8

DEMON’S CASTLE, ROUND TWO

“Whoa! Jinwoo, the reporters are still there.” Jinah was looking out their window.

It was late at night. Reporters were camped near the entrance of their apartment building.

“Up there!”

They spotted Jinah’s silhouette in the window and, mistaking her for Jinwoo, quickly started taking pictures.

Ka-shak, ka-shak, ka-shak!

Startled by the flashes, Jinah closed the curtains.

Shhhk!

She turned around, eyes wide like a puppy’s. “Whew.”

Jinwoo had been planning to get some rest after coming back from the auction house, but his face showed his displeasure. “Should I go down and tell them off?”

He didn’t mind them interrupting his rest, but he was concerned they might be disrupting his sister’s studies. Jinah was a college applicant in her senior year of high school. Some touchy students would complain about so much as the sound of footsteps outside their rooms.

Jinah’s not the type to be bothered by much, but…

How could she concentrate on her work if her surroundings were this chaotic?

“No, it’s fine.” She waved her hand dismissively. “People are already bad-mouthing you on the Internet. What would they say if you kicked those reporters out?”

“Bad-mouthing me?”

What had he done to deserve that? Jinwoo cocked his head, confused, as Jinah pulled up an article on her phone and handed it to him.

……

On the screen was a picture of Jinwoo on his phone, ignoring the throng of reporters surrounding him in front of the association building. He scrolled past the article to the comments.

The one with the most likes was “Look, Mom, I’m an S rank now!” Jinwoo laughed at how well it suited the photo.

Jinah couldn’t believe his reaction. “You think this is funny?”

“But it is.”

“……” When Jinwoo showed her his favorite comment, she visibly had to restrain herself from laughing. In fact, it had the opposite effect. “That’s not the point!”

Jinah’s face was a little red as she raised her voice. “Why did you have to pick up right then and there in front of the reporters? Now everyone in Korea knows my name, too.”

Jinwoo answered mildly. “Do I have to ask permission before answering a call from my own sister?”

“Ngh!” Jinah was at a loss for words. Try as she might, she couldn’t think of anything wrong with his point.

……I really can’t beat him in an argument.

He returned her phone. “Here.”

Jinah still looked miffed as she took back her cell. “Anyway, I’m fine, so never mind those reporters.”

“Gotcha.” He nodded in understanding. It would’ve been a bigger problem if this was going to continue, but the association had informed him that there would be a restraining order issued against the reporters within a day or two.

I can be patient.

It wasn’t like he wanted things to blow up any more than they already had anyway.

“I can’t believe this is happening.” Jinah stared at Jinwoo in disbelief. “My older brother is now an S-rank hunter, and reporters are stalking him…”

Most people would’ve been similarly astonished. She’d adjust to the new reality soon enough.

I was the same.

In an attempt to comfort her, Jinwoo gently pinched his sister’s cheek. As usual, Jinah responded with a swift kick to his leg.

“Owww!” She clutched her foot. “That hurt…”

Jinwoo just shrugged as she pouted at him. It looked like it would take a while for her to adjust to her brother being an S-rank awakened being.

“You’ll only get busier, won’t you?” she asked cautiously.

“Yeah.” Jinwoo nodded.

He had many things on his to-do list, but the first was the Demon’s Castle. He’d already purchased fire-resistant artifacts for raiding higher floors.

His heart had sunk when he hadn’t had enough money to pay for the items, but the auction house had thankfully given him a loan when he offered to leave an A-rank item from the system shop with them.

I can’t believe I got plunged into debt as soon as I became an S-rank hunter…

The irony wasn’t lost on him. At least he’d be able to pay off the loan sooner than later, as long as the items from the shop went for high prices during their auctions.

“Then it’ll get harder to see you.” Jinah looked a little saddened by the fact.

She must have felt lonely when she was home alone. Jinwoo wordlessly placed his hand on her head. Just a few more days, and as soon as he cleared the Demon’s Castle, she wouldn’t have to be alone at home.

I’ll make it happen no matter what.

Suddenly, Jinwoo’s eyes narrowed and snapped to the door.

Someone’s coming.

Jinah noticed her brother’s odd behavior and fearfully asked, “Jinwoo?”

“Go to your room.”

“What’s wrong?”

Someone had gotten off the elevator and was making a beeline for their unit.

A hunter……?

The stranger possessed magic power, however weak. Jinwoo couldn’t sense any hostile intentions, but he was nonetheless displeased about an uninvited guest. Was this someone from a guild? Or perhaps a naive reporter making a bold choice? Whatever the case, Jinwoo did not look kindly upon an unannounced visitor showing up at his door at ten o’clock at night.

He stood in front of the door.

For that level of power……

There was no need to bring out a weapon. He did a couple light stretches and cracked his neck. Then, as he expected…

Knock, knock.

Whoever it was knocked twice and, alarmed, Jinah rushed into her room.

Jinwoo calmly opened the door.

Creeeak.

Through the open gap, he saw a familiar man.

He opened his mouth and sniffled…

“Boooss…”

Standing in front of the door was Jinho, his nose red and runny.

“……” As Jinwoo stared at this ridiculous sight, Jinho cried to him.

“Boss, I got kicked out. My father tossed me out.”

“……” Jinwoo then noticed that Jinho was carrying a huge backpack practically as big as he was. Both his hands were full as well.

