The Daily Life of the Demon King
Chapter 360 - 360: The Cabin in the Woods"

(So, a whole year has passed since the first chapter of this fanfic was published. I can say that it was a really long journey, a whole year long. This year of writing helped me overcome a lot and not to bother with the problems that gnaw at me. I thought a lot about just catapulting myself out the window, so that it would all end. After all, obsessive thoughts visit me every time I go to bed, which makes me suffer from insomnia and depression, I have already lost count of how many times I have disrupted my sleep schedule. But I still want to say thank you to those who have walked this year-long path with me. I am glad that you are with me, my dear readers. Someone came later, and someone with me from the very beginning. But know that you are all very dear to me, and I love you all. You are my motivation to continue writing.)

After the full sweep of the bunker where a group of racists had holed up—now turned into Deadites—Alex and his team discovered a stockpile packed to the brim with all sorts of useful supplies. After a brief discussion, they reached a unanimous decision: all the resources would be handed over to the people from the military base. Alex's settlement didn't need such an enormous amount of provisions, and helping others was more important right now.

Once out of the bunker, the first thing Alex did was contact Payne and give him a brief rundown of the situation—the sweep was complete, the threat eliminated, and they had secured a large warehouse full of food, weapons, and ammo.

Payne's response was short: "Good job."

Alex simply shook his head, put away his phone, and informed the others that Payne's men would arrive within half an hour to collect the supplies. That meant they had a little time to relax.

Grabbing a folding cot, Alex set it up in the shade of the nearest tree. He stretched out lazily, watching the clouds drift across the sky. The girls gathered around, deciding to rest as well. Some of them, not particularly shy, sat right on top of him.

He could feel their soft bodies against his and raised an eyebrow with interest, giving them a look. But the girls ignored him completely, engrossed in their discussion about the bunker assault and this new type of undead—Deadites.

Alex listened silently to their chatter and couldn't help but agree: dealing with a swarm of Deadites was like being at a comedy show full of terrible stand-up acts who not only told awful jokes but also tried to kill you.

Luckily, the Deadite who had been nicknamed Clarence played a key role in the operation. He helped lure most of the enemies out of the bunker. No one wanted to fight aggressive undead in tight corridors. All Alex had to do was use his powers to grab hold of Clarence's essence and squeeze just a little.

The pain it caused was so intense that Clarence started screaming like he was being skinned alive. The noise brought all the other Deadites running, and the team quietly took them out outside. Afterward, they burned the remains to ensure the threat was completely neutralized.

Alex glanced over at the small pile of gray ash—all that was left of the once-threatening monsters. He knew the real problem with the Deadites would only end once the Book of the Dead was in his hands. Until then, the threat still lingered.

He only broke away from the background chatter when he felt Rory, Becka, and Renka comfortably settle themselves onto his body. They sat quite casually, especially Becka, who had plopped herself on his stomach and was occasionally shifting around—enough to stir rather distracting thoughts in Alex's mind. He was starting to suspect they were doing it on purpose just to mess with him. It took all his willpower not to let his thoughts show and to maintain a serious expression.

"Once Payne's people get here, are we heading out right away to find the cultists?" Claire asked, looking at Alex.

"We really should move out as soon as possible," Rika agreed. "It's already getting close to evening, and going into a forest full of cultists at night sounds like a terrible idea."

"I don't want to go at night either. I mean, I'm no genius, but even I know that heading into a forest after cultists in the dark is just plain stupid," Shizuka added with a nod.

The girls burst into laughter, agreeing with Shizuka. No one was thrilled about the idea of hunting down fanatics armed with a magical book under the cover of darkness. Alex glanced at his watch—the day was coming to an end. The trip through the city, clearing the bunker—everything had taken more time than he'd expected. And they still needed to help load the supplies into trucks. Only then could they head out to search for the cult.

Alex knew: Clarence didn't just sense the presence of the Book for no reason. It was like a built-in radar in every Deadite's body, drawing them toward it. That's exactly why he was important for the next step.

Lost in thought again, Alex's attention was pulled back by the girls' conversation.

"Why are they taking so long?!" Renka groaned. "I'm tired of waiting! I want to see what that creepy book looks like!"

"Renka, stop acting like a child. It's barely been ten minutes since Alex contacted Payne. And you already want to head out?" Valmet cut in, giving her friend a stern look.

"It's not just her. I want to go too. Feels like if we sit here too long, the supplies will vanish," Rei complained as she lounged on the grass.

"They're not going anywhere," Rika waved her off. "But it's still better to wait for Payne's people. Or do you want to listen to that old man's endless complaining? We only met him today, and I've already had enough. Five more minutes next to him, and I swear I'll snap and shoot him in the face," she added with a laugh.

