With four legs left, the Warlock’s movement was awkward. It was obvious that she purposely decided to enter the narrow hallway so it would be easier for her to move.

  Rue’s sword skittered against the spider leg she sent forward. He managed to rush ahead and avoid his sword being broken. Leaping inside the girl’s defence, Rue slashed forward. However, the Warlock quickly skittered away. Her spider legs crashed through the walls, and her body escaped his range.

  Rue ducked as the leg tried to impale him. He batted away a jab—once again, his sword cracked.

  I should have asked Paxwell for his sword earlier. He thought bitterly.

  The girl kept retreating farther into the hall while still keeping one of her legs engaged against him. If that's how she wanted to play… Rue rushed back, out of the spider’s leg range. He thrusted open his hand and fired a Frost Shrapnel.

  The Shrapnel passed by her spider legs, and she fumbled down to the ground, using the rest of her spider legs to form a shield. Ice blasted apart. Her Spider legs held. But that caused the leg she used to attack to be forgotten, and Rue capitalized.

  Raising his hand, the sword of ice came to being in his grip. Cold settled across his palm. Rue slammed down his sword. Crack resounded, not only from his sword but also from the spider's legs. Both shattered to smithereens.

  Not wasting any more time, he rushed forward. The girl barely opened her defence to transition into an attack, but her body staggered around. The sword of ice Rue had stabbed deep into her stomach has disappeared. Blood colored her bandaged. And her legs lost their power.

  Summoning his sword again, another spider leg launched at him. He ducked. Letting the attack swoosh past him. With legs bent, Rue bounded forward. His sword absorbed the darkness as the shadow of the Chandelier above did not reach far below.

  The girl tried to defend with her last two legs, but changed her mind in the last second. She went aggressive, using her last two spider legs like a whip to her left.

  With all defensive options gone, all he could do was keep rushing onward. Rue leaped with Frost sword stretched as far as possible. The girl’s legs smashed into Rue, but not before Rue was able to score another puncture into what should be her heart.

  He couldn't see the result, as his vision blanked and his body crashed through a wall. Rue spun, and his head hit the back of smooth wood. Body aching all over, Rue opened his eyes to see a brown shiny lantern hanging on the room’s ceiling. He tried to stand, his hand clutching the bed below him.

  The world still spun. But it was obvious he could not get any rest.

  Ironically, instead of using the wall entrance she just blown open, the girl entered from the door with her hand on the handle. She stumbled forward, three spider legs trailing behind her.

  Three left, just three left.

  Rue raised his hand. Frost Shrapnel built up.

  A jolt of pain shot up, but he bit his lips, forcing pain to his brain.

  Focus.

  The girl sent all of her spider legs forward—all of them. That proved to be a mistake. Frost Shrapnel crashed against her legs, which bunched up like a thick spear. His spell broken apart. But the girl fell backward in recoil. She collapsed backward, pulling her spider legs with her.

  Summoning another Frost Shrapnel again, Rue aimed low. The next shot will kill her. And he would do it.

  A small tear slid down his face. Rue released his magic.

  In the last second, she moved. Not from her spider legs' power, but from her own will to live. She managed to roll. but the Frost Shrapnel blew apart half of her arm.

  A cry rose as the girl passed through the door entrance into the large, fractured wall. She fallen by the red carpet. Rue was about to fired his spell again, but then the three legs suddenly jabbed down around her, and they pulled her up, catapulting her out of Rue’s sight.

  “Come on…” Rue bit his lips.

  Hand on the bedside table, he staggered up. His Mana was low, so low that he could not afford to dilly-dally on his magic. He had to make everything count.

  Rue wished his Frost Sword were large enough to extend to his feet. He stumbled around, toward the wall fracture. Hand pulled against the desk’s drawer handle. He stumbled when he accidentally opened it. And he could laugh.

  An Health potion was here.

  He picked it up. Only health potion. Why would there be…

  This is a brothel… could it be?

  Realisation entered him. Rue quickly down the potion. He summoned his Frost Sword and left the room. His fear came true as he saw the door next to his room open. Running straight inside, he saw the girl drinking the potion.

  No, actually. Not drinking yet. Her hand fumbled around the vial. The large injury across her stomach prevents her real body movement, but not those spider legs.

  They noticed him. The freaking legs noticed him.

