-Geu-oh-oh…!

Inside Cheongjeokgwi’s armor, blue flames flickered where flesh and bone should have been.

For a ghost, it burned with a killing intent and fighting spirit far more intense than any living creature.

The moment I took a step, Cheongjeokgwi’s blade clashed against mine.

-Kagagang!

How it could generate such force without bone or flesh was beyond comprehension.

Cheongjeokgwi’s strength was undeniably remarkable, yet I hadn’t retreated a single step.

Cheongjeokgwi was a powerful demon beast in its own right.

But the demon beasts I had encountered at the Education Facility were far stronger.

-Chaeaeng, chae-aeng!

Each time our blades crossed, Cheongjeokgwi was forced further back.

The moment it let its guard down, my blade would sever its neck.

Recognizing the gap in skill, Cheongjeokgwi hastily retreated as well.

Then the surrounding air turned cold and still.

[Special Ability ‘Frost Flame’ is activating!]

Fire ignited along Cheongjeokgwi’s blade and began to blaze with fierce intensity.

The flames burned a pale blue.

The instant the fire caught, Cheongjeokgwi swung its sword in a wide arc.

-Jjeojeojeong!

Rather than parry the blow, I ducked beneath it.

A chill swept across the back of my neck in an instant.

Glancing around, the trees that had taken the strike in my stead were a gruesome sight.

Where the blade had struck, the wood was simultaneously burning and freezing.

The trees were crumbling to blackened ash, and every trail the blue flames had traced was icing over.

Frost Flame was a Special Ability that possessed both fire and water attributes.

At first glance, it resembled a freezing-type ability, but the difference was that the ice spread outward like propagating fire.

Even a graze would set Frost Flame upon me, and I would freeze solid in an instant.

-Jeol-geu-reok…

As I paused, Cheongjeokgwi approached with a grinding clatter.

Its flames still blazed with the eerie light of blue ice.

Closing into melee range would put me at a disadvantage.

My luck was terrible as always, but I never expected things to turn out like this again.

If even one of my companions had come along, this would have been an easy fight.

Cheongjeokgwi was weak against ranged attacks.

And all four of my companions—excluding me—possessed abilities suited for long-range combat.

I could also summon Yorongi or Rini, but…

That didn’t seem necessary.

[Special Ability ‘Ten-Foot Blaze’ is activating!]

Like Cheongjeokgwi, I set my blade ablaze.

Unlike Cheongjeokgwi’s sword, the Seven-Blade Sword burned crimson.

Thanks to my training, Ten-Foot Blaze had already risen to Third Human Grade.

-Geu-geu-geuk…!

Cheongjeokgwi hesitated at the sight of my flames but did not retreat.

The size of our flames was different.

No matter how you looked at it, its firepower was stronger.

As if trying to intimidate me, Cheongjeokgwi poured out its magic power, swelling its Frost Flame even larger.

I could feel the surrounding temperature drop even further.

Compared to Cheongjeokgwi’s, my flames seemed insignificant.

In that case, I just needed to make my fire bigger.

[Spending Merit Points to raise the grade of Special Ability ‘Ten-Foot Blaze’!]

[Special Ability ‘Ten-Foot Blaze’ evolves to Second Human Grade!]

[Special Ability ‘Ten-Foot Blaze’ evolves to First Human Grade!]

[Special Ability ‘Ten-Foot Blaze’ evolves to Third Ghost Grade!]

The more Merit Points I spent, the more the flames roared to life as if doused in oil.

I could see Cheongjeokgwi flinch at the suddenly massive inferno.

It was now nearly on par with Cheongjeokgwi’s Frost Flame.

-Kkagang!

Two swords, two flames clashed.

Frost Flame blazed fiercely, as if trying to devour my Ten-Foot Blaze.

Heat and cold washed over my face in alternating waves.

-Geu-oh-oh!

As our blades collided, flames erupted in every direction.

The flames screamed as they burned madly, each trying to kill the other.

The surrounding air shimmered in shades of red and blue.

-Kkagang, kka-gang!

I danced a blade dance through the fire.

The flames raged with enough force to consume both the enemy and me.

My heart pounded hotly, screaming at me.

Kill the enemy. Burn it. Incinerate it.

As if understanding my will, the flames began to rage even more violently.

Just as even I was struggling to withstand the heat of Ten-Foot Blaze—

-Hwareureuk!

My flames began to swallow the Frost Flame.

The blue flames that had been burning so sharply moments ago now sputtered and died as if doused in water.

Frost Flame flared up one last time like a dying gasp, then began to cool rapidly.

The instant Cheongjeokgwi faltered at the sight—

-Seogeok!

My flames sliced through Cheongjeokgwi’s neck.

Cheongjeokgwi’s head was severed and immediately engulfed in fire.

The headless demon beast groped at where its neck had been, then finally collapsed to its knees.

In an instant, Cheongjeokgwi’s head crumbled to ash.

[You have slain ‘First Ghost Grade Cheongjeokgwi’!]

[Calculating Merit Points.]

[Additional rewards generated for defeating a target stronger than you!]

The stench of char filled the air around me.

I dismissed Ten-Foot Blaze and checked my Merit Points.

My stats were higher, yet I was still receiving bonus rewards.

Thank goodness the standard for strength was based on Fate Rank rather than stats.

I smiled inwardly as I watched the Merit Points pile up.

But these Merit Points were merely a side bonus.

