Chapter 80
– Bang!
The interior shook violently.
The shock from outside must have transmitted inward.
Perhaps the Adventurer’s Guild and the Empire quickly formed a raid party, managing all the protruding monsters and starting concentrated fire on the Behemoth.
– Creak!
A monster was sliced apart by a faded sword.
Even so, many monsters still remained.
“Hey kiddos~ Quickly offer me their necks~”
Behind her, piles of flesh were stacked like a mountain, and above it, a woman with a whip swung it against the ground.
Her skin was a shade of purple, and instead of the white sclera that should have been in her eyes, there was a blood-red hue, proving she was not human.
“Dig a bit deeper…!”
Since there were so many monsters, even when Arthur and the heroines were all hunting together, the fight seemed endless.
Still, it didn’t feel as tough as I thought it would.
The monsters were numerous, but none of them seemed particularly strong.
And since it was a large-scale event, even Arthur felt the rapid growth within himself.
It was an opportunity for everyone inside to grow quickly.
The best way to break through the event would be to seize the chance to target the demons, but the reason they hadn’t was that the heroines could grow too by doing so.
Just as Arthur was about to massacre the monster in front of him and head towards the next one—
– Bam! Bam! Bam!
“What the?!”
Projectiles suddenly flew in from somewhere.
The speed of these projectiles was so fast that it was hard to track them visually, and just as if adding insult to injury, the ones that hit the wall exploded.
“Arthur?! What’s happening?!”
“I, I don’t know either!”
Really, I don’t understand what’s going on.
I had never seen anything like this happen during a Behemoth event.
– Bam! Bam! Bam!
“Ahhhh!?”
“Everyone! Come this way!”
Stella shouted.
She was better at defense than attack, so even in this chaos, she gathered everyone.
Stella quickly erected a rock wall, and fortunately, Arthur and the heroines managed to hide behind it.
The other monsters, however, were caught in indiscriminate bombardment.
Even the demons were flustered. They were so taken aback that the demon I could see peering through a small breathing hole in the wall had its mouth agape in shock.
Though the accuracy of the bombardment wasn’t high, the sheer number caused all the monsters Arthur and his party had just been dealing with to be consumed by explosions.
And amidst the explosions, a figure flashed in Arthur’s mind.
‘That crazy guy…?!’
He was the one who had tried to bury everyone in the dungeon before.
Moreover, as he was inside the Behemoth this time, the probability that it was his doing was high.
No, it was certain.
Once the sound of continuous explosions ceased, and when the thick dust settled, they were able to escape the rock wall.
After that, a brief and awkward calm ensued, and taking advantage of that, a chilling voice came from the passage leading to the entrance.
“Why did you do that?”
Leaving behind the women who usually accompanied him, he had come alone.
Now dressed not in student attire but in a black uniform, he emerged from the darkness, his eerie red pupils shining.
‘…A dish?’
In one hand, he held a wooden empty bowl.
“Hah…! How dare you! How could you commit such a cruel act?!”
The demon was infuriated.
Most of the monsters he had controlled were now dead.
While there were still many living monsters, they were nowhere near the intimidating numbers they’d had before.
As the demon swung the whip once more, the monsters rushed at Luke.
Though they were surely being controlled, there was a glimmer of will in their actions.
As if they were seeking revenge for the bombardment.
“That’s a cruel act you committed.”
The leading monster charged and was sliced in half.
In his other hand, which had been holding the bowl, was a sword so large it looked like something not meant for human hands.
Arthur himself was well aware of the kind of weapon it was, having enjoyed games in his previous life, but he couldn’t even think of using it after reincarnating.
With that heavy greatsword, he swung it around like a stick.
With just a few swings, as if a child were playing with a toy sword, the monsters were mercilessly cut down.
Stunned by that wondrous sight, it took me a moment to regain my senses, and when I did, there were no monsters left to be seen.
What remained was only a demon with a whip and the dark-haired man standing in front of her.
“Hic!”
*
I’m sad right now.
I’ve defeated so many monsters, yet not a single level has gone up?
No.
Is it because I carelessly threw grenades out of anger?
No.
It feels like the sky-high expectations that were soaring have crashed down to the ground in an instant…
I never knew it could feel this empty.
I hoped such a tragedy would never happen again.
They say humans repeat the same mistakes, and here I am, doing it all over again.
Though not human, it’s still true I made the same mistake.
“Hic!”
The demon in front of me hiccupped.
It’s strange to see a demon scared.
Now that I think about it, I have no intention of forgiving them, even if they apologize.
Being scared and having no will for revenge doesn’t matter to me.
I won’t spare a woman either.
No, rather, I’m even less likely to let a woman off the hook.
Some women are cunning beings who know their strengths, and the moment they get careless, they fall into traps.
That’s why I kill them before I fall into a trap.
If you make a mistake, you deserve to die, that’s my principle.
“Equality Punch.”
– Thud!
“Ahhh!”
The demon’s face crumpled as her body flew through the air, crashing into the wall.
Not holding back a single blow, a few of her teeth flew out.
Even when killing, one must ease the sadness, right?
Just before, I felt sorrow for my stew that had gone cold.
“Ah… Watch over me. I’ll avenge you.”
Before coming, I had made a simple grave beside the pot.
At that grave, I vowed to send this damn demon to hell.
I moved my legs towards the demon who was pinned against the wall.
“W-What are you?! Monster child!”
Who is calling who a monster here?
I wish they would look at themselves in a mirror.
Though she had shakily risen up, holding the whip, without her abilities, she was nothing more than a corpse.
Resisting meant nothing.
The whip, though wielded with some strength, would merely feel like a child’s play for a being with superhuman strength.
