Chapter 323: Underdogma (5)

Chapter 323: Underdogma (5)

'Fucking world.'

Dogma, a freshman. He was on his way out of the professor's office after receiving a D grade on the assignment he had spent three nights working on.

Explaining that someone else had plagiarized his work didn't work.

Instead, despite being the victim of plagiarism, Dogma received the lowest grade and failed the class.

'Is this what life is like for commoners, to be trampled underfoot by nobles? Fuck this world.'

On a deserted road, a few stray dogs run away from human footsteps.

Dogma curses at the sky in the pouring rain.

Suddenly, the rain stops.

He turns around and sees a white umbrella wrapped around his head.

A female student with a bag of dog food in her hand was putting the umbrella on Dogma.

Dolores, the nameplate on her chest patch read.

'That's not true.'

Dolores opened her mouth with a smile that felt somewhat sad.

'Everyone is the hero of their own life, and the hero is often burdened with troubles, worries, guilt, and burdens. It's the same for everyone in the world, noble or commoner.'

Dogma was stunned.

Is that true? Is that really true?

...No. I've been fooled by that sort of thing before. I'm not falling for it anymore.

'You can say that because you have everything. You're pretty, you're fit, you're young, you're well educated, you have money, you come from a good family. I'm sure you'll graduate with flying colors and go back to your family and make it big, and you'll meet someone equally handsome, tall, fit, good-natured, rich, and from a good family, and you'll live happily ever after!'

Dogma's rant, echoing through the rain shower, was like a scream.

A sharp hatred that shot out like an arrow without a target.

But Dolores only smiled bitterly.

'...No.'

A short answer.

Dogma couldn't help but go blank again at the sight of Dolores' smile.

He couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine whenever he saw that look on her face.

'Don't smile like that.'

For the next three years, Dogma tried his hardest to keep a straight face.

Always hovering around Dolores, desperately trying to stand in the same place, at the same eye level.

Second in class. Student Council Vice President.

He rose to a remarkable position from a commoner background.

... But inside him, a thousand fires of unknown origin simmered, never extinguished.

Why? Why?

After pondering for a while, Dogma soon realized the reason.

The reason was...

* * *

[ What was that? ]

Dogma's mouth opened and a grotesquely distorted voice spilled out.

The pronunciation from the mouth, which was no longer human, was similar to that of a grotesque flesh fairy.

[ Why was I getting angry? ]

Dogma, who had become a majin, seemed to have lost much of his vaunted intelligence.

"...Hmm. You're getting quite a bit bigger."

Vikir lifted his head, resting his chin.

Dogma's body had become quite grotesque.

Two of its limbs had grown longer than its legs, and a whip-like tail had grown from its buttocks.

Its entire body is covered with large shark scales, its forehead has a large single horn, and underneath it is a feast of teeth sticking out of its lipless mouth.

Most impressive of all was the massive mane of flames that burned Dogma's entire body.

<Majin 'Inferiority complex like deterioration'>.

Danger rating: A+.

Size: 8 meters

Found in: Hell Tree, Underground Level 4 'Black Sea Island'

-Also known as 'Inferiority Complex' or 'Underdogma'

The perverse form of a student who has always been at a disadvantage in school.

They harbor a hatred so powerful that they want to set the world on fire.

There seems to be no possibility of ever becoming human again.

'This is how they would be described if they were in a book.'

Information on humans who have been transformed into monsters is so fragmented and varies greatly from person to person that it is not included in the monster encyclopedia, but Vikir was able to infer enough information on his own.

[geu-aaa... geugigig!]

Meanwhile, Dogma, who had become a Majin, stood on the sandbank, spewing out terrifying killing intent.

cheolsseog! puswiiiig-

A large wave crashed into Dogma's body, vaporizing it into black water vapor in an instant.

"You've become a nuisance."

Vikir pressed his temples.

He had defeated the Daylily of Blood in the previous stage, but it was only a Degradation Version, and the Cerberus he had defeated in the stage before that had been aided by Ginkgo and Perfume.

"...There isn't much manpower available."

The students of the commoner faction were too low in level and stats to be of any help, and the insectking were shivering in the distance as if they were afraid of fire.

