A hole appeared in the empty space.
The diameter was only about 10 meters at most.
But inside there was endless darkness.
'Is that 'Hell'?"
Seo Woojin shivered at the terrifying aura emanating from the hole.
Something whose presence was no less than that of Gerald was getting closer.
'It's coming out!'
As Seo Woojin thought, black figures began to reveal themselves through the hole.
It wasn't what he had imagined.
On the contrary, they were rather cute.
They had an appearance similar to a jellyfish the size of a palm.
However, the problem was their number.
Dozens? Hundreds?
No, there were so many that it was impossible to count.
They slowly descended to the ground, floating in the air like swimming in water, and as they fell, they resembled black eyes.
Seo Woojin stared at them blankly.
Gerald was the same.
"What is this?"
His eyes were now filled with caution, and the leisure he had shown until now had long disappeared.
Gerald unconsciously turned his head towards the back.
His eyes met Seo Woojin's.
"…Is it you?"
Seeing the pupils, Gerald was convinced that Seo Woojin had created something unknown.
"Speak. What is that?"
"It's hell, you son of a bitch."
At the same time, the black figures began to approach Gerald.
And…
Bang!
Things resembling tentacles of a jellyfish suddenly extended and began to entwine around Gerald.
"How dare you!"
Gerald's magi exploded like a detonation.
The tentacles couldn't withstand that power and snapped one by one.
But there was not just one jellyfish.
The things around Gerald simultaneously stretched out their tentacles.
No, it wasn't just Gerald.
A large goblin village nearby and a dark elf hiding in the forest.
Tentacles were aimed at all entities that could be considered Seo Woo Jin's 'enemies'.
Gerald frowned and swung his axe to cut them off.
Swoosh!
The jellyfish hit by magi exploded in the air and disappeared.
However, only Gerald could respond in such a way.
"Kraaah!"
"Urrrolrak!"
"Help, save me!"
The goblins and dark elves couldn't do the same.
Without even being able to properly resist, they were entwined by tentacles and floated into the air.
Then, they were squeezed as if wringing out a wet mop.
As if wringing out a just-used mop, red blood poured down.
When over fifteen hundred goblins and two hundred dark elves poured blood simultaneously, a lake of blood was created.
It was not a metaphor.
"You…!"
When his dark elves, his own subordinates, were annihilated in an instant, Gerald glared at Seo Woojin with eyes filled with anger.
But he couldn't take any other action.
Even now, tentacles continued to charge at him.
Initially, it was easier to block them than to breathe, but as their numbers increased, Gerald began to struggle.
At this rate, he was sure to become a wrung-out mop as well.
Yet, he couldn't just run away like this.
How much effort had he put into today's plan?
Gathering that many goblins, avoiding Crusiel's surveillance, and secretly infiltrating them into the Imperial Territory was nothing short of a miracle.
It was because the Imperial surveillance network was absolute.
Luring monsters to engage the Heroes in battle was also not an easy task.
But the most difficult part was erasing his tracks.
If his traces were discovered, the Empire would never have sent the Heroes.
He carefully proceeded with everything within the elaborate plan.
The fruition of that effort was right in front of him.
Therefore, he couldn't return empty-handed.
"I'll have to take your head for messing things up."
Gerald unleashed his strength.
In an instant, the tentacles were pushed back, creating an opening.
Gerald seized the opportunity and charged at Seo Woojin.
The blade of the ax, soaked with the blood of at least tens of thousands of people, fell towards his neck.
"Damn it."
Though he had managed to turn the situation around using 'Hell' it seemed inevitable that he would still die.
Next to him, he felt Irene tying with all her might to get up.
However, there was no way she could overcome Gerald's magi with her power.
"Just stay still. Don't attract unnecessary attention and get killed for nothing."
After calming Irene by placing a hand on her shoulder, he glared at Gerald.
Even if he died, he was determined not to die in a pathetic manner.
"Hmm?"
Gerald's axe flinched as it fell.
"You…!"
Gerald's expression turned to one of shock as if he had seen something incredible.
It seemed far more surprising than when 'Hell' unfolded.
However, the axe didn't stop.
No, Gerald tried to stop, but it was already too late.
That's how the axe slashed Seo Woojin's neck.
No, it almost did.
Quang!
If not for the suddenly appearing sword.
It wasn't just any sword.
An extraordinarily ordinary, worn-out iron sword.
It looked like it would break with a single strike from Seo Woojin, but surprisingly, it blocked Gerald's sword.
"What, what is this?"
Gerald shouted in disbelief, his face distorted.
"Dariel!"
"It's noisy, Dark Elf."
Simultaneously, an old man, appearing out of nowhere, drew a sword next to Seo Woojin.
'Who…?'
Seo Woojin tried to check the old man's face, but he couldn't. Gradually, everything in front of his eyes became blurry, and the focus he had desperately held onto drifted away.
'I can't.'
He couldn't afford to lose consciousness now. But despite his efforts, Seo Woojin, who had poured everything out, eventually had no choice but to close his eyes.
* * *
When was it?
