“Kyaaaah!”

A young woman running in the dried wilderness on the dying landscape, being chased by a small monster running on twelve legs. Its three human arms are tensing as it chased her.

“Nooo, please, nooo! Don’t eat meeeee!!”

The tail of the woman’s hair kept shaking up and down as she traverses skillfully yet sluggishly through the environment.

Running out of breath with tears in her eyes, she closed it tight as she ran with all her might but then suddenly, he bumped onto something hard – so hard that it made the young woman fell on her butt, “Kyaah!”

As she looked up with a wimpy look on her face, she witnesses the terror standing firmly in front of her. Standing on two legs, tall, with both hands having claws-like nails, with a pair of extremely evil-looking wings on its back.

With the appearance of a human, she found a Devil.

“I cannot believe that a prey would come falling to my lap like this.”

Shaking and trembling, the young woman muttered, “M-Mister, please HELP ME!” hugging his legs as she’s stutteringly said, “Th-there’s a monster chasing me over there!”

“Oh?”

His voice goes deeper as he narrowed his eyes down with a wide grin on his face. He glances up and saw the monster in question charging at them.

“Hmph, such puny insect dares to approach me?” pointing his index claw at the wobbling monster, “Know your place, ghost.”

A flash of light glows from his claw and a beam of red light coated in black aura pierced through the monster’s body, and then burn it.

*Bwoosh*

It falls shortly after the beam is gone.

“Th-Thank you, mister,” breathing a sigh of relief, “If not for you, I would’ve— Nngh!” her eyes widened as her vision goes up.

When the Devil choked her neck as he lifts her, he began to laugh sinisterly, “Bwahahaha, what makes you think I did it for you, mortal?”

“Eh?” the eyes of the young woman started to shake, almost as if she had been betrayed and lost all hope, “Wh-What do you mean, mister? I-I’m sorry if I did offend—”

“Bwahahaha, you seem to not understand the situation you’re in. Let me give you the main point. See, those maggots in the border would love to have a nice dinner from time to time, and they are indeed willing to pay a high price to have something that is a little more... palatable, to accompany them passing times.”

“Wh-What?” her eyes widened, her lips started to tremble, “N-No, please, mister… y-you’re not going to do that, right? You’re joking, right?”

His grin widened to his ears, “Unfortunately…”

When her tears started to burst, she shouted, “ANYONE, HELP—” with the mighty force of the Devil’s grip, her head and body were separated forcefully.

The young woman rolled her eyes as her body fell, and soon, they stopped twitching altogether.

“Hmph, quite unlucky, this one. It seems to have been running for a while, its group must be far, but if I can find them. Hah! Just by imagining it. I will have enough stones to leave this place for a while. Heheheheh.”

“Now then, I’ve been wondering myself what does a juvenile human flesh actually tastes like. The head seems to be a good start.”

*Grab*

His eyes shook. Before his sharp teeth can reach her face, something is holding onto his armored shin, “Hm? What is this?”

The body of the young woman, one of her hands was the reason for the discomfort, and it’s glowing brightly in a magical blue color - swirling around his foot. He can feel… his energy rapidly recovering.

“Damn, the lens flare is brighter than I thought.”

The Devil’s eyes widened as he heard a voice coming close from his head. Upon glancing to where it came from, he saw the woman that was rolling her eyes is now looking at him straight in the eye, “You,,,” throwing it to the side, “An Immortal?!!”

*Boom*

The head of the young woman, Siola’s head, has hit a giant rock with an impactful force that is enough to crack part of her face open. While the lower part of her face, her flesh has been torn and gone, her wide grin is clear to see.

***

Never thought this stupid strategy would actually work, especially against such a highly intelligent creature like a Devil. Then again if he couldn't even see through that, he's not as intelligent as I thought he would.

I can feel my body being kicked.

“Bah, had I known this, I wouldn’t have wasted time with you, but since you have tricked me, I’ll be sure to pay it back in full. Right now!”

“Woah, hold on there, Houston.”

My voice sounds weird without my lips, I had Sombak turned my head around, “Ahh, now that’s better.”

“An Immortal pet too… but a ghost, how did you - a human - manage to get a creature from the depth of the abyss to follow you around like a puppet?”

“Who knows.”

The Abyss, he's probably saying it because of Sombak's appearance. But it's odd though, I’ve managed to use the Miracle that Avarice gave me, but it doesn’t seem to be doing anything to him.

'Welp, at least I’ve confirmed that it wasn’t meant for allies. Now I’m fucked.’

“Enough talk. How dare a mere human like you…” clenching his fanged teeth, his eyes turn completely red as it glows, “I’ll be sure to slice you up until you can never revive again! Not even your Immortality will save you this time!”

*Bwoooooooooooooosh*

For a second, fear enveloped me when his aura burst like a raging volcano, but this extremely volatile wind did not come from him. I feel a much stronger presence walking up behind me, and it feels like a tsunami.

The Devil stopped. I’m sure he can sense it too.

“You!”

The clanking sound of the armor and followed by the beautiful voice of a woman, “The last thread... Fufufu... Gyaaahahahaha!"

That laugh sent chills down my decapitated spine, even the Devil reacted to it.

"Been well, Kougenma?”

The dashing appearance of a white knight makes me mumbled their name, “Avarice.”

“Heheh. Good work, Luosa. You got… hmm, what was it again? Those travelers usually refer to it as… yes… a jackpot.”

! {Quest Completed}

~ {Hidden Behind the Surface / Reward: +100 Levels / Additional Reward: Recognition of a Dragon (Quest), Immortality Rank UP}

~ {Reward(s) Pending…}

“Bah, first a trickster and now a traitor. You should’ve been dead long ago, rat.”