The girls laughed again, and Alex, listening to their chatter, just shook his head. Even he had to admit—spending too much time around Payne was no small test of patience. Let your guard down for a second, and you'd be ready to unload an entire magazine into him just to make him shut up.

Still, now wasn't the time for that. Alex knew he'd have to contact Chris soon. But first, they needed to deal with the Book of the Dead. The day wasn't over yet, and the tasks kept piling up one after another. Almost every next step depended on Chris and how far he'd gotten with organizing the resistance against the Evil Corporation. So far, there was too little information, and Alex wanted to talk to him personally—face to face.

While the girls chatted and Alex ran through future plans in his head, military trucks pulled up to their camp. As the engines rumbled, the girls fell silent, and Alex sat up on his cot to see who had arrived. Once he confirmed it was Payne's people, he and the other guys immediately got to work loading the supplies. Even though Payne had sent plenty of men and equipment, the process still took over an hour—there were just that many supplies.

When the last box was finally loaded, the convoy of military vehicles headed back to base, leaving Alex and his group surrounded by scorched ash and ringing silence.

"So what's the plan now?" R asked, glancing at Alex. "We go hunting cultists to steal some ancient book from them?"

"As much as I'd like to say 'no'," Alex replied calmly, "yeah, we still have to move out. Our goal is to find the cultists and take the Book of the Dead from them."

"And how exactly are you planning to find them?" Moira chimed in, shooting him a wry smile. "Unfortunately, the trees don't come with signs that say: 'Sinister cult hiding here.'"

"That's what we've got Clarence for," Alex nodded toward the severed head mounted on a stick. "All the possessed are connected to the book—and Clarence is no exception. Through him, we'll find it."

"I hope you're not going to pull the pinecone out of his mouth just to make him guide us," Claire said with a grimace. "I seriously can't handle another wave of curses from that rotten mouth."

"Don't worry, he doesn't need to talk. He'll be quiet the whole way," Alex said confidently, giving a thumbs-up.

A collective sigh of relief swept through the camp. Some of them still had ringing in their ears from the Deadites' venomous speeches—so sharp and vile that a few had even lost the will to kill them quickly. Instead, the temptation to torture them first, just to make them shut up, was becoming very real.

Alex approached Clarence's head, still mounted on a stick, and grabbed it, slinging it over his shoulder like a makeshift flag. Walking up to the Humvee, he planted the improvised "flagpole" into the front of the radiator, so Clarence would lead their path to the Book of the Dead. The others began taking their seats in the vehicles.

Alex got behind the wheel, waiting for all the girls to settle in. Rory, without hesitation, made herself comfortable on his lap. He glanced down and met her mischievous smile, replying with a quick kiss on the top of her head.

Once everyone was ready to move out, Alex activated his magical vision and soon noticed a thin black thread stretching from Clarence's head into the distance. That would be their guiding line. Starting the engine, he carefully steered the Humvee in the direction of the thread, leading them through forests, fields, and possibly straight into the cult's lair.

He drove at the head of the convoy, occasionally slowing down to make sure they stayed on track and didn't accidentally end up somewhere much harder to get out of than to get into.

As they continued following the trail, Alex felt it more and more clearly—the Book of the Dead was close. What was especially unsettling was how the closer they got, the faster the twilight thickened. The day seemed to end not by the will of time but by something else entirely.

The girls riding with Alex in the Humvee started peering out the windows, clearly uneasy as the sun all but instantly dipped below the horizon. Even the other members of the squad, riding in the neighboring vehicles, began nervously glancing up at the rapidly darkening sky.

Alex knew it was the Book's influence. Its presence distorted the very perception of reality—the darkness was falling not due to the time of day, but someone's sinister will.

Finally, they reached Deschutes Falls Park, but it looked cursed. All the trees were dry, dead, peeling, as if scorched. The atmosphere resembled scenes from the most terrifying horror films. And the worst part—the road ahead was blocked. Massive trees lay across the path, forming a natural barricade.

Alex stopped the Humvee and leaned on the steering wheel, silently studying the blockage for a minute. He weighed whether it was worth clearing the way or if they should just proceed on foot.

"Looks like we're walking from here," he said, turning to the girls.

"Are you serious?" Ada pointed at the forest. "We're supposed to march into that creepy forest, where actual monsters are probably lurking?"

"Pretty much. Or you can stay here," Alex smirked.

"Hell no! I know exactly how things end for people who stay behind. I'm not about to become the first victim like in some cheap horror flick. I'd rather stick with my husband—he'll protect me," Ada said, grabbing onto Alex's shoulders like she intended to fuse with him.