“……I thought you had your own place?”

“The thing is……”

Sniff.

“My dad owns that town house, so he kicked me out and cut off my access to all my bank accounts.”

A father cutting off his son like that? Jinwoo had only seen stuff like that in movies, but it sounded plausible for Chairman Yoo, the richest man in Korea. So what the heck had Jinho done to piss off his father?

As Jinwoo continued to stare, Jinho desperately begged, “May I ask you a favor, boss? Can I crash here for a while?”

Creeeak.

Slam!

Jinwoo closed and locked the door without a word.

Click.

Jinah, having kept a worried eye on the situation from afar, beelined out of her room. “Who was that? Someone you know?”

Jinwoo shook his head. “Nope, I’ve never seen him before.”

“You don’t know him? Then why did he come here?”

“Don’t worry about it. He got the wrong place.”

“……Really?” That wasn’t what it looked like.

Knock, knock!

As Jinwoo shoved his unconvinced sister back inside her room, a sad voice called out from behind him.

“Booooooooooss? Booooss!”

“Honey, don’t you think you were too harsh on Jinho today?”

“Hmph.” Chairman Yoo tugged roughly at his tie.

That impudent boy. Myunghan had been trying to hand his son a core part of Yoojin Construction’s future, and that’s how he showed his gratitude?

“I’m going to join the boss’s guild.”

What? Join his boss’s guild?

“That boy deserves it.” He snorted.

If Jinho wanted to be independent, then he’d have to do it by his own strength. Chairman Yoo wanted his son to learn firsthand that his choices came with consequences.

Was it because he was angry? He was having trouble untangling his tie. The more he tugged, the more knotted it became, and eventually, the first lady of Yoojin Construction reached out to him.

“Let me do it for you.”

The tie was quickly taken care of. Myunghan quietly left it to his wife. She giggled as she held the untied piece of fabric in her hand.

“Why are you laughing, dear?” He was curious.

She’d been tying and untying his tie for him for years. There was no reason to laugh about a tangled tie after all this time.

“Honey, are you sure you’re mad at Jinho?”

“Hmm…?” What was she going on about? What nonsense.

Chairman Yoo inspected himself in the mirror.

Odd……

He was surprised by what he saw. Why did he look happy despite all his grousing just now? Embarrassed, Myunghan rubbed at his cheeks and chin.

“Today was the first time, right?”

“First time for what?”

“The first time he’s gone against you.”

“……”

That was why Yoo was mad. Just as water flowed from the top to the bottom, so a company was run from the top down. The same went for a family. He’d managed his family the same way he managed the company, and he wouldn’t allow anyone to go against his decisions.

Today’s events had made him angry, but he wasn’t upset about it for some reason.

Shouldn’t I be?

He couldn’t make sense of his own feelings. His wife, however, understood how his mind worked and talked to him soothingly like she would a child.

“For the first time, Jinho is trying to do something for himself. How about cheering him on instead of jeering at him?”

“……” Myunghan didn’t respond. It was hard even for him to know his own heart.

“I’ll…keep an eye on him for now.”

“Of course.” His wife smiled and accepted the suit jacket he handed her. That was when…

Myunghan stared at his wife’s face. “It’s strange.”

“What’s strange?”

“There seems to be two of your face…”

“What?”

As her eyes widened, Myunghan staggered and lost his balance.

“Honey?” Startled, she rushed to his side.

He shook his head hard to try to clear his mind, breathing heavily. “Huff, huff.”

There was panic in his wife’s eyes.

Why is he sweating so much?!

Chairman Yoo tried to fight the sleepiness by forcing his eyes wide open, but he eventually lost consciousness.

Chairman Yoo woke up in the VIP hospital room of the best university hospital in Korea. One of the doctors who’d been on rotation to watch him around-the-clock hurried into the room to check on him.

“How are you feeling, Chairman Yoo?”

“……” After surveying the room, Chairman Yoo worked out the situation. “How long have I been here?”

“You’ve been asleep for two whole days.”

Two days? He was known for being a workaholic. Even if he was tired, he had never slept for more than five hours.

“……” He didn’t speak for a time but eventually shrugged it off. “I guess I was quite tired.”

He’d been very busy of late, so he figured that dizziness and fatigue were consequences of his lifestyle. However, the expression on the doctor’s face indicated that it was something more serious.

As the head of a company with several hundred thousand employees, he had a knack for reading people’s minds.

He took in the doctor’s somber expression and asked, “……Did you find something?”

“Do you spend much time with any hunters or other awakened beings?”

What a strange question. Myunghan had asked if something was wrong, so why was the doctor bringing up hunters?

Yoo answered with a question of his own. “What are you talking about? What’s this got to do with hunters?”

“Have you heard about the Eternal Sleep Disease?”

Chairman Yoo’s calm demeanor finally crumbled, and his eyes twitched.

The Eternal Sleep Disease. The strange sleep from which no one had awoken yet. Not only did patients not wake up, but their bodies also quickly deteriorated, necessitating they be put on life support powered by magic. The disease had been first diagnosed after gates began appearing. It was a horrible affliction that had taken the lives of many people who couldn’t afford to pay for a life-support machine.

“It’s a disease where, at first, you are simply drowsy but eventually end up unable to awaken.”

