Ding-

[Demonization activated.]

Fsssss—

Black smoke rose from Ru’s small frame, curling into the air.

Ding-

[All Stats increase by 100%.]

Crack—

The smoke coalesced and gathered, shaping itself into form.

Two massive horns sprouted from her forehead.

Her clear eyes swirled with eerie, crimson demonic energy.

“—So it’s that bastard’s power after all.”

The demon, examining Ru’s transformation, stroked his chin with a look of interest.

Then, as if reaching a decision, he extended one massive arm.

Just as before, it was too fast to track with the naked eye.

But Ha Gangwoo quickly widened the distance and gripped the Salamute.

‘Can’t see him.’

Ding-

[Ru]

Grade: D

Type: Ruin Construct

Class: Blood Devil

Level: 97

HP: 9,950/9,950

MP: 1,053/1,053

Strength: 260(+1,260)

Agility: 80(+622)

Vitality: 172(+823)

Mana: 50(+1,003)

Sense: 70(+210)

Luck: 70(+210)

The stats boosted by the full kit and Demonization were insane. Even just counting Agility, it neared seven hundred.

Yet the demon before him still felt fast.

‘S-Rank or above? And does it know Lucifel?’

Ha Gangwoo’s mind swirled with questions from the demon’s words.

Come to think of it, every Demonfolk he had encountered was from Scenario 1 and the Tower of Tutorial’s third floor.

All were fabricated beings born from the System’s processes.

But the one before him was not.

This world wasn’t one that reset or initialized like the Tutorial.

Thump—thump—

Then did that mean the Lucifel this demon knew was someone else entirely? No—where had this demon even come from in the first place?

A dozen questions rose in his mind, but one thing mattered most right now.

‘Let’s see what I can do.’

Proving Ru’s strength here and now.

Ha Gangwoo gripped the Salamute with his black arm fitted with Barzel’s Appetite.

Crack—

The grip settled perfectly, a satisfying fit.

A hint of a smile crossed his face as he immediately kicked off the ground.

Boom!!!

A thunderous blast erupted from the earth, and Ha Gangwoo — smooth as silk — tore into the demon’s midsection at an insane speed.

In that instant, the demon’s pupils locked onto him with perfect precision.

‘That’s how it should be.’

Gangwoo actually smiled at the sight, then swung his sword.

Whir — Shnick —

A clean arc carved straight through the demon’s abdomen.

Plop, plop —

Viscous, rust-colored blood gushed from the wound.

‘Did it land?’

For a moment, the demon’s face twisted subtly.

Then it seized Samyun’s Wrath—the same weapon it had taken from Gangwoo—and swung wildly.

The arc was clumsy, but with its sky-high Status, the speed was insane.

Samyun’s Wrath howled as it came down toward Gangwoo’s shoulder, its hum eerie and resonant.

Too fast to even react.

But, at that moment—

Ding-

[Orb of Ruin created.]

[Orb of Ruin created.]

[Orb of Ruin created.]

Three spheres rose from Gangwoo’s body,

Boom!!!!! Boom!!!!! Boom!!!!!

A chain of massive explosions tore through the air.

Crackle—

Gangwoo was shoved backward by the shockwave, but he planted his feet and steadied himself.

‘Damn, that’s good.’

[Weapon: Salamute:破]

-On attack, 17% chance to generate Orb of Ruin.

[Helm: Wailing Armor Helm:破]

-On attack, 23% chance to generate Orb of Ruin.

……..

…..

….

.

The fully stacked Orb of Ruin set.

He’d known it was a perfect fit for Ru, but this far exceeded his expectations.

‘I can work with this.’

Gangwoo’s lips curled as he stared ahead.

Plop, plop—

Thick blood streamed from the demon’s body. Its abdomen was gouged so deep organs were visible; from the shoulder to the face, flesh had been cratered by the blast, blood oozing freely.

The body that had been as hard as iron had turned to tofu.

The demon ground its teeth, then dropped the sword in its hand to the ground.

A weapon of rank ??? rolled pathetically across the floor.

“That’s right — a brat that kicks is more fun.”

The demon muttered something incomprehensible, its gaze going cold.

In that moment—

Crrrunch — Crrrunch —

The demon’s already bulging muscles swelled further, its body growing even larger as viscous Demonic energy spread in all directions.

Gulp—

Even before, the demon had the edge over Ru in power.

Its speed was too fast to track, and getting caught in its grip meant a death sentence.

Thump — Thump —

And now it was getting even stronger. What the hell was the plan?

