Chapter 23
Just as ripening rice bows its head, they say a Demon lowers its head the heavier its crimes.
If so, just how massive of a mistake did this Demon commit to have his head practically buried in the ground?
'Oh. Found a fantasy Ant.'
Here lies a Dem?on saying hello to the wooden floor in a near-perfect plank position.
A Survivor of a ruined World. The incarnation of a beggar. Recently known to the public as the crazy Demon or the Demon of Fear, the Crow-headed Phantom (not really).
That's right, it's me.
And right in front of me, standing proudly with her arms crossed insolently, was a certain red-haired Kid...
"You look like a mess, don't you? Crow Oppa♡"
It was Chroma, the hot-tempered Food Sexer Demon Senior who rocked that bloody smile so damn perfectly on her red-haired face.
Whether she just woke up or not, the hair usually tied on both sides was untied. That innocent look actually suited her quite well.
However. That outfit... Hmm.
Wolf Pajamas in a Medieval Fantasy World. I really don't understand what kind of harmony this is.
The part suspected to be a Hat had a real Wolf's Head attached to it. Its tongue was hanging out and its eyes were rolled back, looking bizarre as hell.
A demonic fashion that makes the fear creep up that I might become Crow Pajamas if I rebelled?
Therefore, right now, I am somehow prolonging my life by following the orders of Magpie, the genius of Survival, and lowering my body as much as possible to take a submissive posture.
It feels a bit empty without the gray Cat warming my back, but Shion and her Contractor are still groaning on the second floor with a hangover, so I was the only one dragged down.
How weak.
"So. What you're saying, Crow Oppa, is that you were practicing the Authority of fear to use on the Owner, and caused this mess since early morning, right?"
"Exactly."
Therefore, please forgive me for firing a loud-ass Revolver in a poorly soundproofed room, causing a flood of complaints since dawn.
'Hmm. This is definitely a bit...'
Even I think it was a bit too much.
But, I didn't know it would be this loud either.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Filling] [Class Exclusive]
Fills the Injector with fear.
-Charge.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
You said you'd fill it with fear, so why did you fill it with an incredibly loud Blank, you damn Revolver.
Besides, you only used 1 Magic Power? Then, what, are you going to collapse the Building if I pour ten thousand into it?
'Hmm. Not bad?'
As my eyes sparkled at the endless potential of the Plague Doctor's exclusive Weapon, which I thought was garbage, a cold voice came from above my Head.
Oh right, I was being scolded, wasn't I?
"Crow Oppa. Just what were you trying to do to my Contractor? Hm? Were you trying to teach her the fear of death or something? Or have you truly gone crazy like the rumors say?"
"...."
"Raven. I think I know what the emotion of fear is now. Yeah. Right. Maybe I don't really need Raven's help anymore..."
Noir had suddenly approached behind Chroma, resting her chin on that red hair and gently massaging her Shoulders as if to soothe her anger.
Her expressionless face was the same, but her eyes looked somewhat anxious. It seemed she really didn't trust me.
However.
"That would be a problem."
Because I can't miss out on the free Accommodation Voucher for a famous Tavern and the Demon Senior's secret gift.
Letting the Contractor sleep in a dust pit for one day is enough.
So. Give me one more chance.
I'll practice my Skills in the Dungeon. Please.
Did my desperation reach her? Chroma's expression, which had been looking down at me coldly, softened a bit.
"Hmm. Yeah, fine. But instead of loud fear like this morning, you have to use a safe fear where there's no risk of the Contractor getting hurt, got it? Or else I might get mad♡"
"Chrom. I'm the one involved. Why are you the one answering?"
"You stupid Owner, just trust me and stay cooped up in the Kitchen! Just how long are you going to keep slicing off your Fingers while chopping? Huh? Is it because you don't know how important the emotion of fear is to a Mortal like you?"
Indeed, for a Chef who handles fire and sharp objects like a Kitchen Knife, fear is an indispensable and crucial emotion.
No, not just for a Chef. It's more accurate to say it's important for any living creature.
Fear is like a Vaccine; it helps you learn about danger and react to it instinctively.
Thinking about it that way, a Demon of Fear seems like a truly beneficial Demon.
"That's why Chrom gave me this Glove as a gift, right? Thanks to that, it doesn't hurt anymore."
"Haa...."
In response to Chroma's intense reaction, Noir awkwardly raised the corners of her mouth and began stroking her red hair as if telling her to calm down.
At this, Chroma's complexion, which had turned red as if she might explode at any moment, returned to its original pure white state.
'They really are like fire and ice.'
I thought they made a really good pair.
Then, what about the Contractor and me? Are we a Cosplayer duo?