It was when Seo Woojin went on his first trip.
He was around twenty years old.
The place he visited for the first time in his life was Sokcho.
It was a two-day trip filled with enthusiasm, accompanied by colleagues he met while working part-time.
He saw the sea for the first time, drank alcohol for the first time, and played games for the first time.
It was fun.
Everything was filled with first experiences.
Naturally, it was enjoyable.
Among them, what stood out in Seo Woojin's memory was the Mafia game.
Deception, persuasion, suspicion.
Other games were fun too, but he enjoyed this psychological battle the most.
It seemed more enjoyable to be a Mafia than a citizen or a police officer.
The thrill of being anxious about getting caught as a Mafia was much more exciting.
At that time, he had thought about wanting to play such games with friends for the rest of his life.
However…
'It's not fun being the Devil King instead of a Mafia.'
Seo Woojin came to his senses. It felt like he had dreamed of the old days after a long time.
The dream of the time when he went on a trip with friends.
If he could go back to that time, how wonderful would it be?
'If I could go back, I wouldn't have had to go through this bullshit.'
How many times had it been already?
I overcame the crisis of death.
If I hadn't responded to the summoning.
If that were the case, by now, I would have been tilting a glass with friends, laughing about a strange dream.
But that's just a regret.
There was something else important to Seo Woojin now.
'Is it time to be questioned?'
When he unfolded the 'Hell' there were not just one or two people around.
There were knights and Heroes.
Having seen the 'Hell' they could easily speculate about the nature of that skill and about Seo Woojin.
That's how alien the 'Hell' skill was.
Seo Woojin sighed and opened his eyes.
"Are you awake?"
It was Irene.
She stood next to the bed, sitting upright, looking at Seo Woojin.
It was a familiar sight.
Whenever he fainted during training, Irene always watched over him like this.
"I'm alive."
"Fortunately, the Swordmaster arrived just in time."
Swordmaster?
It's a title he's never heard before.
Then, suddenly, he remembered someone.
"Could it be the old man with white hair?"
The person who saved him from Gerald's axe just before losing consciousness.
"Yes, that's right. He's one of the Five Superhumans of the Empire and is acclaimed as the Greatest Swordsman on the continent."
The continent's best swordsman.
Seo Woojin chuckled.
It's not like someone like that would happen to pass by and offer help.
"I guess the Empire knew that someone called Gerald would appear."
Irene didn't respond.
It was because she was thinking the same thing.
"So we were bait?"
Though it was a bit different from the truth, from Seo Woojin's perspective, he couldn't help but think that way.
"How did I lose consciousness?"
"I don't know the details. I haven't been in my right mind since demonic energy eroded my mind."
"Huh?"
Seo Woojin blinked at Irene's words.
"Don't you remember? Anything at all?"
"I can recall fragmented scenes, but I don't know exactly what happened that day."
Seo Woojin let out a sigh of relief.
If Irene didn't know, then it was likely the same for others.
'No one knows that I used the 'Hell' right?'
To claim it was a skill of a swordsman was too alien.
Even Seo Woojin, who cast it, was surprised by the appearance of the skill.
Anyone who felt the dreadful aura within it might have nodded even if Seo Woojin said he was not a Hero but a Demon King.
But the fact that she couldn't remember was somewhat reassuring.
"I heard that when the Sword Master appeared, Gerald didn't even fight; he just withdrew."
Seo Woojin was slightly surprised.
Gerald was a monster in and of himself.
A monster manipulating space, harboring endless magical energy.
And he just withdrew like that?
Without even trying to fight?
"Is the sword master powerful?"
Though the tone was far from respectful, Irene paid no attention.
"I mentioned that he's called the best swordsman on the continent."
"So, does that mean he's stronger than our lord?"
Van Slaine is also a monster.
Even though Irene couldn't gauge his strength as she had never seen it, he didn't seem weaker than Gerald.
"Well…"
Irene hesitated in her response.
Her respect and trust in Van Slaine were firm, but the title of sword master elevated him even further.
Moreover, this was the empire.
One wrong word could turn many people against them.
"Is the lord you guys talking about Van Slaine?"
Suddenly, the door opened, and an old man with long white hair and an immensely wrinkled face entered.
The face with long white hair that reached the shoulders was undoubtedly the one Seo Woojin had seen before losing consciousness.
"Sword master!"
Irene was startled and stood up.
"Van, that kid is already at the level where he can stand shoulder to shoulder with me"
'Wow.'
If he called that man a child, how old could the sword master be?
Van Slaine was already known to have passed sixty.
Moreover, the man seemed to have undergone a physical reconstruction, appearing like a young man, making the age difference even more apparent.
"I misspoke."
Irene apologized meekly.
She didn't want to cause unnecessary disturbances.
However, the Sword Master, Dariel, extended his hand.
"It wasn't meant as a reprimand."
Then, he approached Seo Woojin with big strides.
Even though he was just walking, it felt as if a sword was flying towards him.
Seo Woojin looked at him while swallowing dry saliva, and Dariel asked,
"So, you're the one Gerald mentioned."
…Yes?