Damn, I recarneted As A Judge in Fantasy World

The temple of the Sordin cult was steeped in the air of death. With every step Abel took, it felt like a sharp jolt was stabbing his entire body. But it didn't have much of an effect on him because the beast's heart had been activated and was emitting a dark energy.

"Wow! That's really scary. He's just a thug. A thug," Shuguri's voice chimed in Abel's head.

"You too, be careful. If you harbor any other thoughts, that's what will happen to you," Abel warned.

"Huh!"

"Why are you reacting like that? You weren't planning to stab me in the back or anything, were you?" Abel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That… that can't be," Shuguri whimpered, curling up and folding her tiny ears close.

Sometimes, the beast's heart would activate on its own. Could it be because of this creature? Abel didn't really care, though. Shuguri already knew his place, having witnessed Abel's power up close more than once.

"By the way, where can I find that rotten guy, Peltron?" Abel muttered to himself, looking around.

"Ahem!" Shuguri suddenly coughed, his previous fearful trembling gone. How had he changed his stance so quickly?

"Do you know something?" Abel asked, narrowing his eyes.

"In my opinion, he seems like a devil too," Shuguri speculated.

"Probably."

"Then there's an easy way to find him. Devils can sense each other's energy," Shuguri said confidently.

"Weren't you the one who said there was a half-demon hiding in the Emperor's secret quarters?" Abel asked.

Shuguri puffed up his chest. "Yep! And I was right about that!"

"Good. Then track him down."

"Don't worry, I'll find him soon," Shuguri replied as he hopped off the ground and started bouncing around. He could have shifted back into his true form, but lately, he preferred staying small, claiming it saved energy.

"People respond better to this form. It's energy-efficient too!" Shuguri often said, his justification always the same.

Of course, in his smaller state, his strength was diminished, but it didn't really matter. Shuguri had been by Abel's side long enough to know there wasn't much need to exert force for now.

"This way!" Shuguri called out after bouncing around the area. It seemed he had finally found Peltron's whereabouts.

Abel followed him toward the left of the building. The temple of Sordin was built right into the side of a steep cliff, and as they walked along its edge, they inevitably came across a huge wall. The cliff face was unnaturally smooth, as if it had been carefully carved, and the only strange thing about it was its immaculate appearance.

"What's here?" Abel asked, squinting at the wall.

"Look closely!" Shuguri exclaimed, shaking his small body back and forth.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Suddenly, the wall began to shift with a loud rumbling noise, revealing a large hidden passage. The secret door was several meters thick. Abel raised an eyebrow.

"How did you do that?"

"I just used my power. The door was designed so that it couldn't be opened without demonic energy."

"No, then what was that dance?"

"It's a ritual! A way to effectively use power," Shuguri said with a proud nod.

"Oh? There's something like that?" Abel asked, skeptical.

"Not originally. I made it up," Shuguri admitted with a shrug.

Abel furrowed his brow. "Is that so?" he asked, grabbing Shuguri and tightening his grip, a twisted smile forming on his lips. Flames rose from his hand as the tiny creature flailed in his grasp.

"Hey! Calm down! I'm telling the truth! In a small form, I need to make big movements to use my strength!"

"Oh? You should have explained that properly without cutting yourself off."

"I tried to, but you didn't listen!" Shuguri protested.

"My bad," Abel said, easing his grip and setting Shuguri down.

Shuguri, arms crossed and still shaking, muttered, "I'll let it slide this time."

"You're a fool," Abel scoffed, turning his attention back to the secret passage ahead. The entrance exuded an ominous aura, as if it were the mouth of some ancient demon. It was hard to guess what purpose this place had originally served.

'This is too dark for something made by the Sordin sect,' Abel thought. It didn't seem like Peltron was behind it. Who would bother creating such a hidden passage? Perhaps the existing facility had been corrupted by demonic energy over time.

Before entering, Abel descended the stairs to briefly meet with the group.

