"...."
"...."
Swish-
A gust of wind blew past.
What Lim Dokyoon found was a totem made by demons.
Esil immediately recognized the meaning of the totem.
"It's like the sign demons use."
"Did they make it so they wouldn't get lost in this jungle among themselves?"
"I think so. There must be their hideout at the end."
"Wait. Hey, guys? I mean, guild leader?"
Lim Dokyoon, who was listening to the conversation between Esil and Suho, was getting pale.
"You're not saying you're going there right now, are you?"
A moment ago, a tremendous tragedy was about to happen because of the sudden intrusion of demons.
Now, the conversation between the two, as if they were trying to step into the demon's den, sounded like a death sentence to Lim Dokyoon.
"Ah, I guess it's a little dangerous for you. Would you like to step into my shadow for a moment?"
"Huh? For a moment. I thought it would be bad for my health?!"
[That was a joke, too. It will be worse for your health to keep following here.]
"Hey…"
Lim Dokyoon stiffened like a living corpse at Beru's words.
"Alright. Stay in for a while. It wont take that long."
Suho laughed and took out the key to the Shadow Dungeon.
Clack.
[Entering the Shadow Dungeon.]
"Huh?!"
Lim Dokyoon was the only one who entered.
Suho's shadow suddenly rose up and swallowed Lim Dokyoon's body like a curtain.
Suho reassured him.
"Don't worry too much. That's where everyone survives."
"W-Wait…!"
Swoosh!
At that moment, Lim Dokyoon's vision was blackened, and when he opened his eyes again, in front of him…
[Ehh? What are you?]
Ammut, a giant crocodile, was looking down at Lim Dokyoon with an intrigued expression.
"Uhh…"
Lim Dokyoon sat down on the spot with an expression as if he was going to lose his mind.
However, that pathetic and weak appearance was Ammut's preference.
[Kehehehe. Are you the human guild member my disciple talked about? Reminds me of Tarnak's childhood.]
The corner of the giant crocodile's mouth rose and gave a meaningful smile.
With a voice more devilish than a demon, he quietly whispered to Lim Dokyoon.
[Weak human, don't you want to become stronger than now?]
"No."
[… Hmm?]
Lim Dokyoon was stern.
He walked to the corner of the pyramid and sat quietly.
"I'll just stay here quietly."
[…]
A bewildered look appeared on Ammut's face.
* * *
After sending Lim Dokyoon, Suho and Esil immediately went to the factory, tracing back the demons' totems.
They ran into a few demons along the way, but it didn't matter too much.
Since Suho was given the title 'Demon Slayer', low-level demons could no longer compete with him.
"… Something is strange."
Having discovered a new totem, Esil looked around with a hard expression.
"What's the matter?"
"This totem is not a directional sign. The road is cut off from here."
"It's the end of the road? Hmm."
Suho widened his senses and detected signs around him.
However, there was no sign of demons or beasts anywhere.
'Not even the wind blows.'
The still, stagnant air created an atmosphere of fear.
It was a place where demons lurked, so it was not strange no matter what happens.
[Young Master.]
[Master.]
At that time, Beru and Quay called Suho at the same time.
They pointed at Suho's feet and said.
[I can feel a crack in the dimension just below this.]
"Is there a gate?"
[Yes. It seems so, Master.]
Suho's gaze went down.
"Beru, find a way down to the basement."
[Yep.]
Beru flew so fast.
Meanwhile, rather than moving his body, Quay calmly scanned the surroundings with a cool look.
[Master, if the traces of the demons have disappeared here, there is a possibility that the entrance was hidden using some kind of magic or skill.]
"You have a point."
Suho nodded and raised his twin swords.
"Then…"
[Use 'Skill: Blade Storm'.]
Swoosh!
"If I destroy everything, something might come out."
Centering on the last totem he found, Suho indiscriminately popinted his sword into the empty space.
An amazing sight unfolded.
"…!"
The earth and sky split apart, and a dimensional rift began to appear before their eyes.
Seeing that, Esil's eyes widened in surprise.
"I can't believe this energy!"
Surprisingly, the energy flowing from beyond the rift was too familiar to Esil.
"It's a gate connected to the Demon Realm!"
"The dimension you lived in?"
"That's right! This gate will be connected to the dimension I escaped from!"
"I see."
Suho nodded.
