CH 21

Chapter 21.

As Tenju said the words as instructed, he saw the Goblin's purple eyes and horns turn half red.

At the same time, Tenji began to hold a little his pain in his stomach.

"Ugh!　What, the hell?"

The "something" under the tail had become painfully hot, and it was stimulating Tenji's sense of pain.

The pain in unexpected places made Tenji kneel down on the spot and began to suffer as he clutched his stomach. As he sprawled on the ground covered with dead leaves, he could feel the organs of 'something' inside his body burning hot.

[Could it be the pancreas? What's going on with this!　They're doing something to me because I pledged it as collateral?]

He remembered the item "pancreas" from 　condition #4 and understood that it was the pancreas that was burning hot just now.

The heat lasted for about thirty seconds and gradually it slowed down.

Unbeknown to Tenji at this time, the pancreas was imprinted with a branding mark of the Red Demon's design. It was a branding mark used by Hell Beasts when they make a contract, and if Tenji did not fulfill the Red Demon's contract, his pancreas would be eaten by the Red Demon as the collateral.

The contract was to 'become a King', probably 'The Demon King'.

But Tenji did not know about this until now.

"What the hell, I'm having a hard time understanding what just happened."

Tenji was free from the pain and flopped down in front of the Goblin.

[The intense exercise that had happened all at once in the past few hours, which made me feel close to death, had indeed made me lose strength in my body. In short, I have become a wooden stick that couldn't move another step.]

[Suddenly, a forced exercise event "Squat 1000 times within 30 minutes, or the quest will be destroyed." , and without a pause, there was even a forced exercise event with a mental attack, "Avoid attacks from real Shadows for two hours, and if you don't complete it within two times, the quest will be destroyed".

Then there's a three-hour　event where I have to run away from the fear of a giant tree that the Goblin hold and try to crush me, which started after only an hour break. The event had a devilish condition setting that I never found out, but it seemed to say that it was acceptable to die at least once: "If you die three times, this quest will be cancelled."]

"Oh, is this really the end?"

Tenji remembered the matters up to now and muttered such weak words.

Before coming here, Tenji once wandered on the edge of death. That was also when he was intentionally pushed down by Inagaki Rui, who he thought was his classmate. Later he kept getting his flesh eaten in front of him by Black Keroberos.

Even if the restorative effects of the Strange Demon Candle could restore his strength and spirit, it would not heal the fear and vengeance that had begun to grow in his heart.

"Hey, Goblin. What's your name?"

Somehow Tenji asked the Goblin who was still on one knee in front of him.

However, the Goblin only said "on" and his expressionless face didn't change.

[I don't know what it means to have a contract with a Goblin] 

That was when he lamented so earnestly in his heart.

Once again, the voice of that announcement echoes directly into his brain.

[The Hell Quest "Encounter with the Red Demon" has been completed. Three clear rewards will be presented. The release of the fifth grade "Red Demon", the fifth grade weapon "Red Demon Sword", and the fifth grade equipment "Red Demon Ring" will be reflected in the original 'Book of Enma' after you return. -- You will return after 30 seconds.]

It was the end announcement of this hellish quest.

The moment Tenji heard the word "clear", his whole body broke out in goosebumps with an indescribable sense of accomplishment, and he unconsciously struck a gut-punching pose, saying, "Okay."

"On."

Then the Goblin slowly stood up and gently placed his hand on Tenji's head with a pop.

The warmth was filled with a feeling of praise from the bottom of his heart, "You did a great job," and he felt as if his efforts had been recognized by praise from an unexpected direction. Then his tears fell from his eyes.

Drops trickled down his cheeks and fell on the dead leaves.

"Oh, thank you."

"Oni ,oni ,oni"

[I didn't understand a word he was saying, but I just knew he was complimenting me.]

Tenji stood up to clutch the warmth he felt from the Goblin and embraced his accomplishment.

Suddenly he looked up at the sky and saw that the sky here was still red.

