Screech! Screech! Screech! Screech—!
Unidentified magical beasts covered the walls and ceiling of the ruined Hapjeong Station like vines. The sight was like a scene from an unpleasant nightmare. Seo Jiwoo gritted her teeth.
'I should have brought my gauntlets from the car!' As an S-rank Hunter, she felt extremely embarrassed to be protected like this without being able to do anything.
"Why are you protecting me so much?!"
[Be quiet.] Harmakan absolutely wouldn't allow Seo Jiwoo to fight. This wasn't simply for protection.
[It will help Master if you stay still.]
"Help? Does Hunter Sung Suho have another purpose?"
[Heh. Purpose.] Instead of responding to Seo Jiwoo's frustrated reaction, Harmakan just laughed.
What was the purpose?
'It's to level up, of course.'
Harmakan chuckled. Originally, those nameless weeds without even souls wouldn't have given Suho any meaningful experience points. But here, it was different. What was an Instance Dungeon in the first place? It was a magic circle developed by the great mage Kandiaru to help players level up. Therefore, regardless of their original identity, within this space, they were all merely monsters that existed to give Suho experience points and die.
'So, my role is to completely eliminate any factors that could steal even a little bit of Master's experience points in this battlefield.' With that sense of mission, Harmakan thoroughly controlled Seo Jiwoo so she wouldn't act rashly. She was a little touched by his devotion.
"This is the first time someone has protected me like this since I reawakened…" The memory triggered thoughts of her late grandfather. But the emotion was fleeting.
This grandpa, no, Harmakan, was a fundamentally wicked demonic spirit.
[Alright. If you want to fight that much, I'll give you a chance.]
"…!"
Flash!
A sinister magic circle suddenly unfolded from Harmakan's withered fingertips. And within it, an ominous-looking full-body armor appeared.
[It's an evil spirit armor. I'll let you fight if you wear this.]
"…It looks really creepy. It's not cursed armor or anything, is it?" As Seo Jiwoo looked at him with distrustful eyes, Harmakan chuckled and created two more sinister magic circles in the air.
[Don't worry. It was originally armor for evil spirits, but I modified it so that humans can wear it too.]
"Ah, evil spirits?" Harmakan tried to soothe Seo Jiwoo, who became even more apprehensive.
[Heh. You're easily scared. There might be some side effects for ordinary people, but it will be fine for an S-rank Hunter like you.] Harmakan grinned, swallowing the words 'probably.'
"Haa. Alright. I can't let Hunter Sung Suho, who came here at my request, suffer alone." Seo Jiwoo finally nodded, feeling like she was making a deal with the devil.
[Good thinking. I've always wanted to try putting this on a human.] And the devil grinned.
"Wait… Wh-what?!!"
Clank—!
It was too late. The evil spirit armor swallowed Seo Jiwoo bewildered by Harmakan's last mutter, whole. And he added a few more spells on top of that, as if he had been waiting.
[Seo Jiwoo equips Item: 'Evil Spirit's Armor'.]
"Hmm?" Suho, who was fighting in front, turned around with a puzzled expression at the system message that suddenly popped up.
[Harmakan uses Skill: 'Thorn of Pain' on Seo Jiwoo.]
[All pain and damage Seo Jiwoo receives is shared with the attacker.]
[Harmakan uses Skill:' Exploitation' on Seo Jiwoo.]
[Recovers hp equal to 2% of the damage Seo Jiwoo deals to the opponent.]
And there stood Seo Jiwoo, equipped like a Death Knight, staggering with a pale face. She felt like throwing up.
"…Ugh. I feel nauseous."
[Oh? Is that all? A weak human would have probably died or fainted.]
"You scammer…!" Seo Jiwoo clenched her fists at the sight of Harmakan nodding in satisfaction.
[Now, go out and fight. This armor is an artifact that reflects the damage received and recovers health as you attack the enemy.]
"What?" Seo Jiwoo's eyes widened at those words, and she looked down at the evil spirit's armor she was wearing.
[Experience the effects yourself.]