‘Time to use it.’

But Gangwoo still had cards left to play.

He laid the sharp blade across his left hand.

Shnick—

The Salamute clawed straight across his palm—and Ruin Construct’s black blood pattered to the floor.

[Job: Blood Devil]

The profession Ru had obtained was Blood Devil.

And the job skill she’d acquired was—

Ding-

[Devil Blood]

Grade: H

Type: Passive

Effect: The blood of a devil dwells within your body.

-You can control blood with Mana.

That skill.

Drip—drip—

Black blood dripped from her hand onto the floor, when—

Huum—

The bead of blood gathered on her palm rose into the air.

Drop by drop, the gathered droplets writhed and shifted shape.

A form like an awl.

‘Not bad synergy.’

The job’s first skill was the ability to control blood.

So Ha Gangwoo clenched his fist tight—and in that instant. Swish—

The blood awl hanging in the air shot forward.

Thud—thud—thud—

The blood awl lacerated the devil’s flesh.

It couldn’t even pierce the devil’s skin, bursting on impact.

But that level of power was enough.

[You create an Orb of Ruin.]

[You create an Orb of Ruin.]

[You create an Orb of Ruin.]

[You create an Orb of Ruin.]

[You create an Orb of Ruin.]

[You create an Orb of Ruin.]

……..

…..

….

.

Dozens of orbs began to rise around Ha Gangwoo, and then—

[Condensation of Ruin]

Use condition: 50 Orbs of Ruin

Effect

-Fuses Orbs of Ruin together to amplify their power.

Boom!!!!

A massive explosion engulfed the devil’s body.

***

Boom!!! Boom!!

With a thunderous blast, an eerie tremor shook the ground.

“Sounds like someone’s fighting.”

“Shh! Quiet.”

Led by Seo Hyorin, a hundred Players marched in a line.

“We’ll split into two teams. I’m counting on you for the rear. The leader of this group is Baek Hamok-nim. Please take care of each other.”

“Yes.”

After deploying the Players to guard the rear, Seo Hyorin kept pressing forward.

Boom!!!

Each time a violent explosion went off, a grim tremor hammered the earth.

‘Who is that? A Ranker?’

A monster that had toyed with Joo Changmo. It wouldn’t be ordinary.

But even just by the sound, she could tell.

Whoever was fighting that monster now was evenly matched.

That meant they were at least stronger than Joo Changmo. Who could it be?

‘Of course Sunbae-nim isn’t here when I need him.’

Seo Hyorin let out a deep sigh and kept walking.

Had she been walking for about five minutes?

Seo Hyorin stopped mid-step and raised her right hand.

The players following her halted at her signal.

Seo Hyorin peeked around the corner to survey the situation.

The ground was savagely torn apart. Above it, two creatures clashed.

Too fast to make out clearly, but whenever they collided—

Crack—a thick cloud of dust rose from the earth.

‘What is that?’

Then, something caught Seo Hyorin’s eye.

Hundreds, thousands of black orbs spread around the battlefield. One massive orb floating high in the sky exuded an eerie menace.

Gulp—

‘A monster’s skill?’

With Code: Red having fallen,

and no information to go on, Seo Hyorin had no choice but to be cautious.

But there was a bigger problem.

‘He’s not a Ranker?’

She’d assumed the one fighting the monster was a Ranker, naturally.

But no.

Slash—Bang!!!!

Massive horns. Ghastly wings.

The two creatures locked in that fierce battle looked alike.

Both monsters? Or was one a Player with a Demonization trait?

She couldn’t tell, but the balance of the fight was crumbling.

-Hahahahahaha!!!!!

A demon, easily over five meters tall, laughed like a madman as it butchered the smaller demon.

A scene of brutal slaughter.

If left alone, the smaller demon would surely die.

‘Should I help? Or wait?’

At Seo Hyorin’s crossroads, one of the players stepped up beside her.

“What should we do?”

He was asking for orders.

Thump—thump—

Seo Hyorin bit her pretty lips tight and sank into thought.

The Association had given one command.

-Hold out as long as you can.

So she murmured to her comrade.

“We’ll strike when one of them falls.”

Seo Hyorin and the Association players fixed their gaze forward, and then—

Crunch!!!!!

The smaller demon’s body was pierced through, and the fight ended.

***

Koff—

Thick black blood trickled from Ru’s mouth.

-Not bad.

The demon’s eyes flashed as it curled its lips into a smirk.

Its massive arm had punched straight through Ru’s small upper body.

