“Ugh!”

The Dark Elf could not stand the pressure of the Dragon Fear and plopped down on the ground .

However, the effect was just temporary . The Dark Elf was able to put some strength into his shaking legs to stand back up .

‘He really isn’t an easy opponent . ’

However, I still managed to get rid of the Dark Elf’s desire for battle . The Dark Elf started to run toward the exit that was blocked by the Stone Elves .

Trying to run? I can’t let you do that .

“Block with everything you got! Don’t let him through!”

The Stone Elves all gathered in one spot and created a thick wall . I could see the Dark Elf flinch . However, he seemed to have realized that there was no other method as he courageously started to swing his longsword toward the Stone Elves .

But who was this guy?

His skills were amazing . Each time his longsword landed, he took off a Stone Elf’s arm or leg .

He was so strong that it seemed as if Dragon Fear was practically useless against him . It seemed like this Dark Elf was almost immune to the negative status penalty from Dragon Fear .

Maybe that was why, but the attacks of the Stone Elves did not have much effect on the Dark Elf . The Dark Elf’s movements were so quick that they could not catch up to him .

It was a one sided battle in the Dark Elf’s favor!

An escape path will end up being created if it continues like this .

I didn’t have much time . If I took too long, the Dark Elf would be able to run away, and I would also lose all of the Stone Elves who were supposed to be my partners in this Demon Cave .

Then it will be close to impossible to destroy the Demon Lord’s relic .

I used the weak monsters as stepping stones as I rushed toward the Dark Elf .

Papapat-

My combo quickly went up .

The Stone Elves held up well enough . Although six of them had already lost some limbs and three were completely destroyed, they still managed to hold the Dark Elf in place .

Thanks to that, I was able to reach the Dark Elf’s back .

My combo was already over 50 hits . I stabbed my cutla.s.s toward the Dark Elf’s back .

At the same time, the Dark Elf turned around and swung his longsword toward me . He had read my movements accurately, as if he had eyes on the back of his head .

However, I had expected this as well . I knew he would not go down so easily .

His agility was not as high as mine . I lightly ducked to dodge the longsword and stabbed him once again with my cutla.s.s .

Stab-

“Ugh!”

Success! Thanks to the Stone Elves getting in his way, he was unable to dodge and ended up getting stabbed .

However, I did not manage to stab a vital point . The Dark Elf dropped his longsword and rolled to the side .

I thought this was a chance, and so I ordered the Stone Elves to move .

“Squash him!”

The Stone Elves seemed to accurately understand my intentions and jumped toward the Dark Elf . They dogpiled the Dark Elf with their heavy bodies .

“Uggh! Eek!”

The Dark Elf flailed around trying to get out .

However, he could not move, as there were fifteen Stone Elves piled on top of him .

The surrounding monsters all started to attack the Stone Elves in an attempt to rescue the Dark Elf .

Each attack created some minor injuries on the Stone Elves’ bodies, but since their bodies were made of stone, their endurance was amazing . They should be able to resist such attacks with their bare bodies for a while .

However, I still needed to protect the Stone Elves . Having an extra one alive would only benefit me .

I ordered the remaining Stone Elves to help me get rid of the other monsters .

The size of the Demon Cave that I had opened was a small one, so there were not too many monsters . We quickly got rid of the majority of the monsters . Although there were still a few left, the Stone Elves would take care of the rest .

I finally relaxed and approached the Dark Elf .

The Dark Elf was still underneath the pile of Stone Elves . Although this Dark Elf was strong, the weight of the Stone Elves was too much . Since fifteen of them were piled on top of him, he seemed to have given up flailing around as well .

“Just kill me!”

I would have already killed him if that was my plan .

However, there was no need to hurry . I might as well suck out everything I can before killing him .

The thing I needed the most was information related to this Demon Cave . I cared most about information regarding the existences in the Demon Cave that could be my helpers, like the Stone Elves .

“Where are rest of the Elves and Stone Elves imprisoned?”

“You think I will tell you?”

