Transmigrating as an Extra, But the Heroine Has Regressed?!-Chapter 333: Hunger Strike!

Kael stood still for a moment, listening.

"Low-level demons don’t come alone for long," he said quietly. "This place is testing us."

The beast girl nodded.

She wiped demon blood from her claws, then shook her hands lightly as if trying to shake off the lingering tension.

"They’re scouts," she replied. "Weak ones. When they die too quickly, stronger ones notice."

Kael glanced at her.

"You’ve fought here before?"

She hesitated, then nodded.

"My mother didn’t want me leaving the deeper levels," she admitted. "But sometimes... I watched."

Her ears drooped slightly.

"I was curious."

Kael didn’t comment.

Curiosity was dangerous.

But it was also what kept people alive.

They continued forward.

The dungeon corridor gradually widened, opening into a vast chamber supported by massive stone pillars.

The ceiling was so high it disappeared into darkness. Strange runes glowed faintly on the floor—old, worn, and partially broken.

Kael stopped abruptly.

"...Mana formation," he said.

The beast girl stiffened.

"This place is wrong," she whispered. "I’ve never been here."

Then—

Click.

The runes lit up.

A deep vibration rolled through the chamber.

Before either of them could react, a translucent barrier rose around them, sealing the chamber completely.

The beast girl’s eyes widened.

"A trap!"

Kael raised his sword instantly.

"Stay behind me."

From the center of the chamber, a stone platform slowly rose upward, cracks spreading across its surface. Ancient chains rattled as something beneath stirred.

Then a voice echoed.

"Challenger detected."

The beast girl flinched.

"...It speaks?"

The stone cracked apart.

A figure emerged.

It was humanoid, but entirely made of black stone veined with glowing blue runes.

"A Dungeon Arbiter," the beast girl whispered in shock.

Kael narrowed his eyes.

"Explain."

"They are... judges," she said quietly. "They don’t attack unless rules are broken."

The Arbiter looked at them both.

"Human," it said, gaze settling on Kael.

"Beast-born," it continued, turning to the girl.

"You have entered a Contract Chamber."

Kael felt his chest tighten.

"...Contract?"

The Arbiter raised one stone hand.

"This dungeon is not merely a place of slaughter," it said.

"It is a crucible."

The runes on the floor shifted, rearranging themselves into complex patterns.

"Those who reach this depth are given a choice."

The beast girl swallowed.

"What kind of choice?"

The Arbiter’s eyes brightened.

"A bond," it said.

"Or death by progression."

Kael’s expression hardened.

"I don’t accept forced deals."

The Arbiter tilted its head slightly.

"This is not force," it replied.

"This is an opportunity."

The barrier around them pulsed.

"If you refuse," it continued, "the dungeon’s difficulty will increase beyond survival probability."

The beast girl grabbed Kael’s sleeve.

"...It’s telling the truth," she whispered. "My mother warned me about this chamber."

Kael exhaled slowly.

"What kind of bond?" he asked.

The Arbiter extended its hand.

"A Dungeon Contract."

The runes flared.

"This contract links two souls temporarily. Shared senses. Shared growth."

The beast girl’s eyes widened.

"...Shared growth?"

"Yes," the Arbiter said. "Kills, experience, mana refinement—all are synchronized."

Kael’s mind raced.

(A forced party system...)

(No—more than that.)

"And the price?" Kael asked.

The Arbiter’s voice lowered.

"If one falls—both suffer."

"...Kael."

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he asked, "How long?"

"Until the dungeon is cleared," the Arbiter replied.

Kael closed his eyes.

He remembered the illusion.

The words: Face yourself.

He opened his eyes again.

"...If I accept," he said, "can I break it after?"

"Yes."

Kael looked at the beast girl.

Her eyes were wide, nervous—but there was trust there.

"...I’ll do it," she said quickly. "I won’t hold you back."

Kael studied her for a long moment.

Then—

"Fine," he said. "But on my terms."

The Arbiter nodded.

"State them."

"She fights only when I allow," Kael said.

"And if danger exceeds her limits, I take priority."

The beast girl blinked.

"...Hey."

The Arbiter paused, then nodded.

"Conditions accepted."

The runes exploded with light.

Chains of blue mana wrapped around Kael’s wrist—

And then around the beast girl’s.

She gasped.

Their hearts skipped in unison.

A sudden rush flooded their bodies.

Kael felt it instantly.

Her heartbeat.

Her fear.

Her mana flow.

"...So this is it," he muttered.

The barrier vanished.

The Arbiter sank back into the floor.

"Contract complete," it said.

"Proceed."

Silence returned.

The beast girl staggered slightly.

Kael caught her.

"...I’m fine," she said quickly. "It’s just... I can feel you."

"...Same," Kael replied.

She coughed.

"So... what now?"

Kael looked ahead.

"We move," he said. "Faster than before."

As if answering—

A roar echoed through the dungeon.

The walls shook violently.

The beast girl’s face paled.

"...That’s not low-level."

Kael smiled faintly.

