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Chapter 37: Devil Of Sloth
Chapter 37: Devil Of Sloth
Chapter 37: Devil Of Sloth
After the two frenzied demons fell, no other demon dared to challenge Helkry.
It was only natural.
No matter how belligerent the demons were, they knew that they needed to preserve their own lives to fulfill their desires.
Had they not had the restraint to temper their desires even in the face of overwhelming power, they would not have been bound under the command of the mighty Demon King.
I was certain no one would dare cross him now.
Excuse me, Chief, I have something to say
Bang!!
The mace swung reflexively at the sound of the voice.
Though the mace hit the demons head just like the others before, the impact did not even seem to unbalance the demon.
What is it, Sloth?
He withstood it.
Without any guard, Sloth withstood the blow that had overpowered the entire army and killed two demons.
I was asleep until just now, so Im not sure whats going on
His voice was lethargic, even as the mace remained lodged in his head.
Yet his face showed not a hint of pain.
Seeing the situation, it seems like it will take a while. Is it alright if I go take a nap?
Even though his thick, sturdy skin was cracked by the impact, he seemed indifferent to it all.
Sloth
Soon, Helkry called his name.
Ive told you since I took over the command of your troop that rest comes after the mission. No matter how tedious, there are no exceptions in between.
Hmm, so if I finish things quickly, I can go rest?
Are you going to step in?
To be honest, I dont care much for the honor the Chief speaks of
Thud.
Fragments poured down as the mace dropped from his head.
As he stroked the exposed flesh, he turned to me and continued.
If it means I can rest sooner, Ill do whatever it takes.
Smoothly, his skin regenerated, and his gaze fixed firmly.
At that moment, I had an intuition.
The hulk of a creature, who could withstand the blows of monsters that even heroes couldnt handle, was indeed my destined adversary.
Human Woo Hyo-sung. Your opponent has been decided.
Whooong.
As I turned around, a mace plunged vertically into the ground.
When he, who had just been standing quietly, gave me a hint, I realized its meaning and started to move to an appropriate position.
I went to where the adventurers like me were gathered, below the clearing beneath the cliff.
Listen, everyone! From now on, this place will be under my control!!
Similarly, when the demon called Sloth stood in front of the silent demon army, Helkry soon shouted.
There shall be no fleeing or intruding until there is an invasion from the outside. Anyone who violates this during the duel will be executed by me.
No one raised an objection to his words.
Both the demons and the humans. All of them realized how strong the one before them was, just by seeing those turned to dust by his mace.
The fact that overwhelming power could also be a rule and a focal point of order was painfully evident just from his presence.
Sloth, and human Woo Hyo-sung. Go ahead and fight to your hearts content. Whatever the reason, fight with all your might for what you pursue here. As your longing grows, honor will naturally emerge in your battle.
In such a tense atmosphere, he soon sat down in front of the mace, crossed his arms, and began to watch the duel.
With sharp and cold eyes.
As if to show his firm resolve not to take his eyes off the fight about to unfold for even a moment.
Hey, you. Are you really okay?
Seeing that look, the adventurers who realized they could no longer retreat began to express their anxiety towards me.
If I died here, it would be the end for them too.
But even if this was a hard-won opportunity, how could I back down now?
I can only hope to manage somehow with the power of my weapon.
I looked back at them for a moment, then chuckled and shook off my inner anxiety as much as possible, staring at the demon confronting me.
Holding only the Mithril Ego Weapon, which seemed to be the only hope in this situation.
Human.
Of course, this one weapon did not grant absolute strength, but at least it wouldnt reduce the fight to throwing eggs at rocks.
As I grasped the spear and gathered my resolve, the demon named Sloth soon stood there, staring down at me.
Im sorry to have to confront you like this, but I have my own circumstances.
He was only about a head taller, but his physique was so much bigger than mine that it was incomparable.
Even ignoring his ferocious face, the black and thick skin that enveloped his body could be considered armor by itself.
Are you planning to knock me down fast and get some rest?
Its an important issue for me. Just like you persuaded the Chief because you wanted to survive here, I also want to be quickly freed from this troublesome task.
Sloth, remembering his task and feeling the tension, slowly raised his fist.
His fist was so straight that it could be compared to honesty, and he began to take a step towards me. 1
Dont move.
Slow steps.
It was neither a leap nor a step, just a mere walking motion.
If you stay still, Ill end it in one blow, without pain.
Thus, his body, having closed the distance with me, began to turn into an afterimage in an instant.
A surprise attack using a sudden posture change.
But it wasnt something I couldnt avoid if I was focused.
Whoong!
His fist, powered by inertia from stopping, swung, aiming at my head.
By then, I had already left that spot and was aiming my spear at his side, putting force into it.
Crack.
The sound of flesh being torn could be heard as my spear swung horizontally.
The moment his hard skin was peeled off like fruit rind, Sloths eyes, noticing it, started to flicker slightly.
Hmm?
Yes, he must be confident in his durability.
But the weapon I was using was clearly made of mithril.
As it was a weapon made of the hardest metal in this world, even armor that relied solely on durability could be breached.
Crack, crack!!
His skin was being heavily sliced by my spear strikes, powered by the blades force.
The moment I realized his inner flesh was exposed with fragments flying in all directions, a smile began to form on my stiff lips.
Good. With this weapon, I could deal damage.
If even a single point of damage could be dealt, my chances of winning wouldnt be zero.
So, that weapon can pierce my armor.
Sloth seemed to realize this only after much of his body was sliced away, but by then, the spear in my hand was already aimed at his chest.
Now that the armor around him was broken and its durability had weakened, I could pierce through his chest and kill him.