"Ha-ha-ha! Who would've thought you were such a scaredy-cat, Wong!" Revy burst out laughing.

"If you're enjoying yourself so much, feel free to stay behind. If you want to act like those dumb chicks from cheap horror movies, be my guest. Nobody's stopping you," Ada huffed, shooting Revy a disapproving look.

"You're the dumb one! Do I look like one of those idiots who split up and run into the dark screaming? No way, I'm coming with you!" Revy shot back, rolling her eyes.

Alex struggled to keep a straight face as he listened to their bickering. Their argument over who would become the first victim sounded both ridiculous and endearing. He couldn't understand what they were so afraid of. No one would dare harm his group while he was around. He'd been through enough to know—if a threat appeared, he'd destroy it before it could even take a step.

"Alex, what's the status?" came Price's voice over the communicator. "Are we moving or just sitting around?"

"We're going on foot. The road's blocked. We'll leave the vehicles here and move forward," Alex replied.

"Copy that. I'll let the others know to gear up," Price said before ending the transmission.

Alex glanced at the girls — they had already shifted to discussing who would die first if they were in a horror movie. He just shook his head. Some of them, honestly, were more likely to become slasher hunters than victims. Especially Becca — she'd probably chase the killer through the woods with glee, yelling at him and cursing him out every step of the way.

He looked at Rory, still sitting on his lap. She definitely wasn't the type to run away either. If anything, she'd probably just slice the maniac in half before he could even say a word.

Stretching, Alex turned off the engine, opened the door, and, lifting Rory into his arms, stepped out of the Humvee.

"All right, that's enough arguing. If a maniac really jumps out of the forest — we'll just kill him. End of story," he said calmly.

"Sounds like a solid plan. Hard to argue with that," Cammy replied with a light laugh as she got out of the vehicle.

The others exchanged glances. There really was no point in arguing — anyone stupid enough to attack them would quickly realize they picked the wrong group. One by one, the girls began exiting the Humvee and looking around. The park looked even darker up close than it did from a distance: everything was drowned in shadow, and thick, heavy fog wrapped around the trees, making it impossible to see what was hiding within.

What was strangest was that the fog didn't spill out onto the road — it began only at the forest's edge, as if something was deliberately keeping the interior of the park cut off from the outside world.

"This fog… it feels alive," Chun-Li said quietly, staring into the milky haze.

"It's the Book's influence. If you listen closely, you can hear the moans and rustling sounds coming from inside," Alex said, pointing toward the trees.

"You've got to be kidding… Are we seriously in a horror movie right now?" R asked with a smirk, stepping closer to him.

"Oh, the sudden nightfall at six in the evening didn't clue you in? And those creepy sounds from the fog — yeah, just a fun little detail you should totally ignore," Alex replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

As if on cue, a long, haunting howl echoed from deep within the fog. The entire group instantly raised their weapons, aiming toward the source of the eerie sound. But after a few seconds — nothing happened. No one, and nothing, emerged from the mist.

Alex frowned, deciding to investigate what had made that noise. Focusing, he activated his magical sight and spotted translucent figures drifting slowly within the fog — ghost-like beings with horribly disfigured, twisted faces. It looked like they were the source of both the mist and the whispers within it.

Narrowing his eyes, Alex raised his revolver and fired at one of the creatures. A piercing shriek rang out, and he watched as the ghostly figure disintegrated and vanished. The remaining entities scattered immediately, but the fog itself remained — thick and menacing as ever.

"Don't tell me you actually hit one," Sherry asked, tugging on his sleeve.

"Well... figured I'd try. Never know when luck'll be on your side," Alex replied with a smirk, shrugging.

The girls gave him skeptical looks but didn't argue. Not wasting any more time, the group prepared to move forward. Alex took Clarence with him — the dead Deadite whose head now served as a kind of compass in the fog. Thanks to the black thread stretching from Clarence, they could find their way through the forest.

They climbed over the fallen trees blocking their path and continued along the old concrete road, carefully watching their surroundings. Alex noticed the thread trailing from Clarence beginning to turn into the forest, leading them off the road.

"We're entering the woods. Stay together, don't stray from each other. Watch your step and keep a close eye on your surroundings," Alex warned, turning to the group.

"We know, we're not kids anymore," Rika waved him off, patting him on the shoulder.

"Just a reminder. I have a feeling some of you haven't seen enough horror movies," Alex said with a smile, rolling his eyes.

"Well, if someone gets dragged into the fog — that's their problem, right?" Chiquita grinned dangerously, baring her fangs in a sly smile.