The doctor looked torn. There was yet to be a single case of a patient coming out of it. Although their life could be extended, they were basically in a coma. It was, to be blunt, a death sentence.

“……” Myunghan waited for the doctor to finish before speaking. “So what do hunters have to do with it?”

“It’s widely believed there’s a connection between Eternal Sleep Disease and mana.”

Some people were born with a lower tolerance to mana. Those types of individuals were found to be more susceptible to Eternal Sleep Disease, particularly anyone with prolonged exposure.

“Didn’t you say that the life-support machines used are powered by magic?”

“Yes, however…” The doctor explained that, similar to nuclear energy, while magic power itself was harmful, its by-products were harmless. “What you need to be careful about is exposure to essence stones, magic gems, and people with magic power.”

“People with magic power”……

Chairman Yoo thought of Jinho, the only awakened being in his immediate family.

The doctor proceeded cautiously. “Isn’t your youngest son a hunter, Chairman Yoo?”

Yoo’s expression hardened at the mention of Jinho. “So…you’re telling me to avoid my own son?”

“Well, as much as you can—”

“That’s ridiculous!” Myunghan firmly cut him off. “That’s nonsense.” Annoyed, he gestured for the doctor to leave the room.

“Chairman Yoo…” The doctor hesitated, unsure what to do, but hastily exited the room at Myunghan’s glower.

Myunghan was livid as he stared at the door.

Stay away from my own son if I don’t want to get sicker? Who says that to a father?

Even if it was the truth, what would Jinho think if he found out? Myunghan couldn’t put such a burden on his son.

Furthermore……

Over time, magic was being relied upon more and more, and the number of people with magic powers was steadily increasing. Then were the people who were intolerant to magic being forcibly expelled from this world?

He snorted.

Expelling me, Myunghan Yoo?

He couldn’t let that happen.

I won’t lose to this.

He’d accomplished countless things people had told him were impossible. When he’d inherited Yoojin Construction, it was barely a Top Thirty company, but he had been the one to grow the firm to be the largest in Korea.

I will not surrender to something like this damn disease.

He would be victorious.

Myunghan repeated this mantra in his mind over and over again.

Jinwoo carefully opened the door to Jinah’s room. It was early in the morning, and she was in such a deep sleep that she wouldn’t have woken up if someone whisked her away.

He was suddenly struck with worry.

People may try to approach Jinah while I’m away.

No one really had the balls to harm an S-rank hunter’s sister, but one never knew with humans. He needed some kind of safeguard.

Wait. Come to think of it, my soldiers can hide in shadows, can’t they?

Jinwoo remembered how he’d had his shadow soldiers patrol the neighborhood to keep an eye out for that serial killer on the loose. The soldiers moved about by hiding in the shadows. He could have them do something similar to protect his sister without anyone noticing. And he knew which ones would be perfect for the job.

Come forth.

Jinwoo summoned the shadow soldiers who had been Fang’s bodyguards.

Fwssssh.

These three shadow soldiers were especially brawny, even for high orcs, so his sister’s room suddenly felt super cramped with their additional presence.

Wait…

Huh? Why are there only three?

He was certain there’d been four guards. Jinwoo then remembered.

Oh.

He’d forgotten to extract the shadow of the guard he’d smashed into the ceiling.

I need to pay better attention next time.

He smirked as he assessed the three shadow soldiers. They were all of elite rank, which put them on another level from the other regular-rank high orc warriors. This trio would have no problems dealing with even an A-rank hunter.

This wasn’t a random guess; Kihoon, the leader of the Hunters Guild strike squad, had been an A rank, but he’d had a tough time dealing with three regular high orc warriors. These three would be more than able to hold their own.

Jinwoo pointed his chin toward Jinah. As he did…

Vwoom…

The guards returned to shadow form and glided across the floor to merge with Jinah’s shadow.

Perfect.

Lie low, and if anyone tries to hurt her, don’t hold back. After relaying that order to the guards, Jinwoo left her room and carefully closed the door behind him.

I can relax now.

His heart felt much lighter.

Jinwoo locked the door as he left and went downstairs to the entrance of the apartment building to find Jinho waiting for him as discussed.

“Boss!” Jinho greeted Jinwoo with his usual cheer.

“You sleep okay?”

“Yes, boss. The motels these days are pretty decent.”

With Jinah at home, Jinwoo had put Jinho up in a motel nearby. Luckily, Jinho didn’t seem to mind.

“You’ll only be there until I get an office space for the guild.”

“Yes, boss.” Jinho kept smiling inexplicably.

Jinwoo had heard the summary of what had happened from Jinho yesterday. Jinwoo hadn’t expected him to throw aside the position of guild master to come here. When Jinwoo questioned him in disbelief, Jinho had gotten offended.

“Why would you do that?”

“You’re the one who told me to join you, boss!”

Jinwoo couldn’t exactly talk badly about a guy who had declined the position of guild president simply because he liked Jinwoo so much.

“Let’s go.”

“You got it, boss.”

Jinho got in the driver’s seat, and Jinwoo sat in the front passenger seat. Their van headed for Daesung Tower.

Jinho kept glancing at Jinwoo.

Why does he need to go to Daesung Tower so early in the morning?

He was dying to ask, but Jinwoo wasn’t fond of getting peppered with questions, so Jinho kept his thoughts to himself.