We might have a slight edge when it comes to style and romance.
"Ugh. That's not the problem! Argh. Just keep your mouth shut and go to the Kitchen first, Owner. I'll take care of this!"
"Yeah. You have to come quickly, Chrom. There are still a lot of Onions left."
"What?"
Chroma's red eyes narrowed in incomprehension.
"...That wasn't the end of it yesterday?"
"Yeah. There are still about two Sacks left, I think? Yeah, that's right."
"Ah. I wish they would all just burn to ashes...."
Chroma's face began to turn red again. Her red strands of hair began to float up one by one, defying gravity. This was not good.
It meant I had to bounce before the sparks flew to me for no reason.
"Then. I should probably get up n-"
"Try getting up if you want to return to the Demon Realm♡"
"Damn."
Was it already too late?
That day. They say there was one more chair placed in the Rainbow Cup until Shion and the Contractor came down to eat breakfast.
A very black and ominous chair.
***
"You soft Rookie punks! Do you remember the precautions I told you yesterday, nya!"
Shion stood proudly with her chest puffed out and her hands behind her back like a training Instructor.
At her energetic question that loudly echoed through the cavern, the Contractor, who was sitting modestly on their Knees, gave an answer immediately as if they had been waiting.
"No acting alone, no preemptive strikes against Entities, and immediate escape upon encountering a Phantom."
"So they say."
"You're exactly right, Adventurer, nya! You're so accurate it gives me goosebumps, nya! What an amazing memory, nya!"
"Ahem. It's nothing much."
Perhaps pleased by Shion's fierce praise, the Contractor shrugged their small Shoulders, unable to hide their pride.
They lowered their head and seemed to be trying to hold back their laughter somehow, but it didn't work as their Shoulders wouldn't stop shaking.
Perhaps because they are in puberty, they aren't completely honest with their emotions.
"Well then, let's go scrounge up some grub, you punks!"
"Ooooh! The Captain is practically overflowing with energy today!"
"Let's gooooo!!!"
"You Bomb Fly bastards, get ready, nya! I'm going to tear you all to pieces, nya!"
Chatter chatter.
The energetic voices of the Adventurers could be heard between Shion's meows.
The place we are currently at is a secluded corner about fifty steps away from the Entrance of the Dungeon known to the public as the Black Hole...
Here, the Contractor and I are receiving Safety Training from Shion, a Guild-certified Dungeon Guide and Sherpa.
Meow. Nya nya. You could say it is a situation where the incredibly informative content naturally draws out a yawn.
However, there was a reason why I, known as the Demon of Microsleep, could hold out without dozing off despite the long training time.
That is because I still have the Patch Notes!
If this is not the grace of the Goddess, then what is it?
Like a Student secretly reading a Comic Book with an Ethics Book wide open, I skimmed through the Patch Notes behind Teacher Shion's back.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Passive Skill]
A Passive Skill refers to a Skill that is always active even if you do not use it directly!
[Mana Body]
It might melt away if you let your guard down!
-Substitution.
[Fear Eater]
Fear is your source.
-Conversion.
[Indescribable Fear]
Fear is like a formless Shadow.
-Polymorph.
[Heterogeneous Color]
The unknown is one of the oldest fears.
-Disturbance.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The topic of this page is the Passive Skill, an always-active Skill.
Considering that a Passive Skill is also called a Trait depending on the game, you can see the astonishing fact that my 55 precious Traits have been catastrophically reduced.
'Hmm.'
But anyone who gets disappointed here is an amateur.
Even if the quantity has decreased, it is okay if the performance has improved that much, right?
Quality over quantity, as they say.
So if you ask if I think it is better than before, I can only answer that I am not sure yet.
Because, unlike active Skills that were written in a way I could somewhat understand, these Passive Skills have incredibly unfriendly descriptions.
-Substitution.
-Conversion.
-Polymorph.
-Disturbance.
I can roughly guess the effects from the catastrophic summary, or rather, the abbreviation specified in just one word at the bottom, but I do not know exactly what they do.
Therefore.
'I have no choice but to check them one by one in actual combat.'
I will just have to roll around in this unknown place called a Dungeon with the Contractor and the Thief to figure out these Skills one by one!
There are still many unread pages in the Patch Notes, but I will have to read them later.
There is just too much content to process right now.
Well, anyway.
"That is all for the Safety Training, nya! Thank you all for listening closely, nya! Well then, let us slowly head into the Dungeon, nya! Follow me, nya!"
"Yes!"
"This looks fun."
Now the real adventure begins.
Read more at https://noveldex.io/series/novel/i-became-the-demon-of-terror-in-the-dungeon-city