A few hours had passed since Rowan and D'andre found Colt. In that time, they had successfully taken down hundreds of Ogramons.

Nevertheless, in the last three hours, they hadn't spotted a single Ogramon or any signs of demons around.

The crimson sun had remained in the sky, unchanged, a silent witness to everything that happened within the confines of the demon lair, especially the danger that loomed ahead of the three humans.

Rowan, Colt, and D'andre were currently discussing among themselves, sharing stories and talking about their powers.

In the entirety of their discussions, Rowan focused on Colt—he asked him many questions, especially about the dagger in his grasp.

Colt didn't suspect any ill intent from his questions; he only saw them as curiosity, something every human would have, especially after coming into contact with the unique weapon.

So, he shared the story, mentioning the blood contract that bound him to the weapon.

"This weapon is bound to me for life. Only death can part us. Also, those who kill me cannot obtain the dagger, which is why I'm not scared of sharing its rules," he concluded his narration.

He then turned to Rowan. "I'm sure neither of you harbors an interest in my dagger, right?"

"Of course, we don't," Rowan quickly replied.

But inwardly, his mind was in turmoil. Why did the dagger have to have such an astounding rule?

He could only sigh, disappointed. He would leave whatever happens within the demon lair to fate, but his greed for the dagger could not die.

The three of them continued strolling deeper into the heart of the demon lair. So far, there had been no sign of danger anywhere, the place was eerily quiet, as though they were the only beings within it.

Nevertheless, just as the three of them were about to begin another round of discussion, strange sounds reached their ears. At first, it was faint, like a low hum carried by the wind.

But soon, it grew louder, spreading through the lair like the roar of an unseen storm. The air trembled with the droning buzz of countless wings, mixed with sharp clicks and screeches that echoed against the stone walls.

It was the sound of thousands of insect demons approaching from afar, a tide of chittering death drawing closer with every passing heartbeat.

Possessing sharper perception due to their powers, D'andre and Rowan were the first to spot the army of insect demons approaching from a distance.

Thanks to the crimson illumination, they saw the appearance of the insect demons.

They were of diverse appearances and sizes. Some had the body structure of ordinary bees but were as big as dogs. heir wings were sharp, their eyes red with bloodlust, and their bodies were sturdy and solid, reflecting the sun's crimson radiance. Their faces were something straight out of a nightmare.

But even these bee-looking demons were not the scariest in the insect army that was approaching.

[ Demon Insect — C | Health: 100% ]

Rowan and D'andre inspected their strength. They were a whole rank weaker than the Ogramons, but they knew not to underestimate them.

Colt soon spotted the approaching demons. Seeing their numbers and appearance, even his confident demeanor was shaken. He grabbed his dagger tightly and his eyes turned cold. The insect army was here!

D'andre was the first to act. He chanted a quick spell and slapped his hand on the ground.

From the contact, a wave of strong light-magic aura swept in the direction of the approaching insect army.

The insects at the forefront had their flying abilities reduced by over twenty percent. But those behind them immediately took over and flew toward the three humans.

None of the three awaited a signal from the others before sweeping into action.

Rowan clenched his Soul Harvester and, with eyes glimmering with power, darted at the insect army, leaping several meters into the air and swinging his sword at them.

D'andre created several magic circles which continuously shot strong, fast-darting magic balls at the insects.

Colt, on the other hand, latched onto the demons. His momentary shock had moved to the back of his mind, and his thirst for revenge had taken over. He began his onslaught on the demon insects.

At the same time, the demon insects did not stand idly by and let the humans mess with them. Although they were small and considerably weaker than the Ogramon, they were still demons. They naturally possessed abilities that gave them an advantage over humans.

And this time, it was a variety of them.

The demon insects opened their mouths and shot small, red thorns at the humans. The thorns were smaller than a pocket knife, but their tips were tiny like needles.

In the demon lair, where red was the predominant color, the red thorns had a major advantage. They camouflaged easily; if one wasn't paying attention when they were shot, they would naturally be hit by them.

"Be careful!" D'andre barked at the two as he quickly cast a light magic armor over himself, deflecting the thorns.

Nevertheless, while he managed to deflect them, he could not halt their potency.

Each time one of the needle-like demon insects' thorns managed to touch him, he would receive these notifications:

[ You've received a Weaken curse. Armor Defense -1%. Current Defense: 99% ]

[ You've received a Weaken curse. Armor Defense -1%. Current Defense: 98% ]

[ You've received a Weaken curse. Armor Defense -1%. Current Defense: 97% ]

D'andre's eyes widened. While it was a mere one percent decrease per thorn, if they managed to land one hundred thorns on him, his armor would be deactivated.

D'andre even decided to reinforce the armor by pouring more mana into it.

Nevertheless, each time he managed to enforce it, once the thorns attacked again, the defense went down by another one percent. If he continued like this, it wouldn't be long before he ran out of mana.

"They are scary!" D'andre concluded.

It was a well-known fact that within demon lairs and dungeons, the entities' scariness and strength increase the deeper one goes. D'andre now understood that one could not take such details lightly.