Chapter 27: Elixir of Life

From my journey through the demon castle, I've learned several things about it. One, each floor is made up of a different world. Two, on each floor, a monster holds the permit needed to proceed to the next floor. Three, assuming this castle had one hundred different floors, then I would have explored one hundred new worlds. That would have made me a well-traveled man. And as I progressed through each floor, fighting these hordes of demons became easier and easier.

"Hah… what a mess." I looked down at the eviscerated demon below me and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. Even on the twenty-seventh floor, things haven't gotten too hard just yet.

[ You have defeated an intermediate demon. ]

[ +300 EXP ]

[ +1 demon soul ]

[ Rulers Hand Skill level has risen! ]

Regardless of that, I continued and fought through floor after floor. I even started using my shadows to help. Since they were an extension of me, it made sense that for every demon they killed. It counted as my own. This propelled the collection speed by five times. It was an added bonus that my shadows had begun growing stronger due to them grinding away with me.

I was pretty sure I'd been in the demon's castle for around five days now and had reached the fiftieth floor. Bring my demon soul count up to three thousand five hundred. However, on this floor, I reached the caste's first major boss—a boss with a red and black title.

[ RULER OF THE LOWER FLOORS: AVARICIOUS VULKEN ]

The boss was an enormous red demon that was easily the size of an apartment building. Its large stomach made up half its size, but I didn't count him out in terms of speed. If my battle with Radahn had taught me anything, it's that giant monsters can be frighteningly fast. On his head was a skeptical helmet with horns on the sides where his three glowing red eyes shone through. In his right hand was a humongous wooden club that rested on the floor next to his large throne made of a creature's giant skeleton.

Alongside him were several strong guards that stood defensively in front of him. They were equipped with impressive-looking red armor and held different types of bladed weapons. I stopped at the edge of the boss's extensive territory and aimed my bow high.

"Light them up." I released my arrow into the sky and watched as it multiplied. My arrows rained down towards the boss and his guards in a volley. Quickly following my arrows were several magical attacks launched by my shadow magicians and two of the B-ranked hunters I extracted during the Red Gate incident.

Explosions of energy and magic littered the clearing and knocked away several of the boss's guards. This attack also served to clear a path for me to the boss. Vulken had stood up and growled at me, club in hand. I grinned and drew my katana.

"Handle my light work."

Immediately, all my major shadows rose from around me and charged at the demons. Iris and Iris rushed a large group of Vulkens guards and began to engage them. Kori and Kuma sliced and stomped through a thick perimeter towards Vulkens right. While Tsu, A-Ranked Ozakis Hideaki's extracted shadow, Sasori and Radahn took on the rest of the guards.

As they fought, I kept my eyes on Vulken's large body while I walked toward him. I was thankful I hadn't dismissed his potential for great speed because he vanished in the blink of an eye. Vulken reappeared above Kori and Kuma with his enormous club above his powerful shoulder. But before he could swing it down and crush my shadows, I moved.

I dashed forward and launched two arrows towards the boss's eyes. Vulken growled and leaned back to avoid them; with his attention on me, he vanished again. I put my bow behind my back and pulled out my twin daggers. I would need the added weightlessness buff for this fight. I zoomed behind him and hackled away at his thick, red calves. I jumped up his back and began running up it.

Vulken tried to remove me by falling on his back. A loud crash and a powerful quake shook the floor due to his failed attack. From his position on the floor, he looked up and saw me floating in the air above him. I let go of the arrow I had notched and sent it, diving straight into Vulkens left shoulder. He roared in pain and jumped to his feet. Once I was back on the ground, I jumped over a giant swing of his wooden club and snapped my fingers at him.

A loud thunderclap filled the battlefield as Vulken was sent to his knees from my attack. I ran towards him with my katana in hand but was launched back when he released a mighty roar.

