Chapter 54

Temple of Luck 13

=======================================

Temple of Luck 13 - Chapter 1

The shortest route from Reidan to Titan is through Welcom County.

However, Grid was passing through Zebra County. Because of this, he was delayed for a full ten days, but he did not mind.

‘Raoul said to stop here and obtain the <Blindfold of the Butcher Demon>.’

He even added that it was absolutely necessary.

This means that the item, the Blindfold of the Butcher Demon, has its worth.

‘Butcher Demon.’

According to Raoul, the Butcher Demon is a monster that lives in the basement of Zebra Castle.

It is said to be a half-human, half-demon raised by the sadistic Zebra Count, who enjoys torturing and brutally killing people...

‘It became uncontrollable.’

Half-human, half-demon.

A being that can become either human or a monster depending on its growth environment.

It was a natural result that the one raised by the cruel Zebra Count degenerated into a monster.

‘I'll see what kind of creature it is when I go there myself.’

Grid, who had focused on hunting for four days to resolve his infamy, moved forward.

***

‘What a creepy place.’

Under the dark clouds, Zebra Castle.

The pitch-black entrance of that particularly dark and eerie place resembled the mouth of a dragon, as if once you entered, you would never be able to escape. No matter how brave a person might be, they would hesitate to step into such a place.

However, Grid felt no fear. He advanced without hesitation. His self-esteem had grown, and so had his fearlessness. The Grid who used to wet his pants at the sight of a ghost was no more.

“Who are you?”

The soldiers guarding the castle gate looked suspiciously at Grid, who was hiding his face under a deep cap. It was only natural for them to be on guard.

Grid took off his cap.

Then, his overwhelming charisma, exceeding 1,500, and his continent-wide reputation, exceeding 25,000, came into play.

The soldiers sensed an inexplicable aura from Grid. They felt an unwarranted sense of trust.

“Where do you come from, noble sir?”

The soldiers, mistaking Grid for a high-ranking noble of the empire, became suddenly polite.

This was a familiar change in attitude.

Grid, who felt no particular emotion, replied with an indifferent expression.

“I have come to exterminate the Butcher Demon.”

“Huh.”

The soldiers gasped.

To think he would exterminate that terrifying Butcher Demon!

‘And alone, at that?’

‘Others would go to great lengths to bring even one more companion...’

“Are you serious?”

The soldiers, who couldn't believe it, asked again. Grid nodded.

“Yes.”

***

“Hmm.”

Count Zebra's weight easily exceeded 0.1 tons.

His greasy face and wobbling belly were not a pleasant sight.

Stroking his sagging jowls, he finally spoke after carefully observing Grid.

“Who are you?”

Count Zebra was average in terms of ability. He had no particular talents. His title of count was inherited from his father, who was the same.

However, he had a good eye for people. Through his interactions with high-ranking nobles in the social circles, he could sense a person's character just by their appearance.

To him, Grid possessed a dignity comparable to that of the royal family.

‘But I don't know any royal family members like him.’

Initially, it was impossible for a royal to come to such a remote place to exterminate a monster. Royals are the gods of the mortal world and naturally pursue safety.

‘Is he a royal from another country?’

Count Zebra, who couldn't shake off his doubts, received Grid's answer.

“I am here to solve your problem. Isn't that enough?”

“Huh.”

What a presumptuous tone.

Count Zebra did not like Grid, who spoke so boldly without revealing his identity. However, he did not feel the need to waste his energy.

‘He's just going to die anyway.’

The Butcher Demon had evolved into a monster half a year ago.

One day, after torturing and killing a 'creature' as usual, the one who had been trembling and watching suddenly roared and lost his mind.

The uncontrollable monster began to live in the castle's basement.

It was a serious matter.

Count Zebra, unable to leave it unchecked, devoted himself to exterminating the creature.

He deployed the strongest knights and mages of his house, hired top-tier mercenaries, and even recruited adventurers.

But he ultimately failed.

Despite the number of people who had attempted to kill the Butcher Demon exceeding 800, the Butcher Demon remained unharmed, and all 800 of them were dead.

The Butcher Demon was that strong.

And there were spatial issues.

The basement was narrow, and the Butcher Demon was large.

The maximum number of people who could enter the basement was only three.

This was the decisive reason why the strongest knights and mages of his house could not kill the Butcher Demon.

It was impossible to kill the Butcher Demon with just three people.

Yet, the black-haired man in front of him was acting as if he didn't know the situation and was going to do it alone.

“Haha. Alright, alright. I understand. It doesn't matter who you are. As long as you solve my problem.”

The extermination of the Butcher Demon was already entrusted to the Red Knights.

The Red Knights, who would arrive in four days, would take care of it.

Count Zebra had no expectations for Grid and just went through the motions of asking.

Grid was facing the quest window.

<Exterminate the Butcher Demon>

Difficulty: S+

In the past, Count Zebra found a half-human, half-demon with a hideous appearance at a slave market and bought it. He then kept it in the castle's basement and enjoyed torturing it as if it were a toy.

However, eternal pleasure does not exist.

Count Zebra quickly grew tired of torturing the stupid monster that couldn't even speak and became addicted to the new pleasure of torturing 'normal humans.'

He framed innocent citizens as criminals, brought them to the castle's basement, tortured, and killed them.