"I don't know how long I'll be in there, so it would be better if you moved a bit further away," he instructed.

"You're going in alone? It could be dangerous. Are you sure?" Derek asked, concern clear on his face.

The temple's atmosphere was anything but safe. Even so, Abel was unconcerned.

"It's His Majesty's order. We have to see it through," Abel replied, heading back toward the temple entrance.

Upon returning, he carefully inspected the secret door and the surrounding area. A facility like this would almost certainly be filled with traps. Sure enough, there was an odd pattern on the floor.

"Hey! This is too much. This is definitely a trap set by someone incredibly stupid. Who would fall for something so obvious?" Shuguri clicked his tongue.

The flooring in the center of the room was different, with a square groove clearly visible.

"Even a village idiot would know not to step on that," Abel muttered, stepping toward the edge of the room.

But the moment he took his first step, the floor began to collapse. The entire surrounding area gave way, leaving only the middle section intact.

"What the—?"

"We're the idiots here!" Shuguri squeaked as they both began sliding downward.

"Damn it, I'm on the same level as this guy!" Abel growled.

Absurd or not, the situation needed resolving. He had no idea what kind of danger awaited him at the bottom of the slide, and the speed was only increasing, as if something slick had been applied to the walls.

"Try something! If we keep this up, we'll kiss the floor at breakneck speed!" Shuguri yelled.

"I know!" Abel snapped, struggling to maintain his balance as they slid. He stood upright, almost like a circus performer, and pulled out his gavel, swinging it toward the ceiling.

A red aura surged from the gavel, crashing into the ceiling and giving him enough resistance to slow their descent.

"Alright!" Abel exclaimed, relieved. His prediction had been correct—the ceiling wasn't greased like the floor. He was able to grip the ceiling and control their descent more carefully.

After repeating the process several times, Abel finally saw the bottom. To his surprise, rusty red spears were planted densely in the ground, with skeletal remains scattered around.

"Wow. That's brutal," Abel muttered.

If he had fallen to the ground, he would have ended up like those poor souls. Of course, there were ways to survive, like raising his defense to the max in an emergency, but it had all happened so fast he hadn't had time to think.

"You could've flown, right?" Shuguri asked.

"Do I look like a bird? I'm not a flying squirrel," Abel retorted.

Shuguri huffed. "Are you acting like the village idiot now?"

Abel shook his head and focused on clearing the spears, pulling each one out. Better to remove any potential risks. Afterward, he pulled out a small glowing stone from his pocket.

"A glowstone? You even prepared for dungeon exploration?" Shuguri asked, impressed.

"It's expensive but useful, especially in dark places like this."

Abel scanned the area with the glowstone, hoping to find the passage leading further in. As expected, there was a connecting tunnel ahead. However, the real challenge would come after passing through it.

Abel stood at the entrance of the connecting passage, his eyes narrowing as the dim glow from the luminous stone illuminated the narrow tunnel ahead. The air inside was cold and thick with dampness, and each breath he took felt heavier as if the passage itself was pressing down on him. He adjusted his grip on the gavel, the weight of it a comforting reminder of his power.

"How long do you think this tunnel is?" Abel muttered to himself, glancing at Shuguri, who was still perched near him.

Shuguri's small, furry face scrunched up as if calculating. "Judging by the stench and the fact that these old demons don't like walking too much, it shouldn't be too far. I'd say a few more meters and we'll be out in the main chamber."

Abel smirked at the creature's response. "Better not be wasting my time."

He began to walk deeper into the passage, the soft padding of Shuguri's steps following closely behind. The walls were close on either side, the rough stone scraping his shoulders now and then as they walked. Despite the eerie silence, Abel remained calm. After all, he had faced worse things than a narrow, dark tunnel.

They continued in silence for a few more minutes before Shuguri suddenly halted.

"Wait!" Shuguri's ears perked up, twitching.

Abel paused, looking over his shoulder. "What?"

"I sense something... ahead," Shuguri whispered, lowering its body cautiously.