The Dark Elf clenched his teeth .

His appearance and voice both seemed vicious . It didn’t seem like it would be easy to get information out of him .

However, if there is a will, there is a way . I started to torture him using all sorts of methods . I recalled cruel torture methods that I had watched on TV or heard about from others and tried twisting his fingers and even poking his neck with my cutla.s.s .

However, the Dark Elf did not budge . Even when I was torturing him quite severely, he just continued to clench his teeth and did not even groan once .

“I’m sure there is something this guy is afraid of as well . ”

I mumbled to myself .

Once I did that, the Stone Elf next to me started to speak in response .

“Natural power . ”

It was not a normal voice . It sounded like stones grinding together, but I was able to understand what it was trying to say .

I turned my head to look at the Stone Elf .

“What?”

“Dark Elves are afraid of Natural Power . ”

The Stone Elf was moving its mouth .

I guess this was their way of talking, since their entire body was made of stone .

Whatever . It was fine as long as they could get the message across . This was very useful information for me .

Whatever . It was fine as long as they could get the message across . This was very useful information for me .

“Is that so?”

There would be no harm in giving it a try .

I took out the Natural Power from my bag . The light seemed a bit dimmer after bringing all of the Stone Elves back to life .
However, it was still shining brightly .

But it really seemed to work . As soon as I took the Natural Power out, the Dark Elf started to frown like he was in pain .

“Ugh . ”

“Why didn’t you tell me there was such a great method earlier?”

I brought the Natural Power closer to the Dark Elf’s face .

The Dark Elf started to frown even more . He tried all he could to turn his head away .

“Stop, please stop . ”

Did you know that people want to torture you even more if you say stop? (TL: The s.a.d.i.s.t in him is coming out . Run Maso, wait, Maso would run toward him .  (PR: I don’t want my fingers twisted tho T . T))

The closer I brought the Natural Power to the Dark Elf, the more the Dark Elf seemed to be suffering . The Dark Elf looked worse every time I moved the Natural Power closer, starting to groan when even breaking his fingers did not get him to groan earlier .

“Uggggh . ”

He really seemed to be in a lot of pain . He seemed to be struggling so hard to hold back the pain that the veins on his forehead looked like they were going to pop .

But there was some bad news as well . The as the torture continued, it felt like the Natural Power was slowly getting weaker .

“What is going on?”

I asked the Stone Elf who told me about the Natural Power torture method .

The Stone Elf moved its stone mouth and slowly explained .

“Natural Power is purifying the Demonic aura . The Natural Power will get weaker depending on how much Demonic Aura it purifies . ”

Now it made sense . However, I suddenly had another question .

“What happens to the Dark Elf once all of the Demonic Aura is gone?”

“It dies . ”

So simple .

However, I was going to kill him anyways . I just wanted to get some information out of him beforehand .

I was disappointed about the Natural Power getting weaker, but it would still be a win if I could gain some information about the Demon Cave .

“Then let’s see how long he can struggle before he dies . Let me know if you change your mind . ”

I moved the Natural Power all over . His head, neck, chest, waist, legs, I moved it everywhere to test which part would cause him the most pain .

There definitely seemed to be different levels of pain based on the area .

He seemed to feel the most pain around the heart . The Dark Elf started to scream like he could not hold it any longer when I placed it there .

“Ahhhhhh!”

“Ah, right here . ”

I put the Natural Power on the Dark Elf’s chest . The Dark Elf started to flail like he was suffering, however, he was unable to overcome the weight of the 15 Stone Elves .

I put the Natural Power on the Dark Elf’s chest . The Dark Elf started to flail like he was suffering, however, he was unable to overcome the weight of the 15 Stone Elves .

Furthermore, the Dark Elf became weaker as time went on . Even though it had only been 10 seconds, he seemed to be slowly dying .

At that moment, the Dark Elf said some surprising words .

“I … … have lost . Please save me . ”

That wasn’t it . Once the Dark Elf shouted, I heard a voice in my head .

