Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 107. The Corruption Nest Mission

Rick didn’t like how quickly dawn came. He woke up to the sound of demons moving around the war camp.

They were rough and bossy as they got ready for the day’s work. Rick could hear every footstep, every barked order, and every clang of weapons being readied in the guest tent, which didn’t give him much privacy.

Carmilla was already awake and sitting cross-legged on her bedroll, carefully going over her armor and weapons. Her movements were practiced and quick, like those of a seasoned warrior getting ready for battle.

Natasha stood by the tent door, looking through a hole in the fabric to see the demon camp outside.

Natasha said, "They’re watching us," but she didn’t turn around. "At least thirty demons have been looking at this tent since before sunrise."

Rick sat up and stretched, feeling how stiff his muscles were from sleeping on the ground. "They still think that we’re going to run or something?"

"Or die in our sleep from fear," Carmilla said as she tightened the last strap on her gauntlet. "Demons respect strength, but they also like to see weakness fail."

"Great," Rick said quietly. "Not a problem at all."

Sebastian showed up on the small table in the middle of the tent. He looked especially grumpy, even though he was a spiritual being who didn’t need to sleep.

"Good morning to you too, gooner milf magnet."

"Are you ready to throw yourself into a nest of corruption to please a demon general?"

"Do I have a choice?" Rick wanted to know.

"You always have a choice."

"The problem is that you keep picking the options that lead to suicide. Maybe your real intention is to show off as the main character, huh? What a wet dream to have, ain’t it?"

"Shut up. No one wants to see a boring main character anyway."

Before Rick could say anything, the tent flap was pulled back hard, and a giant demon ducked through the door. He was at least seven and a half feet tall, and his dark gray skin was covered in old battle scars.

His horns were thick and worn from battle, and one of them was chipped near the tip. He had on heavy armor that looked like it had been through decades of fighting, and a huge war axe hung from his back.

"Get up," the demon growled, and his voice sounded like gravel grinding against stone. "Orders from the general."

"You have exactly ten minutes to leave for your mission."

Rick stood up and looked closely at the demon. "And who the bloody hell are you?"

The demon crossed his arms over his broad chest and said, "Krell Ironjaw, the squad leader who’s responsible for your preservation."

"I’m here to see you die or win. It doesn’t matter to me which way you do it, but I’d like it to be interesting."

"That sounded comforting," Natasha said in a dry voice.

Krell’s yellow eyes turned to her, and they might have been amused. "Comfort is for the weak."

"If you want comfort, go back to your cities with soft beds and weaker men."

Carmilla stood up and moved her hand to the hilt of her sword without thinking. "We’re not going anywhere but to that place where corruption lives."

"So you can stop acting like you’re important unless you’re here to tell us about the mission."

Krell looked at Carmilla for a long time before laughing out loud. "I like this one."

"Iron-like spine. It’s not common for humans." He turned his head quickly toward the tent door. "Come now... the squad is waiting."

"Briefing is happening now."

They stepped outside the tent with Krell in the light of dawn. Despite the early hour, the demon war camp buzzed with activity. Soldiers were practicing their drills, blacksmiths toiled in forges that glowed red against the darkness, and scouts returned from night patrols, bringing news.

Krell took them to a clearing near the edge of the camp where seven other demons were waiting. They were all different sizes and shapes, but they all had the same hard-eyed look of a veteran.

These weren’t new recruits. These were battle-hardened soldiers who had fought in many wars.

Rick was immediately drawn to one demon who activated his neurons. She was a female demon of average height for her species, about six feet tall.

She stood a little apart from the others. Her red skin was covered in scars that looked almost like art, and she had two curved swords strapped to her back.

Her black hair was pulled back into a tight braid, and her amber eyes looked at Rick with a calculating intensity.

Rick felt his system turn on by itself, and it’s not the only thing that was turned on.

[SCANNING TARGET]

[NAME: VYRA ASHENBLADE]

[AGE: 38]

[QUALIFIED: YES]

[AFFECTION LEVEL: 0/10]

Rick’s mind went to dangerous places right away. "Holy fingering shit, another qualified mature woman!" he said in his mind.

"And she’s a warrior demon! Those scars, that build, those eyes... N-No...! Fuck! Rick, pay attention!"

"You’re about to go into a nest of corruption. Now is not the time to get horny at those... massive... tomato... titties..." All of Rick’s fingers start to twitch on their own.

Rick could only see Sebastian appear on his shoulder. "I can almost hear your hormones yelling."

"What a fucking hopeless gooner as always! Try to fucking hold on for at least the next few hours!"

Krell hit a wooden post with his fist, which got everyone’s attention. "Pay attention!"

"This is the human envoy and the two humans who are with him."

"They’re going into the corruption nest to show that they’re not just useless bags of meat."

"We are going to act as guides and watchers. Understood?"

The members of the demon squad nodded, but some of them looked doubtful or even angry. A big demon with bright red skin spit on the ground next to Rick’s feet.

The demon growled, "I don’t trust humans, especially that white-haired human."

Krell turned and backhanded the demon so hard he stumbled. "I don’t care what you believe."

"It’s orders from the General. Stop talking and listen now."

The demon cleaned the blood off his mouth but didn’t say anything else. Rick, however, was struggling to suppress his laughter as he watched the demon fumble while trying to act scary and cool.

"What a minus aura that is... pfft..." Rick said in his mind.

Krell took out an old map and laid it out on a flat rock. "Alright, pay attention."

He pointed to a marked spot northeast of where they were and said, "The location of the corruption nest is here."

"It’s going to take about six hours of marching."

"The place is a ruin of an old demon temple from before the first war. Corruption started there two weeks ago and has been spreading fifty meters a day."

"How bad is it?" Natasha asked, looking at the map with a critical eye.

"It’s so fucking bad and even worse than you imagined," Krell said without hesitation. "We sent three patrols to kill it but then ended up with twenty-four demons dead."

"Three days ago, the last report said there were more than sixty corrupted creatures, and I hate to say it, but... the number is probably higher now."

Carmilla’s face grew dark. "What kind of creatures are they?"

"Corrupted beasts, shadow constructs, and demons that got caught up in the corruption," Krell said. "The corruption doesn’t just kill..."

"It changes them into cold-blooded monsters. It strengthens them, faster, and mindless because they attack anything that is alive."

"Sounds lovely," Rick said sarcastically.

Krell looked at him with a hard stare. "You three go into the nest core."

"My squad is guarding the entrance."

"If you can get rid of the source of the corruption, we will all live."

"But if you fail, you die, and we tell the General about your unforgivable failure."

"Are you not coming with us?" Carmilla asked, her voice sharp with disbelief.

"Orders from the general," Krell said again. "She wants to know what your bond network can do."

"We can’t test it right if we’re holding your hands." He smiled, showing off far too many sharp teeth. "Besides, if you die, it’s better that you do than my squad."

Natasha put her arms across her chest. "How comforting. I feel so supported."

Krell said, "Demon hospitality at its best," and he didn’t sound sorry at all.

Vyra spoke for the first time, and her voice was surprisingly smooth for someone who looked like a warrior. "There’s this thing called the whispers of corruption."

"It gets in your head and makes you see things that aren’t there."

"So being mentally strong is just as important as being physically strong."

Rick looked at her, surprised by the useful information. "Thanks for the heads-up."

Vyra’s face stayed the same. "Don’t thank me yet."

"You could still die screaming like a pussy."

[+5 EXP: A MEANINGFUL EXCHANGE]