kekekeke
Unidentified weeds covered the walls and ceiling of the ruined Hapjeong Station like vines.
It looked like a scene from an unpleasant nightmare.
Seo Jiwoo gritted her teeth.
'As expected, I should have taken my gauntlets out of the car!'
Even though she was an S-class hunter in name, she was humiliated to be protected like this.
"Why on earth are you protecting me like this?"
[You're noisy]
However, Harmakan never allowed Seo Jiwoo to fight.
This was not simply for protection.
[It is helpful to my master if you remain quiet.]
"What help? Does Hunter Sung Suho have another purpose for being here?"
[Hehe. A purpose.]
Instead of responding to Seo Jiwoo's frustrated reaction, Harmakan just laughed.
What is the purpose?
'Of course it's to level up, isn't it?'
Harmakan chuckled.
Originally, the soulless remnants of that dimension would not have given Suho any meaningful experience.
But it was different here.
What is an instance dungeon in the first place?
Isn't it the magic circle developed by Kandiaru, the Great Shaman of the Phantom World, to help players level up?
So, no matter what their original identity was, at this point, they were all just monsters that existed to give experience to Suho.
'So, my role is to completely exclude any elements that could steal even a little bit of my master's experience from this battlefield.'
Under that sense of duty, Harmakan carefully managed Seo Jiwoo to prevent her from acting carelessly.
Seo Jiwoo was a little moved by that sincerity.
"This is the first time since I reawakened that someone has protected me like this..."
For some reason, it reminded her of her deceased grandfather's arms.
But that emotion was short-lived.
My grandfather, or rather Harmakan, was a fundamentally evil demonic spirit.
[OK. If you really want to fight, I'll give you a chance.]
"...!"
Flash!
Suddenly, an evil spell spread out from Harmakan's withered fingertips.
And inside, an ominous-looking full-body armor appeared.
[It is the armor of an evil spirit. If you want to fight wearing this, I'll let you go.]
"It looks very uncomfortable, doesn't it? It's not cursed armor, right?"
When Seo Jiwoo looked at him with eyes full of extreme distrust, Harmakan grinned and created two more evil magic circles in the air.
[Don't worry. It was originally armor for evil spirits, but it was modified so that humans could also wear it.]
"Oh, evil spirit?"
Harmakan gently comforted Seo Jiwoo, who became even more upset after hearing those words.
[Hehe. You're scared. For an ordinary person, there will be some side effects, but for a person like you who is an S-class hunter, there will be no problems.]
Harmakan swallowed hard and grinned as he said, "Maybe."
"Ha. okay. I can't let Hunter Sung Suho, who came at my request, suffer alone."
Seo Jiwoo ended up nodding her head, feeling like she was making a contract with the devil.
The devil grinned at that.
[This might be a good idea. I've really wanted to try it on a human, and it might turn out really well.]
"What?! Wait for a moment-!"
Crunch!
It's already too late.
Seo Jiwoo's eyes widened in confusion at Harmakan's last murmur, and the evil spirit's armor swallowed her up.
Harmakan added a few spells to it as if he had been waiting.
[Seo Jiwoo wears 'Item: Evil Spirit's Armor'.]
"Hmm?"
Suho, who was fighting in front, looked back with a puzzled expression at the system message that suddenly appeared in front of him.
[Harmakan uses 'Skill: Thorn of Pain' on Seo Jiwoo.]
[All pain and damage Seo Jiwoo receives is shared with the target of the attack.]
[Harmakan uses 'Skill: Exploitation' on Seo Jiwoo.]
[Seo Jiwoo recovers stamina equal to 2% of the damage inflicted on the opponent.]
Then, Seo Jiwoo, armed like a Death Knight, was staggering around with a pale face.
She felt like throwing up.
"Wow. I think I'll get motion sick, from this."
[Hoo. Is that all it is? If you were a weak human, you would probably have died or fainted.]
"You fraudster...!"
Seo Jiwoo clenched her fists as she saw Harmakan nodding in satisfaction next to her.
[Now, go out and fight. This armor is an artifact that reflects damage and restores stamina as the enemy is attacked.]
"What?"
Seo Jiwoo's eyes widen at those words and she looks down at the evil spirit armor she is wearing.
[Let's experience the effect for ourselves.]
