— POV Adel —
"N-No, please—AAARGHH!"
My claws sliced through the throat of the last Grade 0. His body collapsed to the ground like an empty sack, leaving only gurgles behind, which quickly fell silent.
Now, only Malek remained. The genius had tried to escape but found himself backed against the cave wall. His eyes, full of terror, desperately searched for a way out that wasn't there.
I took a single step toward him, just one, but it was enough to make him pale with fear. He waved his hands in front of him, trembling.
"P-Please don't kill me!"
I raised an eyebrow, curious where he was going with this. "And why would I?"
"I-I have a daughter, and I'm all she has! If something happened to me, she'd be alone!"
"…That would be problematic," I admitted, with a thoughtful look.
"Y-Yeah! So please, let me go! I-I won't tell anyone! A-Actually, you know what, I don't even think I've left the house today!"
Hearing this, I smiled slightly. I had to admit, he had a comical side.
"As I said, it would be problematic if you had a daughter… fortunately for me, I know you don't."
His face twisted into a grimace of pure panic. "Y-You—"
"Before you start firing excuses at me, let me save you the trouble: I've gathered information on all of you. Especially on you, and your… sick hobby. Beating husbands until they're pulp, then raping their wives in front of them…" I shook my head as if judging a terrible habit, "calling you disgusting would almost be a compliment, and your dead friends there weren't much different. That's why I chose you; no one would care if you disappeared."
"Y-You're telling me… that from the start you planned to kill us?!"
I looked at him strangely, wondering if he was joking at his own expense.
"Didn't all of you want to do the same? I'm the type who, if I see a cake, I finish it, and maybe leave crumbs for someone I like. Obviously, you aren't."
"Fuck!" he spat, in hysterical rage.
I massaged my forehead, tired of the drama. I was almost wondering why I was still talking to him. Perhaps, deep down, it seemed rude not to explain at least why he was about to die.
"You think you're some hero of justice, huh?! Life in the archipelago is like this! Either you adapt, or you sink! Compared to me, some people do worse! At least I'm not a hypocrite judging others, pretending to be a vigilante!"
"Exactly… when have I ever said I was doing it to avenge those people?"
"Eh?"
There was an awkward silence before I continued.
"I don't care what you did or how you lived your life," I said, staring into his eyes. "As I said, I chose people whose disappearance would make no difference. You were just perfect for my standards."
"Th-That's it?" he stammered, incredulous, as if trying to cling to a nonexistent logic.
"Exactly. Quite unlucky, don't you think?"
"Shit… Shit! Shit! Shit! SHIT!"
It seemed my words had driven him crazy, but I understood.
It was like happily going to withdraw money from the bank… only to find yourself, at that exact moment, in the middle of a robbery.
The terror in his eyes faded for a moment, replaced by blind rage.
"YOU'RE JUST A DEMON LIKE US!" he screamed, lunging at me.
At least I didn't have to chase him.
I thought to myself and, with a sigh, extended my claw, piercing his forehead.
Malek's eyes glazed over, and his body crumpled to the ground.
"And with that, it's over."
I turned, wiping my hands. As for the bodies, the monsters would take care of them.
The real priority now was the artifact.
I closed my eyes and let my mana flow into it. For a moment, nothing happened… then, slowly, a foreign energy spread through me, cold and slimy, like a snake slithering under the skin. I immediately broke contact, and the sensation vanished instantly.
"Good." I smiled to myself.
What I held wasn't just any artifact. It was a cursed artifact.
These objects absorbed surrounding malevolence, accumulating one or more curses, some merely annoying, others deadly. In this artifact's case, the curse was unique but insidious. It induced a growing obsession in its owner, making them constantly fear someone would steal it, eventually plunging them into murderous paranoia.
In the old timeline, the thief, being an ordinary person, was easily enchanted by the artifact. He massacred his own companions when they tried to touch it and managed to escape for days, killing anyone who approached, until he was caught. That's when the curse was discovered.
In any case, this cursed artifact wasn't normal. Usually, these types of artifacts gave off a disturbing sensation, but this one seemed completely normal, a rare exception.