Skrrrrch.

As the van came to a stop in front of Daesung Tower, Jinho worked up some courage. “Um, boss, why are we—?”

“I’ll be right back.”

“What?” Jinho quickly turned to the passenger seat, but all he saw was the open van door. Jinwoo was already gone.

Jinho had a strong case of déjà vu.

He rubbed the back of his neck.

He always comes and goes so quickly.

Jinwoo deactivated the Stealth skill.

I’m finally back.

He was happy to have returned to a place where he could fight to his heart’s content. As soon as he passed the castle’s gate, the electronic sound rang.

Ping!

Unlike his first visit, he wasn’t caught by surprise this time.

That time, he’d received the quest Collect Demon Souls (1), so though he hadn’t known when, he knew he’d receive the next part of the quest someday.

Jinwoo opened the message window.

Ping!

The goal of the quest is to defeat the Demon Monarch.

Jinwoo’s face lit up. He could head straight to the top without having to go back to a lower floor. On top of that, the rewards were great, too.

Thirty bonus ability points!

The last quest had been extremely labor intensive, having to collect ten thousand demon souls, and he’d gotten twenty ability points for all that work. Yet the system was going to award him thirty points for killing a single demon boss this time. Usually, it would’ve taken him ten daily quests or leveling up six times to receive that many, so the unexpected reward elicited a smile.

But what’s this rune stone of the highest rank?

Jinwoo selected the first reward.

Ping!

I can learn a job-exclusive skill?

Jinwoo’s eyes popped out of his head. He’d acquired three job-exclusive skills so far: Shadow Extraction, Shadow Storage, and Monarch’s Domain. All of them were incredible, so the thought of picking up another excited him to no end.

What’ll it be this time?

Jinwoo tried to call up more information, but all the system would show him was the name. Jinwoo pursed his lips.

Well, I’ll find out after completing the quest.

A job-exclusive skill and thirty extra points. These were truly marvelous incentives even without the mystery reward. He had the impulse to bolt for the highest floor right away, but…

Before I start……

For the first time in a while, he called up his stat screen.

Ping!

[Name: Jinwoo Sung]
[Class: Shadow Monarch]
[HP: 24,406]
[Fatigue: 0]

[Level: 80]
[Title: The One Who Overcame Adversity (and 1 other)]
[MP: 5,019]

[Stats]
Strength:	186
Stamina:	145
Agility:	175
Intelligence:	189
Perception:	126

(Available ability points: 0)

Physical damage reduced by: 46 percent

His level had jumped to 80, and because he’d been investing all his recent ability points in intelligence, it now exceeded the strength stat.

The intelligence stat is already close to two hundred.

As a result, his mana points were over five thousand. Mana had almost no other function but to give him the power to revive his shadow soldiers ad infinitum. But considering the continuously increasing number of shadow soldiers, five thousand might be insufficient.

All right. Let’s get started.

Every second he spent not fighting felt like a waste.

Jinwoo closed the stat screen. He was currently on the first floor of the Demon’s Castle, but he could go directly to the seventy-sixth, having cleared all the floors from here to there. He went straight to the magic teleportation circle.

Jinwoo didn’t hesitate. “Seventy-six.”

Lights flashed. He blinked once, and the view changed.

The scene before his eyes was one of a city engulfed in fire. Although he was protected inside the magic circle, it felt like his skin was aflame.

Jinwoo put down the bag he’d brought with him to take out two artifacts. One was a black cloak titled the Robe of Wind by its maker. The other was a nameless ring imbued with water magic. He put them on.

He really felt like a true mage hunter once he pulled the robe’s hood over his head.

……My body is cooling down.

The robe made Jinwoo feel like he was standing inside a cool cave.

Will this work against the flames of the Demon’s Castle?

He slowly stepped out of the magic teleportation circle.

Would the robe be worth the price he’d paid? Unlike the last time he was here, the oppressive heat didn’t affect him.

Can I move comfortably with this thing on?

He tried moving around and found the robe was more comfortable than he’d expected. The Robe of Wind itself felt light as air.

Nice.

He was ready, but he wasn’t the only one. Having caught the scent of a human, packs of demons began approaching. In the past, he would’ve taken care of all of them to warm up or hunted down every last one in order to level up.

Not this time, though……

Because this had to do with his mother’s treatment, he didn’t want to spend any extra time. Instead of calling for his daggers, Jinwoo summoned his soldiers.

Vwoom…

His trusty shadow soldiers appeared.

But where’s Fang?

Jinwoo looked around for Fang. Because he was a higher-rank soldier, he’d spawned closer to Jinwoo—right behind him, in fact. He took the Sphere of Avarice out of inventory and put it in Fang’s hand.

“You can use this today.”

Though he was a mage hunter, Jinwoo couldn’t exploit the benefits of the sphere, but he thought it might help Fang’s spells.

……

Fang bowed deeply in a show of appreciation.

Stomp, stomp, stomp!

Finally, enormous demons came into view.

Shall we get started?

Jinwoo gripped Barca’s Dagger and Knight Killer tightly and ordered his soldiers to prepare for the battle. Countless demons swarmed toward Jinwoo like bugs, but he also had plenty of soldiers on his side. Jinwoo’s expression was much more relaxed than the last time he had been here as he waited for the right moment. He then yelled…

“Move—!”