When Harmakan pushed Seo Jiwoo's back forward, Seo Jiwoo jumped forward as if possessed and attacked the enemies.
Thump-!
Seo Jiwoo's fist shot out like a cannon and directly hit a weed's purple vined skull.
[?? has been defeated.]
['Seo Ji-woo' offers 100% of her experience as a sacrifice.]
At that moment, messages appeared in front of Suho.
The experience Seo Jiwoo gained was transferred to Suho through a medium called 'Evil Spirit's Armor'.
Seo Jiwoo still looked sick, but Harmakan's experiment was successful.
[For my master's glory.]
Suho burst out laughing as he saw Harmakan bowing his head solemnly towards Suho from afar.
'Ha, those demons.'
It was Suho who originally instructed Harmakan to modify the evil spirit's armor.
The evil spirit's armor was originally a cursed armor that strengthened its power by squeezing evil spirits.
It was only recently that Harmakan was asked to design something that could be worn by other species and not only evil spirits.
But Suho never thought that Harmakan would put it on Seo Jiwoo.
But Seo Jiwoo was Seo Jiwoo afterall.
"This armor... It's huge!"
Seo Jiwoo's performance, who suddenly became a Death Knight, was beyond imagination.
Boom! Ku-kwa-kwang-kwang!
Seo Jiwoo was spewing out so much strength that she was surprised.
In fact, Seo Jiwoo originally had a hard time adjusting to her sudden change of power after she reawakened.
Unlike, Ma Dong-wook, an S-class tanker famous for his strength and tenacity, Seo Jiwoo was different.
Seo Ji-woo is a damage dealer.
Her strength became incredibly strong, but her defense could not keep up with her monstrous power.
What that means is that when Seo Jiwoo threw a punch, not only did the other person get hurt, but Seo Jiwoo also got hurt as well.
In short, as Seo Ji-woo fought, the durability of the gauntlets and armor she was wearing was inevitably reduced.
This means that all the money they made was used to repair equipment or buy new weapons.
However, the evil spirit's armor was stronger than any armor Seo Jiwoo had ever worn.
In addition, Harmakan's buff restores stamina as additional damage is inflicted.
"I feel like I'm going to throw up, but I can't stop."
Seo Jiwoo was fighting with all her might for the first time since her reawakening.
"I guess I need to work hard on this too."
When Suho saw that, a strong desire to win appeared in his eyes.
[Use skill 'Giant's Armor'.]
Shwaaagh!
The black flame burning from the Dragon Emperor's heart mixed with the energy of the shadow and enveloped his entire body.
krekeke
Full body armor covered in black flame.
Due to the intense heat, the purple vines that attacked Suho were startled and retreated.
But it was already too late.
Hissss!
The Dragon Emperor's flames persistently spread through the vines, burning their entire bodies.
[?? has been defeated.]
[?? has been defeated.]
... ... .
Seo Jiwoo was impressed by that appearance.
'He was a tanker after all!!! And a fire attribute tank, the strongest attribute!'
Suho, who was surrounded by them, suddenly turned into a living disaster.
Beru was also delighted at his majesty's overwhelming power and clapped.
[Keeeeek! I am so proud of you! Suho, you have now become a living meat shield!]
"That's a compliment, right?"
[Of course it's a compliment! But don't forget your purpose!]
"Know."
Their goal now is not to annihilate them, but to find the hole through which they escaped.
"Make a path."
Two of Vulcan's horns were held in both of Suho's hands, whose eyes were shining.
[Use 'Skill: Storm of Black Flame'.]
Obtaining the Heart of the Dragon Emperor created a new skill that evolved from Storm Slash.
Wow!
A storm of black flames swept through the two swords.
[?? has been defeated.]
[?? has been defeated.]
[?? has been defeated.]
... ... .
[Your level has increased.]
And the road was cleared.
"...oh my god."
Seo Jiwoo's mouth opened wide.
Along the path of fire that Suho spewed out in a straight line, numerous vines were reduced to ashes and scattered.
At the end of the open road, she saw vines slowly reappearing.
"Is it over there?"
Suho ran straight ahead.
Seo Jiwoo ran after him.
Tookwakwang!
Using both fists, she used her two fists to bounce off random mobs attacking from the left and right.
And finally.
"...found it."
"The double dungeon."
Finally, an ominous dimensional crack appeared in front of Suho and Seo Jiwoo.
