CH 50

The interior of “Red Tilt Taiji Cave” consists of rocks from floor to ceiling, with lantern-like lights dangling from the ceiling. Although the door appears to be composed of stone, it is as light as wood.

And so far, everything is going well, but…

“Why is everything bright red!”

“(My eyes hurt!)”

The entire area is a solid red, as Mugi-san and Izumi indicated. Even the lighting is red as if the flooring, walls, and ceilings were splattered with vivid red paint, and of course, the doors themselves are red as well.

While on the subject, I have once heard that certain drug addicts exhibit symptoms that cause them to drench their rooms in a single hue, causing me to wonder if this is one of those cases.

Or is this a unique feature of this dungeon, like the fog in “White Fog and Black Swamp Forest,” for the purpose of taking measures against intruders…? Well, this reasoning is more than likely.

“Let’s find the rest area for now. Given the enemy’s continuous surveillance in this colorful space, it would be more exhausting than we had anticipated.”

While suggesting the idea to the two of them, I search for the presence of the surrounding creatures.

Apparently, a cluster of numerous creatures is congregating in that direction, therefore, I instruct both of them that we should head in that direction.

“(This is awful…)”

“(Yes…)”

“(You can clearly distinguish the nature of the master of this dungeon by this…)”

After slightly opening the door of the room where there are numerous presences of living creatures, we take a gander at what is going on inside.

And within the room, a significant number of people are working nonstop on massive cogwheels, which are common in manga detention camps. Those who are found taking a break or arriving late will be lashed with a whip and subjected to physical punishment by the Karajin, who resemble punks.

However, by simply viewing the outside and observing this facility, it is evident how the Spicy King has elevated his level to level 4. It is likely that the Spicy King is unaware of the fact that slaying enemies outside the dungeon results in a reduction in the amount of experience gained, which is why he assigns his Karajin to hunt them down. Then he would finish off the majority of them during the hunt and send the rest to engage in some kind of rigorous labor. That is probably what he has been doing.

If I may additionally remark, I am inclined to believe that the humans whom the Spicy King has transformed into his kin are inherently vulgar individuals who are fond of such practices. They don’t seem to be distressed at all. Alternatively, they might have already been indoctrinated. Well, in either case, they are beyond salvation.

Even so, watching a scene like this reminds me of what kind of character a Demon King essentially possesses. And also that Kurokiri is heterogeneous as a Demon King.

“(Izumi. We should dash in right away…)”

“(Please hold on.)”

That is unwise to do so.

I halt Mugi-san and Izumi, who are about to burst out at any moment.

“(What is it!?)”

“(First of all, let’s verify the situation. If we’re going to seize control, we also have to be mindful of the Spicy King and consider what might happen after rescuing them.)”

“(…!)”

At my words, both Mugi-san and Izumi stay still.

“(Looks like both of you’ve calmed down now. Then let’s move on. If we’re going to do this, let’s have it thoroughly executed.)”

As a result, we each seek a separate entrance, which I, Izumi, and Mugi-san enter from there.

“Haa…haa…”

The man’s legs were staggering. Nevertheless, he could not afford to stop. For if he did, he would be killed.

“I… can’t do it any further…”

Yet, the man paused briefly.

At that moment, a Karajin struck the man with his whip, and the sound of skin being slapped and a scream resonated throughout the area. Then whether the man’s scream had lifted his spirits or not, the Karajin sought to wield the whip again… and then things were set in motion.

“Gaaaaaaaaaah!!”

A different Karajin, initially brandishing the whip, abruptly shrieked out. That Karajin had not been wounded in any part of the body. However, a blue flame surfaced before the Karajin’s eyes, and as the flame fluctuated, his turmoil visibly escalated until he finally fainted while foam flowed out of his mouth.

“There goes the first one.”

Well, what was employed against this Karajin was Mugi’s ≪Fox Fire≫. Not only does ≪Fox Fire≫ inflict fire attribute damage, but it is also capable of illusory effects. It can induce an illusory effect by exposing the eyes to its light for a prolonged period of time, albeit this is an infrequent occurrence.

“!?”

And simultaneously, another Karajin, who was also brandishing the whip, slumped, powerless to even raise his voice while clutching his crotch and frothing.

“…”

Well, if you are a man, you can probably figure out what happened to this Karajin without elaborating on the details. But if I dare to describe it in-depth, I would have to say that Izumi approached the opponent while clad in ≪Fog Cloak≫ to avoid being spotted, and with ≪Muscular Strength Enhancement≫ activated, she delivered a kick with all her vigor towards the opponent’s groin.

Incidentally, after hearing this account later, Kurokiri broke out in a cold sweat and remarked, “What an audacious act…”

“You’re the last one.”

“Eh?”

And before the whip was wielded, Ichiko drew near to the Karajin, who ended up being the sole remaining member of the group, with her ≪Short-range Teleportation≫ and ≪Fog Cloak≫. Then she unleashed ≪Decapitation≫ with her bare hands but what was severed wasn’t his head, only his consciousness.

The surrounding people display expressions of astonishment and consternation as they direct their attention towards our unexpected presence.

“(We did itー)”

“Now, how should we proceed from here onwards?”

“Well…”

As I turn towards the people who were compelled to labor, I declare.

“Human beings, make your choice.”