< the="" dark="" elf="" has="" lost="" all="" desire="" for="" resistance="" .="" this="" can="" be="" considered="" as="" successfully="" hunting="" the="" dark="" elf="" .="">
You have earned the rights to the Horn Flute of Darkness in the Dark Elf’s possession . >

‘Hmm? What is this?’

It was a familiar dialogue . Chief had said something similar when I took him as my slave in the Northern Mines, and the Magma Giant had said something similar in the Magman Continent’s underground cave as well .

I quickly moved the Natural Power away .

That allowed the Dark Elf to stop frowning .

“What did you just say? Say it again . ”

“Please save me . I lost . What is it that you want?”

This was a bit different than what I had expected . If possible, I wanted a second monster slave after Chief .

“What is it that you can give me?”

“I can give you the information you want . ”

“That is obvious . I was planning on getting the information before killing you . But don’t you want to live?”

I tried egging him on .

However, I did not have much expectation for it . It was because he had persevered so well against all sorts of torture earlier .

But the Dark Elf’s response was surprising . He let out a deep sigh before speaking with a gaze that showed no hope .

“I will not be able to live after giving you information about the Demon Cave, as I would become an enemy of the Demon world . Please just make it quick and painless . ”

“But there is a way for you to live . ”

A small glimmer of hope filled the Dark Elf’s eyes .

“What ……is the method?”

I moved closer to the Dark Elf’s face and looked right in his eyes as I started to speak .

“Become my slave . ”

“S, slave?”

The Dark Elf’s eyes became the size of a lamp . His pupils were shaking significantly as well . I could feel a lot of anger .

He then bit down on his lips, as if he had come to a decision .

However, it didn’t seem to be the answer I wanted . There was a lot of hate in his gaze . Maybe he decided that it would be better to die than to live his life in shame?

But that wasn’t what I wanted either . I just wanted to take what I could .

I started to speak before the Dark Elf could say anything .

“Just 10 years . ”

I started to speak before the Dark Elf could say anything .

“Just 10 years . ”

“No……huh? What?”

The Dark Elf tried to say something before stopping . His pupils started to rapidly move as he thought through what I had just said .

I decided to make it clearer for him .

“I will free you if you become my loyal slave for 10 years . Then you will be free and no longer under the rule of the Demon world nor even me . Completely free . ”

“Is that ……the truth?”

To be honest, I wouldn’t need the Dark Elf’s strength in about 10 years . By then, I would be significantly stronger than I am now .

If I continue to progress at my current speed, I would probably not lose, even if I went against the Demon Lord . Once I get that strong, someone like this Dark Elf could only be used for menial labor .

“I will create a contract . What do you say?”

The Dark Elf’s pupils started to shake again . He seemed to debate it for a while before nodding his head .

“Fine . However, you must make me the deal you just said . ”

“I promise . However, you must do your best as my slave as well . ”

The Dark Elf nodded his head as well .

At the same time, a message rang in my head .

< a="" slave="" contact="" with="" the="" dark="" elf="" has="" been="" created="" .="">
You have taken the Dark Elf as a slave . Please be careful and do not allow the slave’s loyalty to fall under 50% .
You have received the Dark Elf’s fame and infamy . Your fame has increased by 341 and your infamy has increased by 27 .
The duration of this slave contract is 10 years and the Dark Elf will be free after 10 years . >

I could finally relax .

Infamy was what I was most worried about, but it was not that much . I could erase this much infamy by doing a single Temple Quest . I could also just donate some money if I am feeling lazy .

The problem was his level of loyalty .

I  already knew what to expect, but I still needed to check it .

“Open stat window . ”

[Rohas, Level 516]
Dexterity: Advanced Level 1, 36%
Strength: 1,456
Agility: 967
Stamina: 567
Intuition: 105
Magic: 305
Vitality: 421
Mana: 989
HP: 4,346
Loyalty: 56

Faith: 0　
Knowledge: 453
Charm: 23
Sensitivity: 13
Fame: 0
Respect: 0
Infamy: 0

“Ugh!”.