  The girl’s eyes snapped back, and she shrieked upon the sight of him.

  Rue lurched forward, jumping over a swipe. He landed and brought his sword up to receive a lash straight at his shoulder. His sword cracked, but not fully. For the last leg, it tried to snake toward him cheekily by sweeping the floor.

  Rue quickly bent, swinging his sword to his left hand, and with his gauntleted right hand—he smashed down upon the last legs—stopping its sneak attack. The spider’s legs' momentum stopped. He couldn’t crack it. But he didn’t need to. Rue launched forward at the girl. Her hair splattered across her bloodied bandage, white hair across the red cloth. Her back hit the edge of the wall, and she quickly brought the potion to her mouth.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Rue slashed. Cutting apart her last arm. Her eyes widened, and her mouth worked.

  “No, No, No!” She screamed.

  Rue twisted his sword in both hands and, with its flat side, smashed the girl’s face. Her body collapsed onto the floor, and Rue, with his left hand, reached into her wound.

  Magic built up. The air went frozen. The next instant, the girl was encased by Ice Embrace. Her body paused as her mouth opened in agony. Her bloodshot eyes were wide, and the wound around her stomach and hand frozen over.

  He watched the misery now encased in time.

  Rue quickly turned. Forgetting about the legs. They slumped over the floor, unmoving.

  He had to kick them to be sure, but they looked like they had lost their function because of the girl’s state.

  The room was cold.

  He slumped down, back resting against the ice stalagmite.

  He needed to rest…

  A vial of red lay across the floor. Rue had thought it was broken, but no, they still contact. If not a bit cracked. He took it up and drank the contents.

  The others might still be fighting.

  What of Lire? And Gilbert and Agi? Were they fighting against the last husband of Sruka’s?

  Yeah, he could not rest now.

  Rue grunted. He stood, wrist resting against the stalagmite’s cold exterior. Looking down at the frozen girl, he wished her good luck. This was probably foolish, to use his healing magic like this. But, he did not care for now.

  With the extra vitality from the health potion, Rue opened the door. He exhaled when there was no one outside. But these hallways were familiar. Yes, Rue could see the broken window far away. This window was not completely broken like the earlier one. It is just broken at the top.

  That was from when he tackled Gannicus from going to…

  His breath hitched, and his vision narrowed on the double door near the window.

  Sruka’s room.

  Should he go?

  Maybe he should find Paxwell and Ilyrin first? But Sruka had been injured because of her summoning them and forcing a contract on the girl. He wanted to capitalize on that. And also, there was a chance that Lire and the others were still fighting inside…

  He was still unsure of what to think about the Succubus. Paxwell’s gamble seemed to pay off. But, truthfully, he still had doubts.

  For now, the smart thing was to find Paxwell. But still…

  Just a scout?

  Rue walked forward, his eardrummed as he neared the door.

  Level 50…

  The walk was long, and Rue noticed his gait slowed down as his vision began to waver from his pure fear. Sweat slackened down his neck. His hand clasp between his shoulder blades. The memory of the pain he went through when Sruka summoned her replayed in his mind.

  The pain, the pure agony.

  His hand tightened on the golden knob, too afraid to spin it open. The double door stood menacingly. Sunlight had downed and dusk began to color the night hesitantly. Hesitant crimson light lanced at him, beaming at the golden tapestries of the double door. The sunset kissed his cheek. It was not warm; in fact, it was cold. Yet, he was still standing, and he could feel this real light. Not the artificial light or the whirring of the machine. But, true light and sound of swishing wind.

  He wanted to keep this. He needed this.

  Rue spun the knob and entered a grand room that spread across with richness.

  A large, royal gold bed lay right in the middle with two figures lying upon it. Sruka with her face pale. Her back was to the bedpost. She played with the hair of another creature. The red demon lay his head on Sruka’s bare thigh, eyes closed.

  Sruka’s eyes tiredly glance at Rue, and her eyes still shone with red determination.

  “Husband,” she whispered.

  “For you,” the husband said and stood. Across his body was a myriad of slash wounds, and he was still bleeding through those lesions. It was a wonder how he could stand like that. Rue’s gaze widened as he saw three bodies slung at the corner of the room. A Succubus and two humans. Agi, Lire, and Gilbert.

  Are they?

  Rue gathered his voice. “Are they alive?”

