*Whir—*

Lucifel’s Ring, fitted on Ha Gangwoo’s index finger, blazed with violent red light.

[Demonic energy settles into your body.]

Simultaneous with the System’s voice, a tide of black energy rolled over Ha Gangwoo from head to toe.

In an instant, his eyes darkened, then his pupils turned a burning red.

Behind his back, a long tail unfurled. The skin over his entire body blackened.

In that instant, Ha Gangwoo’s vision swam with a dizzying vertigo, then everything blazed red.

‘So this is Demonic energy…’

Was this what Kang Seongbin had felt? The disorientation was overwhelming.

Gangwoo grimaced, gripping the sword in his hand so hard his knuckles went white.

Just as he tried to force his mind to attention—

—a sharp Pop!! rang out,

and in a single heartbeat, the black energy cloaking his body, the crimson haze across his vision, even the dizzying fog in his mind—all of it vanished. Yet his transformed appearance and the power remained.

“Huh?!”

The reason appeared in a System window right before his eyes.

[Madness of Temperance absorbs Demonic energy.]

The mask from that lucky pouch — the ‘Madness of Temperance’ — had absorbed the Demonic energy for him.

A grin spread across Ha Gangwoo’s face.

‘Perfect.’

For an item this fitting to pop out just when he needed it—lucky pouches were definitely the right call.

Clear-headed now, Gangwoo steadied his stance.

‘Demonization… I wonder what effects I gained.’

A dozen questions swirled in his mind, but he forced himself to lock his focus on the match ahead.

The sword blazing in Ha Gangwoo’s hand hissed out of existence.

Gangwoo lowered his posture, fists clenched tight, settling into a new stance.

The weapon he would use now was these gloves, bought specially for fighting demons.

[Decay Gloves]

Grade: E

Durability: 22/22

Attack Power: 18

Strength: +15

Agility: +11

Description: Gloves forged from a Ghoul’s core. Cursed to rot whatever they strike.

Effect

-Rots target on impact.

*Rot — destroys cells, causing decay.

‘Hope it bites deep.’

A blue light gathered steadily around the demon-specialized gloves.

[Straight Punch skill activated.]

[3 MP consumed.]

[3 MP consum—]

…

..

.

The condensed Mana swelled, growing denser by the second.

In that moment, Gangwoo’s pupils constricted. His elongated, vertical red irises flashed.

‘Good.’

Gangwoo stretched his expanded senses out into the world around him.

A low rumble—the crowd murmuring—and a soft whoosh—wind brushing past his nose.

It felt as though nearly every stat had doubled; his senses were alive, breathing.

A wicked curl tugged at Ha Gangwoo’s lips.

‘Let’s go.’

‘Gangwoo slammed his foot down with all his might.’

Boom!! A colossal blast erupted.

Crrrrack—

The earth itself split open, unable to keep up with Gangwoo’s speed.

He was so fast that his form seemed to vanish—and then, Thud!!! A massive detonation of impact erupted from Lucifel’s abdomen.

Crackle—just as Lucifel seemed about to withstand the blow,

BANG!!! The air burst open as Lucifel’s figure disappeared. No—he was hurled backward, vanishing from sight.

Lucifel’s body tore through the air, Whoosh—crashing into the ground right beside Lee Ayeon.

KABOOM!!!! The very earth quaked as Lucifel’s frame slammed into the ground.

“WHAT?!!”

Lee Ayeon stared at Ha Gangwoo’s transformed form, her face blank.

“What the hell is that form…”

She hadn’t even managed to properly register his appearance.

The moment he changed, the demon had been sent flying past her.

So now, everything felt hazy and unreal to Lee Ayeon.

But she could still gauge how strong the man before her was.

Unconsciously, a smirk spread across her lips as she watched Gangwoo in his Demonization.

‘I want him.’

A Player who hasn’t even entered a main Scenario yet, wielding power like that. If he kept growing, just how strong would he become?

Lee Ayeon licked her lips at the sight of Gangwoo.

Then her expression chilled, hardening into cold resolve.

‘There’s no helping it, is there.’

[Setting Domination to 60%.]

Lee Ayeon gripped her weapon, her Orb, and activated a skill.

‘I hope 60% is enough to stop him.’

From multiple experiments,

the lowest safe threshold for Domination was 60%. Going below that was too dangerous.

So she was prepared to go all out.