He’d meant to yell move out, but before he could finish his sentence…

Fwoooooooosh.

An incredibly large pillar of fire flew over his head and struck the enemy, sweeping over them.

“Wh-what is that?”

Fwooooooooosh.

The flames scorched whatever they touched, be it a demon or the ground.

“Kreeeee!”

“Skraaaw!”

Demons evaporated quickly, and Jinwoo heard that familiar electronic alarm.

No way……

He looked over his shoulder while trying to keep his heart from beating out of his chest. There was Fang, twice as big as he’d been in his dungeon, with gray smoke billowing out of his mouth.

Gulp.

Jinwoo swallowed hard.

So this is the power of the Sphere of Avarice?

These demons should have had some resistance to fire magic, since they lived in the Demon’s Castle, but Fang had incinerated them all.

Ha-ha!

He couldn’t help but laugh as he took it all in.

Looks like I’ll be able to clear this place faster than I thought.

He cheered mentally as he gazed at the charred earth and flaming remains of demons.

With the buff from the Sphere of Avarice, Fang was a force to be reckoned with.

Hwoooo.

When Fang inhaled, the air around him turned cold for a moment, and then…

Fwoosh.

…he spat out fire left and right, reducing the enemy to ash.

Notifications about defeated enemies and acquired experience points kept coming and coming. The electronic chimes wouldn’t stop.

Jinwoo smiled.

Absolutely incredible!

Fang eventually ran out of mana and ceased his attack. With one strike, Fang had been able to destroy most of the demons that had been approaching them, yet some lucky ones managed to escape. His other shadow soldiers took care of any survivors.

Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp!

He finally felt like a genuine Shadow Monarch as he watched over his army of more than a hundred shadow soldiers in action.

The good news kept coming. Without lifting a finger, Jinwoo had annihilated the monsters with his shadow soldiers. Fang had contributed the most, of course.

Way to go, Fang…

Jinwoo looked up. The former high orc shaman turned shadow mage was as big as a giant, and the Sphere of Avarice in his hand had become proportionally bigger as well. The sphere was supposed to double the user’s magic just by holding it. Though Fang had been nerfed when Jinwoo turned him into a shadow soldier, the sphere more than compensated for it.

I’ll let Fang hang on to the sphere for a while.

Jinwoo had no skills that could use the doubling effect anyway. Jinwoo called up his skill window.

Shadow Extraction, Shadow Storage, and Monarch’s Domain… None of these skills was affected by the Sphere of Avarice. The only way to increase the extraction and storage numbers at the moment was to increase the intelligence stat.

Jinwoo closed the window.

Tmp, tmp, tmp.

At the end of the battle, soldiers gathered around Jinwoo. The corners of Jinwoo’s mouth twitched as he surveyed the mounds of dead demon bodies.

So many demons, so much loot.

Ping, ping, ping!

This time, notifications about acquired items kept coming nonstop.

Gotta take what I can.

Jinwoo gladly accepted all the items and mounted Tank, the ice bear shadow soldier. He’d yet to find the entry permit for the next floor, which meant he had to kill more monsters.

Jinwoo gave the order to move.

“Giddyap!”

As Tank lumbered forward, his shadow soldiers followed.

Well, this is inefficient.

Jinwoo thought it was a waste of time and resources to keep all 120 shadow soldiers moving as a single unit. There was strength in numbers if the soldiers were weak, but these soldiers had leveled up nicely and fared well against the demons. Plus, there were now A-rank dungeon magic beasts on the clock.

His army was next level.

“Kreeeeee!”

“Skree!”

But the sheer size of the army meant that it took longer to mobilize and locate monsters than it did to defeat them. And the problem was that a single floor in the Demon’s Castle was as expansive as a big city.

This will never end.

Jinwoo decided to divide his army into six teams of twenty soldiers. He then sent them in different directions to hunt down monsters. He gave two orders.

One, defeat all the enemies you encounter. Two, report to me as soon as you find a permit for the next floor.

Jinwoo was unable to precisely communicate to his soldiers, but simple hand signals helped. Since soldiers couldn’t pick up items, he had to meet them wherever the permit was spotted.

He’d have to abandon some loot, but the permit was his priority.

“Roll out.”

With that, the six teams went their separate ways. Soon after…

Experience points came flooding in from all directions.

Looks like they’ve gotten to work.

Jinwoo happily watched his overall experience points steadily increase, but then he discovered something odd.

The amount of experience points coming in is dropping?

He hadn’t seen any low- or mid-rank demons ever since he’d entered the upper floors. The most common monsters he came across here were high-rank demons and a few archdemons.

High-rank demons gave 1,700 experience points, while archdemons yielded a hefty 2,200 experience points. Yet Jinwoo was now raking in much lower numbers.

Do I get less experience points the farther away my soldiers are?

He silently monitored the experience points as they came in and noted that the amount was steadily decreasing for sure. He was nearly certain the distance between him and his soldiers affected the amount of experience points he received.

Good to know.

Thanks to the unique setting of the Demon’s Castle, Jinwoo was able to glean new information about experience points. He hadn’t sent out any soldiers on the lower floors. Down there, he’d preferred getting the combat experience and hadn’t wanted to miss a single demon soul to complete his quest. He realized now how that had been a good decision.

