I activate my newly acquired skill |Adrenaline| and quickly run out of the demon outpost. It is quite small to begin with so security seemed lax. I run in a random direction, anywhere to get them confused. They will spread out to find whoever ruined their ritual. Meanwhile, my goal is to complete the dungeon.
||Dungeon quest!
Survive for 1 day(s) 6 hour(s)
Rank: C
Time limit: Unlimited
Rewards: 1 Active Skill (C), 1 Passive Skill (D)||
I don't know how long it will take for the demons to find my location, but I need to survive for as long as possible, this is the only way to get back to earth.
After about 30 minutes, I stop to rest and put Avesta down. I remove the cloth bag over Avesta's head. Her ponytails are messy and her eyes red from crying. The experience must have been awful for the young child.
Surprisingly, I did not find a single scratch on her body. Except for some torn clothes, there are no bruises anywhere to be seen. It seems as though the demon did not manage to harm her.
After seeing me and confirming I am a human, Avesta seems much more relaxed. However she still refuses to speak, so I just signal to follow me and we walk further from the demon outpost.
A serious problem at the moment is food. Higher-ranked dungeons can take days to a year to finish, so survival is often a huge factor. As we walk the plains of hell, I try to look for any food source. Luckily I know all of the consumable organisms in hell. It is one of the things I researched becoming the demon king.
I dug up a few edible herbs and also caught a few small lizard-type monsters. Avesta was disgusted as she indicated that she had no interest in eating what I foraged.
We moved on into the distance, the seconds, minutes, and hours slowing ticking by.
The terrain had not changed the entire time. It is almost like we've been walking in the same area.
Something is wrong.
Avesta also seems to notice that something is wrong. She held my arm tightly and stared fearfully into the distance.
A little while later, a strange situation happened.
In the far distance, a small legion of lesser demons appeared. Avesta and I quickly hid behind a rock and waited for them to pass.
As they near us, I can hear them talking amongst themselves.
"We need to find that human fast! Sir Half-Demon needs it to strengthen his body!"
"It's only a matter of time before it's caught and sent back to Sir Half-Demon."
How did information spread so fast? It's only been a few minutes, but they contacted other groups to choke us off?
This is bad, they are also too close to the rock. If they come any closer, they will discover Avesta and I hiding.
However, they still walk towards the rock, clearly intending to check if there is anything behind it.
With a split-second decision, I run from behind the rock to face the lesser demons. I had my knife in my hands, facing the demons.
The only issue, adrenaline is still on cooldown.
|| Adrenaline (Active)
Cooldown: 24 hours, -5 all stats ||
My entire body had been feeling sluggish up until now. If my stats from before were below average, it is even worse now.
"Huh, what kind of being is that?"
"He dares to fight us with only a knife?"
"It looks a bit like the human I saw earlier! Get him!"
One of the demons seemed to have interacted with Avesta before. This just makes things more confusing.
Avesta hid behind the rock. None of the demons knew she was there.
There are 3 lesser demons in total. With my weakened state things can prove to be difficult.
The fight did not last long. In almost 2 minutes I was getting pushed back. My current body is far too weak.
Suddenly, my body felt rejuvenated, like a blessing from heaven. The cuts and bruises I had healed instantly.
Avesta had appeared behind the rock, a small glow coming from her hand.
||Received Blessing (D-Growth)!
Health was restored and all stats increased by 10!
Skill ||Adrenaline|| has reset||
It seems as though Avesta used a support skill on me, a skill that must have been included in her awakening.
With the new buffs, I quickly cleared out the 3 lesser demons. I took a spear from one of their bodies and some inedible herbs.
After hiding the bodies behind the rock, we moved on.
It's only a matter of time before the half-demon discovers something amiss.
However, the further I walk, the more I recognize my surroundings. It seems as though we were walking back the way we came...
Something is wrong.
Up in the distance, a demon camp appeared. I recognize it as the same one I left from hours earlier.
We had walked around in a full loop.
This has to be another illusion.
An illusion within an illusion? Whoever created this must have spent a lot of effort to pull this off.
Judging how we came back to the demon camp again, the catalyst must be somewhere in there.
Now that I know we are in just another illusion, breaking it will give us a better chance at survival. Although I have Avesta's blessing, it definitely won't last against all those lesser demons and the half-demon.
We quietly sneak into the now active demon camp. Most lesser demons are out, probably trying to find Avesta.
I look around trying to find anything that can resemble a catalyst. Avesta quietly followed without asking any questions. It seems as though she has some trust in me now.
After checking a few tents, I move outside, preparing to go to the main tent, when I see the half-demon right outside the tent.
That's when I noticed something off that I didn't see earlier.
The half-demons skin seems slightly reflective, like a mirror.
Don't tell me the half-demon is the catalyst.