Demon Lord, Does Even a Crap Game Have an Ending? - Chapter 7

In the quiet forest, only the sound of rustling bushes and ragged breaths can be heard rhythmically.

“Huck, huck…”

If this were reality, it would have been a forced march to the point where I’d taste blood with every breath, but thankfully, this shell wasn’t lacking in stamina to that extent. The sensation that the muscles in my entire legs would swell up the more I moved, and my skin would stretch so taut that I’d be unable to move tomorrow due to muscle soreness, was no different from reality.

—An hour ago

The cozy warmth was gone, replaced by a campsite swallowed by darkness. Only the traces where Lumi and Riki had been lying remained, a testament that they had indeed been here.

“Lumi… Riki…!”

“Haaah! What in the world happened?”

Why did this have to happen precisely when the two individuals with the highest combat power were absent? I clicked my tongue and then looked towards Liheros. The heavy sense of responsibility weighing him down was palpable.

—Ding

[!][Sudden Quest] Midnight Raiders

[System]

Rescue your companions from unknown enemies.

‘Is this a quest too?’

It really never stops. And it seems like ever since he gained the title of Hero, the difficult tasks have become particularly numerous. If this were a game in reality, I could ignore minor sudden quests, but Liheros seemed to be designed to execute them unconditionally, as he had never refused one. Especially in this case, Lumi’s presence was not a ‘minor quest’ for Liheros, so it was even more so. For a brief moment, they had become like family.

“There are traces here.”

Liheros lowered his body and examined the ground. His fingertips slowly traced the spot where Lumi should have been sleeping. As he lifted a charred branch still faintly holding embers, a clear system voice sounded, and a window popped up before my eyes.

[Half-burnt Branch]

-A branch that was partially burnt. The fire seems to have gone out about 10 minutes ago.

It seemed that the information Liheros acquired was also visible to his companions, called a party. This quest had keywords of search and pursuit, so the object description was detailed to be used as a ‘clue.’ I looked around, wondering if I could find something too. Right beneath my feet, intact footprints were scattered haphazardly. Unlike normal footprints, they had ridges like hiking boots, leaving deep impressions in the ground. However, it seemed that even if I investigated, it wasn’t being transmitted to Liheros.

“Liheros. Look here. There’s another suspicious trace.”

“Footprints?”

[Raider’s Footprints]

-Raider’s footprints remain. Judging by the shape and size of the shoes, it’s estimated there were 2-3 individuals. It seems the soles were modified to prevent slipping on the mountain.

As he confirmed it, a clue window appeared. It seemed the story could only progress through the protagonist, the ‘Hero.’ In any case, combining the clues, both the shoe shape and the circumstances suggested it was likely not a random misfortune but a coordinated movement.

“They might be bandits.”

“Bandits?”

“Yeah.”

On the continent of Aliento, unofficial factions without even names were scattered here and there. Since it was a mountainous area far from villages, there could be black markets, and there were quite a few who plundered and lived in places beyond the reach of public authority. However, if this were a bandit stronghold, there should have been traps to lure beasts or travelers everywhere, and fires would have been necessary, so there would naturally be signs of trees being cut, but there were no such indications around here. Thus, I arrived at this conclusion.

“We might have been followed shortly after we left the black market.”

“Then….”

“In any case, it’s not that we were targeted just because we left our spot for a moment. We would have been attacked regardless of the situation. This aligns with it not being your fault.”

“….”

He was clearly about to blame himself, having been lost in contemplation about whether he was worthy of being a Hero just moments ago, so I spoke first. I thought his sense of justice was noble and cool, but there was no need to think too deeply.

‘If the water is spilled, you wipe it up.’

“Liheros, we were invited to a surprise party, so we should go and accept.”

“But there are too few clues.”

“Hmm.”

No matter how much a game quest requires deduction, it doesn’t just throw you in without a plan and tell you to figure it out. There must be more clues to follow. Since the story seemed to progress normally only when he found clues, I decided to offer him things that might help, one by one. I could only hope he would find a lead within them.

“It would have been difficult to take both Riki and Lumi.”

“That’s right. Riki was in no state to resist, but Lumi probably wouldn’t have just taken it…”

Liheros finished his thought as if he had answered himself, then moved as if possessed. In the direction he was heading, a diamond-shaped indicator appeared, marking the location of a quest object. I closely followed behind him, checking with my eyes what clue was lying there.

[★Lumi’s Fang]

-The fang of a young Lupusnis. It appears to be a milk tooth, but it doesn’t feel like it was naturally shed. It is stained with human flesh and blood.

‘…I hadn’t even considered the possibility that Lumi might have been attacked, not calmly leaving a clue.’

There was a gain within this clue. [Human Flesh]. That flesh couldn’t possibly be Riki’s, so she must have bitten the culprit fiercely with her blunt teeth, which weren’t yet as sharp as an adult’s. It reaffirmed in my mind that the saying about Lupusnis possessing spirit and valor wasn’t just for show.

‘Good job, Lumi.’

Despite it not being a very pleasant clue, I was certain Lumi would be alive. Liheros seemed to share my thoughts, as he opened his mouth.