The Dark Elf could not stand the pressure of the Dragon Fear and plopped down on the ground

However, the effect was just temporary . The Dark Elf was able to put some strength into his shaking legs to stand back up

‘He really isn’t an easy opponent . ’.

However, I still managed to get rid of the Dark Elf’s desire for battle . The Dark Elf started to run toward the exit that was blocked by the Stone Elves

Trying to run? I can’t let you do that

“Block with everything you got! Don’t let him through!”.

The Stone Elves all gathered in one spot and created a thick wall . I could see the Dark Elf flinch . However, he seemed to have realized that there was no other method as he courageously started to swing his longsword toward the Stone Elves

But who was this guy?.

His skills were amazing . Each time his longsword landed, he took off a Stone Elf’s arm or leg

He was so strong that it seemed as if Dragon Fear was practically useless against him . It seemed like this Dark Elf was almost immune to the negative status penalty from Dragon Fear

Maybe that was why, but the attacks of the Stone Elves did not have much effect on the Dark Elf . The Dark Elf’s movements were so quick that they could not catch up to him

It was a one sided battle in the Dark Elf’s favor!.

An escape path will end up being created if it continues like this

I didn’t have much time . If I took too long, the Dark Elf would be able to run away, and I would also lose all of the Stone Elves who were supposed to be my partners in this Demon Cave

Then it will be close to impossible to destroy the Demon Lord’s relic

I used the weak monsters as stepping stones as I rushed toward the Dark Elf

Papapat-.

My combo quickly went up

The Stone Elves held up well enough . Although six of them had already lost some limbs and three were completely destroyed, they still managed to hold the Dark Elf in place

Thanks to that, I was able to reach the Dark Elf’s back

My combo was already over 50 hits . I stabbed my cutla.s.s toward the Dark Elf’s back

At the same time, the Dark Elf turned around and swung his longsword toward me . He had read my movements accurately, as if he had eyes on the back of his head

However, I had expected this as well . I knew he would not go down so easily

His agility was not as high as mine . I lightly ducked to dodge the longsword and stabbed him once again with my cutla.s.s

Stab-.

“Ugh!”.

Success! Thanks to the Stone Elves getting in his way, he was unable to dodge and ended up getting stabbed

However, I did not manage to stab a vital point . The Dark Elf dropped his longsword and rolled to the side

I thought this was a chance, and so I ordered the Stone Elves to move

“Squash him!”.

The Stone Elves seemed to accurately understand my intentions and jumped toward the Dark Elf . They dogpiled the Dark Elf with their heavy bodies

“Uggh! Eek!”.

The Dark Elf flailed around trying to get out

However, he could not move, as there were fifteen Stone Elves piled on top of him

The surrounding monsters all started to attack the Stone Elves in an attempt to rescue the Dark Elf

Each attack created some minor injuries on the Stone Elves’ bodies, but since their bodies were made of stone, their endurance was amazing . They should be able to resist such attacks with their bare bodies for a while

However, I still needed to protect the Stone Elves . Having an extra one alive would only benefit me

I ordered the remaining Stone Elves to help me get rid of the other monsters

The size of the Demon Cave that I had opened was a small one, so there were not too many monsters . We quickly got rid of the majority of the monsters . Although there were still a few left, the Stone Elves would take care of the rest

I finally relaxed and approached the Dark Elf

The Dark Elf was still underneath the pile of Stone Elves . Although this Dark Elf was strong, the weight of the Stone Elves was too much . Since fifteen of them were piled on top of him, he seemed to have given up flailing around as well

“Just kill me!”.

I would have already killed him if that was my plan

However, there was no need to hurry . I might as well suck out everything I can before killing him

The thing I needed the most was information related to this Demon Cave . I cared most about information regarding the existences in the Demon Cave that could be my helpers, like the Stone Elves

“Where are rest of the Elves and Stone Elves imprisoned?”.

“You think I will tell you?”.