The guys all nodded in agreement, making it clear they had no intention of wandering off alone. Although the idea of splitting up to scout was there, now no one wanted to be the first victim in a horror scenario.

Smiling, Alex was the first to step into the thick fog. As soon as they moved deeper inside, the ominous rustling and whispers grew louder, seeming to surround them from all sides. The sounds felt both very close and eerily distant at the same time.

Shizuka pressed against Alex in fear, practically hanging on his arm, trembling all over.

The other girls were uneasy too, but Shizuka was trembling the most, flinching at every noise. Alex wanted to tell her she was safe, that he would protect her from any nastiness that might jump out of the fog... but every time he opened his mouth, Shizuka would squeal, and he fell silent again.

"Maybe... maybe we should leave? Forget about this book? I really don't like this place..." she whispered, clutching Alex tightly.

"Shizuka, we're almost there. Don't be afraid. Whatever jumps out of the fog — I'll just kill it," he said softly, looking into her eyes.

"That's right, Shizuka! Stop shaking like a scared rabbit. Once Alex has the book — all this will be over," Rika added, patting her on the back encouragingly.

Shizuka just nodded, but she still didn't like being in this creepy forest. They had been walking for about ten minutes with no progress — it felt like they weren't moving forward at all.

Alex signaled to stop. Doubts gnawed at him. Using his magical sight to scan the surroundings, he realized — the foggy ghosts were leading them in circles. His eyelids twitched with irritation. These stupid phantoms were playing with them like children.

He glanced at his shadow, which immediately came to life, taking the form of a girl with long black hair — Zhang Ya. She instantly understood what he wanted. Her hair slipped silently from Alex's shadow like snakes and spread in all directions.

Within moments, each fog creature was entangled in black, living threads — and at that very instant, crushed. The fog swirled and began to dissipate, revealing a clear path ahead.

"Looks like it's clearing… Could it be that we've finally reached the right place?" Miu asked, looking around.

"Hopefully," grumbled Lutz, scanning the area. "I was starting to think we were just going in circles."

"Not just you. Look at the marks on the tree — we passed here three times before the fog started clearing," Ghost said, pointing at the notches carved into the bark.

All eyes turned to the tree Ghost was pointing at. Three clear notches were visible on the bark — proof that they had indeed passed by the same spot several times. The thought that they were walking in circles gradually sank into everyone's minds.

Alex didn't explain anything. He silently looked around, trying to sense the direction they should go next. He already felt the book was very close. Having made up his mind, he confidently moved forward, carrying Shizuka on his back, who clearly had no intention of getting down anytime soon.

Seeing Alex move ahead, the rest of the group hurried to catch up with him. Now that the thick fog had dissipated, the path was much easier, and their progress deeper into the forest quickened. After just a few minutes, the outline of an old, half-ruined house began to appear ahead.

"Looks like we're here. And you weren't joking when you said we were heading to a cabin in the woods," Soap smirked.

"I rarely joke when it comes to cabins in creepy forests." Alex signaled them to be quiet. "From here on, be careful — who knows how many cultists are inside."

Everyone silently nodded. The group split up and began to quietly circle the cabin, checking the perimeter. With every step, it became clearer — this place reeked of sticky fear, carried by a heavy, suffocating wind.

Alex cautiously approached a window and peeked inside. He saw the classic scene: a crowd of cultists in dark robes gathered around a pedestal on which lay the book. Naturom Demonto — the book of the dead.

He looked at the others and gave the signal to prepare for assault. Pulling a flashbang grenade from his inventory, Alex waited until everyone signaled they were ready. Receiving confirmation, he smashed the glass with a strike, threw the grenade inside — and in a moment, the room filled with a dull bang, a flash, and screams.

Alex jumped inside in one move. Chun-Li, Cammy, and Juri followed immediately, attacking the nearest cultists. The crack of breaking bones mixed with the roar of gunfire. Within seconds, no one was left alive inside the cabin.

Alex approached the book and, without touching it, began to inspect it. On the cover, a shriveled human face grimaced in a silent scream, as if frozen in agony.

The girls quickly came over to look at the find, and soon the entire group clustered nearby, staring at the book.

Nathan reached out to touch it but immediately got his hand flicked away by Alex.

"So this is it, the book of the dead… A creepy beast. Or rather, a disgusting abomination," Juri muttered, peering over Alex's shoulder.

"So you missed it when I said it's made from human skin?" Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, Alex… Maybe put that thing away? It's giving me goosebumps," Ada said with disgust, nudging him lightly with her elbow.

"Putting it away now. Guys, drag the cultists' bodies outside and burn them. Just in case. The rest of you — look around, see if you find anything interesting. But don't touch anything until I check it out — who knows, there might be more cursed stuff here."

