Lucifer's stomach growled as he made his way towards the dungeon, a column of stone that was visible even from where he was climbing. The hill was steep...

He was not alone however, he was currently accompanied by goblins, the ones from the last village.

They were pawns that he would gladly use if it saved him a sliver of strife. He didn't avoid strife it simply followed him wherever it is that he desired to go.

Not that he minded. It was fine as long as he had a way out, dumping all the responsibilities onto a goblin elder works just as well. Better than he could have hoped.

Despite being covered in blood and hungry he could be way worse off. Since he was hungry, he could suggest shit to the system and buy food using the contribution points if he was in a place lacking any forms of sustenance and got even hungrier than he was now.

He wasn't starving plus he was too busy to think about such things.

He had a dungeon to clear. he could perhaps find a meal there.

Without even thinking about what he wanted to do besides eradicating everything in that dungeon he had no plans to succeed with any of his other goals.

He wanted to discover the identity of his mother, reach the apex while also destroying any face his father has. Not because the big man way up high left out such things in any of their many chats it was just that his father didn't act like a father.

The man in the clouds was an asshole, discovering the identity of his mother would be his first most priority.

Getting back at his father was just one of many things on his bucket list.

Unless he regained his immortality he would never be able to do all of those things. Even in 500 years, he would not be able to that is why besides reaching the apex, its importance was second to find out the identity of his mother which would be one of his primary objectives. The one that he would fight for now, not that he would like to see happen.

Minutes after pondering such things for a while he reached the top of the high-handed slope.

It was a minute after that did they spot anything besides the stone monolith that brought them there. The environment had transitioned into a marsh, not only that there existed large leech-like creatures.

The nearest to them was a spotted leech that was peach-like in color and texture. Followed by slightly smaller, but still larger leeches than the goblins that were varied in looks. It seems that this is what the group had to overcome before they could even enter the dungeon risking their lives at that.

This was a fantasy world alright, they normally would be less than a foot, not multiple bloody feet!

Taking a breath Lucifer began to speak to his short green compatriots.

“Anyone that does not stand with me now can go die,” pointing at the leeches that had noticed them began to secrete a transparent ooze as it tunneled into the dirt.

Every goblin was scared.

“We do not seek to die, what do you want us to do foreigner?” Asked the nervous and shaking goblin with a wooden spear rattling in his grasp.

“I want you to lead the charge… it is easy, destroy them. Do that and you shall show your use to me. Do not and I shall wipe every coward out that does not seek to help me.

“U-understood.” weakly affirmed the same goblin. The rest of the goblins nodded at Lucifer's words, the words of a foreigner.

All the goblins that were present were scared that they were going to die, but Lucifer would show them that he would use them wisely.

He needed them for the dungeon not for their lives to be wasted as fodder to these giant ass leeches.

Turning back towards the leeches Lucifer smiled, it faded quickly when he focused his sights on the largest goblin.

“Hear me now pawns of mine, these leeches may kill you.... “

Lucifer paused to let the words sink in.

“But as your king, I can do so much worse,” Lucifer said ending his thoughts.

Lucifer then took notice of the leeches that slithered towards his group in a frenzy, not too far behind were leeches a foot under its leader.

Taking a single breath Lucifer ran posthaste towards the leader of the pack of leeches picking up his iron sword he ignored the murmurs of his pitiable stomach and jammed the head of the sword into the leeches head in the midst of its movement. It secreted a blueish red liquid, its blood.

Understanding what was about to happen Lucifer covered his ears, this was going to hurt.

The largest leech burrowed its head towards the ground as it screeched. It was ear piercing, the goblins were on the ground tensing up and crying.

Without even intending to the rest of the party slammed into the ground holding their heads from the pain. Blood seeped from one of the party members ears, for one of the goblins it was too late.

The goblin’s body twitched, shook and then stilled itself in a matter of seconds.

The screeching lasted a while before the one screeching joined the only goblin casualty from this incident in the afterlife.

Lucifer swore in spite, he lost one goblin already.

Looking ahead he noticed that the leeches were already upon them.

Lucifer would have liked to of had more time, this amount had to do.

Grasping the hilt of the iron sword that was stuck in the corpse of the leech Lucifer motioned with it now in hand towards the goblins to stay still. He did not want any more pawns to be used today.

Lucifer slashed without hesitation, tore at and stabbed the leeches that had now surrounded him. With Lucifer's free hand he plugged one ear because the screeches of the leeches hurt like hell.

The screeching once again rang harshly in his ears. He was trying to kill them, not get killed by them.

It seems that he needed to try even harder to survive.

For the King of Hell wouldn't die like a dog, they would.

The leeches were already dying like flies, now Lucifer just had to make the rest bark like the useless beasts they were.

They were disgusting, and like ants, they would be crushed.