Snickered, "Come now, that's like - ages ago. Don't you have something else to say? I am... indebted to you, after all."

"..." glaring at her, "I take it you use her to find me, but what do you want now that you found me. Huh?"

So, it was an acquaintance. I can't really make sense of it, but her tone of voice suddenly changing from one to another so drastically in such a short amount of-

All of a sudden, she's standing right in front of him. It wasn't a teleport, it's just that... her movement is so fast.

"I need you, Kougenma."

"Need me? Hah, think I'll help you just because you asked?"

"No."

Lowering her upper body to grab mine and throwing it close to me. Then all of a sudden, black clouds of thunderous lightning started to form in the sky.

"Kougenma, you don't know how long I've been searching for you. In my desperate moment, there was only you in my mind at the time. Back when we were in the Lost World, I searched for you for so long, but you were nowhere to be found."

"Enough of your nonsense, tell me why you're here!"

"..." grasping onto the air, "I'm here... for you, Kougenma. You... are the most precious resources that I know..."

"?!!"

"And now that I finally found you. Please, lay your head down and be my stepping stone."

His eyes widened as flames erupted from his chest, "You,,," his wings glaringly spread out as black miasma radiated from his body, "Ungrateful brat, I'll TEAR YOUR HEART OUT!!"

*BOOM*

He propelled himself at her with a powerful force coming from the clap of his wings, destroying the ground beneath him. Avarice's tail swirls upward as she brings her legs up before stomping the ground.

*BOOOOOM*

At that moment, roughly within half kilometers in the surrounding area, cracked.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Before the Devil can even reach her, the volcanic ground was raised at an incredibly high level far up in the sky.

‘That move…’

Sparks of lightning appeared, swirling Avarice's arms and stays at her fingertips. She moves elegantly but at an extremely fast speed, the faint of light coming from the lightning went around her waist, flew in a zig-zag symbol of infinity - it looks like a form of martial arts.

Soon, the light glows and she pointed them at the devil on the tip of the heightened ground. She pulled her hand to her waist and the crashing sound of thunder was heard even louder.

*Wooooosh *Clack *Clack

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The extremely large thunder struck the Devil, crushing the heightened ground and curved to Avarice. There was smoke, but I can definitely see the light of that lightning was absorbed to the fingertips of her right hand, it expanded to a claw.

"Transcendental Law of the Omega, Siphonic Redone."

When she swung her hand, the first was horizontal and the second was vertical - the scenery of her face that looks like she's having fun, I thought it was beautiful.

*Sweeeeeeiiiiiiinng*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The number of winds that have dissipated within the atmosphere in that single moment, made havoc when it's refilled.

*Bwooooooooooooooosh*

Sombak quickly reattached my head back to my body, and then I held both of them firmly as I hold my ground beside the shattered rock.

Once the smokes cleared up and tension started dropping, Avarice grasped the air and the body of that Devil flew towards her, charred with no signs of life.

It’s hard for me to believe that kind of monster will be defeated in such a short time. Especially when that monster had this kind of stats.

==== Quick Inspect ====

??? / Level: 1820 / Devil / Health: 23.000.000.000

==== Quick Inspect ====

*Cough *Cough

Inside my throat, there's too much blood this time.

“Luosa.”

My eyes widened, “Y-Yes, ma’am?!”

“Ma’am? Heheh, were you hurt anywhere?”

“Nope, I’m totally fine and dandy right now.”

“…” chuckles, “Your lower face doesn’t look that way though. Right, have you recovered the Paladin's head?”

"Paladin?" must be talking about lord Hedrick, nodding enthusiastically, “Yes, ma’am, I have it stored in my dimensional storage.”

“Already? That’s quite unexpected. And was it Replica that gives the storage to you? Since when do you have such a rare thing?”

“Ahh no, it’s the trait of a…” right, maybe I shouldn’t say that I’m actually a Traveler, “Um, a Wonderer, maybe?”

“Hmm, alright, I'll be taking care of the slippery thing. You should return to the surface. His majesty does not want to see you here in this place any longer.”

“Eh, but why? I’ve just started to like it here.”

“Luosa, you should never question his majesty’s intention. You can come back here when he told you to, but you have to leave now. Also, keep our conversation and this whole event secret... okay?”

“Oh… Okay.”

That's a shame. Leaving, I mean.

“…” sighing, “Is there a reason for you to want to be here?”

Well, I just rent an inn for a week, for her to suddenly tell me to leave right when I haven’t spent even a single day here… and obviously, I can’t tell her that either so...

“N-No, nothing really. Then, can I leave lord Hedrick’s head to you?”

Narrowing her eyes down, “No, you should return it to him yourself,” walking to the Devil’s body, “He must see it to himself how even an initiate like you is even more competent than him.”

“…”

Not sure if I understand what’s going on, it seems she and lord Hedrick got something going on.

“Here, catch.”

“Awawawa, wh-what is it?”

“Your reward. Visit me in the courtyard behind the castle when you return, I’ll have something for you.”

“Oh, okay. Um, thank you… Avarice.”

“Heh, it’s a wise choice for you to keep that face despite changing your look.”

She grabbed the Devil by the horn and a blast of dark sphere appears silently. I wonder if it's just me, but it's like everyone has their own type of teleportation magic. Anyway, when they walked into it, they disappear as the sphere is gone.

“Haah... what did she mean by that?”

I will never know unless I ask her myself when I return.

“Anyway, this thing is quite…”

{Pure Dragon Sigil / Mythic / Explosively increase one’s level by 100 and gain a permanent Immortality}

“… Something.”