Chapter 33

Having started later than the others, he made up for it by increasing his speed all the more. Kicking off the ground as he ran, Woojin soon overtook the infantry ahead of him.

The fleeing kobolds drew closer by the moment. It was time for Woojin's hammer to live up to its name.

Bang!!

The kobolds' heads burst one after another from the back. Perhaps curious about the source of the thunderous sound, one of them turned its head to look behind. What it met was a man holding a blood-stained hammer.

"Kieeeek!"

The terrified kobold crouched down. It squeezed its eyes shut and waited for the pain that would soon arrive… yet nothing happened.

Woojin passed by without laying a hand on it.

The kobold opened its eyes in confusion. Somehow, it had survived. Just as it was about to rejoice in that stroke of luck, a wolf's fangs lunged at it.

It seemed better to leave the small fry to others. At some point, Woojin had stopped killing the kobolds himself. If he rampaged around alone in excitement, there would be nothing left for the others to do.

"The soldiers need real combat experience too."

Though the expeditionary force consisted of elite troops who had undergone extensive training, they had lived within the safety of the walls and were not accustomed to hunting monsters. This was a chance for them to gain experience.

Passing by the kobolds one after another, Woojin ran forward. Rex and the wolves, catching on, ceased their hunt and followed behind him.

Before long, the holy knights cutting down monsters at the front came into view.

'I should ease up on the speed.'

He refrained from overtaking the holy knights, as that would draw too much attention. Following them, he soon found himself before the kobolds' stronghold—a rocky mountain riddled with burrows.

He wondered whether it might be dangerous to bring the wolves inside.

"You lot, stay outside and play."

After giving the order and separating from the wolves, Woojin walked alone into the tunnels.

A kobold's claws and front teeth were as hard as metal. Using them like pickaxes, they dug tunnels into the rocky mountain and lived within. The interior structure was as complex as a maze.

Perhaps because the holy knights had already swept through, the floor was a sea of blood. Woojin leisurely followed the trail of footprints.

Whoosh!

A sudden sound of wind. Woojin reflexively raised his hand and caught what flew at him—a primitive javelin made of stone and wood.

Shifting his gaze to where it had come from, he locked eyes with a kobold standing in the left corridor. The creature blinked rapidly in apparent panic before hastily turning to flee.

As if returning something it had forgotten, Woojin threw the javelin back.

Thud!!

The returning spear pierced through the kobold's back. It fumbled at the blade protruding from its chest before collapsing limply to the ground.

They were all so pathetically weak.

'Since they live in packs, there should be elite fighters somewhere… yet I don't see them.'

Even ants divide roles between workers and soldiers. Demon beasts were no different.

An intruder had entered their stronghold. By now, the elite of the pack should have revealed themselves. Yet no matter how long he waited, there was no sign of them.

'Let's go deeper for now.'

As if on a stroll, Woojin roamed the tunnels. After dealing with the kobolds in sight, he suddenly heard a great commotion from the entrance.

It seemed the expeditionary force had finished off the kobolds outside and entered the rocky mountain. The soldiers spread out, occupying the tunnels. After about two hours, every section had been cleared and the kobolds were exterminated.

A successful subjugation. Yet Roland and his holy knights felt a hint of disappointment.

"In the end, we couldn't find the Rift Core…"

Roland muttered with a sigh.

They had searched the entire rocky mountain but failed to locate the Rift Core. It was, in truth, only half a success. The effort of exploring a dangerous zone had been in vain.

Still, eliminating a large demon-beast pack was a meaningful achievement. Though somewhat regretful, they would have to be satisfied and withdraw.

Just as that conclusion was about to be reached—

'…What has that man been doing all this time?'

Roland suddenly wondered.

The subject was none other than Woojin, who had his ear pressed closely against the wall. He knocked on it twice with the back of his hand.

Tap, tap.

The sound of stones striking each other echoed.

