Leveling Up Alone

[Yes, the demon world is fairly complex, but there are some simple aspects. Most demons are directly or indirectly influenced and controlled by the Demon King who rules that area, though there are some differences in whether it’s direct allegiance or indirect domination.]

‘Ah ha, so even vampires like Lord Kasha are considered to be under indirect domination. Is that why I couldn’t have him?’

[That’s right, but there is a big exception for other beings like a Great Demon. They live outside the Demon King’s territory and don’t seek to be ruled by anyone. The basic explanation is that they’re just ignorant demons who know nothing but physical power. They hunt down monsters and kill other demons passing through their territory to strengthen themselves.]

‘I don’t know who wrote that description, but I’m pretty sure it was a normal demon.’

[I think so.]

Since the description spoke negatively about the Great Demons, the description must have been written by a normal demon harmed by a Great Demon.

“Khaaaa!”

Kurrrr!

The Great Demon that had fully emerged from the magic circle stretched its body and let out a roar. It was so strong that its mere roar caused the area around it to shake.

[That’s right.]

The summoned Great Demon looked similar to goblins recorded in traditional Korean legends. It looked like a red goblin. Its skin was a deep pink, almost magenta, and it had one purple eye. It originally had two eyes, but the other had a scar around it, possibly from an injury.

Whoosh!

“Krrrr!”

The weapon it was carrying was unfortunately(?) not a goblin club. Instead, it was a double-edged battle ax.

Chrrrr!

That wasn’t all.

The red goblin didn’t just have a battle ax, but a mace on a chain attached to the end of the ax handle.

It was a strange and inefficient weapon, but the red goblin was so large that it didn’t seem to have much trouble using it.

“Khehe, this will be fun.”

“Khaaa!”

Whoosh!

The red goblin immediately swung its battle ax at Han-Yeol even though the dark mages didn’t order it.

‘Hmm, it really is a stupid demon that doesn’t know anything except combat. It forgot the basic contract of a demon and jumped at me solely because I look strong.’

[That’s right.]

‘Still, this isn’t so bad.’

Crack!

Han-Yeol’s eyes turned red, and his body expanded.

‘Blood Strengthening.’

His top ripped open, revealing a colorful pattern that glowed red.

Blood Strengthening wasn't merely a cool skill but a tremendous power that greatly enhanced his physical abilities.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve done this!’

Han-Yeol didn’t dodge the battle ax. Instead, he swung his Jabberwock Sword.

Whoosh! Clank!

‘Ha, this is thrilling!’

“Kha?”

The red goblin made a dumbfounded sound as its battle ax was blocked by a tiny being that was probably less than a hundredth of its size.

For a moment, the red goblin didn’t understand what was happening, but it quickly returned to its senses and swung its battle ax again.

‘That’s it! Keep it coming!’

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The Jabberwock Sword and battle ax clashed several times, sending powerful vibrations and sparks in all directions.

“Hahaha! Come at me stronger!”

“Khaaa!”

The red goblin didn’t understand what Han-Yeol was saying, but it instinctively knew that he was looking down on it, so the red goblin expanded its muscles and maximized its physical abilities.

“Huh?”

Boom!

‘Agh!’

[Han-Yeol-nim!]

Maybe he was too excited, but Han-Yeol faced the attack that he should’ve dodged, and their strength difference sent him flying straight backward. He didn’t hit anything or cough out blood and make an ugly sight.

“Oh my, Master, do you need help?”

“Just say the word, and I’ll help you.”

However, he couldn’t avoid Tia and Stewart getting on his nerves.

The three of them had a complicated relationship, but for the most part, they were on good terms with each other, which made it easy for them to tease Han-Yeol.

“I don’t need your help!”

Han-Yeol quickly snapped and shouted.

Grrr!

Correcting his stance, Han-Yeol stretched his neck and shoulders and flew forward.

Shaa!

At his feet were two pairs of faintly glowing wings of light aiding him.

“Okay, enough playing around. It’s been so long since I’ve had a classic physical fight like this that I got distracted for a moment.”

[So please focus.]

“I am!”

[Yeah, yeah, pay attention.]

“Ugh.”

‘Man, my image is completely ruined?’

Nevertheless, Han-Yeol didn’t really care.

Shhh.

Han-Yeol lowered his body and concentrated, drawing his mana.

“Khaaa!”

The red goblin was ecstatic that it had successfully attacked Han-Yeol. It roared and charged at him again. This time, it was determined to destroy Han-Yeol.

“Combination skill! Flash Strike(M), Vibration Booster(C). Flash Boosted Strike!”

