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"Well, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. As you know, I'm contracted to an incredible spirit."
Bellus looked at Davian with genuine admiration.
"Ah! I see. You're right. It's not as impressive as the spirit you're contracted to, but... they're all my precious friends."
"By the way, how did you end up traveling with those people? Are you on some kind of adventure?"
Bellus's expression suddenly darkened.
"Well... my grandfather went missing a while ago. People say he went into one of those dimensional rifts that have been popping up around here lately, but my grandfather would never go into a place like that on his own."
"So, he was captured by demons? Then you went into the Demon Realm to find your grandfather?"
"Yes."
"Are there many people missing besides your grandfather?"
"...Yes. Almost every few days. That's why it's strange. People are disappearing every few days, but who would willingly go into that Demon Realm gateway?"
That's a valid point.
The demons didn't take him.
"That's true... but demons don't usually kidnap humans and drag them into the Demon Realm."
"Huh?"
"The demons I know don't. They'd kill you, not kidnap you. The reason your group was imprisoned was because you entered the Demon Realm first, right?"
"That's true, but..."
"If that demon who imprisoned you wasn't curious about why these dimensional rifts keep appearing, he would have killed your entire group on the spot."
"Is that so...? Then why did my grandfather disappear?"
"If he was kidnapped, the culprit might not be a demon."
"If not a demon, then who?"
"Let's go back to the village first. We'll go back and investigate from the beginning."
Davian turned his head and looked at Bellus's face.
A freshman who will enter next year, one year below him.
A spirit magician from a commoner background.
She looks like a clumsy girl now, but her skills are actually quite impressive.
She's one of those cases that completely awakens after entering the academy.
The first day she enters the forest behind the Medio Garden, she fully blossoms into a genius spirit magician.
"I'll help you."
Bellus was startled and turned her head.
Her brown hair, reaching her shoulders, swayed.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Spirit magicians are rare.
Among them, Bellus's skills are top-tier.
If he can recruit Bellus, who can summon numerous spirits, he can clear the upcoming quests more easily.
'It's even better that I met her before she entered the academy. I have time until the weekend, so I'll investigate her grandfather's case and build a friendship. It would be even better if I could get her to owe me a favor.'
He suddenly became curious about the other two people.
"The two people who were imprisoned with you didn't seem like they were from this village?"
"They said they were investigating something. They heard that dimensional rifts kept appearing around here and came to our village."
'That was a lie.'
When they were talking in the dungeon, Peter said, "We just thought it was a dungeon and got caught."
But according to Bellus's story, they knew it was the Demon Realm from the beginning.
"I thought they were just stupid people, but they're actually cunning."
"Huh?"
"Oh, I was talking about the two people in your group."
"Oh... but they're good people. Peter may be a bit gruff, but he's saved me from danger countless times."
"That musclehead?"
"Muscle... what?"
"Never mind. How skilled are those two?"
"Peter is incredibly strong, and Rohanna's sword is incredibly fast."
Davian stared intently at Bellus.
'She's a bit of a frustrating character too.'
Bellus quickly turned her head away as Davian stared at her.
"No, not like that. Like, a swordsman of a certain star, you know?"
"Oh! I didn't ask, so I don't really know..."
"I see."
Davian hasn't really seen the two people's skills properly yet.
But if they knew it was the Demon Realm and still passed through the dimensional gate, they must have something they're relying on.
In fact, when Davian fought the Centurion, Peter and Rohanna quickly dealt with all the small fries in no time.
At that moment.
Thud!
Peter, who had been thrown from somewhere, fell in front of Davian and Bellus.
His whole body was covered in blood, and his arms were completely bent backwards.
"Peter!"
Bellus, startled, ran to Peter.
"Ah, he's still alive!"
Thump.
Rohanna, who had just returned from the opposite forest, dropped the rabbit she had caught on the ground.
"Peter!"
Rohanna ran to Peter at lightning speed.
She took a healing potion from her pocket and poured it into Peter's mouth, face, and shoulders without hesitation.
"Ugh... ugh."
The potion must have been quite high-grade, as Peter's consciousness began to return.
Meanwhile, Davian silently stared in one direction.
He had already taken out the Ferrius gauntlets and put them on both hands.
Davian, who had been looking at the dark area beyond the trees, spoke first.
"Who is it?"
A moment later.
A demon slowly walked out of the darkness.
It was Legion Commander Jedikus.
Ting.
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[Quest: Defeat Legion Commander Jedikus]
Reward: 16,000 Mana Points (x2)
Failure: Death
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The reward is 16,000 Mana Points.
It matches the reward for the fifth stage.
Only the item reward, which was some kind of necklace, is missing.
'If I had challenged the fifth stage, would that guy have been the demon I had to face?'
He refused to do it because it seemed too difficult to clear on his own.
But the demon followed him anyway.
'This is getting annoying...'
Jedikus opened his mouth.
"Are you all? I thought if I threw out a demi-corpse, your comrades would come rushing in. Are you just four?"