Lee Ayeon had a certain confidence. Her Debuff skills, the demon’s overwhelming strength — there was no way a Tutorial-level power could hold this back.

[5 MP consumed.]

[5 MP consume…]

…

..

.

Lee Ayeon kept condensing her Debuff skill.

To subdue Ha Gangwoo, it would need at least 10 seconds of concentration.

She made her decision and issued a command to the demon:

[Hold that man back.]

But the demon made no move.

Lee Ayeon frowned and looked back over her shoulder.

‘Guess the Domination’s too low after all.’

Whoosh —

Thick dust drifted from the wall where the demon had crashed, and soon its form emerged from the haze.

‘Huh?!’

At the sight, sweat began to trickle down Lee Ayeon’s brow.

The demon’s abdomen was ruptured, green blood dripping steadily. The problem was that the wound was festering.

‘That much destructive power without a Sacred Artifact.’

It was definitely weaker than when he’d had one.

As proof, the demon’s belly hadn’t been pierced through, merely ruptured.

But it was clearly beyond anything she’d imagined.

‘So 60% Domination isn’t enough…’

She’d released the Domination at 60%, and yet the demon’s recovery was slow.

Without thinking, Lee Ayeon bit at her thumbnail.

There was only one option left.

Lower the Domination further.

But that was something she wanted to avoid at all costs.

Lee Ayeon scrunched her face as she looked at Gangwoo.

He was slowly approaching her.

Instinctively, she stepped backward.

‘No way it ends like this…’

Dark thoughts kept rising in her mind.

She’d thought she was just one step away from the end of her plan — she couldn’t fail here.

‘Buy time!!!’

Having made her decision, Lee Ayeon used a skill on Gangwoo.

The skill had consumed over 100 Mana to condense. Enough strength to bind movement for at least a full minute.

Lee Ayeon swung her Orb.

*Swoosh—* The black magic she cast enveloped Ha Gangwoo’s entire body.

The instant she thought the magic, scattered like dust, would *clench* tight and bind him—

*Pop—* A cracking sound rang out. The skill vanished.

“Wha—. What the hell?!”

Lee Ayeon stumbled backward in shock, *thumping* onto the ground.

*Hum—* The necklace around Ha Gangwoo’s neck glowed brightly.

Ha Gangwoo walked toward her, unflinching.

*Tremble… tremble… tremble…*

Watching him, Lee Ayeon’s hands began to shake.

‘If I fail like this…’

The moment her grandfather’s face flashed through her mind—

Lee Ayeon’s trembling stopped.

‘I absolutely cannot fail.’

A glint settled in Lee Ayeon’s eyes.

[Adjusting Domination to 20%.]

Lee Ayeon lowered her Domination.

In that instant.

The demon’s lips — previously expressionless — curled upward into a smirk.

***

“Whoa~! What was that just now??? Did you see that?”

“No idea, it was too fast. Agility’s got to be well over 100…”

In the arena, those watching Ha Gangwoo’s performance had their mouths wide open, unable to hold back their admiration.

“Wow~! No way, so that’s his real Trait? You mean he’s been running around taking down Antero without even using his Trait until now???”

“Seems like it, insane…”

As they talked, the woman beside him tapped Jo Seunghyun’s shoulder — his eyes sparkling — a few times.

“You seem close to Player Ha Gangwoo. What’s your relationship?”

“Huh? Ah. We’re like brothers — a hyung-dongsaeng kind of deal~!”

The woman, hearing that, continued with an envious expression.

“Wow~! I’m so jealous. I wish I had an Oppa like that…”

“Ahahaha. It’s not like we’re super close or anything.”

Jo Seunghyun scratched the back of his head with a strange sense of pride as he looked at Ha Gangwoo.

‘No way. So that’s really hyung-nim’s Trait.’

Is that Trait the source of his strength? Even borrowing a demon’s power, he seems to stay fully in control.

A truly broken Trait.

‘Jealous~!’

Starting with Jo Seunghyun, the crowd was certain of Ha Gangwoo’s victory.

Because the moment Ha Gangwoo struck the demon’s abdomen, the shockwave reached the spectator seats 100 meters away.

A Strength stat of at least 200, and no one had even caught his movement.

Truly overwhelming power. They were convinced of it.

But as if to mock that certainty.

*Snap—* The demon let out a sneer and stepped back into the arena.

*BOOM!!!* Every step the demon took made the ground tremble.

“What?! He got up after taking that attack???”

