Chapter 19: Why Are You Doing This?
The foxes' ears perked up at the sudden, deafening battle cry that echoed through the cavern. Their heads snapped around just in time to see a human soaring across the jagged rocks, closing the distance between them in seconds. His green sword gleamed in his grip, though most of its edge was already darkened with dried blood.
His jaw was clenched so tight it seemed his teeth might shatter at any moment. His bloodshot eyes burned with pure, murderous rage, and the veins across his forearms throbbed violently, pulsing with every beat of his heart as he crushed the hilt in his hand.
[Do you even have a plan?]
Sika's voice rang in his mind, but he didn't even flinch.
The foxes lunged at him from all directions, yelping and snarling in terror at the sheer, overwhelming bloodlust pouring off his body. But he didn't hesitate. Not for a second. The instant the first wave reached him, his blade flashed — a vicious, sweeping arc that carved through five bodies in a single stroke. Blood sprayed across the rocks, painting the ground in crimson as broken corpses tumbled lifelessly to the floor.
They didn't slow. Dozens of them piled onto him from every angle, snapping and clawing, desperate to tear him apart before he reached their queen. His sword howled through the air, slashing fur and flesh apart with each deadly movement. But their sheer numbers overwhelmed him — fangs tore into his neck, claws raked across his stomach, and two of them clamped their jaws down hard, one locking onto his sword arm, the other sinking deep into his left thigh.
He didn't scream. He didn't even grunt. His free hand ignited into molten lava, fingers curling into a claw as they plunged into the skull of the fox latched onto his arm. Flesh, fur, and bone melted away instantly, the creature's head caving in with a sickening hiss. Before the other could react, Finn twisted the sword in his grip and rammed it backward, spearing straight through the spine of the fox still clamped onto his thigh, its body spasming once before going limp.
[Severe bleeding detected in the thigh. Strongly recommend retreating and switching to ranged lava attacks.]
Finn ignored the warning, launching himself into the air in a trail of fire, but the foxes were faster than expected. Their loyalty — their desperation to protect their queen — was something even he had to respect for a fleeting second.
One leapt higher than the rest, its jaws snapping down on his ankle mid-air, dragging him down. Another followed, clinging to his back, claws ripping into his flesh, teeth sinking into his shoulder. Their combined weight slammed him into the rocky ground, hard enough to crack the stone beneath him.
Without hesitation, his foot came down like a hammer on the chest of the fox gripping his leg, ribs shattering into splinters beneath the force. The second fox barely had time to react before Finn's molten hand grabbed the back of its head. His fingers clenched — the skull popped like an overripe fruit. The corpse slid off his back, taking his blood-soaked jacket with it, leaving him bare-armed in his red, torn, short-sleeved shirt.
[Breakthrough: Level Four of the Beginner Phase.]
Both arms stretched unnaturally, lava and rock merging to form black, volcanic scythe-blades extending three meters out from each hand.
He didn't wait for them to come to him.
He charged straight into the horde.
The scythes became a blur, cutting through the air faster than the eye could follow. Every swing ripped through fur, flesh, and bone like wet paper. Foxes screamed — torn in half, heads flying from their bodies, intestines spilling across the floor. Each step he took left a trail of shattered bodies in his wake.
Three dead with one swing. Five more with the next.
In less than a minute, over fifty foxes lay slaughtered at his feet, their blood pooling around him. His own skin was carved up — claw marks, bite wounds, and deep scratches covering his chest, arms, and legs. Three bloody gashes slashed diagonally from his right cheek down to his neck, crimson mixing with sweat, dirt, and molten residue.
His breath came in ragged gasps, his chest heaving, but his eyes never left their target.
The queen.
She stood trembling, her legs barely able to hold her up. Even from across the cave, he could see her chest rising and falling. Her orange fur quivered in fear.
And yet, even with his body drenched in blood — his own and theirs — with his hair nearly fully stained red, matted to his forehead, with blood dripping into his left eye, he still managed to smile.
It was a faint, cold smile — the smile of someone who knew, without a doubt, that nothing could stop him now.
He walked toward the queen with slow steps, but the last group of foxes—no more than ten—leapt in front of him, trying to protect her.
He took a step forward as they snarled at him. At that moment, the queen jumped onto the wall, sprinted toward the ceiling, and dashed toward the exit, her body glowing orange and shrinking.
When the orange glow faded, the form of a young girl appeared. She had vibrant orange hair with fox ears poking through, giving her an unusual charm, along with a small fang peeking out from her lower lip. She wore bright orange clothes, and her beautiful face radiated with a bright smile as she approached the exit.
The moment her feet touched the ground, and she took her first step into the passage leading outside, she felt a violent yank on her hair, making her collapse to her knees. She trembled as she felt the cold, merciless gaze and chilling killing intent drilling into her back.
His relatively long hair partially covered his eyes, and just from seeing him, fear made two tears streak down her cheeks. Her orange hair twisted around his fist as he yanked her, causing sharp pain, but her fear was far greater than any pain.