No, considering what might come next, it was better to end the fight quickly and decisively.
With an unwavering stance. Precisely at the position I wanted.
Craaack!!!
The moment my spear pierced through the skin of his chest, feeling the flesh and his muscles being punctured, I pressed forward, intending to pierce through his heart.
And then, thud!
At some point, the spear stopped advancing, as if nailed in place
What? What?
Whats going on? Why wont it go any further here?
Could it be that his heart was harder than his skin? No, it didnt feel like the spear tip was blocked by something.
It was like a sensation of being blocked by forces coming from all sides, as if something was twisting the spear in the middle Could it be?
Amazing.
I realized it. It was not that the spear was caught on the muscles
Before the spear blade could reach the heart, it was blocked by a reflexive tightening of the muscles.
All this time, this armor has blocked all the bothersome things that have come at me, but you, youve made all that effort meaningless by piercing through my armor and bothering me.
What was even more absurd was that such a crude method of defense wasnt for the purpose of deceiving me, but it was a result of the demons nature.
Demons were a race that grew and evolved according to their desires from their very origin.
His incredibly slow movements originated from his desire to avoid making any effort, and his hardened skin was a result of his instinct to protect himself from such annoyance.
Damn it, no matter how lazy you are, at least blink when youre stabbed.
Yes, this guy was the demon of Sloth.
Born with the ability to protect his body, irrespective of his will, just with the desire to be free from annoyance, he was an absurd monster.
Its too much to ask. Even feeling pain is bothersome.
Crack.
The monster, with the spear still embedded, took a step forward.
The spear drove deeper, but he did not stop.
Even though the spear piercing through his skin could reach his heart
Blinking is bothersome too. So is moving around like this and having to beat humans to death.
Seemingly finding even the fear of death bothersome, he, with overwhelming strength and durability blocking fatal wounds, was closing the distance between us.
His eyes that were watching me were not just bloodshot but emitting a red glow.
So dont move.
Following that, there was a loud crash!
With the power in his legs, cracks formed in the ground, and with the impact, my body wobbled, and my stance crumbled.
Dont even bite down.
He took advantage of that moment to pull out the spear embedded in his chest.
With his fist still clenched, he smiled and said,
Dragging out this fight will only make me more bothered and you more in pain.
BOOOOM!!!
With a booming sound, the world seemed to turn upside down.
Eventually, everything visible turned into afterimages.
As the caravan left the collapsed gorge and stopped momentarily, the leader of the remaining group began to express a sense of despair, looking over the survivors and the remaining supplies.
Damn, is this all who survived?
Damn those demon army bastards. Who wouldve thought theyd even hurl rocks at us?
Its too late to turn back now.
Im sorry. Forgive me for having to leave you behind.
Was it because they chose to head to the garrison, abandoning the safer path?
The adventurers, who had their camaraderie and resolve, were all feeling guilty about those they had left behind.
Except for one person. The minstrel, who was staring at the scene with indifferent eyes.
Are you okay?
Perhaps she was thinking of their comrades left at the scene?
Yes, Im fine.
The minstrel, with a blunt voice, just held the lute in her hand tightly, not diverting her gaze.
After all, we met by chance. It must be fate that it turned out this way.
Hearing that dry voice, the caravan leader started to say something but then closed his mouth firmly.
Yes, the living must go on living.
Whether he truly felt nothing or just didnt show it, mourning and expressing guilt over them could wait until they reached safety.
Then, the caravan, which had stopped for a moment, was about to head towards the garrison
Huh? Theres a light over there!
Are they the demons?
No, its a lantern!
The light of a lantern was approaching through the gradually darkening forest.
As they recognized the source of the light, their wariness slowly faded, and eventually, those holding the lantern also stopped in front of the caravan.
What? Who are you?
The group approaching was twice the size of their own, which had been reduced to a quarter of its initial size.
As the leader of the group met them, perplexed, one of the representatives who recognized the caravans identity stepped forward to explain.
We are an escort team deployed by the royal command to assist the Hero. Were preparing to return to the empire as per the Heros directive, having left the garrison.
Returning to the empire? We encountered the demon army before coming here. Isnt the garrison currently engaged with the demons?
A full-scale war hasnt broken out yet, but there have been a few skirmishes since they began surrounding the area.
The soldier explained calmly in response to the leaders words. But anyone hearing it would find it unbelievable.
The fact that the demon army was releasing monsters and building a blockade meant a major battle was imminent in the garrison area.
In such a situation, was it plausible for the Hero to secretly slip away from the garrison?
Yeah~ Coming all this way just to fight is such a hassle~
However, without any hesitation, the woman who came out, greeted by them, stood in front of the caravan with only a playful smile.
I originally came here feeling like I was on vacation, but when I tried to quickly deal with those who swarmed in, the officer commanding the garrison nagged me so much about not acting on my own~
I know its rude to ask this, but is it really okay to leave like this on your own?
Haha, whats not allowed? The great Emperor himself said that we can do whatever we want..
Giggling, the Hero pushed the caravan leaders shoulder and quickly glanced over the remaining survivors.
The adventurers tensed, fearing she might harm them, but her eyes, surveying the group, were tinted with boredom.
Seriously, there are no cute girls here This makes joining up here seem pointless Hmm?
Thinking there was nothing worth bothering with, she was about to end her interest indifferently.
But soon, she noticed the minstrel in the middle of the group, looking back at the scene they had passed, and her eyes began to sparkle.
Wow, theres a girl here just to my taste~
Indeed, it was a gaze filled with desire.
Even though a minstrel should be welcomed accordingly,
For some reason, the look in her eyes didnt feel welcoming at all