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

‘It’s fast.’

The monster’s movement was quicker than I had expected. I thought it would be slower than a goblin due to its large size, but it was actually more agile.

Thud—!

The hobgoblin jumped up. When I saw it raising both arms and clenching its fists, I immediately threw myself to the side.

“Flame!”

I didn’t forget to leave a flame where I had been standing.

Bang—!

With the noise, I felt vibrations beneath my feet. The dust rose so much that I couldn’t properly see the situation.

Fwoosh—!

Beyond the hazy vision, I could see the flame burning fiercely. I commanded it to pursue the vague silhouette I glimpsed.

“Ker-ruruk!”

A cry of pain. Seeing the light coming from above the silhouette, it seemed the flame had caught on its fur as well.

I stood still and quietly observed what the hobgoblin was doing. There was no reason to move and reveal my position.

“Kea-aaaaak—!”

Thud- Thud-!

It ran around wildly, trying to avoid the flame that was chasing it. It wasn’t completely stupid, so it probably knew that I was the one who had summoned the flame.

“Keaak!”

Before long, as the dust gradually settled, our positions were revealed to each other.

Blackened fur. I could see blisters on its skin, probably from burns. Its eyes were bloodshot, and the area around them looked wet, as if it had been crying.

Thud—!

The hobgoblin kicked off the ground again. Unlike before, it didn’t jump toward the ceiling.

The hobgoblin charged fiercely toward me. Looking directly into its eyes, which were glinting in the firelight, I said:

“Burn.”

I felt a considerable amount of magic power leaving me. Flames rose above the hobgoblin’s eyelids.

“Kiaaa-aaak!”

The hobgoblin fell forward in the same posture it had been charging in. The sight of it clutching both eyes with its hands and rolling around on the floor was utterly pathetic.

Were miners unable to handle just one such creature, so they stayed on the first and second floors?

“Ugh…”

I frowned at the sudden smell of urine. Yellow liquid trailed in the direction the creature had rolled.

I distanced myself slightly and used only the flame to finish off the hobgoblin. Once its body turned to ashes, I approached to collect the magic stone.

‘It’s quite large.’

While a goblin’s magic stone was only the size of a fingernail, the hobgoblin’s was larger. About the size of a finger. Moreover, it was red in color.

I put the magic stone in my pocket and walked down the corridor. Normally, I would have been satisfied with this income and returned. I had even killed a hobgoblin.

‘I could go back now. But I’m curious.’

If I used more power here, how would Egun act? What kind of payment would she take?

Gulp-

For some reason, my throat felt dry, so I took out my water pouch and drank. The thirst was quenched, but strangely, I kept salivating.

After wandering around the third floor for quite some time, I found the stairs leading to the fourth floor and went down immediately.

『4F』

The fourth floor was still a cave. The difference was that the corridor-like structure visible on the upper floors was not apparent here.

A cave filled with darkness. I sent the flame ahead and remained vigilant about my surroundings.

“Keruluk…”

Hearing a cry from the front, I approached in that direction. Beyond the extending light, I could see a group of goblins. Four in total.

Unlike other monsters, the goblins didn’t charge even when their position was exposed. Instead, they looked to one goblin for guidance. It was larger than the others and carried a long sword.

‘Goblin warrior.’

It was a stronger individual than the regular goblins. It was also a monster occasionally seen outside.

“Keruk!”

It cried out, swinging its sword. Then the surrounding goblins charged at me as if they had been waiting.

‘From the fourth floor onwards, they come in groups.’

The difficulty suddenly increased. This time, it didn’t seem like a problem that could be solved simply by sending a flame.

I visualized flames in my mind. A fiercely burning, undulating flame. Like waves surging with the sea breeze.

Fwoosh—!

The flame, reflecting my imagination, fell to the floor. The fire that burned fiercely and grew in size. The way it jumped around reminded me of turbulent waves.

“Keruk!?”

The approaching goblins were startled by the suddenly growing flame.

“Spread out.”

When I pointed forward and spoke, the stationary wave began to extend.

“Kerururuk—!”

When the flame surged toward them, they quickly turned around. The goblin warrior at the front pushed its subordinates around indiscriminately.

“Keruk!”

A goblin that had fallen to the ground reached out to its comrade. It grabbed its leg and clung desperately.

Thwack! Thwack!

The goblin warrior beat the one grabbing its leg with a club, but it absolutely wouldn’t let go.

