I Became a Prisoner in the Game After Defeating the Final Boss Chapter 74
Humans need a great many things to live.
Starting from the most basic necessities of life (food, clothing, and shelter), to medical supplies like medicine and bandages for emergencies, and weapons to protect oneself from threats, just listing the necessary things could tightly fill several sheets of parchment.
That's how much is needed just for the basics, so if the place in question was the Demonic Realm, the necessary items naturally increase exponentially.
The reason I felt like my preparations were insufficient, no matter how much I prepared, was likely because of that.
‘There are many necessary things, but if the baggage increases too much, it might interfere when I need to move stealthily. If I also minimize food and water on the premise of being self-sufficient within the Demonic Realm…….’
I spent several hours repeating the process of unpacking and packing a few items like that.
I was finally able to pack baggage optimized for survival within the Demonic Realm.
It was baggage simplified enough to fit entirely into one backpack.
Due to the nature of the Demonic Realm, if I packed too much baggage unnecessarily, there was a high possibility that it would restrict my mobility and stealth, forcing me to abandon it, so I streamlined it as much as possible from the start.
“Mm-hm, excellent.”
Looking at the backpack, packed so well that the word ‘perfection’ itself came to mind, I felt like praising myself, at least for today.
Not long after I finished all the preparations, Edric showed up at the barracks. Seeing the leave permit in one hand, it seemed he came in person to hand it over.
“Are all the preparations finished?”
“Yes. Perfectly.”
“I’m curious that you’re confident enough to say that with the Demonic Realm ahead, but I won’t bother unpacking your well-packed backpack.”
“I’m grateful for that.”
Edric chuckled heartily.
“If you think it might be dangerous, come back immediately. I’ll preserve your leave dates, so don’t even think that it’s a waste.”
“I will. I value my life dearly too.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Then rest for today. Here is the leave permit.”
I accepted the leave permit, which was stamped with Edric’s seal.
[Leave Permit]
[Person on Leave : 4th Special Task Force Member Vell Blackwood]
[Leave Period : One month from the date of departure]
[Commander : 4th Special Task Force Leader Edric]
A leave period of a whole month……. I already knew, but it was truly an absurd leave duration.
‘Then again.’
Considering that this world itself isn't one where transportation methods are very developed, if a soldier were to visit their hometown, a few days of leave would be nowhere near enough.
So the basic unit of leave had no choice but to be this long.
‘Well…… given the duration, that’s probably why getting a single leave from Winter Castle is so difficult.’
Considering the reason I received this leave, it was bound to be.
‘That aside…….’
For now, it was time to rest, if only for tomorrow.
***
The dawn broke.
Even though there was no alarm, I woke up naturally and shouldered the backpack I had packed in advance.
Just as I finished preparing to depart, a familiar voice came from one side of the bunks.
“Are you leaving now?”
It was Alicia.
“Did I wake you. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s not that.”
Alicia sat up.
“Promise me just one thing, that you’ll definitely come back.”
“Well, that much is.”
I wondered if it was necessary to make a promise for something so obvious, but Alicia was firm.
“Promise me.”
“I promise.”
Only then did Alicia nod her head slightly, as if satisfied.
“Come back safe.”
Why was it?
Alicia’s words, "Come back safe," echoed in my head the entire time I was leaving the barracks.
***
Perhaps because it was early dawn, a different guard was standing watch at the South Gate instead of the Guard Team Leader I usually saw.
“Leave permit confirmed. You may pass.”
“Thank you.”
After quickly passing through the South Gate, I immediately turned north.
The distance to the Demonic Realm was naturally shorter going through the North Gate, but the North Gate was always a place of large and small skirmishes with demonic beasts, so it was correct to see it as a battlefield rather than as an entrance or exit, its original function as a gate.
‘I’ll have to move diligently if I want to get inside the Demonic Realm today.’
It was an obvious thing, but I didn't bring a horse.
