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

Who exactly was targeting me and why—that wasn’t very important. I wasn’t particularly curious either.

What mattered more was how strong the opponent was, and where and how they planned to attack. This was far more important.

『1F』

‘It’s unlikely to be the first or second floor.’

Unless the opponent was an idiot, they wouldn’t target me in a crowded place. This meant there was no reason to be tense yet.

I walked along the corridor on the first floor. Numerous mercenaries could be seen waiting in front of holes. Such a consistent scene.

Upon reaching the end of the corridor, stairs appeared. As I descended, I glanced back slightly. No one else was visible.

Of course, there was no way they would be exposed here. If I had seen the enemy, I would have been surprised instead.

『2F』

The air grew even hotter as I entered the second floor.

I walked slowly to allow those following me to keep up sufficiently. If I lost them here, I would have to live constantly suspicious and vigilant.

‘I absolutely hate that.’

I had already experienced such situations multiple times. I didn’t want to go through it again.

『3F』

I entered the third floor. Sure enough, no miners were visible. Perhaps the news of the hobgoblin’s death hadn’t spread yet.

Well, those who managed the labyrinth probably didn’t care whether miners died or not. That’s why no quest was issued despite the hobgoblin’s appearance.

It also meant how expendable those at the bottom were.

I took out a wooden stick from my chest and lit it on fire. I planned not to reveal my abilities until the enemies attacked.

‘My physical abilities are enough anyway.’

It wasn’t for nothing that I survived a year of wandering in this world. If I had been weak enough to die to goblins, I would have perished long ago.

“Kerwik-!”

I roamed the corridor with a sword in one hand and a torch in the other. A goblin inevitably charged at me. Just as it jumped, swinging its club, I took a step back.

Swoosh—

The strike passed before my eyes. I thrust the sword I had pulled back.

Stab!

The tip of the sword, drawing a straight line, pierced the goblin’s neck.

“Kerwik, kewik, kek kek…”

Blood spurted from its disgusting mouth. Incomplete screams came out a few times before its head drooped. I pushed the goblin’s body away with my foot. After removing it from the sword, I searched the body and collected the magic stone.

I frowned. If I killed it with fire, I wouldn’t even have to deal with blood. I was once again reminded of how good Egun’s ability was.

‘Wait, if I do this, won’t I have less to offer as payment?’

The payment was the act of paying a price to the devil.

In other words, I needed to use the ability more to be able to offer more payment. But if I kept using the sword like this? It meant I would have less to offer in the end.

“Fuck.”

It was the first happiness I had felt since coming to this damn world. But to lose it in such an absurd way?

I clenched my fist.

I needed to resolve this situation as quickly as possible. Only then could I offer payment to Egun.

“Huh.”

I took a deep breath to calm my excitement. Though I was irritated, acting rashly would be more dangerous. If I lost them here, I wouldn’t be able to use my abilities for longer.

‘Slowly.’

I moved slowly with the torch extended forward. From now on, I needed a meticulous plan.

‘I must eliminate them all at once.’

I don’t know who is targeting me or why, but you won’t die peacefully.

“…Are you sure about this?”

One adventurer asked in a small voice. He kept looking around and swallowing hard.

“They say a hobgoblin appears on the third floor. A hobgoblin. Do you know how many miners it has killed so far?”

“I know, so shut up.”

The man next to him growled. He was a man with a straight scar across his neck.

“What about going back now? They say that guy is a Teufel, right? Teufels bring misfortune. Since a hobgoblin roams the third floor, he’ll die on his own.”

Another man next to him spoke persuasively.

“What if he comes back alive? Then what will you do? Think about it when the time comes, you idiots?”

“Isn’t that right? You should think about things when they happen.”

“That’s right.”

At their casual responses, the scarred man scratched his head and sighed deeply.

“How do you know when that damn bastard will come to the labyrinth again? We found him by chance today. Do you think such luck will come again?”

“It could be misfortune. Since it’s related to a Teufel. If the hobgoblin appears, it’s over for not just him but all of us.”

“We’ll run away when that happens. Just shut up.”

The two miners fell silent at his aggressive tone. The man ignored them, grinding his teeth.

‘They’re just pawns to be used and discarded for this job anyway.’

They were people he brought along because he felt a bit anxious going alone. When he used alcohol and money as bait, they readily accepted, true to their miner nature. Though their greed seemed disproportionate to their ability.

“…He fights better than expected?”

“With one arm occupied by the torch, he still kills goblins very cleanly. He’s skilled.”

“He’s a Teufel. He must have contracted with a devil. By the way, Ansel.”

“What?”

“Did he really steal your money and run away? With that kind of skill, it doesn’t seem like he would need to.”

The miner spoke quite rationally, as if the Teufel’s skill had cooled his head. Ansel was taken aback for a moment, but he spoke calmly.

“Of course. That bastard is a Teufel. You know how despicable, mean, and weak those black-haired bastards are.”

“That’s true. There was a well in our village. At some point, people started getting sick from drinking from it. It must have been a Teufel who poisoned the well.”