"This is where they were crawling out of."
Antares clicked his tongue as he looked at the purple vines crawling out through the dimensional crack.
"It's always like that with the residents of the gap."
"They are like weeds that usually hide as if they are dead, but whenever they get a chance, they spread their roots and sprout. "
"Perhaps this hole was dug by the nightmare bud."
"Since then, other weeds have been coming in through this hole."
While listening to Antares' explanation, Suho glared through the crack with burning eyes.
"What is the probability that this leads to the sea of the afterlife?"
[Extremely low. But at least it will be a shortcut.]
[Suho. Are you planning to go in right now?]
"That's right. My grandfather's life is at stake."
Suho looked at Seo Jiwoo next to him and politely asked.
"Hunter Seo Jiwoo. It might be a little dangerous, but could you come in with me?"
"Of course. I never dreamed it would be like this, but I also want to save my colleagues from their sleeplessness."
Seo Jiwoo looked into Suho's eyes with a determined expression and nodded.
"Then let's go in."
They stepped into the dimensional rift without hesitation.
krekeek pow!
Even then, burning the residents of the gap who were crawling out of the gap.
* * *
Meanwhile, at the same time.
Grumble!
The sky of the demon world was shaking ominously.
"Has the time come?"
Esil, the owner of this territory and the only demon noble was looking up at the sky from a high hill, her eyes shining brightly.
In reality ... ... Esil didn't know much about 'how to become the demon king.'
All she knew was from her father when she was young.
Esil's father probably didn't know anything specific at the time.
'When my father was born, the King of Demons was Baran.'
Baran, the King of Demons and the Monarch of White Flames.
He was the ruler of the demon world, where demons lived for a very long time.
But is there anything eternal in this universe?
Even the Absolute One who created this universe was killed by his own creations.
A long time ago.
Before 'Baran' became king, another demon ruled the demon world.
When the king died and disappeared in the war between the rulers, Baran, who was a demon nobleman at the time, proudly proved his qualifications as king and succeeded to the throne.
That method was the 'trial' that Esil knew.
Kurung! Qarring!
But it didn't matter if she didn't know the details.
As a demon noble, her instincts were whispering the most important thing to her.
"Demons! Listen!"
Esil stood up indignantly and raised her voice.
"Esil Radiru, the only demon noble and master of this land, commands you!"
At the sound of Esil's loud voice, all the demons in the demon world raised their heads toward the sky.
Then, all that was visible above the sky was 'white flames'.
Pure white flames came down, tearing up the sky of the demon world.
Like a 'weed' that takes root in a dry land without an owner.
Esil grabbed her spear, pointed it in front of her, and shouted.
"Rise and fight! "The time of trial has come!"
krekeke
... ... !
At that moment.
Purple roots began to creep through the cracks in the demon world.
An obsessive glow burst from the eyes of the skeletons on their heads.
Even the demons who were ignorant of the king's qualifications instinctively realized the bloody force.
"The trial has begun!"
"It's the trial!"
"The demon world is being polluted!"
If they don't survive this moment, they will eventually get eaten by them.
No, the entire demon world will be eaten.
In order for that not to happen, in the end...!
"We need a king."
Someone muttered.
A world without a king is dangerous.
Weeds always grow in unclaimed land.
The moment the demons saw the weeds, they instinctively knew what they were.
"It's a resident of the gap."
"The residents of the gap are targeting us!"
And the turmoil gradually spread, leading to panic and fear.
In the end, everyone's eyes were focused on the right person to lead them, a pure-blooded demon.
The pure-blooded demon willingly accepted their wish.
"I am Esil, the eldest daughter of the Radiru family."
Esil confidently said her name in front of the purple wave that invaded the demon world.
But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a bit of regret rising in her mind.
'By any chance, if Suho is away...'
But it's okay.
This is something I shouldn't ask for help in the first place.
If you can't overcome the ordeal on your own, will you ever be qualified to become king?
That is why Esil suppressed her fears and declared confidently.
"I will be your king."
Sigh!
And Esil's voice was overflowing with confidence as she raised her spear high and shouted.
"Wake up! Death Knights!"
Ooooh!
At that command, numerous demon knights wearing 'Item: Armor of Evil Spirits' stood up behind Esil.
To be honest, Esil believed that she should receive some help.