Only people with strong instincts or a high affinity with the holy element would notice the curse.
In my case, the reason I could sense it was that, having spent a long time with demons, I had developed a strong sense for these things.
Ah, to avoid confusion: curses and demons aren't necessarily related. It's just that demons excelled in two things: miasma and curses.
My plan was to give the artifact to Paul, the leader of the Explorers, and let the curse influence him.
The first concern could be that he might notice the curse, which was highly improbable.
The second was more realistic. The curse might not be strong enough for a Grade 3, but that wasn't a major problem.
From the start, I didn't expect Paul to spiral into mass hysteria; I just wanted the other factions to fear what he could do, so they would unite.
For that, I only needed the curse to work halfway, so the leaders of the two factions would sense something was off. Then it would be up to me to build the stage that would trigger the reaction.
Having obtained everything I needed, I left the dungeon and headed toward the Explorers' base, but didn't enter immediately, slipping into a hidden alley.
If I had shown up perfectly healthy with a Grade 2 artifact, while technically appearing as a normal person, it would surely have aroused suspicion.
I had to look desperate, someone who risked everything to change their life.
Without hesitation, I activated Razor Claw and cut myself from shoulder to opposite side. I squinted against the pain but kept injuring myself, hitting places that seemed more believable. I also ruined my clothes, using dirt and blood to emphasize my state.
"That should do it…"
I moved toward the doors and took a deep breath. It was showtime.
With a push, I slammed the door open, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
Inside the base, the noise of people having fun dimmed for a moment as I crossed the atrium. Some Explorers exchanged surprised looks, and more familiar ones tried to call me, but I ignored them.
I continued, pretending to limp and breathe heavily, collapsing on the counter near the mission board.
"Hey, Leda… I think you need a doctor," said the woman who basically worked as the receptionist.
"I want to see the commander," I said in a hoarse tone.
Her expression tensed. "…It's better if you see a healer first."
With a sudden motion, I slammed my bloodied hand on the wood, making her and everyone nearby jump. The blow left a dark stain, and in the movement, the artifact I held slid onto the counter.
"Take me… to the commander… I have a Grade 2 artifact."
"Holy…"
"Is it really Grade 2?"
"Either he has it, or he has bigger balls than anyone else to lie like that."
I heard others whispering and saw the woman's expression get more complicated until she gave up.
"Follow me."
We went up to the top floor, passing several corridors. Blood kept dripping, leaving a trail on the shiny floor until we reached a set of doors.
The woman knocked twice, then pushed the doors open without waiting for a reply.
Inside, a long table was lit by the warm glow of lamps. Three men were dining, two at the sides, while the one at the head of the table had just raised a fork, now frozen mid-air. His gaze lifted to us, a shadow of irritation crossing his eyes.
"Giorgina, my dear… why the hell are you disturbing my dinner?" His voice was deep, carrying authority without raising the tone.
The man at the head of the table slowly rose, revealing a robust but not overbearing physique. And there was no denying his charm.
"B-Boss, there was a situation… him." She said timidly.
The man, or rather, Paul, the strongest in the archipelago, looked at me for a moment. Then his gaze focused on the ground, where my blood was spreading, and he returned his eyes to poor Giorgina.
"Giorgina," he said with a clearly forced smile.
"Y-Yes, boss?"
"You know these carpets are valuable, right?"
"…Well, yes."
"Then why bring someone who's messing everything up?"
"…Should I take him away, boss?"
Paul massaged his forehead.
"No, Giorgina. Call someone to clean."
"Oh! Okay."
Giorgina turned to leave, and Paul addressed me.
"And you—"
"Yes, boss?"
Speechless, the four of us turned to the confused woman.
"Giorgina, would you kindly fuck off? Your pretty little body isn't worth my patience."
Seeing the veins pop on Paul's forehead, the woman nodded quickly and left.
Even for me, this was strange.
"Forgive her. The only difference between her brain and a pigeon's is that the pigeon's brain is at least proportional to its body."
He sighed tiredly, but immediately after, the atmosphere seemed to freeze.
"Now give me a reason not to kill you."