damn demon!”

Screech!

Screech!

“Kah… spit!”

He stomped on the corpse of the demon who put him in danger and spat on it.

“Hoo… as expected, demons can’t be trusted, whether they’re young or old.”

Huff…

“Hey! Can you hear me?”

Hear me…

Me…

His voice echoed, but by the time it reached the top, it sounded like a breeze.

And even that, unless they were close, they wouldn’t notice.

“…I need to find another exit.”

[Chamar activates stealth.]

[He hides his body from hostile targets.]

[He gets tired easily while maintaining stealth.]

He wasn’t too scared, as he had a decent ability for a low-level adventurer.

Moving in stealth mode was a bit tiring, but it was a tolerable penalty, as he could cross the dungeon alone with this ability.

Swoosh…

His cloak blended into the space and seeped in.

Chamar’s ability was low among the low, but it wasn’t enough to get caught in this dungeon.

For 20 minutes, no monsters noticed his presence.

Even the intervals and surroundings of the monsters were not very threatening.

“Tsk, the lowest of the low? A bust. This looks like it’s been abandoned for a long time… I wonder if I can make any money out of this.”

At this point, he thought it would be a waste of time to stay in stealth mode and move around without hesitation.

“Just a little more, until I find the exit…”

That’s when it happened.

A faint light leaked out from the end of the long corridor.

“…Light. Not a hoax.”

Gulp…

He headed forward with an arrow ready.

If he stuck to the inner wall of the corridor, he could minimize his presence.

Squeak…
Squeeeak…
‘…Goblins? I was nervous for nothing.’

Goblins were the lowest of the low among monsters, so Chamar could easily subdue them by himself.

‘But, if they scream, it’ll be annoying… in one shot.’

[Chamar uses Rapid Fire.]

[He shoots an extra arrow that has 80% of his combat power.]

[The additional projectile has a 10% reduced accuracy.]

Thud!

A satisfying sound as the arrow flies.

Squeeeaaak-!

Pik-!

‘One down.’

Between the eyes.

Squeeeaaak-!

‘…Damn!’

The arrow that left the bow flew to an unintended spot.

Peeeeeek-!

‘A failure?’

An arrow stuck in the chest instead of the head.

But, the goblin fell and didn’t show any signs of getting up.

‘No need to panic.’

Squeeeak…

He smiled contentedly and stepped forward.

‘Wait… it could be a trap…’

When he goes out to the place where the light shines from the darkness, he’ll be exposed to danger.

Chamar stood still and waited with an arrow on the bow.

That decision was right.

After a while, two figures appeared in the distance.

‘…Humans? No, demons!’

Black hair.

He didn’t need to see more.

He was outnumbered, so he decided to take down one first and then think.

An opening…

Flinch!

But, an unexpected situation occurred.

The goblin he thought was dead regained consciousness and grabbed the demon’s wrist. And he turned his head to where Chamar was.

‘This bastard!’

An arrow shot reflexively.

Whooosh-!

Squeeeaaak-!

Maybe because he was spotted, the demon dodged the arrow with his reflexes.

“Tsk…”

Chamar was about to be disappointed by the difficult situation, but he realized that the ones who were actually flustered by the collision were the demon and his escort.

‘This demon, a rookie!’

And, both of them were beautiful.

‘But that girl, she has horns on her head… a decoration?’

He judged as a slave hunter rather than an adventurer.

They were the most expensive ones to sell in this dungeon.

But.

Whooosh-!

“Ugh!”

He felt his body disappear somewhere.

‘Damn… the dungeon’s curse!’

[The Curse of the Rotten Root is activated.]

[You are teleported to the entrance of the dungeon.]

Vroom!

“Kraaaak!”

He had encountered the curse a few times while exploring the dungeon to assess its value.

So he could recognize the identity of this unpleasant feeling as a curse.

“…A goblin spirit.”

Chamar rubbed his waist that had a minor bruise from the bad landing and muttered.

“Just… two?”

Squeeeak…

A hunter shouldn’t run away from the prey he saw with his own eyes.

He didn’t see them well, but they were definitely expensive.

Chamar had a chance.

This was the pit he fell into.

It was probably a natural crack in the dungeon.

“Should I find another exit here? Hmm…”

No matter how he thought, he felt that the demon and the woman would have already escaped while he brought his scattered companions and cleared the dungeon.

And he felt like he was losing the wealth that he had already grasped.

Demons, especially beautiful ones without flaws, were traded at a good price.

If he assumed that he would monopolize the ones who stayed here, he would get enough money to live a life of leisure.

High-quality demons were not used for trivial purposes like dungeon exploration.

In the end, the answer was clear.

“Kehkeh… this is it, I can’t let them go.”

If you want to make big money, you have to take big risks.

Squeeeak…

Fwoosh-!

Chamar lit a torch he had.

His rule of action was not scouting now.

Attack.

He avoided moving in stealth because his back could be exposed.

He had already memorized the way to where the light was flowing.

Squeeeeeeak-!
A root worm that ran towards the fire.

It usually ate root vegetables and such, but it didn’t mind eating meat either.

It looked like a giant worm the size of a large dog.

It was hard to inflict a fatal wound on such a thing with a bow.

He quickly drew a sword from his bosom.

