BOOM!
The sound of impact thundered, then faded into the darkness that swallowed everything. Ragged breathing cut through the silence after the collision.
"It's over, Arch-Toilet."
A voice spoke coldly, laced with mockery.
"Is it…?"
The reply came faintly, accompanied by a slight, crooked grin.
8:00 PM | September 1, 2022 | Heilen City
Heidelberge, a twenty-two-year-old man, an independent Level 7 Purificator, was leaning back on a dark leather sofa inside his modest apartment.
His sharp eyes were fixed on a documentary about the importance of household hygiene playing on a large television screen.
The narration about germs and bacteria lurking in every corner of the home seemed utterly incapable of stirring him in the slightest.
Bzzzz!
The smartphone resting on the side table vibrated. Heidelberge glanced at it briefly before picking it up, answering with an unhurried motion.
"Hello?" His voice was flat.
On the other end was a middle-aged man, his tone anxious and clearly well-off.
"Mr. Heidelberge, is that you?! I—I need urgent help! The bathroom in my house… it's really bad. Truly awful!"
Heidelberge let out a small sigh, his expression unchanged.
"Give me the address."
Once the location was provided, he gave a slight nod.
"I'll be there."
That was all he said before ending the call immediately, without waiting for thanks.
He turned toward a corner of the room glowing faintly with warm yellow light, from which a grumbling voice could be heard.
"Pixy, it's time to work."
From that corner, a small yellow duck with orange beak and wings fluttered toward him, flapping through the air. It was Pixy, his purification partner, a mini yellow duck, and possessing an exceptionally irritating personality.
"Ooooh come on! Again?! My sewer-rat show isn't even finished yet, Del! Do you know how good it gets?!
And I just ate! Can't you wait a bit for digestion or something?!"
Heidelberge ignored his partner's complaints entirely.
He walked to the coat rack, picked up a plain black leather coat, and slipped it on, calmly threading a leather belt around his waist.
Then he put on a pair of immaculate black leather gloves, one hand at a time.
Reaching into the inner pocket of his coat, he pulled out an old silver pocket watch engraved with intricate patterns and flipped it open.
8:05 PM
He then grabbed a dark leather travel bag that looked like an ordinary briefcase, though it was packed with cleaning equipment, and headed for the door.
"Let's go, Pixy," he said, beckoning without turning around.
"Yeah, yeah… like complaining ever changes anything. Workaholic," Pixy muttered, quickly flying after his master despite his reluctance.
8:15 PM | September 1, 2022 | Heilen City
A medium-sized detached house in a suburban area of Heilen stood with its iron gate already open.
Heidelberge walked in with composed steps.
"You're Mr. Heidelberge, right?! Thank you so much for coming so quickly!"
A middle-aged man in silk pajamas rushed out to greet him, his face pale and full of anxiety.
"What needs fixing?"
Heidelberge asked in a low, emotionless tone.
"The bathroom! The second-floor bathroom! It's… it's terrifying. Filthy beyond reason!"
the client replied, pointing upstairs.
Heidelberge nodded slightly and led the way up the polished wooden stairs, the client following close behind.
"Turn right here," the man said, his voice trembling.
They stopped in front of an ordinary wooden bathroom door.
A damp, foul stench, and something far more unpleasant was seeping out unmistakably.
Heidelberge halted.
He remained still before the door, not rushing to open it.
Instead, he crouched slightly, the gloved fingertips of his black leather gloves brushing lightly against the doorframe.
He noticed a dark green, viscous liquid oozing from beneath the door.
This was no ordinary dirty water, it pulsed faintly, as if alive.
Heidelberge's brow furrowed slightly as he sensed abnormal air vibrations leaking from the keyhole.
It was unnatural air pressure… pressure caused by the expansion of toxic gases and an enormous mass of bacteria.
'Pressure like this… acidic slime residue…'
His eyes turned colder.
'A Sewager. Around Level 5. I expected worse.'
He calmly took out a clean white handkerchief and wiped the residue from his glove before standing upright.
His black coat fluttered lightly with the motion.
"Step back,"
he told the client.
The man nodded and hurriedly retreated to a safer distance, fidgeting nervously.
Heidelberge extended one hand forward, eyes locked on the door.
"Pixy"
"Gate Open."
At once, the plain wooden door began to glow with a faint purple light.
The grain of the wood twisted and warped as if infused with energy, transforming into a swirling, pitch-black dimension at its center, a gateway of filth, ready to devour anything in its path.
"Five minutes,"
he said firmly to the client before stepping inside.
Inside the twisted dimension…
The space that had once been the second-floor bathroom expanded into
"Domain: Maze of the Putrid."
The bathroom walls became pale yellow tiles, greasy stains oozing along every seam.
Corridors bent and twisted endlessly, while the sound of dripping water—plip… plip…—echoed back and forth, sending chills down the spine.
