The Kiss and the First Demon Dungeon

“Should I erase your memories of me?”

“What… what is that?”

“Ah. You’re not recognizing the terms, are you? If it’s too much for you, should I erase your memories? Just the memories of me.”

At my words, Rabi froze like a stone. He stopped breathing. ‘What’s wrong?’ I wondered. When I called Rabi’s name a few more times, he clung to my arm even tighter, sobbing desperately.

“No. No, that’s not… Not that, please…”

“The kid’s crying too much. It’s alright. It’s only your memories of me that will be erased.”

“I… I don’t want that. Please… please don’t do that. Pata, don’t…”

My words, meant to soothe him, only made him cry harder. He clung to me, gasping for breath between sobs. ‘What’s the problem?’ I thought. ‘Was there a wrong keyword? Even if he doesn’t recognize the terms, he should understand the gist, right?’

NPCs sometimes made such requests to players. To prevent data waste, they would recommend erasing memories if they hadn’t been seen for a long time or weren’t likely to be used again.

Rabi had been silent, so I’d directly asked him, but it seemed I’d stumbled upon a landmine instead. I gently pulled Rabi away, setting him upright so we could face each other.

“Alright. I’ll leave them as they are.”

“I… I almost wish you wouldn’t catch all the demons.”

“That’s a strange thing to say. You should be telling me to catch them all.”

Only then will this world become a happy one.

“What’s the meaning of that?”

“Hmm, how peculiar. Bebe said something similar, I recall.”

I needed to leave quickly; the recurrence of my Void state wasn’t far off, yet he kept clinging to me. I wiped away Rabi’s tears with my hand and smiled.

“I’ll visit as often as I can. So, stop crying now and say goodbye, okay?”

I deliberately offered a cheek, tapping it playfully with my finger. Rabi, who had been sobbing uncontrollably, stared blankly for a moment before firmly grasping my head with both hands.

Huh? What was he doing? He turned my head to face him squarely, then kissed me. Wh-what?

‘I wasn’t talking about this kind of adult kiss!!!?’

Having been kissed unexpectedly, I couldn’t even scold the crying boy. I stammered for a moment before stumbling my way down the tower. The three waiting below asked what had happened, but regrettably, I seemed to be too flustered to answer.

“Did something happen up there?”

“No. Nothing at all.”

‘I just couldn’t get used to it. My stomach felt queasy. It was strange.’

We had left the capital. I was examining the terrain, looking at the map Faust had brought. I’d forgotten it yesterday and just left, but Faust had thoughtfully brought it along. They were maps marking demon nests. As expected of a high-tier kid, he was smart. Though he did do silly things sometimes.

The five maps only showed parts of regions, but the names were written above them. They weren’t near the capital. These were the nests of quite large creatures.

“Let’s head to the closest demon nest first.”

“…Sir Haut. The maps I gave you don’t show any nearby locations.”

“These were just for confirmation. I know a few places myself.”

I don’t remember all of them, but the ones near the capital are easy to find, so I remember those. There were about two or three tutorial-level demon nests. Most new players who stumbled into these nests without knowing anything would get wiped out here. In truth, with a few tricks, these were perfect places for beginners, but they never realized it.

Nocturne won’t need it, but Jack and Faust, pay close attention. Near a demon nest, there are traces of demonic energy. They mark it as clearly as if driving in a stake.

“For what purpose, sir?”

“A display of power, perhaps. Something like, ‘I’m here, so all you weaker bastards, crawl your way over.’ Something like that?”

It’s just a lore reason. In reality, it’s a marker for players to find if they look around after getting a hint. This damn game doesn’t show you quest markers until you’ve manually found them. There’s even a mod that displays these. A must-have for beginners, you could say. Of course, if you’ve played as long as I have and gotten used to it, you don’t install it because it clutters the screen.

Jack and Faust had looked utterly miserable at first, but now, after walking a bit, they seemed to be feeling better. I’d shoved all their luggage into my inventory. I was fine, but NPCs’ stamina would drain if they carried burdens.

I also made them put on their full equipment sets again. This time, I forcibly dressed them in the heavy armor set I’d crafted earlier, as I intended for them to fight demons immediately.

“But, we struggled with goblins; can we really take on demons right away?”

“These are easy ones, so it’s fine. Oh, I almost forgot.”

Mid-route, I stopped navigating and held out both hands to Jack and Faust.

“Take my hands. We need to recruit you as companions to share experience.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m going to ‘bus’ you.”

“Bus?”

“Just take my hands and accept the companionship for now. You’ll understand once you experience it.”

They both looked hesitant, but each took one of my hands. At that moment, the red line marking on my wrist transformed into three. A single red line also appeared on each of their wrists.

“With these, I’ll know where you are and what your condition is.”

“Can we know that too?”

“I don’t know. Theoretically, it’s possible, but I’ve never seen anyone actually use it.”

After a brief explanation, I resumed walking, scanning our surroundings. These guys lose stamina so quickly just from walking. How truly weak they are. Perhaps because of the connection, I could feel their conditions.

“Found it. Watch closely.”

I dug at the spot I’d found with the tip of my foot. Where I disturbed the earth, a jet-black, awl-like object was embedded, spewing dark demonic energy like smoke.

