---
The battlefield smoldered behind them.
Bodies — both friend and foe — littered the cracked ground.
The once-clear road forward was now corrupted — a river of black mist flowing from a single towering structure on the horizon:
A massive Black Crystal Spire, shaped like a claw reaching for the sky.
Above it, the sky itself twisted unnaturally, bleeding red and black clouds.
The air tasted like ash and old blood.
And at the heart of it all, something waited.
Something watching.
Something... smiling.
---
System Alert
---
> [ New Main Quest: Demon King's Nest ]
Objective: Enter the Nest. Survive. Destroy the Demon King's Core.
Time Limit: 72 hours.
Warning: Failing to destroy the Core within the time limit will result in permanent infestation of Devastia.
> [ Subquest: Demist's Fate ]
Option 1: Spend 50,000 Coins and a Rare Healing Relic to fully heal Demist.
Option 2: Let Demist recover naturally (permanent stat drop: -30% Strength, -20% Speed).
> Choose wisely.
---
Tough Choice: Demist's Fate
---
Lian clenched his fists.
Demist — the warrior who had shielded them so many times — was breathing heavily, his body broken, his lifeforce flickering like a candle in a storm.
Jayce looked grim.
"We don't even have 50,000 coins yet... unless we sell everything."
Elyra wiped blood from her mouth.
"And even then, we'd lose weapons, gear — everything we need to survive inside that Nest."
Demist rasped out:
"Don't... waste it on me. Finish the mission."
His voice cracked at the end.
Even now, he was thinking of the team first.
Lian hated it.
He hated this world that made good men bleed dry.
But he also knew — survival came first.
After a brutal, silent vote...
They chose Option 2.
Demist would live — but broken.
A heavy silence fell.
Permanent loss.
Permanent consequence.
Their team — forever scarred.
---
Entering the Nest
---
Hours later, after patching up Demist as best they could, they stood before the Nest's entrance.
The massive black gates opened with a groan, revealing the nightmare inside.
The Nest wasn't just a fortress — it was a living entity.
The floors pulsed like muscle tissue.
Walls were covered in veins and twitching growths.
The air smelled of copper and rot.
Inside, a distorted voice whispered in their minds:
> "Welcome... to my cradle of despair..."
Lian gripped his weapon tighter.
There was no turning back now.
---
Nest Mechanics
---
> [ Demon King's Nest Special Rules ]
Healing items' effectiveness reduced by 50%.
Visibility severely reduced: 20 meters maximum.
Random Teleportation Traps active.
Demonic Resonance: Passive fear debuff applied (-10% attack, -10% defense).
Rare treasures hidden. Risk vs reward.
---
First Floor: Garden of Flesh
---
The first "floor" was a grotesque parody of a garden.
Twisted trees made of bone.
Flowers made of eyes.
And in the distance — packs of Flesh Hounds prowling, sniffing for prey.
System Alert:
> [ Flesh Hound ]
Tier 2 Elite Beasts
Abilities:
Blood Hunt: Can smell fear, doubles their speed when chasing scared prey.
Razor Hide: Reflects 10% of melee damage back to attacker.
Weakness: Overload their senses — confuse or blind them.
---
The Battle Begins
---
No words were needed.
The moment Lian's group set foot inside, the Flesh Hounds attacked.
Snarling.
Foaming.
Moving like blurs.
Elyra tried to cast a blinding light spell — but the Nest dampened it, making it barely a flicker.
Jayce used smoke bombs to confuse them — but the hounds adapted frighteningly fast.
Demist, slower now, struggled to block their coordinated attacks.
They fought like hell.
The Flesh Hounds were faster, smarter, and deadlier than anything they had faced before.
For every hound they killed, two more seemed to appear.
Lian's cycle — upgraded with Abyss Chains — whipped around, smashing one into a tree.
Jayce barely dodged a pounce, shooting a lucky critical hit into a hound's eye.
Elyra set traps of holy energy, buying them seconds at best.
They fought in brutal, bloody skirmishes.
Every scratch risked infection.
Every mistake risked death.
---
Consequences
---
At one point, a Flesh Hound managed to tear a chunk out of Lian's side.
The pain was unbelievable.
The system flashed warnings.
> [ Flesh Rot Infection detected! ]
HP Recovery halved.
Maximum HP reduced by 10% until purified.
Lian grit his teeth.
No time to complain.
No time to heal.
Just forward — or die.
---
Temporary Shelter
---
After two grueling hours, they found a brief safe zone — a pocket of space where the Nest's influence was weaker.
A broken shrine to an unknown god.
They collapsed inside, panting, bleeding, broken.
Jayce tried to lighten the mood.
"Hey... who knew our spa day would be this intense, huh?"
No one laughed.
But they smiled.
Tiny, broken smiles.
Still fighting.
Still alive.
For now.
Lian stood, despite the pain.
He looked deeper into the Nest.
They had survived the Garden of Flesh.
But the next area was already forming ahead —
a Maze of Blood and Bones, with even deadlier guardians.
And at the top of the Nest...
The Demon King waited.
---
End of Chapter 35
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