The Dark Elf clenched his teeth

His appearance and voice both seemed vicious . It didn’t seem like it would be easy to get information out of him

However, if there is a will, there is a way . I started to torture him using all sorts of methods . I recalled cruel torture methods that I had watched on TV or heard about from others and tried twisting his fingers and even poking his neck with my cutla.s.s

However, the Dark Elf did not budge . Even when I was torturing him quite severely, he just continued to clench his teeth and did not even groan once

“I’m sure there is something this guy is afraid of as well . ”.

I mumbled to myself

Once I did that, the Stone Elf next to me started to speak in response

“Natural power . ”.

It was not a normal voice . It sounded like stones grinding together, but I was able to understand what it was trying to say

I turned my head to look at the Stone Elf

“What?”.

“Dark Elves are afraid of Natural Power . ”.

The Stone Elf was moving its mouth

I guess this was their way of talking, since their entire body was made of stone

Whatever . It was fine as long as they could get the message across . This was very useful information for me

“Is that so?”.

There would be no harm in giving it a try

I took out the Natural Power from my bag . The light seemed a bit dimmer after bringing all of the Stone Elves back to life However, it was still shining brightly

But it really seemed to work . As soon as I took the Natural Power out, the Dark Elf started to frown like he was in pain

“Ugh . ”.

“Why didn’t you tell me there was such a great method earlier?”.

I brought the Natural Power closer to the Dark Elf’s face

The Dark Elf started to frown even more . He tried all he could to turn his head away

“Stop, please stop . ”.

Did you know that people want to torture you even more if you say stop? (TL: The s.a.d.i.s.t in him is coming out . Run Maso, wait, Maso would run toward him .  (PR: I don’t want my fingers twisted tho T . T)).

The closer I brought the Natural Power to the Dark Elf, the more the Dark Elf seemed to be suffering . The Dark Elf looked worse every time I moved the Natural Power closer, starting to groan when even breaking his fingers did not get him to groan earlier

“Uggggh . ”.

He really seemed to be in a lot of pain . He seemed to be struggling so hard to hold back the pain that the veins on his forehead looked like they were going to pop

But there was some bad news as well . The as the torture continued, it felt like the Natural Power was slowly getting weaker

“What is going on?”.

I asked the Stone Elf who told me about the Natural Power torture method

The Stone Elf moved its stone mouth and slowly explained

“Natural Power is purifying the Demonic aura . The Natural Power will get weaker depending on how much Demonic Aura it purifies . ”.

Now it made sense . However, I suddenly had another question

“What happens to the Dark Elf once all of the Demonic Aura is gone?”.

“It dies . ”.

So simple

However, I was going to kill him anyways . I just wanted to get some information out of him beforehand

I was disappointed about the Natural Power getting weaker, but it would still be a win if I could gain some information about the Demon Cave

“Then let’s see how long he can struggle before he dies . Let me know if you change your mind . ”.

I moved the Natural Power all over . His head, neck, chest, waist, legs, I moved it everywhere to test which part would cause him the most pain

There definitely seemed to be different levels of pain based on the area

He seemed to feel the most pain around the heart . The Dark Elf started to scream like he could not hold it any longer when I placed it there

“Ahhhhhh!”.

“Ah, right here . ”.

I put the Natural Power on the Dark Elf’s chest . The Dark Elf started to flail like he was suffering, however, he was unable to overcome the weight of the 15 Stone Elves

Furthermore, the Dark Elf became weaker as time went on . Even though it had only been 10 seconds, he seemed to be slowly dying

At that moment, the Dark Elf said some surprising words

“I … … have lost . Please save me . ”.

That wasn’t it . Once the Dark Elf shouted, I heard a voice in my head

< the="" dark="" elf="" has="" lost="" all="" desire="" for="" resistance="" .="" this="" can="" be="" considered="" as="" successfully="" hunting="" the="" dark="" elf="" you="" have="" earned="" the="" rights="" to="" the="" horn="" flute="" of="" darkness="" in="" the="" dark="" elf’s="" possession="" .="">.