Peter, who had recovered to some extent, got up with Rohanna's support.
"Bellus..., Davian... Run. Quickly!"
Rohanna chimed in.
"Yes! Hurry! We'll somehow try to stop him in the meantime... Keuk!"
Rohanna grabbed her neck and floated into the air.
Davian quickly turned his head and looked at the demon.
Jedikus was standing there with only his thumb and index finger extended towards Rohanna.
'Telekinesis magic...!'
Demonic energy differs greatly from human magic, from the way it manifests.
So, strictly speaking, that's not telekinesis magic.
It's an ability caused by the release of pure demonic energy.
It's a much higher-level method of releasing demonic energy than the visible black demonic energy that the Captain and Centurion released earlier.
"You insect-like beings. Who gave you permission to tell each other to run away? The power over your lives rests solely with me, Jedikus, the Legion Commander of the Phlegeton Legion."
They're quite fond of introducing themselves.
But regardless of that...
Davian instinctively knew that the current situation was not good.
If the opponent was human, he could try to exploit an opening by inducing a conversation.
But the opponent is a demon.
The reason that demon who introduced himself as Jedikus isn't attacking at full power right now is because he thinks the four humans here are too insignificant.
Thud.
As Jedikus withdrew the invisible demonic energy, Rohanna's body fell to the floor with a thud.
She was barely breathing.
Jedikus now turned his head towards Davian.
"Is it you? The one who killed the Captain and Centurion."
There's no turning back now.
"That's right."
"You're the one who arbitrarily created the dimensional rift in the dungeon, too?"
"Well... if you want to be specific, yes."
"I'll have to capture you alive."
Jedikus turned his head again.
"The other three bugs, die."
Jedikus extended his arm towards Peter's group.
Despair bloomed on Peter's face as he was feeding Rohanna a healing potion.
At that moment.
Shoosh!
Davian fired a sharp wind elemental magic.
A single shot with all six stars of magic power pushed into it.
'Just once.'
When he thinks that all four humans here are bugs.
A single chance.
He has to defeat that Legion Commander with it.
Bang!
The black demonic energy scattered by Jedikus strongly repelled Davian's wind elemental magic.
Unlike the telekinesis magic he showed earlier, this time it was visible black demonic energy.
Meanwhile, Davian threw himself straight towards Jedikus.
Faster than ever before.
He prepared a Fireball in his left hand and created an Ice Sword in his right hand.
The same pattern as when he faced the Centurion.
It's a pattern that Davian should be tired of by now, but it's currently the most efficient way to defeat an opponent stronger than himself.
Each full-power attack had a different power and speed than when he faced the Centurion earlier.
Clang!
Davian's Fireball and Jedikus's demonic energy collided, and a huge shockwave spread out.
The strong impact was enough to break all the trees around.
"Bellus! Rohanna!"
Peter barely managed to grab Bellus and Rohanna, who were about to be swept away by the shockwave.
"Heup!"
Davian even shouted, something he doesn't usually do, and swung the Ice Sword with all his might.
The fastest speed he's ever produced.
The strongest power he's ever created, concentrating all his inner energy on his waist, both shoulders, and both arms.
As he swung the sword, he made eye contact with Jedikus.
'... ! He's not panicked at all.'
Jedikus pulled out a small dagger from his waist and raised it.
A movement to block the Ice Sword.
'Anyway, it's done! I'll blow that guy's entire shoulder off along with that dagger!'
Clang!
Sparks flew in all directions as the Ice Sword and Dagger collided.
'...!'
But.
Jedikus's dagger, which was just over a span long, wasn't cut off.
Rather, the Ice Sword was severely nicked.
If he had swung with more force, the Ice Sword would have broken instead.
"Young human. You have quite the knack for tricks for your age."
A terribly cold and indifferent voice.
But right now.
Davian couldn't hear Jedikus's voice.
Davian's gaze was fixed on the small dagger, which had broken through the ice sword and was stuck in it.
A black blade with geometric shapes engraved on it.
A golden cross guard.
A handle with tightly woven brown leather.
Davian's lips moved.
"...It's you."
"What?"
"It was you. The one who sent a lowly demon to stab me in the back."
Davian pushed the sword away with all his strength and stepped back.
The distance between the two was about five steps.
"What are you talking about? Do you know me? Human."
He had never met Jedikus.
But the dagger he was holding.
He had seen that dagger before.
The end of the third playthrough.
It was the very dagger that had pierced Davian's back and pierced his heart.
"Did you say your name was Jedikus?"
"That's right."
"I'll remember it."
He wanted to kill him right away.
But he could clearly see from the previous clash.
'I can't handle him yet. No, I'm far from it.'
He turned his gaze to Peter's group.
'If I join forces with them?'
Still impossible.
The opponent is too strong.
'I have to figure out a way to get out of here.'
The failure penalty is 'death', but that doesn't mean I can die here.
I'll be able to find a way.
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