As Harmakan pushed Seo Jiwoo's back, she was propelled forward and attacked the enemies in a trance.
Boom!
Seo Jiwoo's fist shot out like a cannonball and directly hit the skull that the purple vine was wearing on its head.
Crack…!
[?? has been defeated.]
['Seo Jiwoo' offers 100% of the experience points as a sacrifice.]
At that moment, messages popped up in front of Suho. The experience points Seo Jiwoo gained were transferred directly to him through the 'evil spirit's armor.' She still had a nauseous expression, but Harmakan's experiment was successful.
[For the glory of Master.] Suho couldn't help but chuckle as he saw Harmakan bowing deeply towards him from afar.
'Those magic spirits…' After all, it was Suho who instructed Harmakan to try modifying the evil spirit's armor. As it was originally a cursed armor that strengthened its power by tormenting evil souls. And it was only recently that he asked him to devise a way to make it wearable even by others. But he didn't expect Harmakan to suddenly put it on Seo Jiwoo. And She was something else too…
"This armor… is amazing!" Seo Jiwoo's performance, having inadvertently become a Death Knight, was beyond imagination.
Boom!
Crash!
Bang!
She was unleashing monstrous strength everywhere, surprising even herself. In fact, Seo Jiwoo had been struggling to adapt to her suddenly increased power after reawakening. She was different from Ma Dongwook, the S-rank tanker famous for his strength and durability. She was a dealer. Her strength increased tremendously, but her defense couldn't keep up with that monstrous power. This meant that when Seo Jiwoo punched, the opponent would get hurt, but so would her own fist. In short, gauntlets and armor inevitably wore out the more she fought. And all the money she earned was spent on repairing equipment or buying new weapons. But the evil spirit's armor was sturdier than any Seo Jiwoo had ever worn. And on top of that, there was Harmakan's buff that recovered health as she dealt damage.
"I feel like throwing up, but I can't stop." Seo Jiwoo was fighting with all her might for the first time since reawakening.
"I need to step up my game too." A strong competitive spirit appeared in Suho's eyes as he saw that.
[Using skill: 'Giant's Armor'.]
Whoosh!
The black flames burning from the Dragon King's heart mixed with the shadow's energy and engulfed Suho's entire body.
Crack! Crack…!
A full-body armor covered in black flames.
The purple vines that were approaching to attack Suho were startled by the intense heat and retreated. But it was too late…
Flare—!
The Dragon King's flames spread tenaciously along their vines and burned their entire bodies.
[?? has been defeated.]
[?? has been defeated.]
[…]
Seo Jiwoo marveled at the sight.
'He really was a tanker! And a fire-attribute tanker, the strongest ability!'
Suho, who had been surrounded, had suddenly turned into a living disaster.
[Kieek! How impressive! Master has become a living meat shield!] Beru also clapped his hands in joy at that overwhelming majesty.
"That's a compliment, right?"
[Of course, it is! But don't forget the objective!]
"I know."
Their current goal wasn't to annihilate the weeds, but to find the hole they came from.
"Open a path."
Suho held two of Vulcan's horns, eyes gleaming.
[Using Skill: 'Storm of Black Flames'.]
A new skill that evolved from Storm Slash after obtaining the Dragon King's heart.
Rumble!
A storm of black flames raged from the two swords.
[?? has been defeated.]
[?? has been defeated.]
[?? has been defeated.]
[…]
[Level Up!]
And a path opened.
"…Oh my god." Seo Jiwoo's jaw dropped. Following the path of fire that Suho unleashed in a straight line, numerous vines were scattered as ashes. She could see the vines hesitantly reappearing at the end of that wide-open passage.
"Is this that way?"
Suho immediately ran forward. So Seo Jiwoo followed after him.
Boom!
Repelling the small fry attacking from both sides with her fists. And finally…
"…Found it."
"The double dungeon."
An ominously shimmering dimensional crack finally appeared before them.
"So this is where they were crawling out from." Antares clicked his tongue as he watched the purple vines emerging from the dimensional crack.