"P...please don't do this," she whimpered, her soft voice trembling with obvious fear.
He dragged her and slammed her body hard against the wall, his grip tightening around her neck. Then, he raised his molten hand right in front of her face.
Her teary eyes darted toward the last of the foxes, only to find them all torn apart, piled next to each other. She returned her gaze to him, tears streaming down her face non-stop, her skin tingling from the overwhelming heat brushing against her.
"Why... I don't even know you... Why are you doing this to me?" she mustered the courage to raise her voice after struggling.
His pupils trembled even more as he stared at her, his grip on her neck tightening.
[She's not an ordinary fox, so she doesn't count for the mission. There's no need to kill her.]
Hearing Sika's voice was inevitable since she was inside his head, but whether he paid attention to her or not depended entirely on his own mood and state of mind. His hand slowly moved closer to her face, making her eyes widen in terror as she screamed loudly.
Outside the cave, at the rock, the door split open with two blue lines. A soft blue light shone at the entrance, and a black clawed foot stepped into the cave.
"Go," a deep voice ordered from beside the beast. Upon hearing the command, the creature let out a terrifying roar and charged inside, leaving its hidden master standing behind.
"I...I'll do anything you want... I beg you, please don't kill me," the fox girl pleaded, terrified, the molten lava mere centimeters from her face. Her eyes were red from crying, her expression a mix of fear and desperate pleading.
[What are you doing?]
Sika's voice echoed in his head again, but this time, unlike before, her voice made him jolt, snapping him back to reality.
He shook his head quickly from side to side, looked at her, and saw the image of the black-haired woman from his memories slowly fading away, replaced by the crying, pleading face of the beautiful girl in front of him. He pulled the lava away from her face, let her drop to the ground, then turned around, running his bloody hand through his crimson-stained hair.
"You...you're really not going to kill me?" she looked at him in shock, her tears still flowing, stunned by the fact that she had a second chance at life.
He didn't answer her, remaining silent for a while. "I didn't mean to," he muttered softly.
"What do you mean?" she asked curiously, then quickly covered her mouth with both hands, realizing her mistake. The man in front of her had just slaughtered her entire fox tribe—any wrong word could trigger him again.
"She was the reason..." he clenched his teeth, staring at his blood-stained hands. It wasn't killing the foxes that bothered him; he had planned to do that anyway to complete his mission. What truly tormented him was how much he hated losing control over himself, even for a single second. To him, he could handle any situation, any person, but dealing with actions he took while not fully in control—that was something far harder to face.
The fox girl saw the boy who had been silently looking the other way. Suddenly, he turned and looked at her. Her eyes sparkled for a moment as she watched him turn calmly, his blond hair stained with blood scattering around him. She completely melted when she saw his beautiful face, calm features, and the muscles bulging in his arms.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think... I owe you an apology." For him, apologizing to anyone was something he never imagined doing, but after nearly killing her and massacring her tribe, an apology seemed like a fitting price to pay.
"Huh, really?" she was surprised by the words of the man who had almost blown her face off just moments ago.
"Yeah, I think I should make it up to you somehow. After all... I guess I was a bit too harsh on you." He averted his eyes, avoiding looking directly at her.
"Wait, wait, you want to make it up to me?" she said in a childish voice, her hands held in front of her chest, her eyes sparkling with excitement. He looked at her, waiting to hear what she'd say. "Please let me stay with you. The foxes you killed were the ones who fed me and protected me because I'm too weak to survive outside. But now, I have no one." Her voice turned tragic and pleading.
"Uhhh, I said a request, not something that'll annoy me for the rest of my life." He sounded irritated, wondering if she was just extremely naive or incredibly stupid—begging to stay with someone who nearly killed her just because he showed her a brief moment of hesitant kindness... and because she clearly had a crush on him.
After thinking about it—not naivety, but high-grade stupidity.
"Huh??" She was heartbroken by his rejection. "But... but, I won't be a bother at all, I promise! I'll be loyal and obedient to you, please! I've been here for two hundred years all alone with nothing but mindless animals that don't even understand me. You have no idea how lonely I've been." Her voice grew sadder.
"And also..." Her cheeks flushed red before she continued, almost like she was resorting to one last desperate hope to escape the prison she'd been trapped in for two centuries.
"If you ever wanted to... do something with me, I wouldn't refuse. I swear. In fact, I'll try my best, even with my limited experience, to make it as pleasurable for you as possible." She turned her gaze away, her whole face burning red. It seemed her desperation to cling to Finn wasn't stupidity or innocence, but because he was her first real hope of escaping this place.
"Girl, I can understand how much you've suffered, but adding another headache to my plans isn't exactly a good idea. If you're just trying to exploit my unusual kindness and don't have a reasonable request, let me leave." He waved his hand dismissively.
[Wait, who's the first headache?!]