Ding-

[The Core is damaged!!!]

[HP is below 10%!!!]

(Please watch out for death!!!)

A red system window flashed before Ha Gangwoo’s eyes.

In that moment, the demon’s eerie resonance rang in Ha Gangwoo’s ears.

-Let’s start with the first question.

The demon, as if sure of victory, withdrew its arm. Ru’s body crumpled to the ground.

A dizzying pain engulfed Ha Gangwoo’s entire body.

‘Just a little longer.’

Ha Gangwoo forced his drooping eyes open and looked up at the sky.

Ding-

[You have used Condensation of Ruin.]

[You have used Condensation of Ruin.]

……..

…..

….

.

The hundreds of spheres scattered around converged into a single point, growing increasingly massive.

[Condensation of Ruin]

Conditions: 50 Orbs of Ruin

Effect

-Amplifies power by merging Orbs of Ruin.

The spheres he’d gathered now numbered roughly 9,000.

To use it, he still didn’t have enough spheres.

‘No choice, then.’

Filling it up seemed best for killing the demon, but he’d hit his limit.

*Cough—*

Ru gagged, a torrent of black blood spilling from her lips.

Ha Gangwoo forced his trembling body upright.

Ding—

[400 HP consumed.]

[Restoring physical damage.]

*Shhh—*

The punctured hollow of his chest began slowly knitting itself back together.

But was it low HP? A full recovery seemed out of reach.

*Are you the Seed?*

The demon posed its question then.

”Seed?”

Seed—was it searching for something?

Ha Gangwoo forced himself upright and asked.

“What’s a Seed.”

He asked to buy even a moment of time. But—

*CRUNCH!!!!*

In that instant, Gangwoo’s right arm was torn clean off.

“Ghk!!!”

A searing pain gouged through his entire body.

*I ask the questions. Where did you get that power?*

The demon stomped down on Gangwoo’s prone abdomen and pressed again.

“Kkhk…”

Ding—

[HP is below 5%.]

(WARNING: Risk of death!!!)

Gasping for breath, Ha Gangwoo looked up at the demon.

*Grins—*

The demon’s lips curled into a wicked smile.

”Enjoying himself?”

The demon had never been after answers.

He just wanted to torment.

Rather than become the demon’s plaything like this,

”Use it.”

Gangwoo made up his mind, slowly calling his activation word to mind—just as the skill was about to trigger.

“CHARGE!!!!!!!”

With someone’s war cry,

“DIE!!!!”

A man charged straight at the demon’s body.

In that instant, the pressure crushing Gangwoo’s abdomen vanished.

“Haaah… haaah…”

Gasping, Ha Gangwoo slowly pushed himself up—and saw.

A dozen Players were holding blades aimed at the demon. But there was a problem.

“Strike now!!!!”

The blades weren’t just aimed at the demon—they were aimed at Gangwoo, and at each other.

***

*Whoosh—*

Ha Gangwoo narrowed his eyes at the man charging toward him.

”Mistook me for a Monster.”

Gangwoo was still in his Demonization state, so it wasn’t strange to mistake him.

But right now, every second was critical.

He needed to drop Demonization immediately and show he was human.

”Not bad.”

But Ha Gangwoo didn’t release Demonization.

Instead, he gripped Salamute tight with a crunch and radiated hostility.

Had the man sensed that hostility?

The man who had been attacking Gangwoo swung his sword without hesitation.

A clean, decisive motion. Swordplay at least A-rank or higher.

Gangwoo etched the blade into his pupils and took a step back.

But the Players gave him no breathing room.

A massive magic sphere flew toward Gangwoo’s legs.

Then—

Ding—

[Shackles of Light restrict your movement.]

A corona of light bound Gangwoo’s entire body.

A perfect combo attack.

‘They’re high-level.’

Gangwoo caught sight of their full strength and curled the corner of his mouth.

Four Players were attacking him right now. Every single one was a veteran mid-tier Player, well-accustomed to hunting.

What would have happened if the original body had faced them? He’d have been pinned down by this assault.

But for Ru, it was a different story.

Ding—

[Asrul’s Lust nullifies Shackles of Light.]

Whoosh—

The man’s strike, aimed at Gangwoo’s throat, cut through empty air.

The magic sphere targeting his legs thudded against the floor.

Gangwoo had dodged their entire combo.

“You’re not doing it right!”

“I did land it!”

Bewilderment rose across the faces of the party members attacking Gangwoo.