As I approached the demon, I grabbed a handful of her hair.
“Tell me. Do you know how many people starve to death without being able to eat anything?”
It’s something the adults used to say to children who were picky eaters.
Do you know how many kids die in Africa without being able to eat even this?
In this world, far from Earth, people starving to death is an everyday occurrence.
Just under the splendid lights of the Empire, children often steal to survive.
“I don’t know! How am I supposed to know that?!”
Hah… Look at this brat being so bold.
This is exactly what they call a classic case of throwing stones at someone standing in a glass house.
Is it because she’s a demon that she thinks differently from humans?
Empathy doesn’t exist in her.
“If you had driven properly, this wouldn’t have happened!!”
– Crack!
My fist dug into the demon’s face.
“Gah!”
If you drive someone else’s car and break into their house without permission, you should be careful, right?
Although the shock of the Behemoth came from outside, do they blame the homeowner for towing the illegally parked car?
Of course, they blame the driver.
“Huh? You punk!”
– Crack!
“Damn you!”
– Crack!
“Were you right or wrong?!”
– Crack!
“Is it just because it’s not your mouth, others aren’t mouths either?!”
So she thinks she can live without food for herself while she mocks and deceives others.
Is there no technique to rehabilitate such a selfish person?
As I pondered deeply, an idea sparked above my head.
“Rehabilitation Punch! Altruism Punch! Respect Punch! Empathy Punch! ISFJ Punch!”
“Ugh…! Ugh…!”
Stop it with the nonsense already.
“In a world without food, what do you think you have to eat to survive?!”
I pulled out a flask filled with mosquitoes and cockroaches from my inventory and shoved it into the demon’s mouth, smashing her head down hard.
With a crash, the flask shattered inside her mouth, and the bugs began to chew away at her insides.
“Eat the bugs and enjoy your muddy cookies!”
Born with the blessed ability to feel no hunger, you should at least learn to share with others.
You can’t help the hungry, and you joke around with your disregard! Huh?!
“So, I’ll let you know the pain of hunger.”
“W-What are you going to do?!”
“It’s nothing much. I’m just going to teach you the importance of food. So…”
Get on your knees.
*
“One, food; two, something precious.”
One.
“Food…!”
Two.
“Let’s treasure it…!”
“Hey, lower your arms. Can’t you keep them straight?”
Currently, I was sitting cross-legged on the back of the demon who was on her hands and knees.
She was doing push-ups with me on top of her.
Shouting out the counts as if I was her drill sergeant.
“G-Get off me…”
“A being who can’t even comprehend hunger wants to whine already?”
I shouted “one” again.
But this time, the demon trembled and fell heavily on the ground.
Seeing her terrible attitude, I cut her hand with my sword.
“Not getting up?”
“Aaaah!?! “
And with that, she leapt back up.
Why is this happening? It’s obvious she’s never felt hunger.
What’s the fastest way to let her feel hunger instantly?
It’s simple: Exercise.
The food we consume is stored as energy in our bodies and is consumed based on our activities.
And when all of that energy is exhausted, the body demands us for a meal.
In that sense, exercising is the best means to consume energy quickly.
Can’t feel hunger? Then let’s teach you to feel it.
Honestly, one might think I was forcing her to do this thousands of times, but it’s only been about ten times at this point.
Despite her appearance, she seemed fragile and lacked strength.
So, I’d also strengthen her in the process.
“One.”
“Food…!!”
“Two.”
“Let’s treasure it…!!”
After that, whenever she tried to collapse, I would pour acid on her back and stabbed her multiple times in places like her legs and back with my sword.
And then…
[ You have defeated the Demon Dorothy! You have acquired the Skill Iron Horn! ]
[ Level Up! Check your Status! ]
[ Level Up! Check your Status! ]
[ Level Up! Check your Status! ]
[ Level Up! Checking Level Up… ]
She died.
“Luke?! Are you done?”
Just as I finished, Luna, who had somehow known I was done, meandered over with Yui.
“Tsk. Well, I guess.”
As Luna said, it was over.
And that’s what made it worse.
I don’t understand why it ended so suddenly after doing so little.
I had wished it would never end.
Why did it die on its own accord?
I just wanted to give it eternal pain.
Right, I wanted to create a state of endless suffering.
But the opponent’s body was too frail for that.
Their mental fortitude was also weak.
In the end, I never heard the words ‘I’m hungry’ from that damn woman.
I have to remember that and next time, when I eventually kill her, I’ll make sure to haunt her all the way to hell.
As I frowned and turned to tidy up the pot…
“What are you again, you pathetic thing?”
Arthur blocked my path.
“I almost died because of you this time! I won’t let this slide! I need an apology!”
He’s saying something that doesn’t make sense.
An apology?
I don’t know any apologies other than the ones I eat.
‘Now that I think about it, isn’t it this brat’s fault for not handling the event quickly enough?’
Shouldn’t I be the one receiving an apology?
My eyes narrowed slightly.
“What’s with that look?!”
Arthur flinched at my gaze.
“Ahh… Right. I asked you to leave just one bite earlier, didn’t I?”
I pulled out a chunk of meat from my inventory and handed it to Arthur.
“Here’s an expression of apology. Enjoy it with the heroines.”
“U-Um…? Sure! Since you apologized, I’ll graciously forgive you!”
What a fool. Look at him being happy over a single piece of meat.
We passed by Arthur and headed back toward the entrance we had come in.
Now that the demon was dead, the Behemoth, having lost control, would soon escape the Empire.
“But Luke, what kind of monster’s meat was that?”
Ahh, it’s nothing much.
“Sea Serpent.”