Apparently dissatisfied, Woojin clicked his tongue and moved elsewhere, repeating the same action—like someone checking whether a pumpkin had ripened.

Then—

As he knocked again, Woojin abruptly froze.

He turned his head and looked at Roland. Their eyes met. Though no words were exchanged, Roland immediately stepped toward him.

Woojin knocked once more.

Thunk, thud.

A peculiar sound rang out. Realizing its meaning, Roland narrowed his eyes.

"…There's an empty space."

After confirming it, Roland stepped back, preparing to summon the holy knights with a gesture. But before he could, Woojin gripped his hammer and kicked the wall without hesitation.

Crash!!

With a single kick, the wall shattered, revealing a hidden passage. At that moment, kobolds concealed behind the wall thrust their spears forward.

Woojin tilted his head to avoid the oncoming spearheads and swung his hammer. Sweeping across the front, the blow sent the struck kobolds tumbling into the darkness of the corridor.

With the threat behind the wall eliminated, Woojin nodded in satisfaction.

"It seems we can proceed."
"Ha! What a bold method. I like it."

Roland let out a hearty laugh and inspected the shattered wall. It had been a fake—wooden planks coated with dirt and stones, hardened to resemble rock. Even upon close inspection, it was difficult to distinguish from the real stone wall.

"To think monsters could make something like this… But how did you realize there was a secret door?"
"The tunnels seemed too large compared to the size of the kobolds."

A kobold was about half the size of an adult man. Yet these tunnels were wide enough for grown men like Woojin to move freely. Considering their size, such spacious tunnels were unnecessary.

If they were this wide, it must have been because they were built with the pack's leader in mind.

At that explanation, Roland glanced around again. The gap between the floor and ceiling exceeded three meters. If Woojin's guess was correct—

"…There's an enormous one."

The hunt was not over. A challenging smile tugged at Roland's lips.

"Men! Move before the heat fades."

Roland stepped into the passage hidden behind the wall. Woojin, the holy knights, and the soldiers followed.

The concealed area was vast. Stairs descended deep underground. The surrounding walls and steps were made of smooth stone bricks, and murals were carved in various places.

Seeing this, Roland's eyes widened.

"Oh… Can monsters even build something like this?"
"…Impossible."

Woojin was equally astonished. This was a space that could never have been created by the crude craftsmanship of demon beasts.

He had seen a place like this before.

"It resembles the ruins I saw deep within the Demonic Realm."

Why would something like this exist here as well?
The question would have to wait. First, the hunt had to be finished.

Descending the stairs, they arrived at a vast chamber. Bonfires were lined up in clusters, and kobolds bowing their heads like subjects came into view.

A throne carved from an enormous boulder stood at the center. Seated upon it was a gorilla, staring at the uninvited guests. Its fur was pitch-black, as if soaked in ink, and around its neck coiled a long snake like a necklace.

It was a creature mentioned in the Demonic Realm Chronicles. A demon beast of considerable danger—one usually found only after reaching the central regions of the Demonic Realm.

Why was such a creature staying here?
The answer was simple.

'The Rift Core.'

Embedded in the wall was something resembling a massive heart. The Rift Core, covered in black, viscous slime, pulsed with each passing moment. It seemed the Bigfoot had been ruling as king by drawing power from it.

Seeing the gigantic demon beast, Roland smiled faintly.

"Good… shall we do this properly?"

Roland moved his hand behind his back. Was he about to take out his violin again? Woojin found himself quietly anticipating the performance.

But when Roland extended his hand forward, what he held was a massive crossbow. As if prearranged, his soldiers were already gripping crossbows as well.

"Fire."

Thwip-thwip-thwack—!

The crossbows discharged, and hundreds of bolts poured forth. Struck by the volley, the kobolds and the Bigfoot let out cries of agony.

Silver bolts forged from blessed silver.
They lost their efficacy after a single hit, but they dealt devastating damage to creatures of the Demonic Realm.

