Broken and the Shadow Wolves stepped into the small town, a city inhabited by demons, and to his surprise, it was incredibly crowded-far more than he had expected. The narrow streets were packed with beings, making the place feel less like a town and more like a horde of people gathering for a massive event, like a concert.
Some creatures had the lower bodies of goats paired with human torsos, while others resemble skeletal figures with thin, stretched skin barely covering their bones and eyes that sunk deep into their sockets. There were also large, bloated demons, their bellies smeared with blood.
This town felt like something out of a nightmare, the demons resembling Halloween party goers in the most bizarre costumes imaginable.
The buildings were no better-more like structures from a slum, hastily thrown together with wood and stones stacked randomly. The streets were filthy, littered with garbage, and scattered with human skulls.
Wait, human skulls?
Aren’t monsters supposed to turn into pixels when they die? But these bones… they’re real. Could these actually be human skulls? he wondered. Isn’t this supposed to be a demon town? Why are there human remains here?
Marlene and the group pressed on, weaving through the mass of demons that crowded the streets. Broken kept pace, though he couldn’t avoid every brush with the unsettling creatures. At one point, a humanoid figure with a long neck, much like a giraffe’s, bumped into him. Drool dripped from its mouth, nearly splattering on him, who quickly sidestepped out of the way. Yikes!
After wandering through the crowded streets for a while, they finally stopped in front of a place that looked like an inn.
Marlene turned to address the group. “We’ll be staying at this inn for the next few weeks. Subaru will handle the room arrangements, but everyone has tasks to complete first. We’ll meet back in the room Subaru reserves in four hours.”
Without a word, the party members seemed to understand their assignments and split into three groups. Subaru and Broken were paired together, while the others scattered, heading off to take care of their individual duties.
After everyone dispersed, leaving only Broken and Subaru, the mage nudged Broken’s
shoulder. “So, what’s your first impression, haha?”
“How do I even describe it?”
“Fun, right?”
“Yes, perfectly fitting for a place called Hell.”
Subaru chuckled at that. “Well, Broken, the surface level is just the lowest layer of this alternate world. Stronger demons live in the layers below the ground.”
“Oh?” Broken was surprised. “That’s new information for me. Have you been down there?”
Subaru glanced in the direction Marlene had gone, seeming hesitant. “I can’t tell you,” he said. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cm
With that, Subaru walked into the inn, and Broken followed. But the mage suddenly stopped as two large, muscular demons with red skin emerged from the doorway. Subaru quickly stepped aside to let them pass, and Broken followed suit, making room for the imposing figures.
Once inside, they were greeted by a mostly empty room with a lone reception desk at the far end. Behind it stood a young woman with blue skin, short black hair, and the trademark horns of her kind.
“Hi, I need a large room that can fit eight people or more,” Subaru requested.
The receptionist did something behind the counter, and after Subaru placed several gold coins down, they received the key.
They climbed the stairs of the inn, which was mostly made of stacked stones and dark- colored wood. A few crystal lamps were placed sporadically along the walls, casting an eerie glow. After reaching the third floor, they walked down a long corridor.
Subaru stopped at a door and used the key to unlock it. The room inside was basic, with about ten individual beds lined up in two rows of five. There were also round tables and ten chairs scattered throughout the room.
Both of them entered, and Subaru immediately flopped down onto one of the beds, stretching out lazily. Broken chose the bed at the far end, right beside Subaru’s, and sat down quietly.
They sat there in silence for a few moments. Broken’s mind raced with questions about the true motives of the Shadow Wolves. Judging by the way they had split up the team, it was clear that at least three of them-Marlene, Subaru, and the lone tanker-had been to this place before. Marlene especially seemed well-versed in navigating the city, given how easily she had gained entry with that badge.
But a bigger mystery gnawed at his thoughts. What were they really planning to do here? Marlene had mentioned that Broken needed to find a high-level monster area to hatch the demon egg, so it seemed unlikely this bustling town was their ultimate destination.
Broken wanted to check on the demon egg, to see if he could supply it with Mana in this place. But he knew better than to reveal it with Subaru still around. He’d have to wait until he was alone before delving into that investigation.
After a while, Subaru sat up, stretching with a groan. “Ah ha ha ha… I’m so tired,” he said, then turned to Broken with an enthusiastic grin. “Broken, what do you think about exploring the city? I’m sure you’ll find plenty of interesting things here.”
“Sure,” Broken replied.
He was indeed curious to learn more about this world. With a full month ahead of him in this place, he wanted to figure out how to secure his own way of returning here whenever he wanted. Exploring a mostly uncharted territory like this seemed ripe with opportunities. There had to be hidden treasures, rare loot, or even powerful demons that hadn’t been encountered by many players yet. Plus, Broken was intrigued by the thought of what rewards might come from hunting demons.
That idea struck him suddenly-slaughtering demons for loot.
Isn’t that exactly what the Demons might be thinking when they try to invade Yunatea? he mused.
Surely the Named Demon that would be summoned to Dissidia Kingdom was looking to take over the kingdom, right? The Named Demons likely had the same ambitions as any invader- seizing something that couldn’t be found in their own world.
The two of them left the inn, once again navigating the chaotic streets filled with bizarre creatures that walked in unpredictable, staggering patterns, bumping into others as if that
was just how they lived.
Along the roadside, merchants were hawking their goods, most notably food. Wait, are they mixing saliva into their meals? Broken thought with disgust.
Damn, he mused. This place is definitely not kid-friendly. He hoped the game would have age restrictions if access to this world became easier for players in the future.
“Do you want to try the food?” Subaru asked, eyeing one of the stands.
“Have you?” Broken replied, raising an eyebrow.
“Aha ha ha!” Subaru laughed at the question. “I was skeptical at first, but after trying it, it’s
not as bad as you’d think.”
“No thanks,” Broken said quickly.
They kept walking until they reached a crowd gathered around a noisy merchant who was shouting out his wares. The two of them moved closer to see what was for sale.
And then Broken saw it.
Two women. They were dressed in tattered clothing, caged and lying on the ground. One of them was an elf, and another seemed to be a beast-kin.
“These two are fresh, just captured from Yunatea! Who dares to pay for these women slaves?” the merchant bellowed. He was a grotesque figure-frog-headed with a bloated body- gleefully advertising the captured women slaves as if they were mere commodities.