"That's another topic. Let's drop it and go." He thought to himself, then turned and started walking toward the exit under the fox girl's shattered gaze.
[Wait, are you seriously leaving?! Did a fox kick you in the head or something? How can you turn down a beautiful, obedient girl who literally said she'd do anything—even sexually?!]
"My goal isn't sex, genius. My goal is to take control of Ooo, and the two most powerful rulers of Ooo are women. The easiest way to dominate a woman is through... that. It's just a coincidence that the most powerful leaders in Ooo are female." He rolled his eyes.
[I don't believe you. But seriously, where are you going? You're leaving a real treasure behind.]
He froze in place. "I'm listening."
[She's the daughter of a sacred beast. The benefits you can get from her are far greater than you can imagine.]
"Like what?" Now he was interested.
[What if her father left her something? Or she has drops of his blood? Or even knows where his trials are? But the best part—a pure-blooded virgin of her lineage can push you up half a whole realm in the World Ranking.]
He froze in shock at what he heard. He turned back and looked at the girl, who had slumped against the wall, hugging her knees, crying quietly. He walked over and knelt down to her level on the ground.
"If you're going to do something, do it quickly and leave." She turned her face away, trying to hide her tears. Since he rejected her, she figured he'd just use her body and leave. After all, he was the only one who knew where she was, meaning he could come back anytime. It was a genius deal from his perspective.
He raised his hand, cupped her cheeks, and turned her face to look at him. "Do you want to come with me?" he asked softly.
She was shocked by his words, nodding her head with trembling motions, failing to stop her tears.
"Then," he let go of her face and offered his hand. "Take my hand, swear your loyalty to me, and I promise... no harm will come to you as long as I'm alive." His voice was serious.
[What do you mean loyalty? Aren't you just adding her to your harem?]
"No. First, I want her as a pawn, just a loyal servant."
The fox girl, Roni, grabbed his hand with both of her soft hands, squeezing tightly, her face beaming with joy.
"I swear... I swear if you let me stay with you, you will be my master forever. I will give myself to you and stay with you, never disobeying no matter what. Please take care of me!" she shouted, her eyes glowing beautifully as she gazed at him like he was her salvation.
[Congratulations.]
[Pawn: Fox Girl Roni]
[Reward: 700∆]
"That's a bit too high, isn't it?" he thought.
[She's the daughter of a sacred beast. What did you expect? And anyway, she's extremely weak right now. She can't even handle basic heat or cold outside. I'll need time to fix that, and you'll have to pay, of course. For now, put her in the domain temporarily.]
"What domain?" As soon as he said that, Sika's green triangular symbol appeared, with a line connecting the base to the tip.
[Just wave at her, and she'll disappear into it.]
"Alright, Roni, you'll be in a safe place for now until I fix something." He didn't want to tell her he could fix her weakness—that would make her too excited.
"Unders...wait, how do you know my name?" Her joyful expression turned into confusion.
He didn't answer, just waved his hand in front of her, causing her to glow green and vanish. He stood up and looked at the symbol on his hand. "Hah, it looks like the Heavenly Pearl from Against the Gods." He smiled, remembering the sacred artifact from that novel.
[Focus.]
"What now?"
[A beast with far more mana than usual is heading your way.]
He narrowed his eyes, focusing down the pitch-black corridor ahead. The silence didn't last — out of the darkness, streaks of glowing red light tore through the air, screaming toward him like vengeful arrows.
His body reacted before his mind could catch up. He twisted sideways, launching himself into a low, sharp roll. The projectiles seared past him, close enough for him to feel the heat blistering his skin. He landed hard on one hand and one knee, the sharp stone digging into his palm, but his gaze never wavered — locked onto the tunnel's mouth.
The dim yellow glow from the crystal behind him spilled forward, slowly illuminating the nightmare that approached.
At first glance, it looked disturbingly human — tall, slender, with a humanoid frame — but every detail was wrong. Its skin was a sickly, corpse-like shade of pale blue, stretched too tight over its bones. It was completely naked, though there were no signs of gender, no reproductive organs — just smooth, unnatural flesh. Its fingers were grotesquely long, ending in jagged, curved claws that twitched eagerly, scraping against the stone floor with each step.
Then it raised its head.
Two burning, blood-red eyes glowed in the darkness, staring directly into his soul. Its mouth opened wide, far wider than any human jaw should be able to — revealing rows of jagged, uneven teeth jutting out at unnatural angles, some broken, others sharpened into points. Thick, foul-smelling saliva dripped from its maw, splattering against the rocks below.
Then, it screamed.
The shriek was raw and inhuman, a sound that made the very air vibrate — a mix of agonized howling and animalistic fury, filled with nothing but hatred and hunger. Flecks of foam and blood sprayed from its mouth, and the sheer force of the sound sent tremors through the cavern walls.
It wasn't a monster born from nature — this thing was wrong. It was corruption given flesh, and it was coming straight for him.