Chapter 174. Ravager Hellcrown
After taming Viridaura.
We moved again to tame the other guests staying at the hotel.
There was no need to search the hotel thoroughly.
The rabbit staff had already located all the guests.
In other words, we only had to follow the staff’s guidance to meet each guest.
For the record, all the rabbit staff had already been tamed.
【Bubble Bubble】─Looks like you’re really starting to tame the guests now.
【Luna-chan】─Capture every single one! >.<
【Pururu】─Haha, is this what they call caged farming?
【Mysticism】─😮
【Yumi】─The guests came to the hotel for a rest, only to be hit by lightning.
【Rizenova】─It may be like lightning, but it’s the kind that’s actually beneficial. They’re entering the ranks of Lord Gauntlet, who will one day rule the Ancient Labyrinth, and they’re getting in before others.
【Hwang Mir】─Not ranks; they’re friends.
According to Madam Rabbit,
she said there weren’t too many guests staying at the hotel currently.
Guests who were already under my control included Snake Head and Mummy Skeleton.
Plus, Viridaura, who I had just tamed.
Aside from them, I heard there were three more guests.
“Three guests… Madam Rabbit, could you share some information about the guests in advance?”
All the guests’ abilities were sealed.
As long as no unexpected variables arose, there would be no need for a fight.
But there was no guarantee that such variables wouldn’t occur, so it wouldn’t hurt to gather information about the guests beforehand.
After all, it was possible that an SSS-level threat monster might be visiting this hotel.
［Information about the guests? Yes, of course, I can tell you.］
As we moved in the elevator,
Madam Rabbit readily began sharing information about the other three guests.
First of all, two guests were at a level similar to Madam Rabbit and the other staff.
Queen Meliphera.
A humanoid monster who could summon small bee familiars and produce delicious honey.
Ravager Hellcrown.
A humanoid and demon type.
A monster wandering around after being exiled from hell.
Both were probably S-rank.
As previously mentioned, they were said to be on a similar level to Madam Rabbit.
And the final guest was clearly of a higher level than the others.
［That guest’s name is Pixel Golem, and we estimate he’s on a level comparable to our Landlord.］
Pixel Golem.
That monster was likely SS-rank.
【Bubble Bubble】─So, in the end, none of them are really threatening monsters.
【Luna-chan】─Phew, that’s a relief. o_O
【Mysticism】─🧐
【Mysticism】─Shouldn’t we be cautious about this Pixel Golem monster? It’s still SS-rank.
【Pururu】─Even so, it’s nerfed to an A-rank threat. Geon is S-rank, so it’ll be easy. Haha.
【Yumi】─And we even have the SSS-level Abyss Lord.
【Rizenova】─There’s no problem at all even without Lord Gauntlet or Lord Abyss. Even if it’s SS-rank, there’s no power to be used in that space.
【Hwang Mir】─Exactly. Just like Nyara Nepenthis and Azeras had their powers sealed earlier.
【Mysticism】─😮
【Pururu】─What, are you dense? Haha.
【Mysticism】─😠
After the conversation,
as we got off the elevator, I gave a quick glance over my monsters. Artpega Unibicorn was holding the Monster Guidebook tightly, eyes sparkling.
The moment it saw a monster, it seemed ready to begin documenting.
“Artpega.”
［Yes! Please leave the documentation to me!］
“You just drew Viridaura earlier. So, let me handle the documentation for the monster we’re about to tame.”
［Ah…］
Artpega’s expression turned to despair.
It was so shaken by the thought of not being able to draw that even its hand holding the guidebook was trembling.
This one’s more of a drawing addict than I am.
“…I’ll draw the first monster, and you can do the other two.”
［Th-thank you!!!］
Reluctantly, I decided to let it handle two of the tasks.
I sighed softly.
Then, I looked around the space we had arrived in.
There was a long counter lined with softly glowing crystal glasses.
Behind it, rows of wine bottles were displayed along the wall.
In front of the seemingly endless counter,
there were countless tables arranged at regular intervals, along with a lounge area with red leather sofas.
It was a wine bar.
【Pururu】─Whoa, they even have a wine bar.
【Hwang Mir】─The counter is super long. I can’t see the end of it.
【Mysticism】─😮
【Yumi】─I hear music, too. Is that jazz?
【Rizenova】─This place has an elegant vibe.
【Bubble Bubble】─It’s a bar.
