Colossus Hunter – Chapter 80

Ch 80: Blooming in the Abyss（1）

It was lax. I didn’t deny it.

I was passive in my activities in the Abyss.

There was a slight unease, which stemmed from not being able to clearly distinguish between myself and Uriël Diablo.

Me as Oh Han-sung, me as Uriël Diablo.

I thought they were the same.

That’s why I couldn’t ignore Lyra’s favor and felt confused. Even though there was no need to!

From the start, the Abyss, the position of Demon Lord, is incompatible with me. It’s only possible for magnets to attract each other when they are polar opposites. The premise that we, who are different in species, tendencies, and everything, can coexist is wrong in itself.

‘If we can’t merge, we have to separate.’

However, I intend to be faithful to my inherent tasks.

As Oh Han-sung, I am for the victory of humanity, and as Uriël Diablo, I am for the obstruction and destruction of other Demon Lords.

So, I will cut off what is unnecessary.

Lyra Diablo. Her devotion is excessive. There was a need to find balance. It’s because there’s a possibility that she could lose her reason and fail to make calm judgments, causing her to rampage like this time.

『I am checking the Company’s information as a ‘representative’.』

『Absolute Domination Company』

『Company Value ? 3,500,000pt』

『Average Daily Sales ? 50,550pt』

『Company Retained Earnings ? 560,000pt』

━ Constructing a ‘Central Branch’ （700,000pt）.

━ Purchased a small ‘Gold Vein’ for 200,000pt.（Estimated Reserves ━ 4,500t） ━ Sales are exploding.

I stood in front of the crystal that manages information at the center of the castle and brought up the relevant windows. I could check the status of the points I held and the rapidly expanding financial state of the Company.

The Company was growing day by day. A collaboration between Lyra and Gurmangdi. They were showing a level of skill that exceeded my expectations.

‘I don’t have to worry about defense.’

I was using half of the retained earnings to build a branch of the Company. Right here, right next to my territory. But it was just a branch in name only, in reality it was a long, tall ‘wall’.

A wall to protect my castle from external attacks.

Then, I drew a cross in the air.

『The points I hold are ‘267,400’.』

Along with the explosive increase in sales, the profits were also explosive.

It was a number that could immediately dominate three Liches of Gurmangdi’s level. About 100,000 points had rolled in for free in just one month, so it didn’t feel real.

It was a moment that made me feel very empty as I remembered the time when I had to risk my life to collect points frugally in the past, but from the perspective of a Demon Lord, it was still an infinitely insufficient amount.

‘The number of troops led by Karpediem of Annihilation is about five thousand.’

Most of them were Golems and were composed of around 4~6lv. In particular, the monsters that could be called his closest aides were the ten or so Dullahan and Dragon Tooth Soldiers I had seen before.

All of them had a total ability score of around 400~430, and were 8lv high-level monsters with the strength of a decent Lich. In other words, it was like having 10 Gurmangdis.

On the other hand, what about me?

‘The forces I have are 500 Lancers, Heiman’s Mercenary Group, Gu Hwa-rang and the Yacha, and Lyra Diablo.’

That was practically it. It was absurd to even think about clashing with them. It wasn’t quite like throwing an egg at a rock, but the probability of losing was higher. The only thing that was worth trying was Lyra’s magic sword, ‘Black Sun’, which exerted its power in large-scale battles.

That was why Karpediem couldn’t easily attack.

Even though he had a lot of numbers, he didn’t actually have very strong monsters. It was a really good environment for Lyra to run wild.

In addition, there would also be the influence of my unknown authority, the authority of the rumor that I could see the future.

Of course, the 500 Lancers couldn’t be ignored either. The Lancers had a total ability score of around 340, and they were 7th level top-tier monsters.

‘The probability of winning if we clash like this is 3:7.’

I calculated it calmly, very calmly.

I have experienced countless wars. There is no race that likes war more than humans. Even the monsters of the Abyss don’t start wars as crazily in a short period of time like humans do.

Therefore, when I looked ahead, the probability of winning was 3, and the probability of losing was 7.

This was the story when we fought with only the revealed forces, and depending on how many hidden cards Karpediem had, the probability of winning would be even lower.

Then how can I increase the probability of winning?

‘The Company’s capital should only be used for defense. There’s no need to unnecessarily increase the number of enemies.’

Just by building the branch in my territory, I would have bought a lot of suspicion and glares. Those who invested in the Company were all lords of large and small cities, and monsters leading famous legions. No matter how much I was a Demon Lord, if I embezzled and misused the Company’s points, they would naturally turn their backs on me or become hostile to me. It was the worst-case scenario imaginable that they would join Karpediem.

It’s a case of being penny-wise and pound-foolish, burning down the whole house to catch a flea.

So, I excluded this option first.

‘If it’s something possible with the capital and abilities I have…’

The answer was surprisingly simple and clear.

‘Breeding and domination.’

Increase the numbers, and evolve and use the monsters.

The method I came up with here was one.

‘Create a Gu Poison.’

If you put highly poisonous insects in a jar, they will fight each other, and the last one to survive among those insects will become a Gu with powerful poison. It’s a very cruel method, but the poison extracted from the Gu poison created in that way turns into the most cruel weapon in the world.

What if I apply this to monsters?

Perhaps because I decided to be faithful to my inherent mission, my ideas also became radical.

But it would be a lie if I said I wasn’t curious about how the last surviving monster would evolve and be completed.

And if I could quickly breed that surviving monster… I would be able to gain the power to face Karpediem’s army in a short period of time.

