I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 50

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[050] The Descent of the Great Demon #2
The place I arrived at, leading the Adventurers, was the Rocky Mountain Gorge terrain.
Unlike the upper regions where harsh sunlight once pierced through, this rocky expanse was blanketed in a cool chill and thick moisture.
The sandstone boulders jutting up irregularly between the desolate ravines evoked the atmosphere of a graveyard lined with tombstones.
“W-why is it so cold here…?”
“At least I don’t see any monsters yet…”
As the Adventurers shrank back from the bone-chilling cold, I quietly fastened my robe buttons and whispered so only Radi and Malton could hear.
“Don’t approach the rocks under any circumstances.”
“….”
The two exchanged glances and quietly gripped their weapons.
The reason became clear soon enough.
“Ugh… my back is killing me. Let me rest for a moment… huh?”
Just as one man was about to sit down carelessly for a break, a pair of pale blue pincers suddenly erupted from beneath the rock, snatching the Adventurer.
‘Caught in the trap…!’
I immediately leaped forward using my Acrobatics skill and drew my sword.
In truth, I had sensed the ambush long ago, but I deliberately waited for this moment.
Creating appropriate tension and delivering a decisive rescue—there were few better ways to build trust in such a short span of time.
Just before the pincers closed, I seized the Adventurer by the nape of his neck, hurled him backward, and drove my blade downward in one fluid motion.
Crunch!
Striking precisely at the joint between the hard carapace segments, the pincer severed cleanly, spraying yellowish fluid.
“Th-thank you…! I nearly died!”
“Don’t let your guard down. We’re in the heart of a monster’s den.”
As if my words were a signal flare, the rocks scattered all around began to stir simultaneously.
Screech—!
Dozens of eyes protruding at bizarre angles from beneath the boulders all fixed their gaze upon us at once.
One of the representative monsters of Layer 2, bearing hard stone upon its back.
『We have encountered the Stone Mimic, the Rock Breaker!』
『It is a subspecies of Mimic that periodically sheds its shell like a hermit crab! Rock Breakers establish hierarchy based on the material and size of the stone they carry.』
『According to monster scholars, there have been observations of a social phenomenon where they occasionally lend out rocks in exchange for food. Consequently, they are also classified as Monthly-Rent Crabs and Long-Term-Lease Crabs.』
‘Mimics are quite troublesome monsters… one moment of carelessness and you’re done for.’
Under normal circumstances, I would never have come to this route, simply out of annoyance.
But this time, I had no choice but to venture into this dangerous zone to obtain the materials necessary for activating the portal.
The sudden appearance of the Mimic swarm sent the Adventurers into panic.
“M-Mimics!! The rocks were all monsters!”
“Damn it! Of all places!”
“Don’t panic!!”
I overwhelmed the crowd with a shout, then charged at the creature before me, its pincers clicking menacingly.
It relied on its hard sandstone shell and attacked head-on—but.
‘Wrong number, friend.’
I slid across the dirt ground to evade the attack, then thrust my hand through the shell’s gaps and seized the creature’s true body, twisting it.
I applied force and pulled both arms, and with a tearing sound, the rock and body separated, spilling blue bodily fluids and entrails.
“Did you just tear that off with your bare hands?!”
“Just how strong are you…!”
｢The Adventurers are astounded by your incredible grip strength.｣
｢Strength increases by 3!｣
‘Fortunately, that worked well.’
I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly, but truthfully it was nothing special.
Stone-breakers had the boundary between rock and body connected like a carapace—if you made an incision and pulled, it opened easily.
I quietly retrieved the disassembly dagger I’d embedded in the creature’s torso, then picked up a thumb-sized ore from between the corpse’s crevices.
“Everyone, pay attention.”
“…!”
“This is the core of a creature called a Stone-breaker. It’s one of the essential materials the Mages requested for the portal.”
“….”
“Your job is to thoroughly search the Canyon, hunt the Mimics, and collect these cores. The quota is a minimum of five per person. Typically one core appears in every three creatures, so move diligently.”
I thrust the ore into my pocket for show, and with a gesture, the Adventurers scattered and began combat.
Sensing the Dimensional Rift in the sky widening and the end approaching, the Adventurers hunted the creatures relentlessly, not minding their wounds.
“Don’t just mindlessly strike the shell! Aim for the flesh in the gaps between the carapace!”
“Swift warriors up front, draw their aggro! When they stretch to attack, strike their joints!”
The formation was reorganized under the direction of the leader-class Adventurers.