“Right. So, stop doubting and just follow me quietly. What if that bastard hears our conversation?”

“Okay, okay.”

Ansel bit his lip hard. His eyes burned as fiercely as the distant, faint light. He repeatedly loosened and tightened his grip on the sword in his hand.

‘Just wait a little. You damn bastard. I’ll soon cut off your head.’

Since Ansel had picked a fight with the Teufel and been defeated in return, no merchant would accept him.

It was partly due to the rumor that being defeated by a Teufel brings misfortune, but the bigger reason was…

‘Fuck. I shouldn’t have wet myself there…’

The role of a mercenary was to be a meat shield.

In dangerous times, they had to perform tasks at the very front. But what merchant would want a mercenary who wet himself just from being threatened?

Of course, most mercenaries would wet themselves or beg for their lives in such situations. How could those who ran away from home just because they didn’t want to work remain calm in the face of death?

Ansel wasn’t much different from the others. What mattered was that he had shown such a side.

There was a big gap between ‘might be like that’ and ‘is like that’.

‘I will definitely repay this humiliation.’

Ansel ground his teeth. His breathing grew increasingly rough. The miners following beside him walked with a slight distance.

“That bastard seems to be getting tired? He’s sitting down to rest.”

After following the Teufel for quite some time, their target finally sat down.

“How many goblins has he killed so far? This is really incredible?”

“Considering the money from exchanging magic stones and the money we’ll get from Ansel, we can really score big with this.”

The two miners snickered. It was just like them to only think about the money they would earn.

“Should we spread out and ambush?”

“How are you going to do that when he can’t even hold the torch? Don’t do anything strange and get discovered, let’s go all at once. That bastard is alone, and there are three of us. What can he do?”

“Right. That’s better.”

Ansel’s group slowly approached the light visible in the distance.

As they got closer to the Teufel, Ansel’s heart began to beat faster. He continuously licked his lips.

“Huh.”

When they reached a place just barely out of the torch’s light, they stopped.

“When I give the signal, let’s all go at once.”

“Right. Got it.”

“One. Two. Three…!”

“Aaaaah!”

With Ansel’s shout, the miners charged. He deliberately ran slightly slower. He planned to use them as meat shields.

“Damn it!”

The Teufel hurriedly stood up. The miners flinched as he drew his sword, but their speed didn’t decrease.

Clang—!

Sparks flew as their swords collided. Through the momentarily brightened view, black hair was visible.

“Die, you bastard!”

Another miner swung a mace at the Teufel from the side. He easily avoided it and then suddenly extended his hand.

“Flame.”

At the somewhat chilling murmur, Ansel urgently said:

“Dodge!”

Fwoosh—!

An intense flame appeared before their eyes, bright enough to blind them. Ansel tightly closed his eyes at the sudden light.

“Aaaaargh…!”

A chilling scream pierced his ears. It was the voice of the miner who had suggested they turn back earlier.

Slash—

“—Kerk. Kek, keurururuk…”

Hearing the sound of blood gurgling afterward, Ansel hurriedly opened his eyes. Tears streamed down due to the brightness, but fighting the enemy was more important right now.

“You damn Teufel bastard! You really contracted with a devil!? Huh!?”

“After suffering so much discrimination just for having black hair, I should contract with a devil out of resentment. Don’t you think?”

The enemy was further away than expected. The flame was closer than expected.

Gulp-

The two miners’ bodies on the floor. One was burning fiercely, emitting heat and light, while the other was clutching his neck and vomiting blood.

“Kek, keuik…”

He looked as if he might breathe his last at any moment. His eyes turned toward Ansel.

“Don’t look at me with those eyes, you idiot! This happened because you weaklings were too weak!”

Ansel had a fit at eyes that seemed to blame him. The Teufel took a step toward him.

“Don’t come near me, you bastard! Don’t come!”

“I won’t. But this will.”

Ansel was startled by the suddenly approaching flame. He hurriedly tried to turn and run, but his legs gave out, and he ended up collapsing to the floor.

“Ah… Aaaaah…!”

Drip-

Urine flowed through his pants. The smell of urine stung his nostrils. Back in the carriage, he had felt so ashamed, but now he felt no such emotion.

Fear. Only overwhelming terror was felt.

“S-spare me… I, I was wrong… N-never… I’ll never do this again…!”

The black-haired man said nothing. He only smiled coldly. That was even more frightening. He flicked his finger. The flame slowly approached.

“Uhhh…!”

Ansel began to flee, turning direction while his body trembled. The urine that had flowed onto the floor got on his body, but he didn’t care.

The heat grew more intense. His strength continued to drain. He couldn’t breathe properly. His mind was clouded.

Fwoosh—!

“Aaaaargh! Save me! Save me! Save me, you damn bastard!!!”

Ansel screamed as the flame began to burn him slowly, starting from his feet and lower body.

He raged.
He begged.
He pleaded with tears, but nothing worked. He felt the flames burning him more clearly.

“……”

And so Ansel died from shock before his lower body turned to ashes. It was a miserable death for a mercenary.