I approached Cheongjeokgwi’s corpse to claim the main dish.

[Special Ability ‘Fortune Stealing’ is activating!]

[You can now steal two items.]

The message that followed caught me slightly off guard.

I could now steal two things at once.

It was a welcome development, but part of me worried about the accumulating karma.

The faster I grew stronger, the faster I approached the Boundary.

But I had already steeled myself for the danger.

[Stealing Special Ability ‘Frost Flame’!]

[Stealing a portion of ‘Magic Power’!]

═══════════════

[Special Ability] Frost Flame

[Rank] Second Ghost Grade

[Description] Flames that burn at subzero temperatures. Any target touched by these flames simultaneously burns and freezes.

═══════════════

Frost Flame was an ability I had wanted for a long time, so I stole it without hesitation.

I debated whether to steal other stats, but Cheongjeokgwi’s magic power was decent.

After stealing its magic power as well, I checked my own stats.

═══════════════

[Strength] Level 37

[Stamina] Level 35

[Agility] Level 36

[Senses] Level 36

[Magic Power] Level 38

═══════════════

These were quite respectable numbers.

Especially considering that the Muhyeongpa members I had seen earlier had stats in the late teens.

Now that Cheongjeokgwi was dealt with, I needed to wrap up the rest.

I glanced at the mechanical device Cheongjeokgwi had been guarding—over a dozen lamps glowed red, staring at me like the eyes of a demon beast.

I sent a message to my companions.

“I’ve reached the device. What about the rest of you?”

“[This is Jang Taeheon! I’m searching now, but it’s taking some time to find the location.]”

“[It’s Bom! We’ll clear the nearby demon beasts and head over right away!]”

This mechanical device wasn’t exclusive to my zone—it was located in all three zones.

For months, no one had known of its existence, which was why they kept failing to clear this realm.

The device was responsible for enhancing the boss.

A boss with all enhancement devices across every zone activated…

Frankly speaking, it was downright broken.

The first zone’s device granted ‘Auto Recovery.’

The second zone’s device granted ‘Physical Damage Reduction.’

The third zone’s device granted ‘Physical Damage Enhancement.’

In other words, most attacks wouldn’t land properly, and even if they did, the boss would simply recover everything.

Unless every device was deactivated, it would be impossible for even the Manshin to clear this Demon Realm.

During the months people had been failing to clear it…

The person who had conquered this place was none other than Shin Sooa.

That achievement had skyrocketed her Recognition Level, which greatly helped her establish the Flying Tiger Sect.

I spoke into my Ear Cuff.

“Take your time. We’ll wait for everyone else to retreat before attempting the boss.”

Being the first Demon Realm, all manner of riffraff had flocked here, but strong fighters lurked among them.

Even if they couldn’t clear it, they would at least reach the boss zone.

It would be troublesome if someone else slipped in while we were deactivating the devices.

For now, I left the devices active and headed back toward the path to assess the situation.

“Ugh, ughhh…”

“I’m, I’m dying…”

Groans of pain echoed from all around.

Members of Muhyeongpa and various others were sprawled across the ground.

Since the demon beasts were just small fry, it seemed no one had been killed.

A quick scan revealed that none were Education Facility cadets, and everyone’s energy was depleted—they looked ready to retreat.

They had made it to the midpoint, and the escape door happened to be nearby.

That was when the Muhyeongpa sect leader spotted me.

He leapt to his feet and shouted at me.

“You, you bastard! You abandoned us and ran?”

“I told you we were just heading in the same direction, didn’t I?”

“Why, you…!”

“Come to think of it, there’s an exit over there. Wouldn’t it be better to leave?”

I could see the Muhyeongpa members flinch at those words.

The mention of an exit made them hesitate.

But the Muhyeongpa sect leader erupted in anger.

“We’re not leaving! We’ll clear the boss and then—”

-Kugugung…!

But at that moment, a tremendous vibration reverberated nearby.

I checked the message window that appeared before me.

[The Boss Zone has been unlocked!]

Someone had entered the boss zone.

Even from a distance, my skin tingled as if an electric current ran through the air.

The only people capable of entering the boss zone at this point… would have to be Education Facility cadets.

Who had opened the door?

Names and faces of the powerful individuals from my memory flashed through my mind.

But regardless of who it was, everyone would fall on the first attempt.

Just as I was waiting for the boss zone door to close again, the people nearby suddenly scrambled to their feet.

“W-What is that?”

“Is that… the boss?”

I could see the people who had been lying around springing up in alarm.

The towering wall enclosing the boss zone parted, and something was emerging through the gap.

[‘Third Dragon Grade Vajra Warrior’ has appeared!]

It was a sight bizarre enough to make you think a colossal statue had come to life.

While everyone else scattered in terror at the Vajra Warrior’s appearance, I was stunned for a different reason.

Why did it come out of the boss zone?

The Vajra Warrior, boss of the first Demon Realm, was sealed within a designated zone and would only begin activity once the door was opened.

But even then, it was never supposed to come outside.

-Kkung, kkung…!

Moreover, the Vajra Warrior was charging out as if chasing something.

Who had pulled the Vajra Warrior’s aggro?

Just then, the Vajra Warrior’s head snapped around—and its eyes met mine.

I thought I was imagining it, but the message window that immediately appeared confirmed reality.

[‘Vajra Warrior’ has identified you as an enemy!]

[‘Vajra Warrior’ has designated you as its primary target!]