[ RULER OF THE LOWER FLOORS: AVARICIOUS VULKEN is using Skill: Wrath ]

[ RULER OF THE LOWER FLOORS: AVARICIOUS VULKEN stats have increased by 50% ]

[ RULER OF THE LOWER FLOORS: AVARICIOUS VULKEN will feel less pain. ]

"So you're capable of buffing yourself." I muttered and rushed him in a zigzag pattern. It wouldn't do me any good to remain still if he's grown even faster than before. Better to keep him guessing.

Vulken jumped and dashed towards me, its large club above his head. It was only thanks to my constant running back and forth that I avoided being crushed by his weapon. The club rocked the ground behind me as large boulders and debris flew from the force. My hair flew wildly due to the strong gusts of wind as I skidded to a stop.

I summoned the Atlantean dagger into my hand and reared back my arm. I launched it like a spear, and it whizzed past his body. Vulken chuckled at my apparent failed attempt. I smirked and moved my open hand to the right. The flying dagger changed directions and zoomed into Vulkens shoulder blade.

[ Skill: Rulers Hand has been activated. ]

[ RULER OF THE LOWER FLOORS: AVARICIOUS VULKEN has been afflicted with Poison. ]

Vulkenroaredin anger and tried to remove the dagger from his back. You won't get the chance! I blurred next to his stomach and slashed deeply into his ample belly, leaving behind a deep cut from where I attacked.

[ RULER OF THE LOWER FLOORS: AVARICIOUS VULKEN has been afflicted with Bleed. ]

I'm not done yet! I moved back thirty yards and pelted his back with an onslaught of mighty arrows. He staggered forward but ignored the pain, thanks to his buff. Just because you can't feel the pain, it doesn't mean you can't be killed! Taking a cue from the counter guardian Emiya. I placed the Ice Dragon Fang dagger into my bow and pulled it. I released the dagger and watched it fly straight into the boss's middle eye. Vulken tried to dodge but failed because he was already in mid-dash.

"RAAAHH!" Vulken yelled and continued onwards towards me with his club held high.

[ RULER OF THE LOWER FLOORS: AVARICIOUS VULKEN has been afflicted with Freeze. ]

I smirked and dashed toward my now-frozen enemy. Vulken watched as I blurred in front of him with my katana drawn. I spun and danced around his body, stabbing and slicing away at him as fast as I could. I knew the freeze effect wouldn't last long, so I had to take out Vulken as fast as possible.

I stopped my attacks and used the ruler's hand to launch myself high into the air. Vulken turned to me slowly. His entire body was covered in deep, bloodied cuts. I smiled and snapped my fingers at him.

Vulkens body convulsed and jerked as millions of bolts of magical electricity rushed through his body. I landed a few feet away from where he stood and watched his large, heavy body fall forward. A loud crash echoed around me as Vulken fell face-first.

[ You have defeated [ RULER OF THE LOWER FLOORS: AVARICIOUS VULKEN ] ]

[ You have leveled up! ]

[ You have leveled up! ]

[ ITEM: DEMON MONARCH'S EARRING ]

[ TYPE: ACCESSORY ]

[ CLASS: S ]

[ +20 Strength ]

[ +20 Vitality ]

[ Set effect will activate if this Item is equipped along with [ DEMON MONARCH'S NECKLACE ], [ DEMON MONARCH'S RING ]. ]

[ Set Effect 1. ( LOCKED ) ]

[ Set Effect 2. ( LOCKED ) ]

[ ITEM: WORLD TREE FRAGMENT ]

[ TYPE: MATERIAL ]

[ CLASS: ? ]

[ Purified wood from Vulken's club, which was made with a branch cut from the World Tree. Wood from the World Tree has strong magic properties and is used for crafting advanced magic tools. ]

[ ITEM: SPHERE OF AVARICE ]

[ TYPE: MAGIC TOOL ]

[ CLASS: A ]

[ Sphere made from the solidified blood of the Archdemon Vulcan. Greatly increases magic effects and causes more damage.