I immediately put it into action.

I spent about 30,000 points at the Dark Merchant Company to buy Goblins, Nolls, Orcs, Carnivorous Bats, Imps, War Ents, and Zombies indiscriminately.

In total, there were over 500 of them.

Then, I locked the monsters in a very narrow space in the basement of the castle.

“Fight. Until only one remains.”

Kung!

Leaving only those words, I closed the huge stone wall.

Kiiiiieeeeek!

Kyaaaaaaa!

The screams and cries coming through the wall.

I turned my back and slowly left the underground stone chamber.

Quickly, even more quickly.

I moved with the intention of filling the gap that I had neglected at once.

For now, it was going smoothly.

But there was another formidable enemy.

“If you command me, I will go. But in return, can I gain Lord’s faith?”

Lyra Diablo.

I gave her a mission. I told her to eliminate the ‘eyes’ lurking around my territory.

Just as I was keeping Karpediem of Annihilation in check, Karpediem of Annihilation was also keeping me in check. Of course, it was natural for him to plant ‘eyes’ so that he could notice my changes.

Faith. Faith, huh.

Did she think she had lost it from me because of what happened before?

I nodded. She was already beyond reproach in the realm of simple faith, so I accepted it as nothing.

And exactly two days later.

“I have eliminated all the ‘eyes’. Is there anything else you want me to do?”

Dozens of monsters lay dead in front of me.

Monsters ‘optimized’ for reconnaissance, such as Gargoyles, Night Walkers, and Invisible Worms.

Lyra carried out the order perfectly.

Yet, she was waiting for another order.

Should I see it as she has accepted her position? If so, I thought it wasn’t a bad thing.

“According to the letter Kriqui sent me, Medusa, called the ‘Witch of Ainil’, is said to be Karpediem’s pinky finger.”

“I will cut off the witch’s head. In return, I want to gain Lord’s trust.”

Faith and trust are the same words. But there were also subtly different parts.

Faith is the heart that believes in the other person, and trust was the meaning of relying on the other person one step further and believing in them in any situation.

The meaning of asking me to trust her. Was she trying to confirm that my faith had returned to her again?

I gave Lyra an order, and in two days, she cut off Medusa’s head and returned.

The dirt and soot covering her face and body showed how hastily she had hunted Medusa and returned.

After that, this kind of thing continued.

“I will capture the Imp who manages Karpediem’s finances alive. In return, I want to gain Lord’s ‘understanding’.”

“It seems that Karpediem has newly formed a reconnaissance team. I have been as vigilant as possible and killed them as soon as I saw them, but can I gain Lord’s ‘tolerance’ with this?”

“Karpediem is…”

It was an infinite loop. She solved everything I ordered within a day, two at the most, and in return, Lyra wanted to gain my ‘heart’.

Even taking on tasks that I didn’t even order.

Of course, all those actions were related to ‘my victory’, so it was like she was putting into practice what I had said.

But it was too obvious.

She was desperate, and she didn’t give up.

Damn it.

I might have underestimated Lyra Diablo too much.

I truly didn’t know how big and desperate her heart was.

Even if I didn’t allow it, even if I refused the reward, she built her own heart, as if she was building her own tower.

“Go to the ‘Tomb of the Wraith King’. You must secretly find out what Karpediem of Annihilation is desperately trying to obtain there. You must never clash head-on. If that becomes the situation, pull back and return.”

It was a mission I had given to Gu Hwa-rang before, but he said he had failed because the security was too tight. The fact that there was no reaction from Karpediem even though I had been poking around like this meant that he was focused on the ‘Tomb of the Wraith King’.

I was curious. But it was also a dangerous task.

I didn’t know how Karpediem would react if we clashed head-on.

The difficulty was extremely high.

Lyra wouldn’t be unaware of that either.

I was half hoping she would fail.

“I understand. If I succeed, as a reward… can I tell you after I return this time?”

“Do as you please, since you won’t listen anyway.”

It was a very cold remark, but Lyra even showed a bright smile.

And for several days, Lyra did not return to the territory.

This time it was a little long.

Exactly five days later, she returned covered in dirt all over her body.

A figure that didn’t fit her usual dignity or grace at all. Her hair was also disheveled, and it seemed like she had run without even thinking about tidying it up.

“I have found out what Karpediem is trying to obtain there.”

“What is it?”

“Before that, I will tell you the reward I want.”

This time, even Lyra couldn’t smile.

Even though my permission had not been given, Lyra looked straight into my eyes with a very nervous expression and opened her mouth.

“I want Lord’s ‘love’.”

A word that she had never uttered before.

She had finally brought out that word that she had only kept inside, knowing that it would never be fulfilled.

Just as I was about to open my mouth, she continued to speak.

“It’s okay. I don’t mind if it remains only in my heart, only in my own heart. I’m not asking for an answer to this heart. However, I just want you to know this one thing. Even if you tell me to give up, to not crave for more than this, I will not give up.”

I was trying to draw a line.

I would have clearly drawn that line with poison on my tongue.

But Lyra didn’t cross the line, she erased it. She made it as if it didn’t exist at all.

“Even if you tell me to forget everything, it’s enough to build it up again from the beginning. Even if everything goes back to a blank slate, the picture I complete will not change.”

So give up.

The more you push her away, the stronger she will approach!

The reason she had wanted faith and trust so far was for this one word.

I was speechless.

Build it up again. From the beginning.

Those words hit my head hard.

I had no choice but to admit it.

Lyra Diablo.

She was too strong.

More than I imagined.

（80/251）