I Made a Contract with a Devil, but the Price is Strange

I slowly opened my eyes at the feeling of someone touching my face. Red eyes visible right in front of me. Just as I was about to open my mouth in surprise.

“Shh.”

Egun warned me, placing her finger on my lips. As my pounding heart calmed a bit, I could hear sounds.

Rustle rustle-

The sound of something walking through leaves could be heard. Though I couldn’t see it because I had blocked the entrance with leaves, it was likely a goblin or an orc. It would be quite troublesome if I were discovered now.

“Wuruk. Wurwik. Wraark?”

“Wroralak. Wuruluk.”

The identity of the nearby monster was an orc. This made the situation worse. If it had been a goblin, I might at least consider fighting.

What should I do? If I knew the number of enemies, I could respond accordingly, but that was impossible.

I bit my lip. I frowned and clenched both hands simultaneously.

Squeeze—

When my heart was pounding, Egun pressed her body against mine. Her large, soft breasts were pressed and spread to both sides.

The sight naturally calmed my mind. Perhaps this is why men are described as simple creatures.

After a while, the noise around us disappeared. Only then could I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Are you calm now?”

“Yes. But how did you come here, Lady Egun?”

“Did you think I couldn’t come to a place like this?”

She smirked and tapped the leaves behind her. They all turned to ashes and settled down. I frowned at the sudden influx of sunlight.

“Get up.”

I grabbed the hand Egun extended and came out of the hole. Outside, I stretched my arms wide. Perhaps because I had slept curled up, my whole body felt stiff.

“So why did you come here? Did you come to receive payment?”

“How could that be? Much as I enjoy receiving payment, I wouldn’t do such a thing in a dungeon.”

Judging by her referring to it as “such a thing,” she seems to know that what we do as payment is sexual.

Somehow, my heart started pounding in a different sense. If she knows and still does it, it means there’s some other emotion or intention.

“I came here to let you know that the direction you took was correct.”

“By the direction I took, do you mean changing the shape of the fire?”

“Yes. Though it’s different from what I intended, ultimately all paths lead to one. It doesn’t matter either way.”

Egun reached out to me and stroked my cheek. Though expressionless, her gesture seemed to contain affection.

“Continue to strive. Then you will be able to achieve what you desire.”

After saying that, she opened a red portal. Egun disappeared before I could ask any more questions.

I stood in place, touching my cheek. It was still slightly warm.

My physical energy had fully recovered. My magic power had fully recovered too. Checking my body’s condition, it wasn’t bad.

Rather than leaving the forest right now, I should try shaping when I’m in good condition. Didn’t Egun say that this direction was correct?

“Flame.”

Standing in place, I summoned a flame. A blazing fire.

Fwoosh—

When I drew an image of it burning more fiercely, it grew in size and its power became stronger. I could do this easily.

The problem was the next step. I envisioned an arrow in my mind. The shape of the flame began to change gradually. It seemed to be getting longer, and then.

Psssh-

With a sound like air escaping, the flame collapsed. I clutched my head at the sudden feeling of exhaustion.

It was difficult to do it easily because this happened every time I tried. It would be good if there were a place to practice, but that wasn’t easy at the inn.

Should I fulfill my dream of owning a home here, a dream I couldn’t achieve in Korea? But I’m not sure if that’s possible since property in the Labyrinth City wouldn’t be cheap.

Suddenly, everything seemed regrettable.

Because of my black hair, I couldn’t form parties. Because of my ability, I couldn’t train with peace of mind.

I didn’t have much complaint. I just found it truly regrettable. In the end, to solve all this, I needed to become stronger. Only then could I break free from constraints.

“Flame.”

After trying to shape the flame a few more times, I left the open space. I should at least hunt for today, shouldn’t I?

This time, I decided to target orcs instead of goblins.

Orcs were typically easy to find, but goblins were difficult to spot. This was because orcs and goblins fought over territory. Usually, goblins were pushed back, so it couldn’t be helped.

“Wraaaark—!”

The roar of an orc drumming in my ears. I slowly approached in the direction of the sound.

“Kerueewik!”