The guys nodded and began pulling out the bodies. No one wanted to risk the dead suddenly coming back to life and attacking them. The girls, on the other hand, went to inspect the cabin, though few hoped to find anything useful.

Alex stayed alone with the book. He started flipping through the pages, carefully studying the contents. All he saw were rituals, spells, demonic prophecies, instructions for summoning entities… disgusting things that made him want to wash his hands.

If he had to describe Naturom Demonto, he would say it was a typical cursed book — there were plenty of those in different worlds. But unlike others, this book was connected to other copies existing in parallel realities. They were all linked through one dimension, from which the demons described in the text came.

Suddenly, a hoarse voice sounded nearby:

"Accept me… I will grant you power."

Alex snapped the book shut and looked at the cover — the face on it was moving and speaking.

"And what kind of power do you offer me?" Alex asked with amused interest.

"I grant you the power… to rule this world," whispered the sinister voice.

"No, thanks. And if you keep talking, you won't like the consequences," Alex smirked, raising his hand. A pale black flame flickered on the tip of his finger.

To confirm his words, Alex touched the Naturom Demonto cover with his flame-wrapped finger. A piercing scream of pain echoed, and the disfigured face on the book twisted into an agonizing grimace. Alex knew—the book of the dead was alive. More than that, it wasn't just an object but a kind of portal.

When he withdrew his finger, the scream abruptly stopped. Alex took out a special sealed box from his inventory and carefully placed the book inside, intending to protect everyone from its influence.

"Alex, come down here! We found something!" Saya's voice called from below.

"To where exactly?" he shouted back.

"To the basement, dummy! Where else in this stupid cabin could you go down?!" Rebecca replied irritably.

Rolling his eyes, Alex began searching for the way down. He was curious about what the girls had found to make such a fuss. Finding a hatch with a wooden ladder, he cautiously descended.

The basement was dimly lit. The light was so faint it seemed almost nonexistent. Guided by the girls' voices, Alex made his way into one of the rooms, resembling a hoarder's storeroom obsessed with keeping everything. But what really caught his attention were the thick clouds of dark miasma emanating from the objects.

He raised an eyebrow involuntarily.

"Alex, what do you think this is?" Rory asked, showing a strange box in her hand.

"A cursed thing?" he answered, looking intently at the object.

"Bingo. Almost everything here is cursed," Rory nodded and gestured around the cluttered room.

Alex nodded silently. At least none of the girls were touching anything — that was already a relief. He himself didn't want to know what horrors those things could awaken.

"I found some strange box — it looks like a puzzle!" Shizuka suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention.

A cold shiver immediately ran through Alex. Two words — box and puzzle — made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He knew how sweet yet insanely clueless Shizuka could be. And she was quite capable of... accidentally solving the puzzle.

Instantly appearing beside her, he literally snatched the box from her hands and sighed with relief. Shizuka puffed out her cheeks in a pout.

"Judging by how you teleported over here, you know what that is," Valmet remarked, pointing at the object.

"It's the Lemarchand Box. According to legend, it opens a portal to hell and summons beings you definitely don't want to meet. In short — another cursed piece of crap best left untouched," Alex explained, lazily spinning the box on his finger.

"Rory also said almost everything here is cursed. Why would cultists need so many dangerous artifacts?" Sherry asked, glancing around.

"What difference does it make now? All the cultists are dead. Now the question is: what do we do with all this junk?" Jill sighed.

"I have an idea," Alex said calmly.

"Oh, don't tell me you're going to add it to your collection," Recca said skeptically, narrowing her eyes.

"Nope. Now, everyone — upstairs. The last thing I need is for someone to accidentally activate a cursed doll, a dagger, or some other damn thing," he replied, starting to usher everyone out.

The girls grumbled but obeyed, leaving the basement. As the door closed behind them, Alex smirked. His shadow stirred and took the form of a girl with long black hair. Then the darkness spread over the floor, walls, and ceiling, swallowing everything it touched.

Item by item disappeared into the abyss of shadow, dragged by Zhang Ya — the entity connected to Alex. All this stuff would now be sealed in the Red City, waiting for its time... And if some idiot accidentally ended up there — they'd have a chance to pick one of these toys of fate.

Alex didn't forget about the Lemarchand Box — it flew into the shadow along with the rest. When it was all over, the shadow returned to its usual shape as if nothing had happened.

Just in case, Alex took a black cube from his inventory and tossed it into the center of the room. After a few seconds, a controlled magical fire began, destroying the remains of the room in case anything had escaped absorption.

To be continued...

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