"Sometimes, practicality matters."

Roland spoke casually as he drew another silver bolt. The soldiers skillfully reloaded their crossbows. Another volley followed, and the monsters' wails echoed through the chamber.

After two rounds of firing, the kobolds were annihilated. But the Bigfoot blocked the rain of bolts in a truly bizarre manner.

Bang!!

Grabbing the tail of the snake wrapped around its neck, the Bigfoot swung it. Like a whip, the snake lashed through the air, batting away the incoming bolts.

Roland clicked his tongue in admiration.

"A brute who doesn't cherish his pet, I see. That aside… the snake's body seems unusually sturdy."
"It's a demon beast called the Stonehide Viper. As its name suggests, its hide is extremely tough."

After Woojin explained, Roland shrugged and drew the sword at his waist.

"Then we'll have to resort to a more traditional method."

Roland stepped forward. The holy knights joined him, drawing their blades. Holy power flared along the edges like white flames.

The Bigfoot looked at the approaching holy knights with startled eyes. It pounded its chest with its fists, producing a drumlike boom in an attempt to intimidate them, but the holy knights advanced without so much as blinking.

Watching this, Woojin was certain.

'As expected… there won't be a chance for me to step in.'

The Bigfoot was a rare monster in this region. But that fact was not particularly important. What mattered was that it was here.
Which meant it was a loser driven out of its original habitat by stronger rivals.

Like the werewolf Woojin had faced before, it had gathered weaker creatures in a fringe region and was playing at being their leader. From experience, such creatures were usually fragile.

In contrast, the holy knights assembled here were elites handpicked from the Order's alliance.

Crack—slash!

The Bigfoot swung the snake in its grasp repeatedly. Anticipating the movement, a holy knight had already leapt aside to evade the attack. The mark of the whip carved a deep groove into the ground.

The remaining holy knights encircled their prey. Laughing like a madman, Roland charged forward. The Bigfoot kicked out with full force—
or rather, it tried to.

Slash!

Two holy knights who had already slipped behind it severed its ankles from both sides. The Bigfoot staggered. Smelling blood, the holy knights rushed in from all directions, slashing, stabbing, and carving into the beast.

"Guuoooh!!"

The mutilated Bigfoot screamed. Roland kicked off the ground, leapt, and drove his longsword straight into its mouth.

Thrust!!

The blood-soaked tip of the blade burst out from the back of the Bigfoot's neck. The demon beast collapsed onto the ground.

To ensure the kill, the holy knights each plunged their swords into its body one by one. It resembled an insect specimen pinned with needles.

By the time the fifth blade was driven in, the Bigfoot's screams ceased. Filling the silence, the soldiers erupted into thunderous cheers.

"Waaaaah—!"

Shouting underground made their ears ring, but Roland paid it no mind, basking in the acclaim. There was no reason to dampen the atmosphere.

Woojin idly picked at his ear and examined the snake lying near the Bigfoot's corpse.

'It's still alive.'

After being swung around like a whip and struck by several silver bolts, it should have died—yet the snake had somehow endured. This was why one needed the habit of confirming a kill.

'Better finish it.'

Woojin reached toward the snake.
Though the Stonehide Viper possessed tough scales, the bones and joints beneath were another matter. Twisting its neckbone would end it easily.

But it seemed the viper had reserved its final strength. In a last attempt to drag a human down with it, it bit Woojin's hand with all its might.

Crunch!

A sound like biting into stone rang out. The viper was startled. For some reason, the human's skin was so hard that its fangs could not penetrate.

"Stonehide."

"A fairly useful trick… wouldn't you agree?"

Woojin said with a grin as he grabbed the snake.

Crack!

He twisted and snapped its neck. The faint remnant of life within it vanished.

'I should give this creature's inner core to Rex.'

If fortune favored them, Woojin's pet wolf might gain the Stonehide ability as well.