He regretted that he didn’t have any abilities related to close combat, but he still had better sword skills than flailing around.

Whooosh-!

Pwoooosh-!

A root worm split in half.

It was a good sword.

Even with his mediocre sword skills, the worm was cleanly cut in two.

“I paid a lot of money for this… it’s worth it. Kehi…”

He shone the torch on the root worm’s corpse to see if there were any other monsters parasitizing it and moved slowly.

It would take 20 minutes at most.

No, Chamar could move without hesitation now, so he could reach the same place in 15 minutes.

“Don’t think of running away. You two are both Chamar’s property.”

* * *

‘…That’s what he must be thinking as he attacks.’

I was a bit flustered by the unexpected encounter, but when I calmed down and looked at the situation objectively, I realized it wasn’t something to make a fuss about.

“Where is he?”

The one I was talking about was the goblin fighter who was still breathing.

“He’s still hanging on. But if we don’t do something…”

That part would have to wait until we drove away the intruder, and rely on the Garden of Regeneration. We don’t need prayers or anything like that.

At this moment, I have to focus on what I have to do. That’s the way to save everyone.

“Lord Faust, do you have a clever plan?”

“That is…”

Bang!

Then, Phenex burst into the chamber, opening the door wide.

Bang!

“Narii!”

“Phenex, this is Lord Faust’s chamber. Unless you’re an intruder, you can’t do such a rude thing… restrain your impudent behavior!”

“…Ah, I got it. But!”

She tilted her head as she saw my face.

“The dungeon’s curse was activated, right? Is everyone okay?”

“Lord Faust is not someone who would get hurt by some unknown scoundrel.”

“Aha!”

…No, I almost got hurt.

It was dangerous, really.

‘Well, anyway, the conclusion is that I dodged the arrow and bounced the bastard who invaded through the hole.’

One of the reasons why the Curse of the Rotten Root was good to use in the early stages was that it gave us a hint about the unsolved area of the dungeon as it sent the intruder back to the entrance.

‘So there was a hole there. It’s not too far away, so I’ll have to block it after I stop him.’

It was a win-win situation, but the problem wasn’t over yet.

No, it was actually happening in real time.

“Should Phenex go?”

I sat on the throne and stared at him with my chin resting on my hand.

“Huh…”

Yeah, if you go, you could deal with some unknown adventurer in no time.

‘If only the dungeon guardian wasn’t activated.’

As long as the adventurer is alive, the dungeon guardian state won’t be lifted. Phenex’s damn passive that guarantees defeat will continue.

‘If he breaks through… then it’s me in a state of lethargy.’

Lucifer and I, we’re both like paper dolls right now. So if the adventurer rushes into the chamber, it’s game over.

It’s easy to retry in a game, but this is reality.

Maybe death is the closest outcome.

‘So, I have to prevent the adventurer from approaching the chamber.’

Thump thump!

Phenex stomped her feet.

“But! Phenex is the only one who can fight right now! Then Phenex will fight…”

“Why do you think that?”

She flinched at my question.

“…Huh?”

“Why do you arbitrarily conclude that you’re the only one who can fight?”

Phenex’s’s expression was strange.

…An easy expression to understand.

An expression that was trying hard to figure out the meaning of the question.

“Hmm…”

She pondered and then shouted as if she hit a wall.

“Goblin can’t do it alone! He’ll die!”

“Goblin?”

Ah.

That’s what hse thought.

“I can’t waste precious resources. I won’t let the remaining goblin go.”

“Then… then what are you going to do!”

“…”

“Phenex is not stupid! She knows everything!”

Thud…

Suddenly, he felt the dungeon shake and Phenex’s’s eyes widened.

Grrr…

This must be it, it’s going according to plan.

“It’s about time.”

“Ti-time?”

“Look here.”

When the dungeon guardian starts, a map of the dungeon unfolds in the chamber.

Whooosh…

The dungeon guardian is to block the intruder by deploying the appropriate forces on the suitable terrain.

This is the main content of the Lemegeton, which starts after the 1st area clearance, which can be seen as a tutorial.

‘Normally, this kind of situation where an intruder attacks a dungeon that hasn’t been cleared yet doesn’t happen…’

But if… a bizarre situation occurred where someone attacked an incomplete dungeon, then a fun situation would happen that was only possible then.

“Here is…”

“The gap where he invaded is here. If we follow the path from here to the chamber, it’ll be roughly… like this.”

A shape that was almost a straight line from the hole he entered to the chamber. And there was a twisty path that added one more area, as if there was some variable.

I don’t remember clearing all these areas. To begin with, the areas I succeeded in clearing were only two at most.

‘So…’

The range of the uncleared areas that extend from the hole to the chamber is temporarily recognized as Faust’s territory.

“He’s crossing here!?”

“Yes.”

“…But why?”

He still doesn’t know.

Well, whatever.

Swoosh…

“Then he will…”

My finger slid and stopped at one of the uncleared areas.

“He has to pass through here.”

“Uh…”

“Lord Faust, this is…”

Yeah.

He finally noticed.

“He’ll stop here… no…”

If I do well, I’ll have a chance to get rid of the intruder and the thorn in the side of this dungeon at once.

“He’ll be stopped.”