Hells Escape: A Journey of Redemption

Time slowed.

Blythe tumbled like an angel cast from heaven, her purple hair whipping behind her, eyes shut, limbs limp. Joseph screamed her name, flames erupting wildly around him as he fought to keep the spiders at bay. Too physically weak to fight and hold onto the canyon, Jenna clung to the wall in blind panic, the Grey Monk beside her silver spear flashing.

James, to Damiens' right, paused, realizing he was too far to catch Blythe.

Damien watched it all unfold.

I oughta let her drop, let her splatter at the bottom.

Joseph's face would be priceless.

However, his body moved.

If it had been anyone else in the cohort, he might've watched them fall, but Blythe had her uses. Without thinking, he dove across the cliff, arm outstretched, and caught her by the leg, just in time.

The momentum nearly killed them both.

Her weight yanked him forward, his torso grinding against the rock as he slid toward the edge. Fingers clawed for anything solid, while stone tore at his palms, and his eyes flicked downward to the five hundred feet of open air, the shattered remains of spider corpses waiting below.

"Damn it!"

The roar tore from his throat, swallowed by the chaos of fire, steel, and screaming above.

Then, Something clamped around his ankle.

In a blink, he was yanked backward—hard—dragged across the stone until both he and Blythe landed safely on the ledge.

Damien pushed himself to his feet, chest heaving, bloodied palms pressed to the rock. James stood beside him, hunched and gasping for air, the effort clear on his face.

That makes twice today.

Damien's jaw clenched.

There was nothing more revolting than being saved by someone you loathed. It didn't stir gratitude in Damien's heart; it curdled his stomach. He would've rather cut off his own leg than feel that slob's greasy fingers around his ankle again.

The spiders' numbers were few; most had been cleared up by Joseph's flames, and Damien had personally taken care of at least thirty.

Hurling his dagger, it sank into the last spider, pinning it to the rock before its body crumpled and tumbled into the abyss below.

Through these past few fights, he'd begun to gauge exactly where a one-star human like himself stood on the power scale between man and beast. Half-star beasts, like the hellbounds, were weaker than him, but not by much.

They could still put up a serious fight. He figured it'd take five of them working together to bring him down, ten if he had virtue.

The spiders, though, couldn't even be half-star, obviously weaker than the hellhounds. It would take twenty of them swarming him at once to be a real threat, maybe forty with a virtue ignited.

However, that insect from before had been something else entirely.

In its split form, it had matched him blow for blow, placing it firmly at one star, but when it merged with the other nine variants, it transformed into a two-star behemoth. At full power, it would take ten of him to kill it, and even then, he wasn't sure they'd win.

And the mimic...would have taken 100 of me in normal circumstances.

Suddenly, with groans and gasps for breath, Joseph collapsed onto the cliff beside Blythe. The Grey Monk and Jenna landed just behind him, both panting and scraped from the climb.

Joseph dropped to his knees and seized Blythe's hands, his voice a strained whisper.

"Blythe... you can't die. Not you too."

Tears streamed freely down his face, raw and unashamed. For a moment, nothing else existed but his shaking hands and her still form.

Then the Grey Monk stepped forward, placing a steady hand on Joseph's shoulder.

"She's alright," he said softly. "Just pushed her ability too far."

And she had. Blythe had been constantly draining herself, restoring food, recycling water, healing burns, mending injuries, and even repairing torn clothes. Whatever she could give, she did.

It seemed strange to Damien that someone like her had ended up in hell, but this place wasn't reserved for monsters alone. Even a saint could find themselves here, just one mistake was all it took.

The rest of the cohort stood nearby, watching with detached eyes. She was just another teammate to them, not someone to cry over.

Then her lips moved, and her eyes fluttered, barely open.

"Da...Damien, thank you."

The words hit like a falling stone.

Joseph's expression shattered. Damien's eyes narrowed in surprise.

He wasn't sure what exactly she was thanking him for—saving her life, or maybe, in her delusional state, him helping with her sister came to mind—but it didn't matter.

What did matter was the way Joseph now looked at him.

Like he wanted him dead.

Good. It's all going smoothly.

...

"Quarter-star: Sun Spider, slain. Converting into XP."

Damien Veyne: Hellbound

◆ Trial Stage / Physical Enhancement: First Circle / ★☆☆☆☆☆☆ (1 / 7 Stars)

◆ First Circle XP: 3021.25

◆ Weapons:

• Common Dagger (1/7 Stars)

◆ Starting Sin: Deception

◆ Sin Ability: Deceptive Gamble — Your lies become 70% more likely to succeed; however, there is a 1% chance that your deception will rebound upon you, ensnaring you in its web.

◆ Starting Shackle: The Veil of Lies — When you embrace deception, the Veil encircles your body and soul, inflicting searing pain with every falsehood.– Error: Without a magical virtue, the Veil's effect cannot diminish your spellcasting power.

◆ Starting Virtue: None

◆ Virtue Ability: None

◆ Corruption Ratio:100%

Damien sighed.

My XP is probably doomed to stay where it is.

The bottom of the canyon stretched wide and endless, the river carving a silver path through its heart. Towering walls of orange stone loomed on either side, making him feel like an ant gazing up at the foundation of a palace.

Spider corpses still littered the cracked floor, legs curled inward, black and motionless. Ever the generous soul, Damien handed a portion of his spoils to Jenna. Not because he cared—he didn't—but trust made future dealings smoother, and smoother meant safer.

Blythe had come to. She sat slumped against the left canyon wall, one hand cradling her head, pale but breathing.

Damien crouched beside the final spider husk and pressed a hand to its brittle carapace. At once, it shimmered and melted into particles of gold.

"Quarter-star: Sun Spiders slain. Converting into XP."

The system's voice echoed in his head, but something new followed.

As the light scattered, a small object remained where the corpse had been.

A thread.

Barely two feet long, thin and glistening like moonlight caught in water.

Damien raised an eyebrow and tapped it with a finger.

"Spider silk. Graded quarter-star. Would you like to store?"

He blinked, then grinned.

Monsters drop items?

A dry laugh slipped past his lips.

How have I not gotten one until now? My luck really is trash.