-BUFF: Appetite for Destruction: Doubles damage caused by magic. ]

[ ITEM: VULKEN'S HORNS ]

[ TYPE: MISC ]

[ CLASS: A ]

[ Can be sold in the Store or used for crafting. ]

"Impressive drops." I equipped the earrings and looked down at the large splintered world tree fragment. What can I do with this? I guess I'll see in the future. I placed it in my inventory and raised the orb of avarice. It was roughly the size of a baseball. It was a glossy red gem-like material with a dull glow.

"Come here." I summoned the shadow of one of the B-Ranked Hunters and handed her the orb. She accepted it gracefully and lifted her hand towards one of the far-off buildings on this floor. "Fire."

I watched as the building exploded in a grand ball of magical energy. Sending rocks and debris everywhere while smoke shot out everywhere. Impressive. If I had spells to use, this would come in handy. Several loud thuds echoed behind me. I turned and saw several beheaded demon heads laid in a clean line. Radahn was dragging Vulkens large head and slammed it next to Igris's and Iris's pile. They looked at him in annoyance while Radahn slammed his fist into his chest with pride. I smirked and looked over at the large pillar of magic.

"Next floor, then."

x x x

"Ah, I'll be sure to give this to my brother when he returns. Thank you." Komachi said with a smile as she bowed to the beautiful young woman at the door.

The woman had long, luscious red hair and wore a revealing black dress. She was a member of the Dawn of Twilight Guild. They had sent her to the Hikigaya residence to try to talk to Hachiman about a position in their guild.

"Please do." The woman said and excused herself.

Komachi sighed and closed the door. She walked over to the left side of her living room and placed the gift basket next to several other gifts and letters.

On the day Hachiman was offered a contract with the Scavengers, Draw Sword, and Samurai Masters guild. A woman passing by the meeting room had heard Satoshi, Haruno, and Shizuka arguing about bringing Hachiman into their Guilds. Now, this wouldn't have had any impact if she was a member of the Hunters Association. Still, she was a reporter who had just finished a lackluster interview with the chairman of the Japan Hunters Association.

The woman's name was Ohya Ichiko. Ohya was an infamous reporter who would write whatever story sells, even sometimes manipulating and twisting the information in her articles for the sake of clickbait and attention. So when she heard that the members of some of the most famous Guilds in Japan and America wanted to procure a young trail Hunter, she just knew she had to capitalize on the opportunity.

The only reason why several Guilds would want an E-Ranked awakened human-like Hachiman Hikigaya would be because he must have had one of those incredibly rare double awakenings! So, without confirming her suspicions, she had written up an article and sold her story to every media outlet that would hear her out.

This caused a domino effect in which every respectable Guild in Japan wanted to find out for themselves if the claims were valid. And if they were, it was their prime directive to secure Hachiman into their ranks.

"Another one?" Ann asked as she leaned over the Hikigaya household purple couch. From beside, Ryuji picked up a notepad and drew a cross over four lines.

"That makes ten." Ryuji said, placing the pad down and picking up his Wii remote. "Hachiman lucked out by not being here. I'm sure he would love all this attention."

"More like he would hide in his room and wait for them all to leave." Komachi said and sat down between Shouko and Iroha. Iroha sighed and leaned on the couch armrest.

"What do you think he'll do when he sees all that." Iroha asked as she pointed at the small pile of gifts and letters. Shouko wrote on her notepad and lifted it for everyone to see.

"Hachi will likely turn them all down." Shouko said slowly; she had been working on her pronunciation lately so the others could get what she was trying to say. Everyone nodded and began playing Mario Kart again.

"You think so?" Shiho asked as she twisted her Wii remote around as one would a steering wheel.

"Hm… that depends. Big bro can be kinda stingy when it comes to working with others." Komachi said as she sent a blue shell towards the first-place holder. Ryuji groaned when he saw his character blow up and get surpassed by those behind him. Komachi giggled and looked over at Shouko.

"So, Shouko. When am I meeting Yuzuru?"

x x x

"Mow them down."