  “I tried a more binding spell,” Sruka did not answer his question; she pulled her blanket around her. “It did not work. I should have Gannicus use that Spell to kill all of you and settle with my only warlock… Is she alive? Oh, she is. You’re quite a kind one, are you?”

  “Answer me,” Rue said. Frost Sword’s cold seeped into his entire body. Cold vapor left his mouth.

  “They’re dead, only Lire is still alive,” the husband answered. “They lost to me. Although, as you can see.” He showed his body. “I cannot heal Lire’s attack. Damn Succubus.”

  “Damn us indeed,” Sruka smiled. “Tell me, Ice Swordman. How do you get rid of my mark?”

  Rue did not answer.

  Instead, he charged forward.

  The Warlock snapped his lash across the air, and it went flying straight at him.

  He watched and watched. And Rue decided it was so slow.

  He stepped back, letting the lashes crack the carpet, revealing a polished wooden floor.

  The Demon cracked the lash at him again.

  This time, Rue twisted with his sword up. The lash missed him by miles. It was like the demon no longer could fight properly.

  “Damn poison, Sruka—”

  Rue bounded forward, sword pushed, and he impaled the demon’s throat.

  The demon croaked.

  Rue twisted his grip, and the demon’s neck cracked.

  [You have Slain Demon Warlock—Level 27]

  [Level Up]

  [Level Up]

  The body slumped down with its neck twisted in a way it shouldn’t be.

  Tears ran down Sruka’s face. A small gap formed in her mouth. She closed it, biting her cheek, and a sob took over her.

  “Are you really crying?” Rue asked, his head tipped up. He was tired, too tired to care anymore.

  His gaze touched the bodies of Agi and Gilbert. Both dead.

  “Do you know what I have been through?” Sruka asked.

  Rue’s eyes bored on her. Sruka stiffened, but she kept going.

  “This brothel, this place, it's built from the ground up by me! Me alone! Do you know what befell Succubus? Us? A creature of lust? The amount of disgusting filth I went through! How they laugh as they paid coin as if I’m just some bastard whore? Do you know how many painless night where I couldn’t move? When the whole wide multiverse agreed that us Succubus only good for one thing and hunted us down lest they want to lose their loved ones’ love to us? Tell me, Mage-Knight of Frost. Does someone like you know it? Fighting against the nature you’re born in? Of course not, and yet here you are, standing with all of your power, taking everything dear to me.”

  She laughed bitterly.

  “Someone blessed as you will never understand! How degrading it is when something unpleasant enters your body. How your entire being is repulsed, but you can’t do anything. I build heaven. Heaven for the Succubus, where they can work with proper pay. Where they can let their lust run rampant on clients who are willing to receive it, to pay properly, even. And everything is about to be destroyed… to be combined into one world. Have you realised how unfair that is! I just did what was necessary to secure our place in the next world! And now the sys—”

  “I don’t understand?” Rue cut her.

  He wanted to yell at her every single detail of his life. But when he looked at her again, all he saw was Perez, the doctor who took what his body could offer for the good of the world, for his daughter. All he saw was the line of people cheering him as they disgusted him to no end.

  Rue had formed Frost Shrapnel before he knew it, aiming straight at Sruka’s head.

  “I can forgive you,” Sruka’s gaze wavered. Her voice is dead. “All I want now is for all Succubus—”

  “You’re right, I don’t understand,” Rue said, then shook his head. “No, that is not right. I can understand, but…”

  Sruka’s shoulder was hunched, and her dark hair cascaded like a halo around her shoulder.

  “I don’t want to. And frankly, I don’t care.”

  He released his magic.

  Frost Shrapnel tore through Sruka’s head, blasting blood apart in an explosion of flesh.

  [You have Slain Succubus Temptress—Level 52]

  [Level Up]

  [Level Up]

  [Level Up]

  [Level Up]

  [Level Up]

  [Level Up]

  [Level Up]

  [Level Up]

  [Level Up]

  [Level Up]

  Creation Point: 0 → 230,000

  [Adaptation Tutorial: First Stage] [Completed]

  [Survivor: Rue Hazard, Paxwell Hazard, Ilyrin Hazard, Aurel Hazard]

  [Integrator will be taken until the Common First Stage Tutorial is over, and join for the Second Stage, the Last Stage of the Last Tutorial]

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