As the vanguard warriors blocked the pincers with their shields, the spearmen in the rear thrust through the gaps, inflicting fatal wounds.
And through that melee, a single golden flash cut across.
Boom―!
Malton’s mace completely shattered one Stone-breaker.
Truly befitting one who possessed monstrous strength, the terrifying destructive power that crushed even the hard rocky shell like tofu.
Radi was no less impressive, firing her crossbow in rapid succession.
Click! Whoosh―!
The bolt that cleaved through the air struck precisely in the Mimic’s eye socket, and they shrieked horribly as they thrashed about.
But just as the hunt was reaching its peak, something unexpected occurred.
Crimson lightning fell beyond the Dimensional Rift, striking the Canyon with tremendous force.
｢The Dimensional Rift has entered Stage 2 activation! The number of mutant creatures increases, and magical energy grows denser!｣
｢The Western Rock Mountain is being eroded and will collapse! The radius where humans can operate is shrinking!｣
｢Prolonged inhalation of magical energy is life-threatening! Exercise caution!｣
｢Current Dimensional Rift erosion rate: 20%｣
“Watch out!! Landslide!”
As the canyon walls struck by lightning crumbled, a massive swarm of Stone-breakers poured down.
Reinforced by magical energy with dark auras and tentacles sprouting from them, mutants that looked dangerous at a glance.
Far more powerful than the mutant crow swarms.
“I’ll seal off one side!”
Radi unfastened a button on the side of her pack, and a cylindrically compressed metal mass fell out.
She kicked it lightly with her foot, and with a whoosh, it sprang forth like a spring, a barbed wire barrier blocking the passage.
The Stone Breakers infested with demonic energy crawled over the barbed wire without hesitation despite its razor-sharp thorns—.
“How foolish.”
As Radi flicked the flint attached to the end of her glove with a sharp snap, the oil coating the wire ignited, instantly roasting the swarm of Stone Breakers to charcoal.
Crossbows, poison, traps—her signature tactics were on full display.
“Excellent work!!”
With one passage blocked by flames, Malton and I immediately positioned ourselves with our backs to the fire barrier and faced off against the remaining enemies.
At this rate, we could reap considerable rewards.
But I wasn’t satisfied with that, and I whispered to the two of them, seizing the chaos.
“Don’t just grab any of them indiscriminately. Do you see any Stone Breakers wearing granite or basalt instead of sandstone? Focus on those ones.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Sandstone is soft. Usually the weak ones use sandstone, while the strong ones use harder rock. Naturally, those stronger ones have a higher probability of carrying cores.”
We exchanged meaningful glances and hunted only the prime mimics.
Since we were going to hunt down all the Stone Breakers in this region anyway, it was better to fill our quota as quickly as possible and conserve our stamina.
After the battle ended and I surveyed the devastated canyon, the exhausted Adventurers were breathing heavily.
“Haa… haa… Finally it’s over. Hey, how many cores did you all gather?”
“Let’s see… We barely managed to fill our quota of five.”
The tired Adventurers tried to collapse onto the ground, but I pressed forward with determination.
“There’s no time for rest. If you’ve gathered what you need, move out immediately.”
“But still, let us catch our breath… We haven’t eaten since we escaped the cave…?!”
“Don’t talk nonsense when a Demon Lord is lurking overhead. Eat while we march.”
I picked up the charred claw of a Stone Breaker and bit into it with a crunch, leading the way.
The Adventurers swallowed hard at the sight of me roughly chewing and swallowing the flesh of a monster—a mimic at that.
A savage, almost barbaric spectacle that made the phrase “eating to survive” feel all too real.
“Y-Yes! This is no time to be leisurely!! Let’s depart at once!!”
“Let’s go! Fall behind and you die!”
The Adventurers steeled themselves and jumped to their feet, but Malton and Radi, already accustomed to my forced marches, matched pace without concern and whispered discreetly.
“Is it tasty?”
“Yeah, tastes like crab meat. Want a bite?”
“Ugh… Normally I wouldn’t even put a mimic in my mouth… but why does this taste good?”
Radi picked at the flesh with apparent resentment, keeping an eye on the other Adventurers.
To show no weakness, I had to preserve our stamina however I could.
The solemn procession began moving into the darkness once more.
* * *
Night in Layer 2, shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
In a corner of the canyon where the heat of battle had faded, the exhausted party huddled around a precariously flickering campfire.
Men worn to the bone from relentless hunting and marching that had continued even after the battle with the mimics.