That was when a man mentioned a certain scene from the past.

“Now that I look at it… that bastard… doesn’t he look just like the Cataclysm Demon?”

“Huh?! Now that you mention it… there’s a strange resemblance…”

The moment the demon overlapped with that past scene, the spectator stands fell into silence.

*Rooooar!!!*

As if answering that silence, the demon bellowed. A thundering resonance and an overwhelming surge of Demonic energy flooded the arena.

*Gr-r-r-r… Gr-r-r…*

The demon’s breath reached the spectators a hundred meters away.

*Gulp.*

The audience could only shut their mouths and stare at the arena.

***

[Demonization]

Grade: ???

Description: A core that generates Demonic energy is created in your body. You may use the power of Demonfolk.

Effects

– All Status increased by 100%.

– Physical damage can be restored. (Consumes large amounts of HP.)

– Madness dominates your mind.

– Gain the effect of the Demon Eye.

– [Unlocked at LV.50.]

– [Unlocked at LV.75.]

– [Unlocked at LV.100.]

– [Unlocked at LV.150.]

Ha Gangwoo rolled his shoulders as he confirmed the effects of Demonization.

‘That’s insane.’

As expected of an SSS-Rank reward — the effects were monstrous.

There was no duration limit, no MP cost.

The only penalty was being seized by madness from the Demonic energy, but even that—

[Demonic energy settles into your body.]

[The Madness of Temperance absorbs the Demonic energy.]

The Madness of Temperance was blocking it. It was, in every sense, the ideal condition.

A smile crept across Ha Gangwoo’s face.

He turned his head to look at the roaring demon.

Though it still radiated Demonic energy that raised goosebumps across his skin, he was at ease.

Because he was confident he could kill Lee Ayeon instantly if needed.

Right now, he was only curious about how far his own power would take him.

‘Good thing I bought those gloves.’

On top of that, as he had predicted, the demon’s body was steadily rotting.

If he simply left it alone, it would disintegrate on its own.

Before that happened, Ha Gangwoo wanted to test his strength.

‘Let’s give it a real shot.’

*Swoosh~*

A violet aura rippled around Ha Gangwoo.

*Grin*— A thin smile curled at the corner of Ha Gangwoo’s mouth.

[Extreme Strike Stance has been activated.]

[Your next attack will have 10x destructive power.]

The Luck increased by Demonization was a staggering 120.

The Extreme Strike Stance had activated with a 6% probability.

‘Let’s do this!!’

Just as Ha Gangwoo steeled his resolve, the demon reacted to his killing intent.

The demon charged at him with terrifying speed.

Ha Gangwoo fixed his gaze on the demon, sharpening his Sense.

In an instant, his pupils contracted vertically, turning reptilian.

‘Fast.’

The demon was certainly fast. But not so fast he couldn’t react.

*Whoosh*— The demon reached out a hand. It seemed to want to grab and tear off his shoulder, but he had no intention of letting himself be caught.

Ha Gangwoo twisted his upper body, dodging the grasp.

A whoosh sliced the air as the demon’s hand grazed past Gangwoo’s ear, the sound razor-sharp and viciously close.

Yet Ha Gangwoo’s face brimmed with composure.

Was it the effect of Weapon Mastery? The next sequence of moves crystallized in his mind before he even thought about it.

Still twisting his torso, Gangwoo clenched his fist tight.

A satisfying creak came from the glove as he drove an uppercut straight into the demon’s abdomen.

The strike carried the weight of Extreme Strike Stance — a tenfold amplification of destructive force.

Thud!!!!!

A thunderous explosion rippled through the air around them. The demon’s feet lifted slightly off the ground from the impact, then settled back down.

Without his weapon, the demon’s body didn’t burst open. But the blow wasn’t without effect.

A stream of green ichor dripped from the demon’s mouth, and the struck abdomen began to rot on contact.

Gangwoo settled into a fighting stance and hammered body blow after body blow into that same spot.

[Your attack stance has been activated.]

[Your next attack will deal double destructive power.]

Thud!!!!!

[Your attack stance has been activated.]

[Your next attack will deal double destructive power.]

Thud!!!!

With each strike, the demon’s abdomen ruptured further.

Torrents of blood gushed from the demon’s mouth, splattering down.

But the demon paid it no mind, continuing to reach for Gangwoo relentlessly.

At every instant, Gangwoo’s pupils contracted.