He hadn't had time to observe the surroundings before, as far as he was concerned, this space was somehow foreign to him.

Still, in the past few hours, Tenji had some idea of where this place was.

[Maybe this is the place called Hell Realm.]

Yes, it was a special space called 'Hell Realm' which was written in the 'Book of Enma'.

This place is a very important place to master the special level calling "Hell Beast Summoning". It is also a place where you can meet many hell beasts and study them as well as yourself.

Tenji somehow had a feeling that he would be back here soon.

[It was difficult to put into words clearly when asked why, but from the moment I had a heart to heart with the Goblin, I understood that this place was the equivalent of home for me.]

[I guess that's why I feel somewhat at ease.]

[I'll try to summon him again later for now.]

"I'll try to summon you again later, Goblin-kun."

"oni, oni, oni"

Standing in front of the Goblin was a monster with an indescribable appearance, as if it had failed to become a demon.

The Goblin still had a blank expression on his face, but to Tenji it looked as if he was somehow smiling.

So Tenji laughed.

[Returns Tenji Amagi. At the same time, 'monsters of the fourth grade and below' were unleashed in the Hell Realm of the Red Demon Species. I look forward to your future activities, Lord.]

At the same time as the announcement, a replica of the 'Book of Enma' appeared again and began to flip through the pages by itself, stopping at a certain page.

Then, with a dazzling flash of light, Tenji's body was sucked hard into the book.

Tenji spun around and around several times, just as he had been when he first arrived in the Hell Realm, and then he was back in the dungeon.

The Goblins that remained in place began to wander aimlessly through the Hell Realm as his Lord left.

"oni"

Its eyes were shining blue and possessed the characteristics of a fourth-grade monster.

The Goblins' classification on earth was 'fifth grade', but in reality, it was slightly different. There are grades of hell in hell, and the grade of Goblins could not be expressed in terms of the grade on earth.

The Goblin seemed as if he didn't care about the monster and swung his hand sword down.

The monster was helplessly reduced to pieces, with half of its body reduced to powder, and it collapsed helplessly.

And then that announcement rings in the Goblin's brain.

You've sent the Lord "1" experience.

"oni"

And so the Goblin began to walk through the Hell Realm again.

He vowed that he would continue to fight for the Lord until the day in the near future when a King arrives.

† † † †

When his refracted vision returned, Tenji was on his butt in the dungeon.

"Owww."

But he quickly remembered that this was a dungeon, and he hurriedly got up. If it's a dungeon, it's a place where he'll encounter monsters.

He looked around, but nothing had changed about the place.

There was not even a trace of a monster entering this place, only the blood pond of the young explorer remained. But there was a Tenji there that felt nostalgic somehow.

"Oh, there it is."

The 'book of Enma' was lying unprotected at his feet, and he reached out to pick it up, but the book floated away by itself, and it began to flip through the pages. Then, at a certain page, the book stopped.

Though he assumes that these are "words from the Book of Enma", and starts to look through the pages.

"Summonable Hell Beasts."

[Red demon species]

Goblin (5th grade)

There, the words "Red Demon Type" and "Goblin (5th Grade)" had been added, which had not been written before the quest in the Hell Realm was completed.

[I see. So the blank pages in the book do have a meaning after all.]

Tenji saw the change, and the question he had been wondering about was answered.

[I've always thought there were a lot of blank sheets of paper with obvious intent. That is, unnatural blank paper that made me think something was originally written here.]

[I found out that the reason for this was a deliberate blank slate, and that doing something about it would lift the ban. I would have to fill it through quests I guess.]

"Let's look at ...... other pages first."

Before summoning the Goblin, Tenji decided to check the pages he hadn't checked yet.

Luckily, there was also a Black Keroberos Demon gem in his pocket that might be a monster repellent, and he knew that monsters wouldn't come near this place too easily. He would not get disturbed.

Tenji slowly turned the book to the next page.