"The residents of the gap are always like this. They hide like mice, and then they spread their roots and sprout whenever they get a chance, like weeds. This hole was probably opened by the Nightmare Bud. And other weeds are following through."
Listening to Antares' explanation, Suho glared at the other side of the crack with burning eyes.
"What's the probability that this is the Sea of The Afterlife?"
[Extremely low. But it will at least be a shortcut.]
[My liege. Are you thinking of going in now?]
"Of course. My grandfather's life is at stake." Suho looked at Seo Jiwoo and asked politely,
"Hunter Seo Jiwoo. It might be a little dangerous, but would you mind coming in with me?"
"Of course. I never dreamed it would be like this, but I also want to save my colleagues from the Eternal Sleep Disease." Seo Jiwoo nodded with a determined expression, meeting Suho's eyes.
"Then let's go in."
They stepped into the dimensional crack without hesitation.
Flare!
Burning the residents of the gap that were still crawling out.
* * *
Meanwhile...
Rumble!
The sky of the demon world was ominously shimmering.
"…Is it time?"
Esil, the master of this territory and the only demon noble, stood on a high hill, staring at the sky with gleaming eyes. Actually… She didn't know much about 'how to become the King of Demons' either. All she knew was what she had heard from her father when she was young. Even then, her father probably wouldn't have known the specifics.
'Even when my father was born, Baran already was the King of Demons.'
Baran, the King of Demons, the Monarch of White Flames. He was the one who ruled over the demons for a very long time. But was there anything eternal in this universe? Even the Absolute Being, The Creator, was killed by his own servants. A very long time ago. Before 'Baran' became king, another demon ruled the demon world. And when that king died and disappeared in the war with the Rulers, Baran, who was a demon noble at the time, proved his qualifications as king and succeeded to the throne. That method was the 'trial' that Esil knew of.
Rumble! Crackle!
But it didn't matter if she didn't know the details. Because her instincts as a demon noble were whispering the most important thing to her.
"My fellow demons who follow me! Listen!" Esil stood up resolutely and raised her voice.
"Esil Radiru, the only demon noble and master of this land, commands you!"
At her resounding voice, all the residents of the demon world looked up at the sky. And all they could see were 'white flames' descending in strands, tearing and shredding the sky of the demon world. Like 'weeds' taking root in dry land without an owner. Esil grabbed her spear, pointed it forward, and shouted,
"Rise and fight! The time of trial has come!"
Screech! Screech! Screech…!
At that moment. Purple roots began to squeeze through the cracks in the demon world. Obsessive gleams erupted from the eyes of the skulls they wore on their heads. Even the ignorant demons who didn't know about the King's trial instinctively realized, sensing the ferocious aura.
"It has begun!"
"It's the trial!"
"The demon world is being contaminated!"
If they couldn't endure this moment, they would eventually be devoured. No, not only them but the entire demon world would be consumed whole. So to prevent that…!
"We need a king." Someone muttered.
A world without a king was mortally endangered by this. Weeds always grew in a land without an owner. The moment they saw those vines, the demons instinctively realized their name.
"They're the residents of the gap…"
"The residents of the gap are after us…!"
And that unrest spread, leading to fear and terror. In the end, everyone's gaze was fixed on the qualified leader, the pure-blooded demon.
"I am Esil, the eldest daughter of the Radiru family." And the pure-blooded demon gladly accepted the wishes they longed for. Esil declared her name before the purple wave that invaded the demon world. But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret.
'At a time when Suho is away…' But it was alright. This was something she shouldn't rely on anyone else for in the first place. If she couldn't overcome the trial with her own strength, how could she gain the right to become King? Therefore, suppressing her fear, Esil declared confidently,
"I will be your king."
Swish!
And Esil's voice, as she raised her spear and shouted, overflowed with confidence.
"Arise! My Death Knights!"
Oooooh!
At her command, numerous demon knights clad in the Item: 'evil spirit's armor' rose resolutely behind Esil.
…To be honest, Esil thought it was okay to get a little help.