In the slowed world, the demon’s movements, the twisting of its muscles, each breath — every detail etched itself into his mind.

‘So this is Weapon Mastery.’

Gangwoo’s movements with the gloves on were clean and brutal.

Thud — thud — thud —

For about thirty seconds, an relentless chain of strikes kept coming, too many to count.

Then, with a heavy thump, the demon dropped to its knees.

In that moment, a system window appeared before Gangwoo.

Ding-

[The rank of Weapon Mastery has increased by one level!!!]

[Rank: E → Rank: D]

Weapon Mastery had leveled up once more.

A satisfied smile tugged at the corner of Gangwoo’s lips.

‘Good.’

Gangwoo clenched his fist again.

[Straight Punch activated.]

[3 MP consumed.]

[3 MP consu…]

…

..

.

A soft light flickered across the glove.

[Your attack stance has been activated.]

[Your next attack will deal double destructive power.]

A crimson aurora rippled around his entire body.

Gangwoo thrust his fist forward.

Thud!!! Thud!!! Thud!!!

That blow marked the beginning of Gangwoo’s onslaught, his fists hammering the demon’s face without mercy.

***

Boom!!!! Boom!!!!

A brutal explosion echoed across the arena, reaching the spectator seats some hundred meters from the center of the ring.

“Whoa…”

Everyone’s jaws dropped as they stared at the shockwaves erupting from the arena floor.

“So that’s where the real demon was…”

“Look at that movement—he’s a dead ringer for the Overlord, Lee Hwi.”

Bang!!!!

With every punch Ha Gangwoo threw, blood and flesh tore from Lucifel’s face.

The hundred-plus Players watched the scene, swallowing dry spit.

And Lee Ayeon was watching that beating too.

[Changing Domination to 20%.]

[Changing Domination to 19%.]

[Changing Domination to 20%.]

Lee Ayeon grit her teeth, struggling to stop the demon from dropping its Domination on its own.

‘What do I do…’

[Changing Domination to 18%.]

[Changing Domination to 17%.]

Thud!!!

The fiercer Ha Gangwoo’s assault grew, the harder it became to suppress the demon.

‘Is this really going to end in failure…’

Blood trickled from the corner of Lee Ayeon’s mouth. Her clenched teeth had cut her gums, unable to bear the strain.

[Changing Domination to 10%.]

[Changing Domination to 9%.]

Now only 9% Domination remained.

The moment it hit 0%, the demon would slip from Lee Ayeon’s control. That situation must never come to pass, even in death.

‘At least… if I can just… that one thing…’

Lee Ayeon seemed to make a decision. She reached into her Inventory.

***

[Extreme Strike Stance has been activated.]

[Your next attack will have 10x destructive power.]

Ripple~!

A violet radiance shimmered across Ha Gangwoo’s entire body.

[You have used Straight Punch.]

[3 MP consumed.]

[3 MP consum…]

…

..

Ha Gangwoo clenched his fist and stared at the demon.

Its skin was rotting across its whole body, its face crushed beyond recognition.

But the grin stretching across its face only made it more horrifying.

‘Tough bastard.’

Ha Gangwoo understood. There was only one reason the demon endured without dying.

It was because his own power was too weak.

The Bullet of Ruin had an Attack Power of 9999 attached to it.

If he’d had that much strength, a single blow would have turned the demon to dust.

But there was no other way. He just had to make the most of what he had now!

Ha Gangwoo’s fist sliced through the air viciously—Thud!! The moment it struck the demon’s face.

Crack! The demon’s head slammed into the floor.

But the demon didn’t die.

Thump—

The demon’s headless body went limp and crashed to the ground.

“Haaah… haaah…”

Ha Gangwoo walked over slowly and placed his foot on the demon’s solar plexus.

Ripple—

[Extreme Strike Stance has been activated.]

[Your next attack will have 10x destructive power.]

‘Goodbye.’

He wasn’t sure if one blow would kill it, but Ha Gangwoo used Seismic Stomp.

Whoosh— An immense pressure surged into the foot he’d placed on the demon’s solar plexus.

Crang!!!!

Along with a massive explosion.

Craaash— The arena collapsed.

A single System window rose above the dust-choked arena floor.

Ding—

[Winner: Ha Gangwoo]

The moment the victor emerged.

“Whoa~!!!!!!!”

“That’s insane!!!!!”

A roar of cheers exploded from the crowd.