“If you see this, it means there’s a leader-class nest nearby. And this smoke, unless there’s a special circumstance, always points towards the leader’s location. Just follow it, and you’ll find a series of other markers. Just follow them.”

“Th-this kind of thing is so close to the capital? It wouldn’t even take twenty or thirty minutes to walk there!”

“Exactly. If this were to ‘burst,’ it would be a massive disaster.”

But in reality, it never ‘bursts,’ save for the occasional one or two stragglers. If players had to meticulously search for these on a schedule, when would they level up their characters or enjoy the game? It’s just something said for show.

As we continued walking, I pulled out weapons for the two of them.

[ 「Light of Dawn」 ― One-Handed Sword / Legendary

Damage 35 / Weight 12 / Value 3500 / Durability 100(100)

Restriction: Cannot be used by those other than Hamman’s Disciples

Description: Crafted using Glass Stone and Mythril. Hamman’s crest is intricately engraved on the transparent Glass Stone blade. A portion of Hamman’s scripture prayer is carved into the Mythril embedded within. The hilt is made of Mythril and a small amount of gold. A weapon forged by a master craftsman. Produced in a special location.

Additional Effects: +30% Damage to Evil-aligned enemies / Glow effect when attacking Evil-aligned enemies / Removes minor debuffs upon striking an ally / Unaffected by demonic blood / Restricted to Hamman’s Disciples.

Bonus Effects: +10% Attack Power when fighting after praying to Hamman / Currently Enchanted Additional Attribute – Lightning / Has a chance to paralyze enemies and deals +20 additional Lightning damage / Engraving – Ancient Language (Glory: Restores 5% HP upon defeating an enemy)

This item is paired. When fighting alongside a companion using the same weapon nearby, you receive a +30% Spirit bonus.

Crafted item. Creator: ‘I Want to Bang Faust’. ]

Nocturne’s sword merely had basic enchantments and engravings to add a bit of speed. Since it was essentially a one-shot weapon, there was no need to add much else; he probably wouldn’t even use the weapon much anyway.

“Hold onto these in advance. We don’t have much time left.”

“But there’s nothing visible right now.”

“You shouldn’t look for something visible. It just appears suddenly.”

It’s like a mirage. If you try to find the entrance with your eyes, you won’t see it. It truly manifests abruptly, as if crashing into view right before your eyes in an instant.

“What do you mean there’s— Ugh!?”

“That’s how it happens.”

Jack, who had been grumbling and trying to step forward, suddenly collided with a wall that had appeared out of nowhere—thump! He fell backward with a considerable crash.

What had been an ordinary forest just moments ago abruptly revealed a colossal gate. Round and cylindrical, it was densely covered in enigmatic patterns.

“Demon Dungeons are usually comprised of underground caverns or hollows beneath mountains. If you only see a cylindrical structure above ground like this, it means the dungeon is subterranean. And see these black markings here? They indicate the presence of a demon.”

“Wh-what exactly is this…?”

“And here are the demons’ unique markings. If you place your hand here…”

Crrrack! With a tremendous sound, the stone wall shifted, revealing a pitch-black interior. Demonic energy hung thick in the air, as if painted in darkest black.

“The gate opens if you’re qualified. You two are still too weak to open it alone, so I’ll open it for you until you’ve leveled up enough. Right now, you can enter without needing a blessing. Since you’re linked to me as companions, you’re treated as being on my level. Never carelessly enter a place that happens to be open. You’ll melt alive from the demonic energy.”

This is a safety mechanism to prevent players from accidentally clearing it when their level is too low and they’re unprepared. This black shroud is standard in all demon dungeons. It’s why they tell you to reach max level before hunting demons. You never know where you might get caught.

At my words, the three recoiled with looks of disgust.

“I won’t let you die. Follow me.”

And so, I stepped into the dungeon. The structure was familiar. Demon Dungeons usually aren’t very long, as the main goal is to defeat the leader-class demon. Truly powerful, important leader-class demons lead to a boss fight immediately upon entry, but the nests of weaker leaders, like the one I chose, feature about three or four puzzle rooms on the way. This is designed this way to help them adapt since it’s their first time.

Inside, it resembled a colossal hall. A spiral staircase descended, and at its very bottom center, nameless demons shambled about. Eerie purplish light shimmered throughout the space.

After I waited a little longer, the three finally entered the dungeon. They then looked down and let out groans.

“Even one would be overwhelming, but five or six…?”

“And what’s with this unsettling glow?”

“Truly difficult demon leaders aren’t even found in dungeons structured like this. They’re waiting right there as soon as you enter. The fact that only these minor mobs are present means the difficulty is relatively low.”

I pulled a bow from my inventory. It was a cheap horn bow with no special features. This, along with a chipped dagger, was given as the very first basic weapon. The funny thing was, it was still better than the cheapest wooden bow. I still used good arrows, though. I’d pulled out Mythril arrows.

“Watch closely. Today, I’ll take the lead and show you how to avoid traps.”

With those words, I nocked an arrow to my bow and shot it halfway down the descending staircase. Instantly, a loud crash echoed as the stairs crumbled, and the nameless demons, alerted by the sound, slowly began to clamber up the remnants of the staircase.