[Ding! You have killed one Beast Oni, one Great Demon, and one High-Rank Demon. Successfully activated Hunting Mission: Hundred Demon Hunt.]
[Hundred Demon Hunt: A hunting mission. The mission evaluation increases based on the rank of the "Demon" hunted by the Reincarnator. Killing higher-ranked Demons will yield a higher evaluation! (PS: Only records solo kills or cooperative hunts where personal contribution is over 90%.)]
Dead.
Arthur watched the towering, grotesque figure sway once—then collapse like a fallen pillar, its massive body crashing into the earth with a dull, heavy thud. Only then did he allow himself a faint exhale. There was no possibility of survival for any living being struck by Murasame. That certainty was absolute. He did not spare the corpse another glance; death by that blade required no confirmation.
Turning away, he moved to support Saeko Busujima, and together they swiftly finished off the last Beast Oni. When the creature finally fell, Saeko staggered back a step, breathing hard, her small frame trembling from exertion. The battle had been brutal—far more brutal than her body should have been able to endure.
She had fought a monster larger, stronger, and more ferocious than a bear for nearly a full minute… in the body of an eleven-year-old girl.
Even if she had tentatively retained adult-level physical conditioning, the disparity between her and a true Demon was overwhelming. And yet she had stood her ground. That alone was astonishing. In truth, if her weapon had not struggled so much to leave effective wounds on the Beast Oni's thick hide—if she had possessed a blade on the same level as Murasame—she might have worn it down to death by sheer will.
Arthur had noticed it clearly: the fire in her eyes, the warlike thrill awakening within her. She had even shown signs of being willing to trade injuries just to secure victory.
That, however, was unacceptable.
He could not afford to let a vital combatant be seriously injured at such a critical moment. The bottle of Healing Spray in his possession was incapable of treating anything more than minor wounds. A single deep gash would render it useless.
Without hesitation, Arthur retrieved the Stamina+s he had obtained from the White Blade. He swallowed one himself before handing another to Saeko. Though the pill offered little in terms of healing, its stamina recovery effect was extraordinary.
Even after slaying the High-Rank Great Demon, Arthur could feel the strain crushing his limbs. A child's body was an undeniable burden. The short yet intense battle had nearly drained him completely. Moments after consuming the Stamina+, warmth surged through his small frame, his fatigue rapidly dissipating.
It wasn't that the pill was excessively powerful.
It was that its medicinal potency was excessive for a child.
Using such a valuable resource merely to replenish stamina was wasteful. But at this point, efficiency meant survival—and survival outweighed everything else.
"We can't delay."
Arthur seized Saeko's hand and sprinted forward. If the Demons had already tracked them here, then the pursuers would not be far behind.
This time, luck favored them.
Before the pursuing forces could close in, Arthur arrived at their destination: a hidden cave entrance concealed within a tangled sea of trees and gnarled roots. The opening was narrow, obscured by fallen leaves and thick vegetation—nearly impossible for an ordinary person to notice. More importantly, a Demon's massive body would never fit through it.
This location came from a map Arthur had discovered inside an old "adventure novel" hidden within the library. After cross-referencing its terrain details with the farm's central map that Liza had stolen, he confirmed it—the entrance to the so-called "Underground World."
As far as Arthur knew, that obscure novel was not fiction at all, but an escape guide written by someone who had once sought to save these Edible Children. The clues within it were deeply encrypted; unless a child possessed extraordinary intellect, deciphering its contents before being "shipped" would be nearly impossible.
In the original storyline, even the trio of protagonists had failed to uncover it. Instead, it was another prodigy, Phil, who stumbled upon the secret by chance.
So when Arthur produced the book earlier, Liza and the others had been utterly stunned.
"We all came in at the same time," they had said, disbelief evident. "And you don't even look like the type who spends time in the library. How could you uncover something hidden so deeply?"
Truly, appearances were deceiving.
"Let's go inside."
Fresh tracks near the cave entrance confirmed that the other children had already entered. Saeko lowered herself first, crawling through the narrow opening. Arthur followed close behind. The tunnel was long and suffocatingly tight at first, roots scraping against their clothes as they moved forward. Then, gradually, the confined passage gave way to a much wider underground chamber.
The moment they emerged, a chorus of hushed but excited voices rang out.
"Ah! It's Brother Eren and Sister Yako!"
The children waiting inside rushed forward in relief and joy, their earlier fear momentarily forgotten. At the center of the group, Isabella quickly raised a hand, urging them into silence, her expression tense and alert.
Even underground, danger had not yet passed.
After descending into the underground space, she quickly surveyed the surroundings. Though it was nighttime and they were deep beneath the surface—where almost no light could penetrate—human eyes could still gradually adapt to the darkness. Once accustomed to the dim environment, vague outlines began to take shape.
What she discovered first overturned her expectations.
The ceiling was not made of compacted soil as she had imagined. Instead, it was a dense entanglement of countless tree roots woven together like a living net. The root systems of the towering trees above were unbelievably developed, stretching several meters underground and hollowing out vast sections of earth. Even the surrounding walls were tightly wrapped in roots and thick vines, forming something that resembled a natural labyrinth carved entirely from vegetation rather than stone.
Arthur took his backpack from Isabella's hands. Pretending to rummage inside, he discreetly retrieved three flashlights from his Personal Storage. After adjusting them to low-light mode, he handed two to Isabella and Liza. Since neither of them was responsible for direct combat and both possessed sharp observation skills and strong adaptability, they were the most suitable choices to manage the light sources.
When Arthur switched his on, the sudden beam startled the children. A few instinctively flinched—but their fear quickly turned into amazement. The light, softened by the low setting, was not harsh or blinding. Instead, it gently illuminated their immediate surroundings without swallowing the darkness beyond, ensuring that shadows wouldn't conceal potential threats.
Following his lead, Isabella and Liza activated their flashlights the same way. With three steady light sources spreading outward, the suffocating fear of absolute darkness—of not even being able to see one's own hand—finally eased. The tension etched across the children's faces visibly loosened.
"Let's head further in first," Arthur said calmly.
The moment he appeared, the group seemed to regain its center of gravity. Arthur had been the one making plans from the beginning, arranging each step with precision. Even Isabella, who was naturally independent, had been following his directives without objection. Unknowingly, his authority among the children had solidified into something unshakable, a pillar they instinctively relied upon.
As he led the way, Arthur swept the beam of his flashlight across the roots above and along the walls. "Be careful of the vines and roots that still look fresh and vital," he warned, pausing to highlight several that remained green, their surfaces faintly pulsing with dark red vein-like patterns.
"The trees above us are a special species called 'Vampire Trees.' They don't possess intelligence, but they do have a hunting instinct. Any moving creature that approaches their roots or parasitic vines will draw their attention."
His light traced a long root that snaked across the ground.
"They move slowly at first, like ordinary vines stirred by wind. But once they lock onto prey, they'll follow silently, like a serpent waiting for the perfect moment. When the target lowers its guard, they strike, entangling the limbs. Their strength is immense. Even wild beasts struggle to break free."
The children unconsciously huddled closer.
"And once captured…" Arthur's voice remained steady, but the imagery it carried weighed heavily in the underground air. "The prey is dragged upward, suspended upside down among the roots. It stays there… until it eventually starves or suffocates."
The labyrinth around them suddenly felt far less like shelter, and far more like a hunting ground waiting patiently for its next mistake.