Still, he wasn’t really disappointed about the decreased experience points. Although each acquisition was lower, the overall balance was up, thanks to the more efficient patrol across these widespread hunting grounds.

The experience points notifications kept coming. Thanks to all those points, his stagnated level started rising as well.

Jinwoo pumped his fist.

Nice.

He felt like it was a waste to leave all that loot behind, but he could deal with that.

This helps me level up and clear the dungeon quickly. I’m killing two birds with one stone.

Jinwoo was more than content as he gazed at his new level.

Jinwoo’s plan was a slam dunk. He was able to head to the eightieth floor quicker than he’d expected. He summoned his soldiers as soon as he arrived.

Vwoom…

One hundred and nineteen soldiers spawned at once. Thanks to the experience points they’d earned from defeating monsters, they’d leveled up quickly as well.

Oh? Tank went up ten levels already?

He was surprised by this. Tank reared up on his hind legs and roared at the sky, excited that he’d leveled up to 28 and earned his master’s attention for doing so. Jinwoo wasn’t the only one benefiting from the efficient hunting.

He smiled. “Okay, let’s go!”

He went solo, while his soldiers broke into six groups. He was used to working alone and didn’t need help from them. He was also confident he could take on his entire shadow soldier army and win, with the exception of Fang with the buff from the Sphere of Avarice.

But…

What if Fang was in the mix?

Well… It certainly would be more fun to include Fang. He was daydreaming about the impossible anyway. About a week ago, Jinwoo had ordered a shadow soldier to attack him, both for fun and to test things out. For the first time ever, a shadow soldier had disobeyed him. Jinwoo didn’t know if this was due to loyalty or some other force, but the solider wouldn’t budge. For Jinwoo, as the master of these shadow soldiers, this wasn’t a particularly disappointing discovery.

Wait…

Why don’t I see any demons?

He tossed Barca’s Dagger up and down as he tried to detect the presence of any monsters.

There should be some around here……

Jinwoo scanned his surroundings. He definitely sensed a presence but didn’t see any monsters. Hadn’t something like this happened before? He’d had a similar experience in the past.

At that moment, the ground shook a few times, and a mound of dirt shot up.

“Kee! Kee!”

“Keeee—”

Three cackling archdemons emerged at once and surrounded Jinwoo.

Jinwoo frowned at them. The demons mistook that for fear and jumped at him with their mouths wide open. They were aiming for his head, known to be the most delicious part of a human.

But as their prey leaped and spun around in the air…

Shhhk!

The demons’ heads fell to the ground before Jinwoo could even land.

“Right!” Jinwoo clapped his hands together. He remembered a similar experience in the last C-rank dungeon he’d raided with Jinho.

The stonemen hid underground and attacked like this.

Jinwoo, who’d been getting frustrated trying to recall the incident, brightened. It almost felt like a load had been lifted from his shoulders. He happily grabbed the loot from the demons’ corpses and then began walking off but stopped after a couple of steps.

“……” Jinwoo’s eyes were fixed on the floor. He glared at the ground beneath his feet as he spoke. “Are you coming out or what?”

It was hard to tell whether it was the ground or the demons trembling.

It wasn’t easy for Jinwoo to exit the eightieth floor.

There must be some powerful demons out there, huh?

Yet another team returned to him as shadows. He’d recalled his soldiers, as their repeated destruction and regeneration was exhausting his mana. This had never happened before. From the seventy-sixth floor to the eightieth, using the divide-and-conquer method of hunting had proved most efficient.

Is it because the monsters are archdemons?

The majority of monsters on the eightieth floor were archdemons instead of high-rank demons, and their attack of choice was to hide underground. Still, these demons didn’t seem to have the power to be this difficult an obstacle for his soldiers.

There was something else going on. All the defeated soldiers were from teams without leaders. The groups led by Fang, Igris, Iron, and Tank were fine, but the two with no leader had been beaten down.

Are the demons targeting the weaker teams?

If so, that meant there were monsters out there with enough intelligence to figure out their enemy’s vulnerabilities. What if these creatures weren’t only strong but smart as well? Whatever they were, they were a pain in the ass.

There were four teams left. Five, including himself.

If those things can find the weakest link, they’re telegraphing their next target.

With that thought, Jinwoo vanished into thin air.

Jinwoo quickly materialized at Tank’s location. He spotted the team of shadow beasts, which was a mix of black bears with black steam rising from their backs and high orcs in full ebony armor. Tank, the leader of the pack, marched ahead of the rest.

This will be their next target.

When he was alive, Tank had led the ice bears, and he’d been a magic beast with the power to overwhelm shadow soldiers. Even after he became a shadow, only a handful of the soldiers were capable of defeating him in battle.

But that point was moot. The leaders of the other teams—Iron, Igris, and Fang—were on another level. Sure, Tank was of a higher rank, but he was still only a foot soldier. Igris and Iron were knight rank, and Fang was even an elite knight rank. Tank was no match for them.

So if these enemies had the intelligence to figure out their opponent’s weakest link, they would strike here next.

I’ll hang back and observe for a bit.

Jinwoo masked his presence as well as he could while keeping pace with the shadow beasts from a certain distance. His soldiers didn’t notice that he was nearby.

How much time passed? Jinwoo was surprised they’d wait this long. There was no sign of the enemy.