No matter how well-trained a warhorse, it was rare to find one that had overcome its fear of demonic beasts, and even if it had overcome that fear, I had to move completely alone once inside the Demonic Realm.
Since that was the situation, the only thing I could trust on the way to the Demonic Realm was my own two sturdy legs.
The northern landscape was, as always, pouring snow.
A blade-like wind that seemed to cut the flesh grazed my face, but the cold-weather gear I was wearing was reliable, and I also had the Fang of Blazing Fire, so I didn't feel particularly cold.
Every time I stepped on the snowfield, the sound was buried in the snow.
Not to be outdone, the trees, also buried in snow, would rustle and sometimes creak.
With every step, the snow squeaked and the sound of footsteps spread.
Small snowballs rolled under the soles of my feet and hit the ice crystals.
In a landscape that felt as if I were left alone in the world, I moved forward through the snowfield.
Continuously, continuously.
***
It's a fact many don't know, but the border of the Demonic Realm actually begins where the demonic beasts' territory starts.
In that sense, it could be said that I had just reached the entrance of the Demonic Realm.
Because there was no way I wouldn't recognize the characteristic stench and atmosphere of a demonic beast territory.
It was worth walking diligently for more than half a day.
‘There’s no need to fight demonic beasts already.’
The reason I came to the Demonic Realm this time was for the purpose of hunting mutants, as well as finding the temporary warehouse.
If I fought worthless demonic beasts right at the entrance of the Demonic Realm, it wasn't like I could carry their byproducts with me, so fighting here was only a loss for me.
‘Of course, I could aim for improving combat skills or stats…… but I can do that after entering the Demonic Realm. The low-grade demonic beasts at the entrance are just a waste of time.’
Therefore, I advanced along the boundary between the demonic beasts' territories.
Demonic beasts, for the most part, do not leave their own territory.
Therefore, the boundary between demonic beast territories is considered a relatively safe place even within the Demonic Realm.
In the World of Justice, those who roamed the Demonic Realm as if it were their own inner room used those very boundaries between demonic beast territories as their path.
I was the same.
It was a Demonic Realm I was so familiar with, but nevertheless, I did not rashly let go of my tension upon entering it.
‘The territories of demonic beasts are not fixed. They can change anytime if there's a change in the Demonic Realm's ecosystem or if a new predator appears.’
Of course, when I visited the Demonic Realm with the special task force members a while ago, the path wasn't much different from what I knew, but that was, at best, only an extremely small part of the Demonic Realm.
The thought that this vast, wide Demonic Realm would be the same as I remembered was clearly a miscalculation.
Carefully, and carefully again.
I advanced along the boundary with my senses sharpened to the utmost.
If the northern region was a snowfield dyed white with snow in all directions, the Demonic Realm could be seen as an endlessly unfolding Sea of Trees.
All sorts of trees and grasses grew haphazardly without any rules, turning the inside of the Demonic Realm into a natural labyrinth.
In this place where even a compass didn't work properly due to the Demonic Realm's special waves, the way to find the path was to use the traces of the demonic beasts, the owners of this place.
The footprints left by demonic beasts.
The excretions left by demonic beasts.
The scent left by demonic beasts.
All of those things were no different from signposts that allowed one to find their way within the Demonic Realm.
Following those traces, I naturally realized I had entered a new demonic beast's territory.
‘It’s about time for Radyun’s territory.’
Radyun was a pack-type demonic beast with an appearance similar to a giant reptile, and although there were differences between individuals, it was a demonic beast between level 4 and 5 on average.
I had previously confirmed in the battle with Aichuwong that the Colt garrison couldn't penetrate armor processed from Radyun's leather, so fighting unnecessarily within Radyun's territory would do me no good.
‘They are creatures with a keen sense of smell, so it would be good to apply Radyun’s excrement on my body beforehand.’
As I was applying the Radyun excrement scattered on the ground to my body, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
What if Alicia had stubbornly followed me here and I made her slather herself in demonic beast dung like this?
