TPDGR 25

Chapter 25 …

I spoke toward the bushes, but the guy remained silent.

He probably didn’t expect his stealth to be pierced so easily.

But you know what? Regardless of that, since you were with the kids and lost your concentration, you’re already out.

Whoever that intruder is, and whatever reason they had for coming in, they won’t get away unscathed.

“If you don’t come out, I’ll go in first, huh?”

Don’t expect this to end politely.

I smiled faintly, lifting the corner of my lips toward the bushes.

Anyway, if an uninvited guest enters my dungeon, I can sense it through my five senses.

This dungeon feels like an extension of my body, my organs themselves.

I can sense who comes and goes, but reading the actions of someone using stealth is a completely different matter.

“But thanks to the Demon King’s vision, I could see everything they were doing behind the bushes.”

I didn’t want to admit it, but it really was a useful skill.

Swallowing my frustration, I kept my eyes on the bushes. Then, something suddenly sprang out and ran in the opposite direction.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Not only did they sneak into my territory, but they also threw weapons when kids were around—this made me furious. I remembered the guild throwing spears at my three orcs, and my anger flared.

Ah, I shouldn’t get angry… Once I do, I can’t control it.

I leapt from the ground, and the fleeing guy turned back, letting out a small gasp.

“Eek!”

The distance closed rapidly, and I could clearly see his terrified face.

“Ahh!”

The gap vanished in an instant. He screamed as if he had seen a monster, but it didn’t matter. Before his feet hit the ground, I kicked his back.

“Ugh!”

The whoosh of air brushed past my ears.

As he flew, I reached the spot faster than him.

The moment he came flying at me in terror, I planted my foot and struck him downward.

Boom!

The ground caved in with a deafening sound, burying him in a pile of dirt.

“Ugh… please… spare me…”

The intruder coughed up blood, wriggling helplessly. I tilted my head and easily avoided the weapon he had thrown.

Then, I tilted my head, looking down at the hole where he squirmed.

“Hmm.”

Just like during the previous D-rank guild incident, Gyu seemed to dislike me killing.

So I decided not to kill him. I didn’t want to do what Gyu hated either.

…Still, he’s an uninvited guest.

It should be legal to beat him without killing him, right?

“Please… spare me!”

I slowly stepped into the dirt hole where he squirmed.

Inside, I started to punish him like a worm.

Cracking sounds could be heard, but I wasn’t killing him. I was just letting him feel a little of the pain he caused by threatening my kids.

The Hammurabi Code also says:

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. First strike, second strike…

As I listened to the intruder’s groans, I felt my own consciousness start to fade.

“This… this won’t do.”

Serim’s mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood. The rising surge forced blood out through his mouth and nose.

Though he wasn’t a top-five S-rank on Earth, he was still an elite-level hunter.

But what had happened to him just now?

His unparalleled specialty—stealth—had been seen through, and he wasn’t allowed to escape.

His opponent possessed power beyond his imagination.

“Guh!”

The moment the Demon King kicked, Serim rolled in pain. Behind the Demon King’s back, threatening tentacles quivered. Through the jet-black hair, crimson-red eyes glimmered fiercely.

Eyes without reason. Completely different from when he was making soup for the kids!

“He’s going to die.”

A murderous aura radiated from the Demon King, making it feel like my throat was being choked.

If I stayed still, I’d die right here…

The fear of death rushed over me.

“Eek…”

Only the sound of wheezing came out. Serim struggled weakly to move his limbs.

I have to escape… or I’ll get beaten to death.

Serim remembered the Demon King’s rating.

[Unable to measure.]

Even with a hundred years of gate-adapted technology, the Association couldn’t measure him.

Considering the top rank is S-class…

“Above S-class. Maybe even higher.”

A chill ran down my spine. What kind of dungeon had the Association sent me into?

This won’t do. Serim pressed his hand against his chest, feeling something hard, like porcelain.

“Hey.”

When his gaze met the Demon King’s bloodshot, chaotic eyes, a shiver ran down his spine.

“What are you fiddling with?”

Startled.

“You must be high-ranking. Not so easy to faint, huh?”

Gasping, he curled up as the Demon King grabbed his head.

“You’re amusing.”

“Ugh…”

“I want to hang you and play with you alone. Shall we?”

…Insane!

The red eyes were completely deranged, nothing like when he was with the kids.

Did he even realize he’d completely lost it?

The more he struggled, the more the Demon King laughed, a pure and chilling sound.

My vision blurred.

“P-people… sa-spare…”

“Don’t die. You need to play with me!”

The cheerful voice sounded grotesque. The red eyes reflected through the black hair were blurry.

Serim felt his consciousness fading.

Then, something fell from Serim’s arms.

The jar lid rolled on the floor and opened.

“!”

Amazingly, the Demon King’s leg buckled. Clarity returned to his chaotic eyes!

The jar given by the Association… its effect worked!

“Wha-what…!”

The Demon King staggered and released Serim, who fell to the floor, coughing. His eyes widened in shock.

Nothing had physically changed—just opening the lid caused the Demon King pain.

“It’s like the Demon King is being sucked in… What is this?”

An unseen force pulled the Demon King toward the jar.

Just as his body was about to be drawn in—

Bang!

A blade shattered the jar, and the Demon King’s leg collapsed.

Someone caught the collapsing Demon King. Serim’s eyes widened in shock.

“Why… is this person here?”

“Han Hyunjin… huh…”

Serim gasped as he was struck on the back of the neck and fell unconscious.

Hyunjin removed his hands and held the fallen Demon King safely.

“Kim Ana…”

The unconscious girl hung limply in Hyunjin’s arms.

As I fell asleep, I thought about the anger that had consumed me.

It had started because of the kids.

A hunter threw a weapon near the children. If it had hit, it could’ve been disastrous.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. How could Earth hunters have less moral sense than Hyunjin’s toes?

My anger exploded, and I beat the hunter who entered my dungeon with my fists.

But strangely…

I felt like I was forgetting myself.

From the moment I saw the red blood, my mind felt dizzy, as if being sucked into somewhere else.

Almost as if I weren’t myself…

And then… huh?

What happened?

“Awake?”

“?”

When I opened my eyes, I saw a handsome face and blinked in surprise.

Gradually, my mind returned. I realized that the man in front of me was Han Hyunjin.

“Han… Hyunjin? Why am I here?”

Looking around, I saw my bedroom—entirely black, the so-called Demon King-style bedroom.

I groaned on the bed. My head throbbed, and my stomach felt nauseous. Fuzzy memories slowly became clear.

“…The kids. Fish cake soup. The hunter using stealth!”

As I tried to sit up, Hyunjin’s hand gently pushed my shoulder back.

Startled, I looked at him. He immediately withdrew his hand and cleared his throat.

“Don’t worry. The intruder’s hands and feet were tied, and he’s in prison for now.”

“…Do you know who he was?”

“Seems like an Association hunter.”

As expected. A hunter from the Association had sneaked into my dungeon.

I gritted my teeth. The Hunter Association was known for being bloodless and selfish even in the original story.

No wonder he threw weapons near the kids—damn them!

“What about the villagers? Weren’t they supposed to go to the kingdom to shop?”

“Not yet. The kids were taken by the saint. Sounds like they only heard the battle later.”

“Did they mention the hunter?”

“They said there was a fight.”

Hyunjin stayed silent, staring at me. I rubbed my wrist, which throbbed for no reason.

Why does it hurt so much?

Hyunjin silently watched me.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“Don’t you remember anything?”