The world was dark and decrepit. The land was filled with the undead as far as the eye could see, and several gravestones lay scattered around. Legions of undead soldiers and demons lumbered towards me. They groaned and moaned as they marched, old rusty weapons in hand.

At my command, my entire summoned shadow army ran forward and demolished the undead. I smirked as Shinai went to town on hundreds of the undead, swinging his large halberg through their numbers. Loud crashes echoed as his weapon dug through the ground. Radahn spun around like a force of nature as he cut down his section with his large blades. My ice bears and yetis tore apart the skeletal monsters with their bare hands and paws in a gruesome display of violence.

Sasori and Kuma worked together to demolish their enemies using their large bodies. Sasori's poison attacks melted a giant armored skeleton demon into a puddle. Kuma dashed forward like an unstoppable force, running over dozens of enemies.

Tsu and the rest of his past guild mates worked like a well-oiled machine as they fought and tore down the large enemy forces to my left. Several of my shadow knights supported them as they covered the mages and the attacker's backs. From behind me stood a shadow mage with the orb of avarice in her hand. She shot a robust beam of light magic into the epicenter of the undead army, and a fantastic explosion of destruction rocked the earth beneath us all.

Iris, Iris, and Kori dashed all across the battlefield. Their blades and swords made quick work of their opponents. The undead stood no chance due to their difference in skill.

[ METUS, GUIDE OF SOULS ]

A giant skeletal monster on a large throne sat on the other end of the battlefield. His large red eyes watched in disbelief as he saw my shadow army demolish his undead army. I blurred over a large gravestone and crouched on its large cross. I crouched down with my arms hanging in front of me. The hellish red sky glowed down on me and shadowed my figure. My glowing blue eyes pierced through my silhouette as I peered at the floor boss.

"Tell me… do the undead feel fear?"

I dashed towards the boss and cut him to pieces with my twin daggers. I sighed in disappointment as he couldn't put up a fight. The linch was a mage-type opponent and stood no match to my strength and speed. His only power was his undead army, which I destroyed with ease.

[ You have defeated [ METUS, GUIDE OF SOULS ] ]

[ You have acquired Spring Water from Echo Forest. ]

[ +200,000 EXP ]

[ You have discovered the demon souls stored in Metus's pendant. ]

[ You have acquired 1 demon soul ( x220). ]

[ You have leveled up ( x3 ) ]

I walked over and sat down on a large, skeletal demon skull. I sighed and drank a bottle of water. I lifted a skeletal necklace and smiled.

[ ITEM: DEMON MONARCH'S NECKLACE ]

[ TYPE: ACCESSORY ]

[ CLASS: S ]

[ +20 Agility ]

[ +20 Intelligence ]

[ Set effect will activate if this Item is equipped along with [ DEMON MONARCH'S EARRINGS ( Equipped ) ], [ DEMON MONARCH'S RING ]. ]

[ Set Effect 1. ( LOCKED ) ]

[ Set Effect 2. ( LOCKED ) ]

[ DEMON MONARCH SET ]

[ Set Effect 1. All stats +5 ]

[ Set Effect 2. ( LOCKED ) ]

I chuckled and equipped the necklace. With just two of the set items equipped, I was given a buff as if I leveled up five times. I can't wait to find out what having the whole set will give me!

"Time for some lunch." I began eating one of the dozens of lunches I bought before starting the demon castle.

I watched my shadow army finish off the remaking undead. I raised a brow when Igris and Iris argued about a stolen kill. I shook my head and finished my lunch. I turned around and saw the giant magic beam a few feet away.

[ Demon souls collected: 12,304/10,000 ]

"Welp, the quest is over. Well... it's been over."

[ You have completed [ Quest: Collect Demon Souls! ( 1 ) ] ]

[ You have the following rewards. ]

[ Reward 1. Your choice of any 1 item. ]

[ Reward 2. +20 stat points ]

[ Reward 3. Mystery Reward ]

[ Reward 1. ]

[ You can choose one Item out of all available options. Which Item would you like? ]

Now to make one of the hardest decisions of my life. Maybe an item worth over ten billion gold? Let's see, let's see. I began scrolling through the shop and found myself struggling to choose. Maybe I should get the most expensive weapon? But do I really need more weapons? I stumble into them as I go, so perhaps an item?