She would probably follow orders without complaint, but wouldn’t her expression show contempt and regret?
Thinking of that sight, a small laugh escaped me unconsciously.
‘Such useless thoughts.’
Having thoughts like this, it seemed I was a little relaxed right now.
Kuruuruu!
Hearing the cry of a Radyun from far away, it seemed to be telling me anew whose territory this was.
This was also strong evidence that I had finally passed the outer area of the Demonic Realm and entered the interior, which could be considered the true Demonic Realm.
‘From here on, I must be especially more careful.’
If up until now it was a level that demonic beast hunters and Imperial subjugation teams could sufficiently stir up, from now on, it was a place where humans should not set foot, in the truest sense.
The True Demonic Realm.
From now on, even a very trivial mistake would lead to a fatal result.
Kkuruk!
Kuruuruu…….
The cries of the Radyun, heard from afar, gradually grew closer.
It meant I was getting closer to the central area of the territory where the Radyun primarily inhabited.
‘Hmm.’
Seeing the darkness descending on all sides, it seemed it was time to find a place to rest.
It was the same during the day, but the Demonic Realm at night was particularly unkind to visitors.
‘The nearest safe zone is…… I’ll probably reach it if I walk for about another hour.’
Basically, there is no absolutely safe place within the Demonic Realm. However, there are a few relatively safe places.
One of them is a place called a safe zone, which refers to a place where the Demonic Realm's special waves flow and, in addition, four or more demonic beast territories overlap.
Even if only two demonic beast territories overlapped, it was called a boundary and classified as a relatively safe place; a safe zone, which combined the special waves flowing in the Demonic Realm and the boundaries of four or more demonic beast territories, was almost the only place within the Demonic Realm where a human could take a breather.
In fact, my temporary warehouse was also in one of the safe zones that only I knew about.
Of course, no matter how much it was called a safe zone, considering how contradictory the word 'safety' was within the Demonic Realm, carelessness was forbidden.
That moment.
‘Hm?’
As I was walking, I sensed an unusual atmosphere within the Radyun's territory.
[Kkururu! Kkurururu!!!]
[Kkiruk! Kkiruruk─!]
The Radyun, which had been quietly protecting their territory until now, suddenly started to go berserk and rampage wildly.
A clear abnormal phenomenon.
‘Did another demonic beast invade the territory?’
Territory fights between demonic beasts are not that rare within the Demonic Realm.
If so, I had to get out of here as quickly as possible.
It was when I had decided on my course of action and was trying to get out of here as quickly as possible.
[Kkurururu!!]
A few of the rampaging Radyun started running straight towards where I was.
‘Tsk.’
No matter how much I was caked in Radyun excrement, the Radyun was a demonic beast with excellent eyesight in addition to its sense of smell.
From the moment the Radyun were staring right at where I was, the option of escape had effectively disappeared.
‘I have no choice but to fight.’
If possible, I wanted to avoid combat within the Demonic Realm, but if I had no intention of fighting at all, I wouldn't have entered the Demonic Realm in the first place.
No matter how much I paid attention, I couldn't avoid all combat within the Demonic Realm.
It was something I had to be prepared for from the moment I entered the Demonic Realm.
‘I’ll end this as quickly as possible.’
I gripped the Fang of Blazing Fire tightly.
If I used a firearm, the noise would attract not only the Radyun within the territory but also demonic beasts from the vicinity, so I intended to use a trump card I had barely used until now.
‘I’m a bit reluctant…… but I suppose it can’t be helped.’
He who nears the Demonic will one day be swallowed by that Demonic .
This was like an adage for mages, but now was the time to forget it for a moment.
“Declaration of summary contract.”
As soon as the incantation was uttered, the blazing fire that had been dormant in the Fang of Blazing Fire began to surge.
The price I would pay in this contract was the flesh and blood of the Radyun before my eyes.
“Flames that Sweep the Periphery.”
I will let it devour them all.