The half-human, half-demon, who had to witness this process every day, eventually trembled in fear and activated its monster powers to protect itself.

The Butcher Demon, who had been tortured countless times and learned the human body's vital points, is a strong and dangerous being.

If left unchecked, it will eventually become a great disaster, so it must be exterminated.

Quest Completion Condition: Death of the Butcher Demon.

Quest Success Reward: Black Crystal Earring.

Quest Failure: Level -6. Continent-wide Reputation -1,000.

‘S+.’

It means it is incomparably difficult compared to an S-grade quest.

This is because the maximum number of participants in this Butcher Demon extermination quest is only three.

‘Raoul said it's a quest that can't be cleared unless Fon, Regas, and Faker form a team.’

However.

‘He said I could clear it alone.’

Raoul was always a rational thinker. His words could be trusted.

“Let's go.”

“Hmm.”

Grid was led by the soldiers to the basement. After walking down a narrow staircase for about three minutes, he stood in front of a sturdy iron door.

“H-Here it is.”

The soldiers, who heard the Butcher Demon's breathing, turned pale and trembled as they unlocked the door. They fled in terror before the iron door was even fully open.

Grid, left alone, had a calm gaze.

‘No matter how strong you are, you're weaker than Helgaoh.’

The experience of defeating the strongest demon, Helgaoh.

The two new sword techniques he had acquired.

The rapidly improved control skills and Noe, as well as Randy.

The current Grid was the strongest since starting Satisfy.

Compared to the Grid during the national competition, which shook the world, the current Grid is incomparably stronger.

Thud, thud.

Grid entered the basement, listening to the echoing sound of his own footsteps.

In the cramped basement, a massive Butcher Demon stood.

Kwaaah.

The Butcher Demon's appearance, which cried mournfully, was both terrifying and pitiful.

Its skin was completely peeled off, revealing raw red flesh, and rusty metal was deeply embedded in various parts of its body. Pieces of flesh had fallen off in places.

These were the marks of the torture it had endured at the hands of Count Zebra.

Although it wore a mask, its face could not be seen, but with a blindfold, it seemed that one of its eyes had been gouged out.

“Poor creature. I'll put you out of your misery quickly.”

Feeling pity, Grid armed himself with two great swords.

The blue great sword in his right hand, the jade great sword in his left.

[Equipped +9 Failure. The attack power increases by 30% in dark places due to the influence of the blue orichalcum.]

[Equipped +8 Doppleganger's Great Sword as a secondary weapon. The weapon attack power is reduced to 50% due to the dual-wielding penalty.]

Kraaaaaa!

The Butcher Demon roared.

Seeing the blades reminded it of the nightmares of its torture days, exciting it.

[The Butcher Demon's roar stimulates fear.]

[Resisted.]

[The Butcher Demon's relentless eyes pierce your weaknesses.]

[Resisted.]

Thud, thud!

The Butcher Demon, with its massive body, charged and swung its large sword wildly, covered in blood.

‘Clumsy.’

Grid, who had fought Randy, who replicated Pagma's abilities, 83 times, and ultimately defeated him, found no threat in the large sword wielded by the Butcher Demon, who knew nothing about swordsmanship.

Clang!

Blocking the large sword's path with the jade great sword.

Pierce!

Piercing the Butcher Demon's heart with the blue great sword.

The key point here is that Grid was not just striking a normal blow.

Grid was infusing this series of movements with the Killing Sword Technique.

Kraaaaaaang!

The Butcher Demon, hit directly by a skill with the power of a nuclear bomb, writhed in pain and cried like a child.

Grid, slicing the creature's lower body with the jade great sword, simultaneously unleashed the Ultimate Sword Technique.

The blue great sword, falling like lightning, cleanly sliced the Butcher Demon's chest.

Pus-filled, rotten blood spurted out, staining one side of the basement wall.

The Butcher Demon became enraged.

Why do I always have to suffer like this! I didn't want to be born as such a monster!

It seemed to be shouting that.

The Butcher Demon's vengeful large sword fell toward Grid's head,

Clang!

Randy, who appeared by replicating Grid's form, countered with the Return technique.

“Let's end this.”

Swish.

Seven blades unfolded in the air.

Even in the dim basement, the golden blades shone brilliantly, relentlessly targeting the Butcher Demon's field of vision.

Noe was also among them.

“I'll eat you up! Nyaa!”

The Butcher Demon, whose mouth was agape in shock, was swallowed whole.

[Strength increased by 1,831.]

Grid, enhanced by the stats received from Noe, unleashed Pagma's Sword Technique, Chain Kill.

With the <20% skill damage increase> effect from the Doppleganger's Great Sword and the <5 consecutive strikes> effect from the Holy Light Gauntlet, Chain Kill had become the strongest skill in history.

[Butcher Demon has been defeated.]

[Obtained 108,950,109 experience points. One-third of this will be evenly distributed to ‘Noe’ and ‘Randy’.]

[Obtained the Blindfold of the Butcher Demon.]

[Obtained the Mask of the Butcher Demon.]

[Obtained 3 weapon enhancement stones.]

[Obtained 1 blessed weapon enhancement stone.]

The Butcher Demon, whose eternal suffering had come to an end.

Grid, appraising the items dropped by the creature, understood why Raoul had insisted on coming here.