Was I wrong?

He was entertaining the thought that maybe there had been too many monsters for his soldiers to battle at once when… His eyes narrowed.

……Something’s happening.

The enemy was masking their presence until they got closer so Jinwoo didn’t notice them until they were nearly on top of their target. Jinwoo closed his eyes and activated his perception. Like a radar, it detected all the enemies nearby.

There are four of them approaching, twenty of my soldiers, and five demons hiding underground.

He opened his eyes. He decided to leave the five underfoot for later.

Stealth.

Fwoo…

Jinwoo turned invisible and made his way toward his soldiers. Soon, he was able to see the enemy with his own eyes.

They’re on horseback.

Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop.

And they’re armed, too?

They were wearing armor and riding on horses. He was able to see their names as they got closer. Jinwoo had never seen a demon, regardless of rank, wear armor, so he knew they had to be of a different caliber, and true to form, their names reflected that.

A demon noble and three demon knights.

Jinwoo had never seen those titles before, but there they were, floating in black letters.

He sensed strong hostility from them.

I bet they’re the thorns in my soldiers’ sides.

They were emitting strong auras of power and animosity. Jinwoo decided to stay invisible and observe awhile longer.

Let’s see how they do.

He wanted to study the abilities and battle styles of these new demons as much as possible.

To think there are demons who can defeat my shadow soldiers……

He was honestly looking forward to the match. Jinwoo stood where he wouldn’t impede the battle between his shadow soldier army and the new demons.

Grrrr?

Tank spotted the demons, and they promptly dismounted.

I guess the horses are just for transportation.

Jinwoo watched the demons with great interest. Spotting the enemy, the shadow soldiers let out enthusiastic rally war cries and charged first. The fight was on.

Groaaar!

Tank took the lead. He ran as fast as his four legs could carry him and rose on his hindquarters in front of the demons. Had the enemy been ordinary humans, they would’ve fainted, but the demons didn’t flinch. None of them moved an inch until Tank swung a front leg like a bat with all his might.

Whoosh!

Tank’s forepaw swiped the air, which was a surprisingly agile attack considering his bulk.

But…the demon noble Tank had tried to target expertly leaped over the shadow bear’s leg.

……!

Jinwoo wasn’t expecting that.

And the surprises kept coming. After spinning in midair, the noble thrust its spear into Tank.

Shhhuk!

Imbued with magic power, the attack left a hole the size of a watermelon in Tank’s chest. The demon noble’s moves were clean and graceful. Jinwoo sensed explosive energy coming from its small frame. His fascination with the new demons grew.

That’s no ordinary monster.

But it wasn’t just the noble. The three knights protecting it were also plainly powerful. The battle was clearly one-sided; the shadow soldiers were no match for demons. Unlike archdemons that were big but easy to hunt, these humanoid demon knights easily trampled all over the shadow beasts.

This is why the regeneration couldn’t keep up.

Jinwoo was stunned.

“Arrroooo!”

“Arrrgh!”

Shadow beasts were cut down by spears and swords as soon as they regenerated.

Jinwoo felt torn. The shadow soldiers were immortal as long as he had mana. If he ran out, they would simply turn into shadows and retreat to him.

“Aroo!”

Even so, he didn’t like seeing his own soldiers getting cut down like this. Was this what it felt like to have a baby brother come home after getting beaten up?

I’ve had enough.

Jinwoo couldn’t bear to watch any longer and called back his soldiers. The shadow beasts retreated beneath Jinwoo’s feet in an instant to merge with his shadow.

The noble demons exchanged looks and nodded to one another after seeing the shadow beasts give up and run. It looked like they were celebrating their third victory.

Just then…

Vwoom.

Jinwoo deactivated his Stealth skill and appeared in their midst.

Flinch!

The demons recoiled, but sensing his hostility, they quickly recovered and attacked.

Whack!

Whack!

Jinwoo knocked the two knights nearest him to the dirt using his bare fists, then flipped a knight that charged at him.

Wham!

Cracks on the ground spread out like a spider’s web as a message came up.

The same notification appeared three times. He’d killed three monsters with three moves in less than a second.

These are just the lackeys anyway. I want the leader.

Jinwoo’s eyes turned to the demon noble. The noble startled when they made eye contact, then pointed a spear at Jinwoo.

I always wondered if monsters felt fear……

Now he knew for sure. The tip of the demon’s spear trembled a little, which hadn’t happened when it had dealt with the shadow soldiers. Being able to assess an opponent’s power was also an ability, after all.

Just because you can feel fear doesn’t mean I’m going easy on you.

Jinwoo threw himself forward right as the demon thrust its spear. Jinwoo avoided the strike by turning his head. It came as a shock to him, however, that the demon was able to continuously attack him with the spear in midair.

The first stab was aimed between his eyes, the next went for his neck, and the last tried to get him in the heart. The noble had impressive moves that flowed as smoothly as water. Yet Jinwoo blocked each attack with Barca’s Dagger. During the failed attempt at his heart, he used the dagger to bisect the spear at the handle.

……!

The noble froze when it saw its weapon cut in two. With that, the match was set.

Even three or four A-rank hunters attacking at once would be no match for this guy……

Jinwoo gave his opponent a high evaluation. It was simply unlucky to have met him.

He grabbed ahold of the enemy’s helmet.