[Hahahaha- the insectking are basically insect and afraid of fire, moreover, it is more vulnerable to fire due to the wax component coated on the surface of the exoskeleton.]

"Not very useful information."

Vikir held Decarabia in one hand and the Beelzebub in the other.

"Well, fire can be put out with water."

Fortunately, isn't this a beach?

Then.

Whoosh.

There was the sound of something moving next to him.

Highbro, Midbro, and Lowbro. The three of them were running backwards, away from Vikir's side.

Black water, water that must sink once it falls into it.

Vikir stood on the beach, keeping a close eye on Dogma.

...Finally, how much time has passed?

Bubble Bubble Bubble- Puswiiiiig-

The water stopped boiling.

The erupting steam was gone.

The water was once again calm.

The thing struggling inside was dead.

"...Drowned."

Vikir muttered in a hushed voice.

-Ding!

The sound of mission completion was heard.

-Ding!

['Level 1 Warrior' Vikir has successfully hunted the first 'A+ Ranked Majin, 'Inferiority Like Deterioration']!

['Awesome' achievement reward granted!]

<Mission End> – Let's kill a Majin!

-Majin (1/1)

※...??? ...How did you really catch this one?

Next, a fairy appeared, its complexion hardened.

It lifted Dogma's cold body from the black water and stuck out its tongue.

The fairy swooped down to Vikir and offered him his reward for capturing the demon.

[ Ah, you did it all by yo ur se lf ? ]

It was 10 level candies.

A strange, golden, glowing candy fell into Vikir's hand.

[ Th at's it ? ]

"Wait."

Vikir called out to the disappearing fairy.

"Do you have access to a candy store?"

[ Wh at ? Why ? ]

"I want to sell level candy, with normal stats."

The fairy scratched its head.

A normal challenger would collect 300 normal stat candies to buy one level candy.

But for Vikir, it was the other way around.

At most, Vikir would trade 10 level candies for 3000 regular candies.

For the fairy, it was a transaction that had no reason to refuse since it was a surplus business.

Soon, Vikir had over 3,000 regular candies in his hand.

Most of them were red strength candies, as candies are traded at random.

Including the ones from the commoner students and the insectking, there were just over 3100.

'It's gacha time.'

Vikir continued to feed the little madam on his shoulder with stat candies.

[Nyamnyamnyamnyam- hack hack hack-]

The little madam ate the candies, excited to see if it tasted good.

Eventually, she ate all 3,000 candies and pooped out 30 candies.

Vikir was disappointed when he saw the colors of the candies coming out of the little madam's butt.

Mostly red strength candies, blue stamina candies, and the occasional green agility candy.

But it's obviously better to increase Strength by 100 than to increase Agility by 1, so Vikir's gacha continues to take a heavy toll.

By this point, Vikir had burned through all 3,000 candies.

The harvest is about 10 agility candies.

The rest were all power and stamina candies that were no better than crap.

There are only 90 candies left, so he can't run the gacha anymore.

"No luck this time. No, this is how it's supposed to be."

Vikir decided to give up cleanly. He knew his expectations were too high in the first place, so he shouldn't be too disappointed with the outcome.

... Just then.

"Lord. I still have 12 candies left."

Highbro grabbed a bloodstained candy from somewhere and held it out.

"What's this."

"These are the students on Dogma's side that he killed when he was demonized earlier. I dug them out from under a pool of sap."

Vikir nodded. He hadn't realized it, but this would allow him to spin the gacha one more time.

'I hope it's not Strength or Stamina again. If it's any of the three stats, it'll be great..... and if it's not, it should at least be Agility.'

Vikir fed the little madam another 100 candies.

Then.

[kkeung-]

The little madam began to twitch.

And then.

...pop!

A candy dropped onto Vikir's palm.

It was the purest, whitest candy he'd ever seen.

-<Strange Candy> / Magic Resistance / White

A candy that increases your Magic Resistance stat by 1.

Tastes sour.

+1 to Magic Resistance

Eventually, Vikir's mouth drew a line, even if only slightly, when he saw the candy's explanation window.

"Lucky."

Good, but not just good.