Chapter 154
Slash—!
“Kieeeek!”
With a chilling severing sound, the Monster’s body split in two. The group of Lizardmen that had been pestering the Extermination Squad was quickly dealt with.
Indeed, the claim of many Monsters was no exaggeration; as soon as we entered, we were greeted by swarms of them.
Though it was a region burning on all sides, Life Forms still managed to live there. I had no idea how they found food.
The types of Monsters were quite varied: Lizardmen wreathed in Flame, scorpions spewing fire from their tails, giant snakes with superheated fangs, and more. Each one was threatening, but the People gathered here were no pushovers. Thanks to them, the Monsters themselves weren't a major problem yet.
Even Neria was actively participating.
“...Pierce.”
Thwack—!
At her single word, the Monster in front was impaled. One of the Adventurers who saw it praised Neria.
“Wow, you’re small, but your Magic is incredible. Were you at the meeting? I don’t remember seeing you...” “...” “Well, I might have forgotten. Honestly, that *fellow* over there stole all my memories. Anyway, you’re quite taciturn.”
Fortunately, no one among the many personnel seemed to look at Neria suspiciously. Seeing this, I let out a small *sigh of relief* internally.
*Phew...*
Honestly, it was one of my biggest worries. I’m really anxious in so many ways just because I brought a kid along.
Of course, just because people weren’t suspicious didn’t mean I could stick close to her. I was already attracting a lot of aggro. If I acted too familiar with her, the attention would surely shift to her.
So, Neria was following a step behind us, quietly, with her hood on. The Extermination Squad moved together anyway. Even if she was a little separated, I could still keep an eye on her. Honestly, with two Manifestors already participating, I wondered if there was even a reason to hide Neria... but it didn’t hurt to be careful.
*But...*
As we continued forward, I frowned. The distance was supposedly only about a day’s travel, but our speed was severely hampered by the Monsters.
Come to think of it, the *Depths* where I lived weren’t that long a distance either. If I ran for half a day straight, I could reach the *Altar*, the deepest part of the *Depths*.
But the first time I traveled to the end of the *Depths*, it took me almost a month.
It was because of the Monsters, just like now. The ceaselessly appearing Monsters were a significant obstacle.
It wasn’t something to be happy about, even though the distance was only a day. If things went wrong, it could take several days and nights.
However, these were the *troops* assembled specifically to break through it. Since more than enough personnel had gathered, our progress wasn’t completely blocked. The problem was the intense *stamina consumption* due to the fierce combat.
With *Fireball*s all around and my body moving non-stop, the heat accumulating in my body was no joke.
“Phew...”
Sweat poured down like rain, and my body felt unpleasant.
Thanks to that, irritation I didn’t even know I had was rising. At least I was only wearing clothes, not armor; I wondered how the surrounding Adventurers and Knights were faring...
After a long time, Vivian, the *Leader* of the Extermination Squad, shouted timidly.
“Oh, we’ll rest here today...!”
There was no way we could immediately fight the *Demon* at the *Altar* in our exhausted state. So, the plan was to rest at a midway point. It seemed that thanks to pushing hard for a day, we might arrive tomorrow.
“Hooah!”
“I’m dying!”
At the *Knight Commander’s* declaration of rest, all the *Women* nearby plopped down onto the ground.
“Hey, *Sir*, if you’re free, how about we grab a meal together...?”
“Get lost before I kill you.”
I, too, quickly brushed off the Adventurer approaching me and sat down on the ground. These damn Adventurers kept pestering and interfering even during Monster fights. I was already annoyed by the heat, and they were still at it during the break, so harsh words were inevitable.
The Adventurer I cursed at returned to her *Party Members* with a hurt expression.
Then, she suddenly started shedding big, fat tears among her *Party Member*s! Seeing this, her *Party Member*s hurriedly comforted the Adventurer.
“It’s okay, you were brave!” “Hey, you idiot! That’s how *women* grow, by getting rejected!”
Seeing that, I felt a pang of guilt.
*Did I speak too harshly?*
But it couldn’t be helped... If I didn’t speak strongly to these guys, they’d keep clinging to me. Honestly, if they still try to approach even with my Companions right next to me, they deserve to be cursed at.
As I was thinking that, an Adventurer shouted nearby.
“Damn it, I can’t take it anymore! I’m going to die from the heat first!”
Then, she suddenly started taking off her clothes. It seemed she couldn’t endure the accumulated heat from combat and the burning surroundings any longer.
Taking off armor in such a dangerous *region* was madness, but the heat radiating from the surroundings made that madness possible.
Seeing this, many Adventurers followed suit and began to remove their armor. Some even took off their upper garments completely, exposing their underwear.
“Phew, *Yor*, I can’t do it. I’m going to take some off too.”
“Me too. Wow, even with *Camouflage* lowered, the heat is still getting through.”
Even my *companions* were the same. It seemed *women* had no qualms about stripping down in *this place*. In the sudden display of bare skin, I was confused about where to put my eyes.
*Damn it...*
My head was already hot, and now it felt like heat was pooling in my *Lower Body*.
Honestly, I wanted to take my clothes off too! Even if I wasn’t wearing armor, but just clothes, this heat made me want to tear even those thin garments off.
But I had to endure. If there were only Knights who knew how to maintain decorum, it might be different, but *This Place* had more rough *Mercenary*s than Knights.
And I was the only *man* here. If I took off my clothes too, who would know what would happen.
Come to think of it, how is the kid enduring?
While I was enduring, I suddenly wondered about Neria and turned my head. I was hot, but she, wearing a thick hood, must be even hotter.
