Chapter 24
Did I earlier call that demon-worshipper-looking thing an actual demon?
From a true demon, only pure killing intent and malice could be felt—far beyond anything a mere worshipper could ever have.
The marble back garden of the temple, the dungeon’s rear courtyard where we stood, suddenly felt unbearably narrow.
A massive, pitch-black body.
Eyes where blood-red and gold were mixed unpleasantly together, instilling fear.
Its black horns radiated an otherworldly sense of wrongness.
Everyone trembled in terror.
Even me.
Instinct told me immediately—this could not be avoided.
It wasn’t a matter of knowing attack patterns or not.
“That thing could crush me with a single finger.”
“Demon…!”
Max collapsed trembling like a quaking leaf.
We had to run back into the numbered rooms, into the corridor. Somehow, I managed a few steps.
But the doppelgängers, watching us, burst into eerie cackles. Some mechanism activated, and iron bars crashed down in front of us.
Boom—thud.
The corridor and the rear garden were cut off.
“No! We’re going back! Aaagh! Open it! Open it now!” Max screamed in panic, clawing at the bars.
The doppelgängers on the other side only laughed cruelly, as if reveling in his desperation.
‘How did I clear the 4th floor again…?’
I couldn’t recall well under this tension. But I had once concluded—the demon wasn’t meant to be fought head-on.
“Wait, isn’t this game supposed to be romance-fantasy? Why’s a demon suddenly showing up?”
“Little brother, did you even read the story?”
“…I skipped it ‘cause it was boring.”
My brother had been dumbfounded.
The demon’s appearance rate was random. Some players never encountered it, others met it constantly.
Its patterns were random too. Unlike other monsters with predictable movements, the demon had over thirty skills it used unpredictably.
Sometimes it mixed them. Sometimes shuffled the order. Even the casting times were random.
And most of them were instant-death moves.
To survive, you had to react immediately the moment its tail, claws, or weapon moved—even when it feigned one move only to switch to another.
Prediction was useless—the demon mocked prediction. It was a pure test of reflexes and eyesight.
Like fighting a living boss.
But I had always skipped the demon part entirely.
Stats and traits didn’t matter—because the demon applied a terrifying debuff: Fear.
**[Fear (Description)
Human attacks cannot reach the demon. Fear blinds the eyes, makes the hands tremble, and instills a death drive at the sound of it.Damage to demon from humans = always 1.]**
No matter what attack you landed, only –1 appeared. Completely useless.
On top of that, the demon healed 10 to 30 HP every turn.
It healed from taking 1 damage, from swinging its weapon, from everything. Always back to full health.
Even the game tips had been blunt:
Tip: If the enemy has ‘Fear,’ always run away!
But here, the escape routes were sealed.
‘In the game, the demon’s arrival destroyed part of the garden gate… right?’
Not here.
‘There was a gap we could slip through, right?’
No, barred shut.
Darkness clouded my mind.
I thought of the giant spider monster in the banquet hall, of how every creature had been far stronger than in the game.
This was indeed The Archmage’s Mansion—but twisted.
And now, the demon—already one of the most dangerous bosses—was likely even stronger here.
The odds couldn’t be worse.
Yeniel trembled pale, the crown prince was mute with despair, and Max seemed about to lose his sanity.
Why now, of all places, in this map where escape mattered, did the demon have to appear?
It loomed leisurely, weapon raised, grinning at us humans with mocking delight.
Behind it, waves of black malice surged.
‘Awakening window!’
I checked desperately. Only 1% progress had been added.
[April Sharon: Awakening… (85/100)%]
[April Sharon: Awakening… (86/100)%]
Not enough. Without full awakening, there was no way to match its speed or power.
Sian stepped forward, voice shaking, summoning spirits.
“Jeum la Fenén! Yoenan Sepestera! Marbel la Chiuem….”
Three high spirits appeared—but their presence brought no comfort. Not before a demon.
The demon’s weapon swung down.
Crash!
The strike shattered all three spirits instantly, as if they were nothing, dispersing them back into the void.
Sian staggered, coughing blood in shock.
Because no matter the strength of ability or trait—under Fear, damage to the demon was always 1.
It wasn’t that the spirits were weak.
It was the difference between prey and predator.
The only reason we weren’t killed outright was because the demon was toying with us.
Sweat trickled cold down my back.
Thud. Thud.
It walked slowly, grinning, savoring our terror.
I looked at my companions. All crushed by fear, even Yeniel, the heroine herself, wore a face of complete despair.
If this went on—we would all die.
‘Think. Think! There must be something different here compared to the 4th floor in the game. Some factor balancing things. I need to find it.’
The hidden world always sought balance.
And this demon—was far too much for humans.
So there had to be some adjustment.
But first, I needed to rally the others.
“Everyone! Get up!”
Max might be hopeless, but Yeniel, the crown prince, and Sian—my bond with them was high.
In this horror-game world, companions often suffered madness, curses, delirium.
But a high-affection ally’s encouragement could overcome curses.
This wasn’t from my first or second run-through—but I was grateful the memory surfaced.
“There’s no choice but to move them with the affection I’ve built.”
“Please! Lady Yeniel! Your Highness! Sir Sian! Sir Max!”
My cry made the three stir faintly.
Tears pricked my eyes as I shook them desperately.
Why had I, who only wanted to escape comfortably as a foolish lady, come to this point?
Yet their eyes flickered with light again.
I repeated the words I’d once heard in the game.
“You can do it! April will never let her friends die! April will protect you!”
Believing in their care for me—believing they would respond.
The crown prince was the first to recover.
“Lady April…? You’re doing this to save us?”
“Your Highness!”
For the first time, I was grateful for him.
“Thank you. Because of you, I’ve regained myself, Lady April.”
Yeniel clasped my hand with her cold but firm grip.
Sian clenched his fist, determination flickering despite his pallor.
Only Max still hadn’t recovered.
“Sir Max!”
Slap!
I struck his cheek with all my strength—partly to wake him, partly out of frustration.
“Aaagh!” Max howled, clutching his swollen cheek.
“Sir Max!”
Slap!
“Snap out of it!”
Slap!
Perhaps I went too hard. His face puffed like he’d been clubbed—but finally, his eyes cleared.
Light returned to them.