【Luna-chan】─Heh.
［Lord Gauntlet. That individual over there is Ravager Hellcrown.］
Madam Rabbit pointed in one direction.
Down the long counter,
I could see a rabbit bartender standing far off in the distance.
And seated in front of him was a demon.
I walked over with the monsters, heading toward them.
As the distance closed, the forms of the bartender and demon became clearer.
Finally, after a few more steps, we arrived in front of them.
【Pururu】─Is that Ravager Hellcrown?
【Yumi】─Seems like it.
【Hwang Mir】─He looks intense.
【Mysticism】─😰
Ravager Hellcrown sipped his wine, glancing sideways at me with a faint turn of his head.
［You’ve come. I’ve been expecting you, explorer.］
“…You’re quite calm. So, does that mean you’re ready to be tamed?”
“After all, I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
“You’re well aware of that.”
He seemed to be quick to give up.
Well, if he wasn’t going to resist, that worked just fine for me.
I placed my hand on the spot over the mark engraved on his body.
“……”
The transformation speed was much slower than I’d anticipated.
It seemed he still harbored quite a bit of hostility toward me.
‘Since I can’t use mind control right now… I’ll just have to attach the severed arm I brought.’
With that thought,
I took out the severed arm I’d prepared in advance and attached it to his body.
Ravager Hellcrown stared at the severed arm for a moment, then turned his gaze to look at me.
“Explorer.”
“What?”
“I’ve heard that no one who becomes a friend of the Assisted One has ever betrayed the Explorer. But after you tame me, I will kill you.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I’m saying that I, of all beings, will be the first to betray the Assisted One. And I’ll achieve an unparalleled feat, gaining fame as the very first traitor.”
Ravager Hellcrown gave a sly smile.
I scratched my head, not taking his words too seriously.
“Uh, sure… Go ahead and give it your best shot.”
“This is the only time you can afford to be so relaxed. I can already envision the look on your face as you die from my betrayal. Hehehe.”
【Pururu】─Hehehe, oh please.
【Mysticism】─😠 What a horrible demon! Let’s just kill him!
【Yumi】─He’ll turn nice once he’s tamed anyway.
【Rizenova】─Turning “nice” isn’t quite accurate.
【Bubble Bubble】─I feel like even when he’s tamed, he’ll clash with the other monsters a lot.
【Luna-chan】─Gauntlet can give him a lesson on proper manners. Once he’s tamed, he’ll listen well. >.<
【Hwang Mir】─Hmm.
【Hwang Mir】─You never know, so just be careful. It’s possible that something could go wrong, and he could actually betray you. Better to be prepared.
There was no need for caution.
I wasn’t concerned in the slightest.
Not because I blindly trusted the powers of the Assisted One, but because, frankly, even if he did betray me, he couldn’t beat me. Even if he stepped outside the hotel.
He was weakened to a B-rank.
I possessed S-rank power.
Even if a B-rank being launched a perfect surprise attack, they could never kill a physical S-rank.
“But why would you even say that out loud? You could just wait quietly and ambush me when the opportunity arises.”
“I get all itchy if I don’t share my thoughts with others. Plus, I’m terrible at lying.”
Come to think of it,
when Madam Rabbit introduced Ravager Hellcrown, she mentioned that he’d been exiled from hell because he couldn’t keep his tongue in check.
It seemed he went around blurting out whatever was on his mind, just as he was now, which had led to him being hated and cast out of hell.
“Hehehe. I’m very curious what kind of scream your soul will make. I’ll crush you as painfully as possible, so look forward to it.”
“I’ll be cheering for you.”
“I feel like taking a dump.”
“…What?”
“If I gain fame and return to hell, they’ll welcome me back. Hehehe.”
“……”
【Pururu】─He’s really just saying everything he thinks out loud.
【Hwang Mir】─Seems like the filter connecting his brain to his mouth is broken.
I climbed onto the counter and sat down,
then began sketching Ravager Hellcrown’s image in the guidebook as he continued to mumble his delusions out loud.
I already knew about his abilities.
Though he wasn’t carrying a weapon at the moment, I recalled Madam Rabbit’s description of its appearance and sketched it in roughly.
“My nose itches.”
“Shut up already.”
■ Ravager Hellcrown
─Actual Threat Level: S-rank.
─Current (Nerfed) Threat Level: B-rank.
─Ability: Soul Erasure.