Pixy, who had been acting as the dimensional gate, reverted to her usual yellow duck form.
"Well well, looks like this Sewager is a shy one,"
Pixy laughed, flying in circles and cupping a hand over her mouth. Her voice echoed throughout the area.
"Setting up a maze to ambush us like this. So what do you think, Mr. Poker Face? Really gonna finish this in five minutes like you said?"
Heidelberge did not reply.
He simply walked along the path where the slime was thickest, his sharp eyes briefly glancing at the pocket watch that continued ticking with perfect precision.
Shrrk!
Suddenly, ten masses of thick, pitch-black sludge burst up from the pile of filth on the floor.
They were the "E. coli Army"—vicious bacteria clad in the form of dark warriors.
Each stood taller than a human, their bodies coated in glossy slime, their arms long and raor-sharp like poison-soaked blades.
They let out low growls before spreading out to surround Heidelberge from all directions.
"One… two… ten exactly,"
Heidelberge murmured.
He stopped in front of the demonic army and calmly set his dark leather travel bag down onto the slime-covered tiles.
Thud!
The weight of the bag striking the floor sent a ripple through the surrounding air pressure.
Heidelberge lifted his foot and stepped on the side release mechanism with deliberate calm.
Click!
The case sprang open instantly.
A surge of silver light burst forth, revealing a pale white metal shaft engraved with gleaming golden patterns.
It was the "Pole-Scrubber of Retribution"—over two meters long.
Heidelberge seized it in one swift motion and rested it casually across his shoulder, his relaxed posture radiating a cold, lethal intent.
He stared at the E. coli army ahead. An overwhelming pressure poured out from him, forcing the bacterial soldiers to step back into guarded stances.
Then he pressed the timer on his pocket watch.
His black-gloved thumb came down firmly on the button at the top.
Tick!
The dial shifted into countdown mode. A faint red glow illuminated the darkened dimension.
Countdown
4:49
"Come."
The moment the word left his lips, the first E. coli lunged forward.
Its black blade sliced through the air with a shrill whistle.
Heidelberge tilted his head just slightly, evading with ease, then spun the pole in his hands and slammed it into the creature's torso at blinding speed.
Bang!
The filth demon shattered into pure white particles, dispersing into the air without leaving even the slightest stain behind.
"Left! Watch your left, idiot!"
Pixy shouted.
The one on the left opened its mouth wide and spewed jet-black Putrid Acid, highly corrosive, straight at Heidelberge.
He merely spread his left hand, his ring finger bending slightly in a precise motion.
In that instant, the toxic acid twisted, transformed, and turned into crystal-clear, pure water.
Heidelberge flicked his fingers through the air, controlling the stream as it shot back like a high-pressure bullet.
The water pierced straight through two charging E. coli, erasing them in the blink of an eye.
The one on the right seized the opening, diving low to sever his legs, but Heidelberge was faster. He lifted his foot slightly and stomped down onto its blade-arm, pinning it deep into the tiled floor.
Crash!
Black sludge splattered everywhere, but before it could stain his shoes, Heidelberge "flowed" his weapon, letting the butt end of the pole smash brutally into the creature's abdomen.
Thunk!
The impact sent it flying backward into the others, knocking them off balance.
Heidelberge didn't waste the opening, he spun the pole once and thrust forward a single time.
The tip pierced straight through two overlapping demons, annihilating them together.
"Tch. Guess they're getting serious now,"
Pixy muttered, hovering overhead and stroking her chin as she watched.
The remaining five screeched in piercing unison before charging toward each other.
Their black, viscous bodies fused together, swelling into a massive form, a Behemoth E. coli, towering over three meters tall.
It raised a gigantic axe forged from slag and excrement above its head.
A wave of filthy magical pressure radiated outward, warping the surrounding air into a dull gray haze.
BOOM!!!
The massive axe slammed down where Heidelberge had been standing.
The impact shattered the maze floor, clouds of smoke and damp stench billowing outward until nothing could be seen.
"Del!" Pixy cried out in panic, her small wings flapping frantically.
As the smoke and vapor slowly dissipated…
Heidelberge was still standing, unmoved. His black coat bore not a single stain.
The silver tip of the Pole-Scrubber was embedded cleanly through the heart at the center of the Behemoth's massive body.
The monster let out a deep, rumbling groan.
Its once-solid form began to crack apart as a soft white light seeped from the wound.
Moments later, the colossal body dissolved into bubbles and clean vapor.
The instant the demon vanished, the surrounding space began to change.
The filthy maze peeled away, the black slime on the walls flaking off to reveal pearly white tiles that gleamed under the light.
The stench was replaced by a gentle scent of mint and premium disinfectant.
"So…"
Heidelberge spoke calmly.
"Where's the boss?"