“Acris, let’s look for bloodstains.”

“Understood.”

We walked about 10 meters apart, beginning our search. We had to push aside the dense bushes that could obscure clues, unable to cut them, and the plant stems that clung to our legs made us feel weary. Each of us lit our way with a small torch, but the deep mountain night made it impossible to see even an inch ahead. I wished I had map hacks. Then, Liheros’s torch, a short distance away, suddenly dipped. Soon after, he called out to me with a decibel level that echoed through the forest.

“Acris!”

“Did you find it?!”

[Suspicious Blood on a Leaf]

-This is someone’s spilled blood. They seem to have moved without stopping the bleeding. (This clue will evaporate after a certain amount of time.)

As soon as the clue window appeared before my eyes, diamond indicators popped up in a line at 5-meter intervals from his location. It was like a path embroidered with diamonds.

‘Thank goodness. It’s not like there’s no way.’

He threw out a single word, “Let’s go,” and immediately dashed off. Even if he stumbled over tree roots or bushes, he quickly corrected his posture and ran. He was like an iron man, moving solely with the determination to push past obstacles.

…That was the story an hour ago.

I ran and ran without pause. Aiming for the end of the distant, unfolding indicators. We had gone this far while we were searching. I worried it might be too late. Because Lumi was a precious young Lupusnis, every possibility, from being spirited away to the worst-case scenario, connected to my anxiety.

‘Come to think of it, wasn’t I worrying too much about Lumi? What happened to Riki?’

I belatedly recalled Riki’s faint presence. Riki was an adult male, and it was suspicious that he did nothing while Lumi was resisting so fiercely. All the clues discovered so far were related to Lumi, making me intensely curious about what Riki was doing, whether he had begged for his life with all his might.

‘Could Riki be in league with them?’

Doubt slowly spread that perhaps we had been too complacent about him. If Riki was involved in this incident, I would draw my sword and execute him instead of Liheros.

I followed Liheros, thinking incessantly in my head. My body moved subconsciously, and my consciousness was far away, so I couldn’t react when Liheros suddenly stopped. I tried to stop by shifting my weight backward, but due to inertia, I was flung forward and buried my face in his back. As we collided, his body swayed slightly, but he reached his arm back and steadied me. It felt like I was making contact with Liheros a lot today, and it was so undignified that I felt embarrassed. After pushing away from his back, I asked.

“…Why did you stop so suddenly?”

“The blood trail has ended.”

The diamond-shaped indicators, which should have been shining clearly, did not continue further. I looked back, and the previous bloodstains were gradually fading. It didn’t mean they had evaporated, but rather that the location of the next clue, which the blood trail led to, was here. We needed to find a clue other than bloodstains.

“Haa… Investigation again?”

“It’s difficult, but I’m asking you, Acris.”

“Can’t be helped.”

I waved my hand dismissively, saying such words were unnecessary. Still, fortunately, we had emerged from the forest dense with all sorts of trees, bushes, and thickets, into a relatively open space like a field, so my field of vision expanded. The clear moonlight was brighter than my torch, and even without going far, I could clearly see noticeable traces.

“Liheros. Who wouldn’t say that’s a sign of a struggle?”

At my words, he immediately approached the trace and bent down. This time, two clues appeared simultaneously.

[Sign of Struggle]

-Something seems to have rolled or been pressed onto the bushes. The grass is uprooted, as if strong force was applied.

[Direction of Movement]

-There are no footprints, but judging by the direction the grass is lying, it appears they scattered and moved in two directions.

“Did someone run away?”

“It’s highly likely.”

“We can’t afford to split up further from here. Let’s stick together.”

“Then where should we go?”

“You might laugh at me for saying this, but…”

“What is it?”

“I think we’ll find a lead if we go this way.”

I pointed to one of the two directions. It was the direction where the grass was less flattened.

“It will definitely appear.”

As I nodded in agreement, he seemed to have made up his mind and nodded. Then, a click sound, like a switch, was heard, and instead of indicators, a faint white line appeared on the ground like a navigation system.

‘People living in this world probably find this natural, not special.’

This place felt as vivid as reality, but sometimes, when game-like interfaces appeared, it felt undeniably like a virtual world. I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with this familiarity. It felt like I might never return to reality.

After walking along the line for some time, it ended in front of a small cave. Judging by its size, it didn’t seem like a bandit hideout. A sliver of hope arose that perhaps Lumi had escaped and hidden here, and at the same time, if that were the case, it would solidify the speculation that Riki was in league with them. Of course, if both had escaped, nothing would be better. I bent down and crawled forward like I was being punished with a duck walk, inching along in a line.

“Kkrrk, it’s narrow.”

“Watch your step, Acris.”

The cave wasn’t very deep. Upon reaching the very end, a space wider than the entrance opened up. As I shone my torch around, I saw a suspicious shadow hastily retreating into a corner.

“Who’s there? Come out!”

Unlike Liheros, who was observing cautiously, I, with my impatient nature, shouted. The dark shadow trembled thinly like a cornered herbivore and gradually revealed itself.

“Riki?”

“Y-Hero…? Acris-nim….”

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