‘Hmm? What is this?’.

It was a familiar dialogue . Chief had said something similar when I took him as my slave in the Northern Mines, and the Magma Giant had said something similar in the Magman Continent’s underground cave as well

I quickly moved the Natural Power away

That allowed the Dark Elf to stop frowning

“What did you just say? Say it again . ”.

“Please save me . I lost . What is it that you want?”.

This was a bit different than what I had expected . If possible, I wanted a second monster slave after Chief

“What is it that you can give me?”.

“I can give you the information you want . ”.

“That is obvious . I was planning on getting the information before killing you . But don’t you want to live?”.

I tried egging him on

However, I did not have much expectation for it . It was because he had persevered so well against all sorts of torture earlier

But the Dark Elf’s response was surprising . He let out a deep sigh before speaking with a gaze that showed no hope

“I will not be able to live after giving you information about the Demon Cave, as I would become an enemy of the Demon world . Please just make it quick and painless . ”.

“But there is a way for you to live . ”.

A small glimmer of hope filled the Dark Elf’s eyes

“What ……is the method?”.

I moved closer to the Dark Elf’s face and looked right in his eyes as I started to speak

“Become my slave . ”.

“S, slave?”.

The Dark Elf’s eyes became the size of a lamp . His pupils were shaking significantly as well . I could feel a lot of anger

He then bit down on his lips, as if he had come to a decision

However, it didn’t seem to be the answer I wanted . There was a lot of hate in his gaze . Maybe he decided that it would be better to die than to live his life in shame?.

But that wasn’t what I wanted either . I just wanted to take what I could

I started to speak before the Dark Elf could say anything

“Just 10 years . ”.

“No……huh? What?”.

The Dark Elf tried to say something before stopping . His pupils started to rapidly move as he thought through what I had just said

I decided to make it clearer for him

“I will free you if you become my loyal slave for 10 years . Then you will be free and no longer under the rule of the Demon world nor even me . Completely free . ”.

“Is that ……the truth?”.

To be honest, I wouldn’t need the Dark Elf’s strength in about 10 years . By then, I would be significantly stronger than I am now

If I continue to progress at my current speed, I would probably not lose, even if I went against the Demon Lord . Once I get that strong, someone like this Dark Elf could only be used for menial labor

“I will create a contract . What do you say?”.

The Dark Elf’s pupils started to shake again . He seemed to debate it for a while before nodding his head

“Fine . However, you must make me the deal you just said . ”.

“I promise . However, you must do your best as my slave as well . ”.

The Dark Elf nodded his head as well

At the same time, a message rang in my head

< a="" slave="" contact="" with="" the="" dark="" elf="" has="" been="" created="" you="" have="" taken="" the="" dark="" elf="" as="" a="" slave="" .="" please="" be="" careful="" and="" do="" not="" allow="" the="" slave’s="" loyalty="" to="" fall="" under="" 50%="" you="" have="" received="" the="" dark="" elf’s="" fame="" and="" infamy="" .="" your="" fame="" has="" increased="" by="" 341="" and="" your="" infamy="" has="" increased="" by="" 27="" the="" duration="" of="" this="" slave="" contract="" is="" 10="" years="" and="" the="" dark="" elf="" will="" be="" free="" after="" 10="" years="" .="">.

I could finally relax

Infamy was what I was most worried about, but it was not that much . I could erase this much infamy by doing a single Temple Quest . I could also just donate some money if I am feeling lazy

The problem was his level of loyalty

I  already knew what to expect, but I still needed to check it

“Open stat window . ”.

[Rohas, Level 516]. Dexterity: Advanced Level 1, 36%. Strength: 1,456. Agility: 967. Stamina: 567. Intuition: 105. Magic: 305. Vitality: 421. Mana: 989. HP: 4,346. Loyalty: 56.

Faith: 0　. Knowledge: 453. Charm: 23. Sensitivity: 13. Fame: 0. Respect: 0. Infamy: 0.