Chapter 6.1: Part 1

How much time had passed since I'd gone through the red gate?

My vision, which had been plunged into darkness, gradually began to recover.

"Where is this......."

I frowned at the damp atmosphere and looked around.

A colorless world.

That was my first impression.

The green that had colored the forest had completely disappeared. Only gray stone walls filled my entire vision.

"I survived after all."

I had survived by evading pursuit.

That fact brought me a sense of relief.

I never thought I'd succeed.

I had only just taken my first step. But it was certainly not a bad start.

The plan had been a gamble from the start.

The reckless idea of using the 'Information Purchase' to make the weapon disappear had luckily worked.

If I had failed, I wouldn't be here right now.......

As I was letting out a sigh of relief.

Woo-woo.

Suddenly, the paper I was holding in my hand emitted a bright light.

As if it wanted me to look at it-.

"What the heck."

Does it have something to tell me?

I tilted my head and unfolded the paper.

Then I could see something written on it as if in anger.

『 This is the 'one time'. 』

『 I will impose a penalty. 』

『 When paying for information, you cannot offer something that is not your possession as payment. 』

『 When exchanging payment with the paper, it will verify whether it is your possession. 』

『 If you do not follow this, the information exchange will not take place. 』

"Oh, come on."

I couldn't help but frown at the seemingly angry tone.

It was true that using Peltz's weapon as payment was essentially a forced exchange, so it was understandable that he was angry.

"So you're letting this one slide?"

That was enough to make me feel grateful.

If the paper hadn't accepted Peltz's sword as the price, I would have died on the spot.

I looked away from the paper.

It was more urgent to figure out where this place was.

'Demon Realm...... It's a bit strange to call it that.'

I recalled the description of the Demon Realm that I had written myself.

Numerous intelligent monsters form groups, and when evening comes, two moons rise high in the sky.

......I remember writing something like that about the Demon Realm.

This place doesn't seem like the everyday scenery of the Demon World, but rather like some kind of 'ruins'.

I thought about using the information paper, but then folded it back up.

Because I didn't have anything to hand over in exchange.

I had no choice but to figure it out myself.

I got up and wandered around the area, lost in thought.

'Perhaps.'

This place really might be ruins.

I slowly looked around.

Gray stone pillars were embedded in several places.

And something like a transparent film was blocking my path.

'A barrier.'

Some kind of magical device set up to prevent anyone from getting past this point.

Beyond the barrier, I could see a place similar to where I was now.

Inside, a giant boulder was moving. Its appearance felt quite bizarre and strange.

So that's what it was.

I seemed to have a rough idea of the true nature of this place.

I looked again at the area where I was standing, and I could see a bed made of stone and some unidentified jerky that could serve as a meal.

'This is an artificial Secret Realm.'

To be precise, it would be more accurate to call it a Demonic Secret Realm.

In other words, it's easy to understand if you think of it as a 'dungeon'.

Something that the Demons created to store treasures and monsters, or to prepare for intruders.

And it was something that a high-ranking Demon had created for some purpose.

I didn't know which Demon had created it.

Just because it was a world that they had created themselves, it didn't mean that all of its members would know about it.

"First of all, I need to get out of here."

I stopped my rambling thoughts and approached the barrier that was blocking my path.

It looked like it would collapse if I just touched it, like a tidal wave.

Should I give it a try?

*Plunge-*

I took out the dagger from my waistband and extended it towards the barrier.

*Clang-*

Then the barrier repelled the dagger, returning the force that had been put into it.

"This will be difficult."

As soon as I confirmed that, I gave up on the idea of breaking through the barrier with force.

Maybe later, but I didn't think that I would be able to break through that barrier with my current abilities.

So what should I do?

This is truly one challenge after another.

"I'll think about it after I've filled my stomach a bit."

My stomach was aching with hunger as I racked my brains.

It felt like my stomach lining was stuck to my back.

Come to think of it, I hadn't eaten anything all day in order to conceal my presence.

'I don't know why there's meat here, but I'd better eat it.'

My gaze naturally drifted downward.

Jerky glistening with oil.

I sank into thought as I chewed on it.

'The food and bed can't be for intruders, so it's highly likely that they belong to the one guarding the treasure. But that doesn't make sense either.'

The most plausible hypothesis.

The moving boulder within the barrier added weight to this hypothesis.

It was highly likely that it was the guardian of this Secret Realm.

It would be infinitely lenient towards the owner of the Secret Realm, but it wouldn't show any mercy to intruders.

"Then I'll have to use force..."

However, that seemed a bit difficult.

I was already quite exhausted from the fierce battle with my pursuers.

If I fought that boulder in this state, I would definitely end up severely injured. At the very least, half-dead.

Moreover, I couldn't even get out of this barrier, so a fight itself was out of the question.

"Even my mana is completely depleted."

Now was the time to rest.

*Munch munch-*

......Only after I had eaten all the jerky that had been piled up in handfuls did I feel like I was alive.

My mana had also recovered to some extent. About half of its maximum, perhaps.

"Now that my stomach is full."

Let's make a plan to get out of this barrier.

For now, this place is also a secret realm.

If I defeat the guardians and reach the end, there's a high probability that there will be a passage leading outside.

That was just speculation, though.

Since I couldn't see any way out of this room, there was no other way than to barge through.

So let's think.

A way. A way to get out.

I pondered deeply for dozens of minutes.

I looked around for any devices.

And a moment later.

While I was carefully examining the stone chamber, my gaze stopped at a certain brick.

I felt an inexplicable sense of incongruity.

'If it were the old me, I wouldn't have noticed.'

Adel's senses reacted to that brick, which looked no different from the other bricks.

That was very suspicious.

I pressed on that brick.

*Swoosh-*

The brick sank deeply, and a voice faintly rang in my ears.

- You are not qualified.

"What the......."

I frowned and pulled my hand away.

Even in the Demon World, the language was the same as human language.

It must be because of the setting that creating a new language for demons was difficult, so both humans and demons used a common language.

Thanks to that, I realized something.

I couldn't go outside the barrier if I wasn't the owner of the Secret Realm.

This room, which I had made into a resting place, felt like a prison.

'I have to find another way.'