The reason why the 3rd dungeon in Pyeongtaek was only designated as a D-Class dungeon was because the number and level of monsters in there were not high.
It turned out that those from the gate were demons, not mages.
'Did they hide quietly to build up their strength rather than attacking humans because they are intelligent demons?'
It also used a method to block humans from approaching by releasing a moderate level of monsters and creating a jungle where it was difficult to find the way.
"Looks like we found the main base while trying to find the factory."
"Didn't I tell you before? The world defeated in the War of Monarchs is torn to pieces and wanders through the dimensional rift. What exists beyond this must be fragments of the ruined Demon Realm."
"Ruined?"
"Yeah. All the demon nobles who ruled the Demon Realm are dead, so all that's left is probably the small puppets who hid from the war."
"Did they get stronger by drinking the blood of demon nobles?"
"Maybe? It's clear that they want to increase their power and become the new Demon Nobles."
"What's good about being a demon noble?"
"That…"
Esil was about to open her mouth to answer Suho's question.
Swook!
Due to Suho's indiscriminate attack, a tremendous suction power suddenly occurred inside the gate.
Strangely, however, that suction power only attracted Esil, not Suho.
"Kyaah!"
Esil floated in the air and struggled with her hands. Suho had to grab her hand because of the suction power generated by the gate.
[Young Master!]
[Master! It's dangerous!]
Beru and Quay urgently grab Suho's body from behind.
Esil shouted while holding Suho's hand.
"It looks like the Demon Realm is trying to drag me away by force! It was like this before!"
A world that has lost its monarch must find a new one.
The moment the Demon Realm seized the energy of Esil Radiru, the only existing demon noble, it was about to forcibly take her.
"That was what it meant?"
Suho, who grasped the situation, smiled rather meaningfully than panicked.
"Then, you should be happy to go!"
Suho held Esil's hand and was willingly sucked into the gate.
It was a ruined Demon Realm…
'There must be a lot of demons.'
It was a great opportunity to strengthen Vulcan's Horns.
The moment he passed through the gate, Suho's vision changed dramatically.
"… Huh?"
He landed on the floor and looked straight ahead with his eyes wide open.
A large, majestic mine.
Numerous demons with shackles on their feet and pickaxes were roaming all over the place.
"What's this?"
"I don't know either."
The sound of pickaxes were resonating loudly here and there.
Even Esil was perplexed by a situation that she could not have imagined outside the gate.
"Ack!"
At a distance, a terrifying sound of whipping and screaming was heard.
"These lazy bastards! Do not think about tricks, do the work! Work!"
"Ack! I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
A huge demon that appeared to be an overseer was brutally trampling the slave demons.
Slave demons let out screams of pain as they got whipped with mana powers.
In order not to receive more beatings, they somehow got up and started pulling the cart.
Suho and Esil hid themselves behind a rock pillar, avoiding the supervisor's gaze.
"Is it a workhouse?"
"… Something is off."
Esil put on a serious expression.
"How can they be so organized when there are no demon nobles?"
"How was it supposed to be then?"
"The Devil Realm is thoroughly strong, but at the same time, a weak snack. It can be overturned at any time. We become strong by eating each other."
"Eating each other?"
"That's right. No matter how strong you are, if you catch and eat regardless of means and methods- even if it is a surprise attack, you will become stronger. So, if the overwhelming existence of demon nobles doesn't hold the system in place, the demons really become abusive."
Eat or get eaten.
That was the system of the Demon Realm.
It's like their own version of societal class.
"A system like this is only possible if a demon noble reigns here, but I am the only noble who survived."
"Definitely strange."
Suho also felt something strange.
If the demons, who were now working pickaxes like slaves, joined forces at once, they could kill and eat any number of supervisors like that.
Even so, the eyes of the slaves were already filled with a deep sense of defeat and fear.
"Oohhhh!"
Just then, a huge cow monster was passing in front of Suho and Esil, pulling a huge cart full of ore.
[Raised Minotaur]
'Minotaur?'
The neck and legs of the gigantic cow monster were attached with shackles and thick chains.
They even had saddles on their backs that made them comfortable to sit on.
However, the Minotaur wasn't the only animal pulling the cart.
Bizarre, gigantic horse-like monsters were carrying ore carts, with chains and shackles on their bodies.
"… Huh? Who is that guy?"
Esil's eyes widened when she spotted one of them, a sleek-looking horse.
"Do you know him?"
"My servant."