Chương 168: Interlude 23

Lazarus The Demon I screamed in pain. That creature and his depths-born had seriously hurt me. Even after several months, the heat from that attack into the ground had burned away my legs. I was tempted to burst out of the ground, but I knew I would have died. I had crawled out days after the human had left in even more pain. Half charred to death, but I refused to die. Now I lay in the dark cave screaming in pain as I slowly reshaped my body to heal myself. It was a painfully slow process.

My current form had taken hundreds of years to perfect. Small tweaks over time to achieve the ideal form. The pain had been manageable. Now, it was horrendous. The cold battered my flesh, fueling Cold Absorption. The intense heat damaged the skill. I hadn't even known that could happen. But apparently it could. It wasn't just a disruption of the skill, but deeper damage. Damage that carried to my soul despite the attack being mostly physical and not Mana based.

Whatever it was they had altered the ground into had been devastating in its effect. I hated no one or anything so much since I had achieved consciousness. I knew the taste of the creature's Mana. My tracking skills weren't the best, but once I recovered, they would have to do. I would hunt it down and kill it. The only reason it had won our fight was because it used skills I did not know of. Next time I will be more careful and observe. Attack from a distance and retreat more quickly.

Wear down my target using every trick that I knew of. I had grown too complacent hunting weak beastkin. My Danger Sense triggered. I shut my mouth, keeping the pain inside me. My Mana became more turbulent, which made healing more difficult. I dug myself deep into the ground once more and waited. The only other being that would be out right now was another monster, another demon. We wouldn't normally fight each other, but if one of us were wounded, it was a completely different matter.

There would be no hesitation in consuming the other. There was a natural aversion to targeting monsters. I had tried to fight past it like most other demons, but the feeling of being uncomfortable only grew. Therefore, we demons only targeted other monsters if they were weakened and easy to defeat. We wouldn't pass up a free meal even if it was distasteful.

"Lazarus, I heard your screams. You can't hide forever. Lose a fight to the weak beastkin?" I knew that voice and didn't react in the slightest.

"Annoying. You are like those vermin you hunt. Digging deep into the ground. Stay hidden for a hundred years. I don't care." My Danger Sense lowered, but I knew the other demon was still nearby. I had no hard proof, but they were clearly waiting for me to emerge or do anything. I would have to wait a long time until they got bored. While the other demon was good, they couldn't completely hide their presence, and I knew what my baseline Danger Sense should be.

Until it returned to that baseline, they were still nearby. That was all the proof I needed. And even then, I would wait even longer. That another demon had come this far into the cold and mountains showed they were here to stay. There was no other reason for a demon to come this far. I did it to be left alone. If I were at my full strength, they would have left, but now they would remain, and it would eventually lead to a confrontation once I emerged from the ground.

Or perhaps they would get killed off if I was lucky enough. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Supreme Warlady Elena Burnstock Taking a deep breath, I allowed my Mana to flow freely, and my heart to beat more quickly. It was time. I had recovered fully. It had taken months of painstaking effort, but I had recovered. I pulled out a simple robe and rope belt from my spatial pouch. It is a shame that my armor failed, but I would get better armor made.

Armor that was more flame and curse resistant. I lifted Sarah and smiled slightly. My sword, Sarah, was only companion I needed to see me through the hardships of the dungeon. The only companion that wouldn't fail or betray me. It had been a while since the demon's last visit. Boredom had probably set in. That was the problem with thinking creatures, they were prone to the frailties that their intelligence brought them.

I had never fought a demon before, but I had a good understanding of its stats, strengths, and most importantly of all its weaknesses. I didn't mind fighting. I was never scared of fighting. But my armor other pieces of equipment besides my sword and spatial pouch had been lost. Getting equipment to counter the cursed flames would make the fight a lot easier in the future. That was the strength of civilization. The demons didn't have craftspeople to make them tools and weapons.

So, while the demon might be powerful, my sword was a force multiplier on its own. I couldn't help but think of the pet my son had taken. Foolishness, but he would learn one day, that a weapon in hand was more dependable than any monster. The demon would be probably waiting by the passage to go up a layer. Its what I would do if I were the demon. The deeper one went in the dungeon, the fewer passages there were to choose from.

Even if I pushed my sensory skills to the max, I wouldn't be able to break free of the passage I had descended. There was only one route up. I could go deeper, but I wasn't planning on dying. The others might have considered this their final descent, but for me it was just another descent to kill monsters. I wasn't going to die now to this demon or to any monster. Fighting it would be difficult, but I knew what I had to do.

It would try to stop me from escaping and I would use that to force it into a difficult tactical position. I estimated I had less than 1% chance of success based on our respective stats and likely reserves and their regeneration. But that was more than enough. As long as it was possible, I would turn that possibility into a reality. Steadying my breathing, I gave my sword a couple light swings.

"Once more," I said quietly to myself as I steeled myself for the battle ahead. I would have to use everything that I had to win this fight. Even skills I normally looked down. I would leave nothing to chance if I could help it. But even as I went over everything in my head, I would need my enemy to make mistakes. It would be a battle of wits and intelligence. While I was at a disadvantage due to our respective strengths, fighting stronger monsters was a specialty of mine. I thought of my son and hoped he was okay.

I couldn't help but worry about him, like only a mother could. I knew he was probably doing fine. But as an adventurer he would be faced with hardships within the dungeon. There were things that couldn't be taught or learned without experiencing them. One day he would have a tough fight and have to dig deep to win like I was doing now. That was the difference between those who lived and those who died when survival was possible.

After my survival so long ago, I wouldn't hope for a miracle skill to save me ever again. I would forge my destiny with my own hands, carving it from the flesh of my enemies. I began walking towards the exit passage to the 25 th layer. I was in no rush. Rushing would alert the demon more quickly to my position. I would advance at a sedate pace. It also gave me time to ensure that my body was moving correctly. The damage I had suffered had been immense.

But that was something I had prepared for long ago and why I had learned basic healing spell skills. Anything that could keep me fighting and killing monsters was something that I would use. The demon might be a roadblock, but it wouldn't win. It might be impossibly strong, have powerful cursed skills, and have sentience. But it didn't have determination forged into its very flesh and soul. It felt pain. It didn't harness pain to empower itself. It feared my blade and my skills.

Fear might be a bit strong of a word, but it would be cautious. I could kill the demon and it knew that. One way or another I was either leaving this layer of the dungeon or killing a demon. Either outcome was acceptable. I swung my sword again and adjusted my grip slightly. My body had some minor issues, but I knew it well. The issues would be resolved in combat. I just had to make sure I didn't take any curse damage. That kind of damage took far too long to deal with.

Spending years dealing with curse damage had been draining, but now I was ready to fight. I also didn't have the supplies to keep hiding. This was going to be a fight to the death or escape. If I did manage to escape and the demon pursued, I could drag it up to the Last Bastion. While I might not think much of the legends there, they would assist in killing a demon, just to claim its core.