As I got closer, the consecutive cries of goblins could be heard.

‘Could it be.’

I increased my pace even more. If what I was thinking was right, this was truly a good opportunity.

Peering over the hill, the first thing I saw were two green masses. Orcs. And around them, smaller ones. Goblins.

Surprisingly, orcs and goblins were facing each other in a standoff in the plains.

‘How lucky.’

I watched the monsters with a raised corner of my mouth. Would this end with just a battle of wills? Or would there really be a bloody conflict?

“Wraaaark—!”

The orc immediately provided the answer to that question. It roared and charged toward the goblins.

“Kerururuk!”

The goblin leader urgently shouted. The goblins instantly dispersed to both sides.

Perhaps because they had been fighting over territory for a long time, their movements were very skillful. This was also something that couldn’t be seen in the game. It was content that only appeared in text.

“Waaaaark!”

The orc came to a sudden stop with its thick legs. Then it swung the club in its hand widely.

Crack!

A goblin’s head burst immediately upon being hit by the club. Like an exploding watermelon, blood and flesh splattered everywhere. It was truly a brutally strong force.

“Keruk! Kerururuk!”

Despite witnessing such a brutal scene, the goblins didn’t back down. They charged at the orc with the weapons they had brought.

Slash-

Some of the weapons the goblins brought were blunt weapons, and some were daggers. Those with clubs jumped up to attack the face, while those with daggers moved stealthily to cut the heels or the back of the knees.

It was a very cunning movement. It wasn’t for nothing that they fought over territory despite the difference in body size.

The orc continued to kill the goblins that clung around it. The goblins attacked the orc even as they died. And eventually, they achieved results.

Slash—

“Wuuuwuuark—!”

Finally, one of them succeeded in cutting the Achilles tendon. As the orc collapsed in its posture, the goblins rushed in like hyenas.

Thud! Thud—!

The female orc charged in to save her husband. The goblins blocked her path by throwing their bodies in front.

‘Fierce. It’s fierce.’

In the end, the winners of the fight were the goblins. It was a fight between two and twenty, so in a way, it was expected.

“Keruluk!”

“Keralaralak!”

What was impressive was that only five goblins survived. It meant that two orcs had killed fifteen.

The goblins danced in joy. Laughing, they stabbed the corpses with clubs or urinated on them.

“Flame.”

I summoned a flame among them. The head of the one urinating on the orc burst into flames.

“Kerururuk!?”

“Burn.”

I set fire to the goblin leader who was looking around and then jumped down the hill.

“Keruk!”

The goblin closest to me roared loudly. With bloodshot eyes, it seemed quite excited as it charged.

As it jumped, I immediately swung my club in time. Like swinging a baseball bat.

Thud—!

An attack that accurately hit the head. It spun around and flew away, then twitched its body.

Fwoosh-

I moved the flame at will and melted another one’s head. Now only two remained. And even one of those had lost its eyes to fire.

“Keruk! Kerururalak!”

The goblin, looking alternately at me and the corpses, turned and fled. It was limping, perhaps having injured its leg.

It was a wise choice, but I had no intention of letting it go.

I was about to use ‘Burn’ but stopped for a moment. Since it didn’t matter if I let it go, I wanted to try something.

“Phew.”

In my mind, a blazing flame. Then the shape of an arrow.

The shape of the already summoned flame gradually changed. Meanwhile, the goblin was getting farther away. I began to feel impatient. Should I really let it go like this?

I bit my lip hard. My whole body felt hot. My eyes hurt, but I focused even more, tears streaming down.

Fwoosh—!

It was the moment I projected the arrow in my mind onto the flame. The shape of the flame completely changed, taking the form of an arrow.

“Fire Arrow.”

I spoke, pointing at the goblin fleeing in the distance.

Could it really catch up? If it were a regular flame, it would be impossible? That was my needless worry.

Swoosh—!

I really heard a sound like an arrow cutting through the wind. The fire arrow tore through the air, flying and hitting the goblin’s back.

No sound came back. But what was certain was that the goblin’s body had fallen forward.

As if it had been hit by a real arrow.