Chapter 9: Reunion and the Footsteps of the Demon – 06
The ‘mark’ left by Kaim and the others was quickly found. Several rock formations bore fresh scars, indicating their passage. We followed these signs deeper into the rocky terrain.
Here and there, we spotted the remnants of burnt Rock Worms, confirming that their extermination mission had been carried out effectively. Noticing the traces, Sfenia spoke up from behind.
“The cleanup is meticulous, with no unnecessary signs of battle. Is ‘Ginrin’ a veteran party?”
“Yeah, they’re all young, but I think they have plenty of experience,” I replied.
“In that case, it’s possible they’re hiding here, waiting for a search party due to some trouble. A seasoned party would likely carry extra potions, so it’s unlikely any of their members are incapacitated. That means…”
“Soushi, I smell something strange. It’s a scent I’ve never encountered before. It’s not from an Undead, a regular monster, or even an animal… it’s a really unpleasant smell.”
“I sense it too. There’s a very unsettling… malevolent presence.”
Larni and Freinir suddenly chimed in unison. A sense of irregularity hung in the air.
“Do you know which direction it’s coming from?”
“Over there.”
We moved in the direction Freinir pointed, keeping our Presence Detection skill at its maximum effectiveness.
After a short while, I faintly sensed something lurking nearby. However, the response was incredibly subtle. Could it be a creature with a deception skill?
“Soushi, I hear something. It seems quite large, just beyond that rock.”
Larni lowered her voice. It was odd that a creature of such size would have such a faint Presence Detection response.
We cautiously advanced, peeking out from behind a rocky outcrop.
“What in the world is that…”
I couldn’t help but exclaim at the grotesque monster before us.
Its overall silhouette resembled a gigantic long-legged spider, but its body was suspended about five meters above the ground. Each of its eight legs stretched approximately ten meters long.
The real issue, however, was that its body had a texture more akin to that of a human than an insect.
To put it plainly, the creature’s form was essentially that of a human. From its torso, eight human arms extended like spider legs. Even more unsettling were the three long necks protruding from its head, each topped with a bald human head. The three faces wore expressions as blank as stone statues.
This was less a monster and more akin to a grotesque creature from a horror film. It was clearly a bizarre abomination unlike any monster we had fought before.
One of the three heads turned to face me. I hurriedly pulled back, but its vacant eyes unmistakably recognized me.
Guh-gih-gih…
A disturbing metallic scraping sound echoed, likely the creature’s voice. It seemed we had been discovered.
“Hey, you guys, over here! Hurry!”
At that moment, a familiar voice called out from behind us. Turning around, I saw Kaim, the well-built and handsome leader of the E-Rank party ‘Ginrin.’
“This way.”
Kaim walked briskly toward a large rock formation with a gaping side entrance.
As we followed him inside, we found the members of ‘Ginrin’ waiting: the young mage Meribe, the beautiful spear-wielder Ranan, and the mace-wielding boy Labelt. They appeared to be uninjured.
“Wait, is that you, Soushi!?” Labelt exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise. Meribe and Ranan mirrored his astonishment.
“I was surprised too. I never expected you to take on a search request, old man,” Kaim said as he settled down, prompting us to sit on the rocky floor as well.
“I just returned to Tolson after reaching D-Rank. I didn’t think I’d end up in a situation like this.”
“Huh? You left Tolson only about two months ago, right? You’ve already made D-Rank?”
“Well, a lot has happened. And these are my party members: Frei, Larni, and Sfenia.”
As I introduced them, each offered a brief greeting.
“Hey, old man, your party seems a bit… unbalanced…” Kaim began, but Meribe tugged at his sleeve, stopping him. It seemed I had unintentionally caused some awkwardness.
“Let’s put that aside for now. The real question is why you guys are hiding out here. Is it because of that monster we saw earlier?”
As I spoke, the four of them exchanged serious glances.
“Yeah, that thing is dangerous. We fought it briefly, but none of our attacks had any effect. Plus, it shoots magic from its mouth and moves quickly, making escape difficult. Fortunately, it doesn’t attack us while we’re in this hole, but if we try to flee, it chases us down.”
“That’s troublesome. So we have no choice but to defeat it.”
“That seems to be the case… but honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it. Do you think it’s a foe we can handle at D-Rank?”
Kaim asked, but before I could respond, Larni spoke up.
“Hey, Soushi, we didn’t get to see that monster. What was it like?”
“Oh, right—sorry about that—”
I described the appearance of the monster in detail. The members of ‘Ginrin’ nodded, confirming that I hadn’t misidentified it.
“What a disgusting monster,” Ranan remarked.
“It’s eerie. I’ve never heard of such a creature,” Sfenia added, frowning.
Beside them, Freinir muttered, “A demon…”
“Frei, do you know something about it?” I asked.
“…Yes. There’s a passage in the Arshuram Religion’s scriptures that describes a battle between gods and demons, and it seems to resemble that demon’s form. It’s described as ‘a form that blasphemes the humans created by the gods,’ often depicted with multiple heads and many limbs.”
“A demon, huh… It might indeed be fitting to call it that.”
“Wait a minute, old man, that’s just mythological stuff, right? Are you saying it’s actually appeared in reality?”
Kaim’s skepticism was understandable. In this world, myths were generally treated as fiction. I realized I had been assuming that gods and demons existed in this fantasy realm.
“Frei, do you believe demons exist?”
When I asked, Freinir shook her head.
“I don’t personally think it’s a true story. However, it seems that high-ranking priests treated it as if it were real. They claimed that this was a historical event, not just a myth.”
“Hmm…”
It was a nebulous topic that had suddenly emerged, but now wasn’t the time to investigate its truth.
“Regardless, that monster exists. Whether or not it’s truly a demon is uncertain, but it’s clear that it’s referred to as such. Either way, dealing with it is our immediate priority.”
“Exactly. If we don’t handle it, we’re done for. Old man, do you think we can manage it?”
All eyes turned to me, and I felt the weight of my changed position over the past few months.
“I believe we can win based on its appearance. At the very least, I can buy time for you to escape.”
“If we can’t escape, it’s pointless, right? So we can’t win after all?”
“That’s true…”
Honestly, considering this as a result of my Bad Luck skill gave me a strange sense of reassurance, but I couldn’t voice that. It was possible that my wishful thinking had created this illusion. Yet, I had indeed felt an instinctual sense that we could win the moment I saw it. I couldn’t imagine that its arms or heads could withstand my mace.
“I think we can win. All I need to do is crush its head with this mace.”
As I lifted the grotesque mace, Labelt’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“I’ve been curious about that mace since earlier. Isn’t it way too powerful for a D-Rank to wield?”
“Yeah. The blacksmith said that even among B-Rank adventurers, few can swing it properly.”
“So that means it’s equivalent to an A-Rank weapon. You’ve really come that far, Soushi.”
“Looks like Meribe’s assessment of my strength specialization was spot on.”
Labelt’s admiration was echoed by Ranan.
“If that’s the case, let’s defeat it and head back. I’m getting hungry.”
Larni said casually, and the tension in the air within the cave seemed to ease a bit. In times like these, overthinking can lead to rigidity. It’s best to approach it with a relaxed yet vigilant mindset.
“Alright, let’s go. But once we engage, you all need to run with everything you’ve got. I’m sorry, but—”
“You’re saying we’d just be a burden, right? I get it. We’ll run for it, so you all come after us, okay?”
Not holding onto unnecessary pride in such moments is a necessary quality for a leader. Kaim clearly wasn’t someone who would remain at E-Rank forever. After we defeated that monster, I might just give him a pat on the back.