Beyond Layer 2, lightning struck incessantly, shattering the Rocky Mountain, but true to the saying that humans are creatures of adaptation, the group had already grown numb to the sight.
Standing atop a rock with Malton, keeping watch over the surroundings, I caught the murmur of the Adventurers.
“Those people really don’t seem to get tired. They were always at the front during combat.”
“Just how strong are they…? Should I casually ask about their level later?”
“….”
It wasn’t really a big deal.
I had memorized every weakness and pattern of the monsters, so there was no wasted effort, and I minimized unnecessary movement.
I’d taken turns resting discreetly and eaten whenever the others were walking, so it was only natural that my stamina remained high.
It was only possible because we’d been coordinating our movements since the Cerulian Golem hunts, rolling across the ground in perfect sync.
「The Adventurers marvel at your tireless stamina and mental fortitude! While leading the group, your Luck and Intellect each increase by 1!」
While I was keeping watch, Radi approached my side and gestured toward the distance.
I excused myself to Malton and quietly slipped out of the Campsite.
“What’s wrong? Something the matter?”
“Well… just now, when I went to pick flowers… I found something strange….”
“Flowers at this hour of the night?”
Radi kicked my shin before continuing.
“…I saw strange traces over there. It might be my imagination, but I thought it would be best if you checked it out directly, Doran.”
“All right, let’s go take a look.”
This place was a bottleneck where Adventurers frequently passed through.
If something unusual had happened, I needed to investigate it thoroughly.
When we arrived at the Cliff edge Radi mentioned, strange traces indeed caught my eye.
Broken branches, deep gouges in the earth, the drag marks of something heavy, and….
“Blood…?”
“I can’t tell if it’s human blood or monster blood. The scent is emanating from below the Cliff.”
Following Radi’s finger downward, I could see a jagged outcropping of rock about fifteen meters below.
Something seemed to glimmer on the stone, but it was too dark to identify.
“The fact that they attempted such active concealment suggests this was likely the work of an Adventurer. I’ll need to go down and check it myself.”
“But… how are we supposed to descend a Cliff like this?”
“…Wait a moment. Keep the lantern shining brightly.”
I removed my clothes and hung them on a branch, then focused my mind on a monster form.
‘King of the night, predator in the darkness….’
A ruthless beast that leaped through shadows and silently tore out the throats of its prey.
“Master of shadows, tear through the darkness and appear to sever the enemy’s breath!”
「You have transformed into the jaguar-type monster [Night Stalker]!」
「This monster specializes in moving discreetly within darkness! You can utilize the species-exclusive skill [Shadow Leap]!」
「Your species trait grants you night vision! Your Agility increases dramatically!」
─Grrrrr….
“Huh? Why are you suddenly looking at me like— KYAAAAH!!”
I clamped my fangs around the back of Radi’s neck and nimbly leaped down the Cliff.
Landing on the protruding rock and transforming back into human form, Radi shrieked in shock.
“Seriously… I nearly had a heart attack!! You could’ve given me some warning before jumping down!!”
“When I transform into a beast, I can’t speak.”
I’d actually intended to slow my descent using Shadow Leap, but it seemed impossible while holding someone in my jaws, so I’d abandoned the idea.
Despite her grumbling, Radi didn’t forget her duty and held up the lantern.
Then the glimmering I’d observed from atop the cliff revealed its true nature.
“As suspected—pools of blood and corpses.”
Beneath the dim firelight, skeletal remains lay strewn about in grotesque nakedness.
Every corpse bore an expression frozen in shock and horror.
Radi pinched his nose against the swarm of flies and the stench of decay, muttering under his breath.
“They haven’t been dead long. Half a day at most?”
“The broken bones are from being hurled off the cliff… but the direct cause of death appears to be a blade.”
Steeling myself against the nauseating reek, I flipped one of the corpses over and found deep lacerations carved across the throat.
“Murder, when even united Adventurers would struggle to survive? What could the motive possibly be? Robbery?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
As I dragged out a corpse pinned beneath the pile, a silver necklace caught around its neck came loose with it.
That ruled out simple robbery.
Continuing to search through the bodies, my eyes caught upon something that made my skin crawl.
Upon seeing the unmistakable marks etched into pallid flesh, Radi clamped his hand over his mouth as if fighting back retching.
“This… this can’t be…”
“Human bite marks… I see.”
I rose quietly and turned to face Radi, my voice grave.
“There are humans conspiring with demons.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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