“Argh!” The demon was caught by surprise and attempted in vain to free itself, but Jinwoo’s grip was too strong.

He transferred energy to his left hand in order to pull the helmet off and go for the neck. As he expected, the helmet came off easily.

Whud.

He raised Barca’s Dagger high into the air.

“Surrender! I surrender!”

Jinwoo halted his hand.

“A woman?”

The face underneath the helmet was definitely female, not that Jinwoo cared what gender the demon was. But when the monster, raising her arms in surrender, realized her words were reaching him, she dropped to her knees and touched her head to the ground.

……

Jinwoo wasn’t so coldhearted as to kill her on the spot.

“I’m s-s-sorry. We were in the wrong. P-please spare my life!” Not only had her attitude shifted dramatically, but she was also now begging for her life. A monster, begging for its life…?

“Huh……?”

Jinwoo stared at the slight creature in complete bewilderment.

Since intelligent magic beasts existed, it came as no surprise that intelligent monsters also existed, but this creature was definitely an anomaly.

……

Jinwoo didn’t know what to say or how to respond to the demon. With much difficulty, he eventually spoke. “Are you asking me to spare your life after you attacked my soldiers?”

“I-I’ve committed an unforgivable crime!” The demon noble slammed her forehead to the ground as she spoke. “But it is my family’s duty to protect this place, and we couldn’t just stand by while our kind was hunted by those bast— Ah! I mean, by those soldiers. I will forever be indebted to you if you would spare me.”

Well, that was fair enough from the demons’ perspectives. Technically, Jinwoo and his soldiers had attacked them unprovoked.

So he changed the question. “How can you ask someone who killed your soldiers to spare your life?”

“It is the knights’ duty to protect their master. They would have appreciated my safe return.”

Jinwoo scratched his temple. Her answer was laughable.

Is this monster being impudent or overly optimistic?

The demon noble stole a peek at Jinwoo’s expression.

Eep!

She sensed things weren’t going well for her. She put her head down again and spoke with an urgent tone. “If you spare my life, I will give you whatever you want.”

Jinwoo placed his hands on his hips. Even though this demon noble was a powerful monster, killing her now would be like shooting fish in a barrel.

What should I do?

He thought about it. It wasn’t a question of whether or not to let the monster go but rather a question of what could be more valuable than the experience points or the items he’d get from killing this monster…?

Oh.

There was only one thing.

“An entry permit.”

“Pardon?”

The demon’s head shot up in surprise. She looked much like a human female except for the long, sharp canines that showed when she opened her mouth.

Jinwoo casually asked, “Can you get me one?”

“……” The monster went pale when she made eye contact with Jinwoo, and then she put her forehead back on the ground.

I guess there’s no reason for monsters to know about items.

Oh well. Jinwoo retrieved Barca’s Dagger from his inventory. He had no idea how there was a monster intelligent enough to ask for mercy, but he had no intention of giving up the experience points.

A demon knight earned me three thousand, so this one is probably worth more, right?

He might even get that entry permit once he killed this thing. As he was about to reach a decision, though…

“I’ll g-give it to you.”

“Give me what?”

“Th-th-the permit.”

The monster looked up and broke out in a cold sweat as she spotted the dagger in Jinwoo’s hand.

“You can get me an entry permit?”

The demon hurriedly nodded. “Our family guards it. If you deliver me safely back to them, I will turn it over to you.”

Demons guarded the entry permits? Jinwoo tapped the end of his chin. He had been on the eightieth floor for some time and defeated quite a hefty number of demons, yet there hadn’t been a sign of that permit.

I originally thought the drop rate for items may have decreased on higher floors or that maybe a mini boss would produce one, but…

Everything made sense if the monsters had been guarding the permits as this one claimed.

Unnerved by Jinwoo’s silence, the demon grew more desperate. “I know where all the permits for the higher floors are! If you guarantee my and my family’s safety, I can show you.”

Jinwoo’s mind began to change. Now this was quite tempting. Jinwoo’s goal was to get to the highest floor as quickly as possible, so the proposal of being shown the location of all permits was quite attractive. The only issue was…

Can I trust this demon?

He reached down and grabbed her by the chin. He sensed her panic but didn’t relent. He looked the demon right in the eyes.

Murderous Intent.

Hwoo…

Jinwoo’s eyes sent out a chilling aura. The demon was so frightened, her lips quivered.

“Can I trust you?”

“I s-s-speak the truth.”

Jinwoo had made a vow to himself when he first received his powers from the system. He would honor the principle of equivalent exchange. It didn’t matter if his opponent was a monster; if she kept her promise, he would keep his as well.

“Fine.” Jinwoo deactivated Murderous Intent. “If you hand over the permits, I’ll leave in peace.”

“R-really?”

He nodded. It was regrettable that he wouldn’t be able to earn experience points from the monsters who guarded the entry permits, but spending time searching for the them was an even bigger waste. He’d already squandered more time than he’d expected on the eightieth floor. And besides, if everything was a lie, that would be fine for him, too. He’d be able to go to town on her and her kind.

“Thank you!” The demon noble was visibly relieved.

He wasn’t sure if those were her genuine feelings or if she was just naive. Jinwoo raised an eyebrow.

He did have one thing he’d been wanting to ask her. “Before we go, tell me…what exactly are you?”