Fwoosh!

In the end, two goblins were swept away by the wave of flames and turned to ashes in an instant.

‘It’s slow.’

The flame wave had much stronger firepower and range than the flames I had used so far. However, it was slower and consumed a lot of magic power. It would be better not to use it until I improved it.

“Keruk!”

When the flame disappeared, the goblin warrior approached me again. Unlike before, this time it positioned a subordinate goblin at the front. It was cunning.

“Keruk, Keruluk…”

The goblin that was forced to stand at the front whimpered. Its already ugly face became even more miserable. When it tried not to move with its trembling legs, the goblin warrior poked its back with its sword.

“Keruk!”

At the goblin warrior’s shout, the goblin finally charged reluctantly while crying. It was already unable to maintain proper strength and posture due to fear.

Slash—!

Since there was no need to use magic power, I dealt with it using my sword. Then, as if it had been waiting, the goblin warrior attacked.

“Burn.”

I commanded toward its eyes. Along with the feeling of magic power draining, fire ignited on its face.

“Keaaaak…!”

It must not have expected its eyeballs to melt, as it collapsed immediately. All I had to do was stab its heart with my sword to finish it off.

I collected the magic stones from the goblins I had dispatched. As expected, the goblin warrior’s magic stone was larger than that of a regular goblin. Of course, the difference wasn’t significant.

I sat near the stairs leading to the third floor and took out jerky and water. I was planning to go back now, but I needed to take a short rest in case there was more fighting ahead.

‘The magic power consumption was more intense.’

Regular goblin.
Goblin warrior.
And hobgoblin.

The magic power required to use “Burn” on each was different.

Taking the regular goblin as a baseline, the warrior required twice as much, and the hobgoblin required ten times as much.

It was manageable because the magic power consumption was generally low. However, it seemed that the deeper I went, the harder it would be to use.

Well, I had been having it too easy so far. It was at a level where I didn’t even need to use “Flame” and could manage with just “Burn.”

‘Let’s go up.’

From now on, I should focus more on handling the flame. Having reached this conclusion, I stood up. It was time to return.

“After calculation, 6 silver.”

The income from the magic stones obtained from the labyrinth had increased threefold. It was probably due to the hobgoblin more than anything else.

When I worked as a mercenary, it would have taken escorting a merchant group for a week to earn this much money. But now I earned it in just one day. And by just standing still!

‘Egun is a god. I am invincible.’

When I first came here, life was on ultra-hard mode, but these days it was on easy mode. It was almost unsettling how well things were going.

Thinking that good things are good, I returned to the inn.

“You’re a bit late today.”

When I entered the building, there were a few people inside. Far fewer than at lunchtime. It would probably be packed again at dinner.

“I went in earnest. Prepare a meal and warm water. And if there’s anything to clean my teeth or body with, provide that too.”

“You’re just going to get dirty again tomorrow, so why bother? Are you planning to visit a brothel?”

I frowned at her question. What brothel? I had no intention whatsoever of becoming a hole-comrade with other mercenaries.

“Just prepare what I asked for.”

“Yes.”

I tossed her a coin, and the server nodded.

I ate the food and washed with warm water. I cleaned my teeth and body with the items I had requested. Finally, changing into clean clothes completed the preparation.

Returning to my room, I locked the door. I sat on the bed and muttered that I would pay the price.

『Are you ready to pay the price?』

My heart started pounding at the message that appeared before my eyes. I felt a strange anticipation rising from within.

“Yes.”

I said after a slight pause.

Woooong—!

The space in front of me rippled. A blazing portal appeared. The same red leg I had seen the day before yesterday and yesterday emerged.

Click-

High heels made a noise as they stepped on the wooden floor. For some reason, that sound made me slightly aroused.

『Romon. My contractor.』

“Yes, Lady Egun.”

『You are quite diligent in paying your price.』

She said, looking down at me. A smile briefly crossed her otherwise expressionless face.

“Is that displeasing to you?”

Instead of answering, Egun approached me. A red hand grabbed my chin and lifted it. Naturally, our eyes met.

I hadn’t noticed it before because I was so flustered, but Egun’s pupils were filled with starlight. It was as if the Milky Way was contained within them.

“Ah…”

She slowly brought her face closer to mine. Just before our lips touched, Egun said:

『How could I dislike it?』

“Smooch…♡”

After saying that, our lips met.