"Good."

"They ran."

Demons flooded the next corridor—larger, faster, armored with jagged bone plating. Their movements were coordinated.

"Left!" the beast girl shouted instinctively.

Kael reacted instantly, dodging before a claw even appeared.

"...Your senses," he realized.

"Yours too!" she replied. "I can feel where you intend to move!"

They moved like a single unit.

Kael’s sword slashed forward—

Her dark mana surged with it.

A demon was split in half.

Another lunged—

She leapt, claws tearing through its neck as Kael finished it mid-air.

"This is insane," she laughed breathlessly.

"Focus," Kael said—but he felt it too.

The power.

The synchronization.

Level after level blurred together.

Demons fell faster than ever.

Their fatigue was shared.

But so was their strength.

Finally, they stopped at the edge of another descent.

Kael rested his sword on his shoulder.

"...This dungeon just changed the rules."

The beast girl nodded, tail swaying slightly.

"...So did we."

The dungeon did not change from day to night.

There was no sky to darken, no moon to rise.

Yet Kael knew.

His body knew.

His mana cycle slowed, exhaustion settling deep into his bones, heavy and unavoidable.

The rhythm of fighting, moving, killing, and advancing had reached the same point it always did—the point where instinct began to dull.

"...It’s night," Kael said quietly.

The beast girl sat across from him near a faintly glowing crystal vein that served as their only light. She hugged her knees to her chest, tail curled loosely around her legs.

"How can you tell?" she asked.

Kael glanced down at his pack.

It was open.

Empty.

"...Because the food is gone."

The beast girl blinked, then looked at the pack herself, ears drooping.

"All of it?" she asked cautiously.

Kael nodded.

"I planned for seven days," he replied. "But the dungeon forced faster progress. More fights. More consumption."

He leaned back against the cold stone wall, exhaling slowly.

"We’re on level twenty-seven," he continued. "And there’s nothing left."

The beast girl swallowed.

"...We still have water crystals," she said. "But food..."

Her voice trailed off.

Hunger crept in—not sharp, not painful yet, but dull and constant, like a warning scratching at the back of the mind.

The beast girl hesitated, then spoke softly.

"Kael... beasts don’t rely only on normal food."

He looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

She glanced toward the corridor where demon remains had dissolved earlier, then lowered her voice.

"...Demon cores."

Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He had seen them before.

Crystallized remnants of demonic essence, left behind only when demons were slain cleanly or under certain conditions. Most humans used them for crafting, alchemy, or mana research.

Eating them—

That was rare.

And dangerous.

"...You’ve eaten them before?" Kael asked.

She nodded slowly.

"When food was scarce," she said. "They’re impure, but they contain energy. Beasts can digest them better than humans."

Kael fell silent.

His stomach growled faintly, as if mocking his hesitation.

"...And humans?" he asked.

The beast girl hesitated.

"...It hurts," she admitted honestly. "If your mana control is poor, it can poison you. Or burn your core."

Kael closed his eyes.

He remembered the Arbiter’s words.

Shared burden.

Shared growth.

If he weakened—

She would feel it.

If she suffered—

So would he.

"...Which demons on this level drop cores?" Kael asked.

Her ears twitched.

"The armored ones," she replied. "Low intelligence. Dense cores. But they’re aggressive."

Kael stood.

"Then we will hunt them down."

Her eyes widened.

"Now?"

"We don’t have the luxury of waiting," Kael said. "Hunger kills slower than demons—but it kills all the same."

They moved.

Level twenty-seven was narrower than the ones above it, filled with jagged stone corridors and low ceilings. The walls were stained dark, etched with claw marks and half-erased runes.

The first demon charged without warning.

Kael’s sword flashed.

The beast girl followed instinctively.

Their movements were seamless now—almost frighteningly so. Kael felt her intent a split second before she moved, adjusting his strikes to complement hers.

The demon fell.

This time—

Something remained.

A dull red crystal rolled across the stone floor, still warm.

"...There," the beast girl said quietly.

Kael picked it up.

The demon core pulsed faintly in his palm, heavy with condensed energy. Dark veins twisted inside it like frozen smoke.

"...So this is what we eat," he muttered.

They gathered four more cores before retreating to a relatively safe alcove.

Kael sat down, turning the core slowly in his fingers.

"...Any preparation?" he asked.

The beast girl shook her head.

"Raw," she said. "If you heat it, it loses potency."

Kael sighed.

"Of course."

He looked at her.

"You first," he said.

She stiffened.

"...Why?"

"If something goes wrong," Kael replied calmly, "I need to feel it through the contract."

She frowned, then nodded.

"...Alright."

She took the core.

For a moment, she hesitated—then bit down.

The crystal cracked.

Dark energy spilled like smoke, dissolving into her mouth and chest. She gasped sharply, claws digging into the stone floor.

"...It burns," she whispered.

Kael felt it instantly.

Heat surged through his own core, sharp and invasive, like swallowing fire without flame. His breath caught, teeth clenching as his mana reacted violently.