Following the child's shaky directions, the group moved towards the back of the warehouse where several giant, dusty boxes were stacked high.
The air grew colder with every step.
"Let's move these."
Arthur grunted, his large hands gripping the side of a crate.
With a combined effort from him, Philip, and Riko, they shifted the heavy boxes aside, scraping them across the concrete floor.
Behind them, just as the boy had said, was an old, rotting wooden door.
It was almost hidden in the shadows...
But the smell gave it away—a disgusting odor like rotten flesh and old trash mashed together, so strong it made their eyes water.
Seth couldn't help but scrunch up his nose in disgust.
"It definitely comes from here..."
He said, his voice muffled by his hand.
Reymond, looking grim, pushed the door open.
It creaked on rusty hinges, revealing a steep, dark staircase that plunged downwards into even deeper darkness.
The foul smell poured out, now even stronger.
"I'll set the explosive traps here with the Demonic Weapon of Sorcery."
Reymond announced, holding up the metallic piece of flesh.
"It will be our backup in case something tries to follow us out. You four, go in first. I'll be right behind you."
The others nodded, used to following his orders.
Arthur, being the toughest, led the way, his large body barely fitting down the narrow stairs.
Philip followed, the pistol held tightly in his hand, with Riko and Sophia close behind him.
Seth entered last.
But as he placed his foot on the first step, a sudden, cold doubt gripped him.
He paused, his hand on the damp wall.
'Strange...'
He thought, his mind racing.
'The kid said he was the meal for tomorrow. He was chained upstairs, not down here. So how could he have known the exact location of the den? How did he know about this specific hallway and door behind these boxes?'
It was a detail that didn't fit which made Seth hesitate for a bit...
Just as he was half a step inside the staircase, quick, light footsteps suddenly echoed from behind them in the warehouse.
Everyone froze and turned.
It was the kid.
He stood there, panting, his small frame shivering under Seth's oversized jacket.
His eyes were wide with panic.
He looked between Reymond, who was still at the top of the stairs, and Seth, who was just at the entrance.
Then, as if remembering Seth's advice...
The boy took a deep, shaky breath and shouted with all his might.
"M-mister! Don't go in!"
He thrust a trembling finger directly at Reymond.
"H-he's brought people in here before! He wants to feed you to the demon, like me too!!"
The words hit the group like a physical blow.
For a split second, there was only stunned silence...
Then, chaos erupted.
"Back up! Now!"
Arthur roared, trying to shove his way back up the narrow stairs.
But Reymond was quicker.
A cold, cruel smile spread across his face.
"Too late..." He hissed.
With a flick of his wrist, the blood-red tooth—the Demonic Weapon of Cruelty—appeared in his hand.
He activated it instantly.
A wave of invisible force washed over Seth, Arthur, Philip, Riko, and Sophia.
It felt like their feet had been sunk into solid concrete.
They were trapped in place, unable to move their legs!
Philip, his face a mask of fury and betrayal, immediately moved his upper body.
He grabbed the pistol from inside his vest, aimed, and fired at Reymond.
BANG!
The gunshot was deafening in the enclosed space.
The bullet flew straight and true, hitting Reymond square in the chest.
But contrary to all their expectations... Reymond was not harmed at all!
He didn't even flinch.
Instead, a small, carved wooden statue suddenly appeared in his other hand and instantly shattered into a thousand pieces, falling to the ground as dust.
As Seth saw this happen firsthand, a system notification popped up in his vision, explaining the impossible:
[Sin of Hoarding, Second Circle Ability.]
[Damage Redirection: The user can channel damage meant for them into a "sacrificial" item from their hoard. The item bears the brunt of the attack and is destroyed, leaving the user unscathed.]
Reymond didn't have just one gun; he had lied about their resources.
He pulled a sleek, black pistol from his own vest.
He aimed the gun directly at the group trapped on the stairs.
Arthur, who was behind Philip, struggled against the magical binding, his eyes glowing with a cold, blue light as he tried to use his own ice-based ability to freeze Reymond solid.
Reymond just laughed.
"I came prepared for you, Arthur."
He pulled out another item from his hoard—a pale, frozen eyeball that seemed to weep frost.
It was the Demonic Weapon of Coldness that Seth had seen him acquire days before.
The moment Arthur's power lashed out, the eyeball glowed, and a wave of cold shot back, canceling Arthur's attack completely!
The big man grunted in pain and surprise, his own power being used against him.
Then, Reymond pulled the trigger.
BANG!
Seth, seeing the muzzle flash, reacted on pure instinct.
Although his feet were locked in place, he could still move the rest of his body.
He immediately buckled his knees, throwing his weight backwards in a desperate dodge.
The bullet whistled past his ear, so close he felt the wind of its passing.
But the others behind him were not so lucky...
The bullet meant for Seth struck Philip in the head!
He could not even cry out in pain, his body jerking violently.
The sudden impact caused a chain reaction.
Philip tumbled backwards into Riko and Sophia, and all three of them, unable to steady their trapped feet, went crashing down the dark staircase in a tangled heap of limbs and cries of pain.
"Originally, I was just supposed to use these lousy gang members as the sacrifices for the demon down there."
"But I'm quite a vengeful person, you see, Seth."
Reymond said, his voice calm and conversational now, as if he weren't standing over a scene of betrayal and violence,
He looked directly at Seth, his eyes gleaming with malice.
"Stealing my money for yourself? How could I ever forgive that."
Before Seth could even process what he meant, Reymond moved.
He turned, grabbed the terrified child who was still frozen in place by fear, and with a brutal heave, tossed the small boy directly at Seth.
Seth, still off-balance from dodging the bullet, couldn't avoid it!
The child slammed into him, and both of them lost their footing.
With their feet still magically bound, they couldn't catch themselves.
Seth and the boy tumbled down the steep, dark staircase, crashing into the groaning, injured pile of their companions at the bottom.
Dazed and in pain, Seth looked up from the darkness.
He saw Reymond walk calmly to the door, his silhouette framed in the dim light from the warehouse.
"Goodbye."
Reymond said, his voice dripping with mock sadness.
He slammed the old door shut, plunging them into absolute blackness.
Then, they heard a faint, chilling sound—the sound of crackling ice.
Reymond was using the Demonic Weapon of Coldness again... to seal their only exit.
He was freezing the door shut, entombing them in the demon's den.