Thump—thump—

Gangwoo listened to the rapid pulse of his Core and looked at the system window.

Ding—

[Adrenaline]

Grade: H

Type: Passive

Effect

– The lower your HP, the more all stats increase.

Right now, Ru’s HP was below 5%.

The stat increase alone was over 200%.

That was how he could dodge all their attacks.

But what mattered was from here on out.

Gangwoo gripped Salamute lightly and swung it.

Shtick—

The man’s shoulder was cut clean through. Red blood spattered the floor.

“What the hell?! Why’s he so fast.”

“What are you doing! Heal him now!”

True to their veteran status, a healing skill immediately mended the man.

But Gangwoo didn’t stop his assault.

Shtick— shtick—

“Aaaagh!!!!”

He kept swinging the sword like that, and with a patter, the man’s blood soaked the floor.

Ding—

[Power Bolt activated.]

Thud!!!

The woman’s shot struck the floor harmlessly.

“No way…”

The woman kept using her skills. But without fail, the magic hit the floor.

‘…’

When the first attack missed, she’d thought it was luck. But as it kept missing, she grew certain.

‘He’s dodging…’

And all while trampling the strongest Player in our party.

“I knew this would happen…”

Her face twisted with terror as she recalled the conversation she’d had with Seo Hyorin.

“Party 6, subdue the fallen Demonfolk. If that’s a Player, heal them—then help us.”

“What if it’s a Monster?”

“That Demonfolk is on the brink of death. You need not worry.”

“Need not worry, they say…”

The woman swallowed dry spit, her gaze fixed forward.

“Aaagh!!!”

The demon’s blade carved through their leader—gut, neck, shoulder, leg. Viscous blood oozed from every wound.

“Hah… hah… I’m out of Mana.”

Just then, the Healer muttered, her face pale as ash—and the woman felt it, a dull premonition.

‘We’re wiped.’

That *Sense* before death. She had to flee. Now.

Yet she gripped her staff tight and made a call.

‘Call for help!’

Fifty Players had come here. She whipped her head around, drew a deep breath—

—and right as she opened her mouth to yell for aid—

“Ah…”

She saw it.

“It’s… over…”

The Players who’d come with her—strewn across the floor in ruin.

“Kuh-heuk…”

“P-please… save me…”

A stalwart comrade writhed on the ground, arm and leg gone.

“Sniff… sniff…”

Tears welled in her eyes.

And in that moment, as panic seized her—

*Thud.*

A dizzying impact slammed into the back of her neck.

“So this is the end.”

The source of that blow? Ha Gangwoo, of course.

He rose slowly, uncurling his palm.

*Ding-*

[Activated: Blood Drain.]

The blood pooled around him seeped into Ru’s body, absorbed.

*Ding-*

[HP fully restored.]

“Hoo…”

Ha Gangwoo let out a long breath, eyeing the skill window floating before him.

[Blood Drain]

Grade: H

Type: Passive

Effect:

– Absorbs blood to restore HP/MP.

His second class skill. Honestly, he’d thought it was lackluster for a class skill.

One Potion could fill HP and MP, after all.

But using it firsthand? That changed his mind.

*Ding-*

[All stats increased by 20% due to Blood Drain.]

There was an added effect.

Plus the steady HP/MP sustain mid-combat. Not bad at all.

Ha Gangwoo hefted Salamute onto his shoulder and scanned the area.

[Orb of Ruin generated.]

[Orb of Ruin generated.]

[Orb of Ruin generated.]

……..

Hundreds of orbs drifted through the air.

‘Not bad.’

The Association Players crashing in had bought him time—and laid out a perfect board.

“P-please… save me!”

*Crunch!*

*-Hahahaha!!!!*

A horrific scene unfolded before his eyes.

The demon’s hands cleaved through Player after Player, rending their bodies apart.

Already half the Players had gone silent, their bodies losing light as life drained away.

If left like this, the remaining half would die the same way.

‘No time.’

Ha Gangwoo thrust out his hand and activated a skill.

Ding-

[Condensation of Ruin activated.]

Hundreds of floating orbs around him condensed toward a single massive orb gathering in the sky.

The total now stood at around 10,000 orbs.

Thump—thump—

He’d thought it impossible.

Ru’s ultimate trait skill had the brutal condition of gathering 10,000 orbs of Ruin.

But now, that condition was met.

Gangwoo dropped low, cycling Mana through his body—

—and the enormous orb hovering in the sky began absorbing into his entire form.

Ding-

[Awakening activated.]