I stopped scrolling through the shop, and my eyes were drawn to a specific item. It was as if I was compelled to look at it. Hold on, isn't this that other mystery box from that hidden quest? Indeed, I was looking at the Cursed Mystery Box. Despite much more remarkable and impressive items, I felt the need to choose this.

"Cursed mystery box." I said before I realized it. A black gift box shimmered on my palm and unfolded. What floated above my hand was a single black key. What's up with these keys?

[ ITEM: ? ]

[ TYPE: ? ]

[ CLASS: ? ]

Completely blank? This Item is either a massive load of crap or something very important. Either way, nothing to do with it now. Into the inventory, you go. Should I invest these stat points evenly or put them all into one category? Hmm…

I ended up dispersing them all evenly. With that reward taken care of, I held my hand out and accepted the last reward. A lone piece of paper appeared over my palm in a flurry of particles. On its center was an image of a tree branch surrounded by a blue amulet.

[ FORMULA: ELIXIR OF LIFE ]

[ Learn how to craft Item: [ ELIXIR OF LIFE ] ]

"Elixir of life? What's that?" I immediately accepted to learn the formula. Once I read the Item's description, my eyes widened in disbelief, and my hands clenched tightly.

[ ITEM: ELIXER OF LIFE ]

[ TYPE: CONSUMABLE ]

[ CLASS: S ]

[ A mystical potion that cures all diseases using powerful magic. An entire bottle must be consumed for the full effect of the potion. ]

All diseases? Shouko! Three items are needed to make the potion. Two of which I already had. The fragment of the world tree and the spring water from the echo forest. The last ingredient was the purified blood of the Demon Monarch. I narrowed my eyes and knew immediately where the Demon Monarch would be—the top floor.

I've been in here for around seven days already. Which means I have another week left to complete the entire tower. I was currently on floor seventy-five, so I only had twenty-five floors left to do. Shouko's smiling face flashed through my mind.

"Everyone. It's time to keep going on." I said and drank from the mana flask. I stood up and recalled my shadows. I jumped towards the floor portal. A determined expression on my face. That potion is mine!

x x x

[ Quest: Collect Demon Souls (2) ]

[ The Demon Monarch Baran resides on the highest floor of the Demon's Castle. Defeat Baran and collect his soul. ]

[ Quest clear requirement: ]

[ Defeat the Demon Monarch ]

[ Rewards: ]

[ Rune Stone of the Highest Rank ]

[ +30 stat points ]

[ Mystery Reward ]

[ Rune Stone of the Highest Rank:

Shadow Exchange ]

[ When you crush the rune stone, you may obtain a job-exclusive skill. ]

Another job-exclusive skill? On floor seventy, I had unlocked Monarch's Domain. That skill boosted all my summoned shadows with a fifty percent power buff while they were in my shadow. If my guess is correct, this new skill should allow me to switch positions with any of my shadows. If I had shadows spread worldwide, I could move around freely and quickly. Instant teleportation!

I looked around the burning city of floor seventy-six and summoned my top shadows. They all kneeled before me and bowed their heads.

"We need to speed things up." I said and turned to them all. Before me stood Igris, Iris, Sasori, Shinai, Radhan, Kuma, Kori, and Tsu. "I'll be splitting you all up into teams of eight. In each of your teams will be a support squadron of five. Spread out and destroy everything in your path. Once one of you find the floor permit, find me. You have your orders, dismissed!"

They all nodded and dashed off in different directions. I began moving, and several screens of EXP began scrolling down quickly. I ignored them in favor of focusing on the enemies in front of me. My eyes began to glow as I drew my katana. This is no longer a game. I need that potion to help my friend.

"So get out of my way."