He had so many skills that he rarely had a chance to use them evenly, but then he activated his emergency skill, a combination skill that solved this problem.

Whoosh!

“Krrr?”

His attack combined two skills that would be second to none in terms of speed: Flash Strike and Vibration Booster.

The red goblin’s reflexes matched its strength, and it sensed something flying past it. The red goblin then glanced down at its chest when it felt a burning sensation and wobbled.

Glop, glop.

Blood gushed out of a gaping hole the size of a third of its chest.

“K-Krr.”

Thud!

The red goblin collapsed to its knees, and its vision blurred.

“But I’m not done yet?”

Rather, it was losing.

‘Combination skill (Head Cutter, Vibration Booster, Sword Breath) Firestorm Attack!’

Chaaa!

Every time Han-Yeol swung his sword, flames erupted from it. With a swift motion, he sliced straight through the red goblin's throat.

Thud!

The red goblin was already exhausted, so it didn’t even think to block Han-Yeol’s skill, allowing the attack to continue.

The red goblin’s giant head rolled helplessly on the ground.

Han-Yeol’s attack was so clean that the kneeling red goblin’s body didn’t even fall over. It remained in the same position.

‘Huh, it's not disappearing?’

Normally, when summoned demons died, their bodies would turn into ash and disappear as they were summoned back to the demon world. However, the red goblin didn’t turn to ash—it quickly underwent the process of rigor mortis.

‘What the hell is wrong with the demon world?’

[I-I know, right?]

It was an interesting phenomenon for Karvis as well.

Nonetheless, he had to do what needed to be done.

Moving past the red goblin, Han-Yeol cocked his head to the side while looking at the dark mages as if to say, ‘Is this all you’ve got?’

[W-What!]

[I’ll definitely kill you!]

Upon witnessing the easy demise of the Great Demon they had summoned as somewhat of a trump card, they began unleashing all the cards they had up their sleeves.

[I’ll have to step in!]

[D-Demon King!]

[Haha, now that the Demon King is joining, you’re done for!]

Now that the Demon King was joining, the commanders of the Demon King’s army were about to summon demons that had been too dangerous to call previously. However, no one but the Demon King knew what it took to call this demon.

Oong! Shaaah!

[H-Huh?]

[Why am I suddenly so weak?]

[M-My mana is disappearing!]

The dark mages looked at the Demon King in horror as they realized the magic circle under their feet was sucking out their mana and life force.

[D-Demon King, t-this is odd!]

[O-Our power is…!]

[D-Disappearing! J-Just why…]

The dark mages could only stare blankly at the Demon King, forgetting about the pain of their powers disappearing.

The Demon King let out a sinister laugh while looking directly at the dark mages.

[Khahaha.]

‘T-This can’t be…!’

The Demon King’s laugh sent the dark mages into a pit of despair.

They knew the Demon King so well that they realized that his laughter meant he was about to sacrifice them in order to summon this last demon.

[You guys didn’t do much, but good work anyway. Now, the time has come for me to withdraw the power I have given all of you.]

[P-Please don’t kill us!]

[...]

A young dark mage who didn’t know the Demon King well begged for his life. However, the older mages knew what the Demon King was like, so they closed their eyes and let everything go.

Granted, they wanted to live. No one liked dying, but since they knew that the Demon King wasn’t the type of person to stop such a cruel act just because they begged, they didn’t even bother trying.

[You bastard, I’ll see you in hell.]

[Haha, you’ll have to wait a very long time.]

[Ha, will I?]

The sacrificed dark mages cursed at the Demon King relentlessly. But this was all meaningless to the Demon king, and soon they screamed in agony, burning to death.

With the sacrifice of a hundred dark mages equally as strong as Master-Rank Hunters in terms of mana, the magic circle vibrated vigorously and summoned a demon.

Boom!

‘Huh, this is…?’

[T-This is a Demon King. H-Han-Yeol-nim, this mana is from a Demon King-level demon!]

‘Damn it, he wasn’t completely bluffing when he called himself a Demon King!’

[That’s not important right now!]

‘Isn’t it a little important?’

[Han-Yeol-nim!]

‘Ahaha, sorry, sorry. I’ve dealt with enough Demon Kings, so I’m not particularly nervous.’

[That doesn’t matter. Even if a normal demon king came to the human world, it would be equally as strong as you. Still, this opponent is a dark mage who specializes in calling demons, and he’s using sacrificial summoning to weaken the seal which decreases their power. Therefore, it might be stronger than you!]

‘Oh wait, really?’

[Yes!]

‘D-Damn it…’

Han-Yeol now realized the gravity of the situation.

He focused and scanned the summoned demon with Demon Eyes.