But surprisingly, Neria was still wearing her deep hood. A little sweat beaded on the skin I could glimpse, but she seemed unbothered. If anything, I felt hotter just looking at her.
As I stared, curious, Neria, feeling my gaze, approached me. Then she reached out her hand and quietly began to *cast* her ability.
“...*Cold Wind*.”
Whoosh—
An icy *cold wind* blew, cooling the heat. Thanks to it, my hot head felt a little clearer.
She’s truly versatile.
No matter how I looked at it, that ability seemed too overpowered, an ability that makes anything happen just by speaking it. Of course, it consumed a lot of mana, but from my perspective, I couldn’t help but be envious.
I whispered softly to her.
“Thank you. But don’t use your ability too carelessly. You must have side effects too, right?”
“This much is fine. It doesn’t take much effort.”
“And you should just take off your hood too. Aren’t you hot?”
“But there are so many people around...”
“Right now, wearing that thick thing here is more abnormal.”
At my words, Neria carefully took off her hood. Her red hair appeared, as vibrant as the surrounding landscape. Indeed, she must have been hot, as she looked refreshed as soon as she removed her hood.
After blowing *Cold Wind* on me a few times, she returned to her spot. Thanks to her, I was able to sleep more comfortably that night. ...Fortunately, my clothes hadn't caught fire yet.
*
The next day dawned. Perhaps thanks to our diligent advance the previous night, we quickly arrived at the *Altar* where the *Demon* was. In the midst of the *Burning Plains*, a massive *Pit* suddenly appeared, leading *Underground*.
It was a gigantic *Pit*, large enough for the entire Extermination Squad to enter. As the *Plains* were wide open, it was clearly visible from afar.
“Well, they’re not even trying to hide it.”
Jurgen, said to be the top in the industry, chuckled.
“Alright, everyone, let’s go in.”
This was Jurgen’s command again. Compared to Vivian, who was awkward in everything she did, Jurgen, exuding composure, had a clearer voice. At some point, Jurgen had taken *command* of the Extermination Squad.
In a way, her job had been taken, but Vivian merely let out a *sigh of relief*. It seemed she truly disliked being in front of *people*.
*How on earth is she a Knight Commander?*
I wondered every time I saw her. But after moving with her for a day, I thought I roughly understood why. Despite Vivian’s timid personality, she was incredibly aggressive in combat. I couldn’t properly confirm it during the battle, but I saw her charging through the monsters.
*...And that woman.*
Jurgen was the same. Unlike Vivian, Jurgen’s combat wasn’t flashy. She didn’t move her body excessively, nor did she directly charge into the Monsters. She simply observed the battle at her leisure, and if a Monster rushed at her, she would just swing her sword.
What was surprising, however, was that every Monster that engaged her was split in two with a single sword strike. Even other A-rank Adventurers and Knights were seen struggling with Monsters, but she remained composed throughout.
It seemed she hadn’t even used her *True Skill* yet, but even so, she was clearly a formidable *Skilled Person*.
“Hmm?”
As I quietly watched, our eyes met at some point. It seemed I had been staring too intently.
The woman named Jurgen grinned, then approached me and said,
“Wow, you’re quite the fighter yourself.”
“...”
“I was surprised. Well, it’s clear that someone with a *man’s* body who reached that position isn’t an ordinary *person*. Honestly, you’re better than most.”
“...Thanks for the compliment.”
I replied appropriately. She had the looks of someone who had lived quite a wild life in her youth. But I had no intention of getting close to a woman who seemed significantly older than me.
Fortunately, the *Entrance* to the *Pit* wasn’t very long. After we passed through a dark and hot passageway, a gigantic dome, twice the size of a soccer field, greeted us.
The scenery of the dome itself—streams of lava flowing from the walls, flames erupting from the floor, and more—was intimidating us.
And an enormous *male* figure, with only his upper body protruding from the floor, was visible in its *center*. Even with just his upper body showing, he occupied a significant portion of this massive dome.
“...So, those who wish to behold me have come again.”
Everything that made up the *Opponent* was bright. He had red hair, red eyes, and a red body. As if his entire body was made of *Flame*, his appearance was utterly scorching. This *Life Form* was *Amon*, the *Lord of Fire*. He was the *7th Rank Demon* who ruled the *South*ern lands of the *Demon Realm*.
“However, it is regrettable. I only accept the *Flame Kin*. I cannot accept your welcome.”
*Fwoosh—!* Saying so, he began to wreathe his entire body in *Flame*. The heat radiating from all directions intensified. It was a heat that made one feel as if one's body would melt if one stayed there.
Even though we were still in a standoff, in tension I gripped my spear tightly. I hadn’t seen him before, but he had already repelled three Exterminations. It was good to be sufficiently tense. ...But it seemed I was the only one tense here immediately.
The Extermination Squad Personnel near me were busy exclaiming in admiration. Wondering why, I briefly looked at Yu Chaerin’s broadcast.
Even though there were many Adventurers around and she couldn’t broadcast carelessly, she couldn’t miss the *Boss* battle either. So, she had finished the *Burning Plains* as a recording, and then had the broadcast on. Thanks to that, I could see the *Viewer* reactions.
Oh
Wow...
Holy shit, look at that body
Wait, isn't this going to get the stream banned...? It's too explicit.
Red skin... Maybe it's not so bad after all...
Only then did it start to look different to me. Come to think of it, the *Opponent* was not wearing a single thread on his muscular body. In other words, he was naked.
Even if it was just his upper body, it couldn’t help but be stimulating for the *women* here in some way. To me, he just looked like a cool *Boss Monster*...
“Ah.”
Seeing their vulgar desires, I slapped my forehead.