The crimson sky bled back to blue. The demon that had radiated nothing but menace shattered like crushed glass and burst apart.

Before the gates of the Teron Kingdom, where despair had choked the air moments ago—

“Whoa!!!!”

A thunderous cheer erupted.

The soldiers of the Skeron Continent clenched their fists and broke into bright, unguarded smiles.

Intense joy—the relief of having survived—flooded the space around them.

Ha Gangwoo let his Demonization unwind and walked slowly toward them.

And then he saw her.

A woman crumpled on the ground, bleeding, utterly broken.

“Hngh… hngh…”

Shamiel lay pinned spread-eagle to the ground, tears welling thick in her eyes.

‘…’

Gangwoo quickly pulled the sealing stakes from her arms and legs. The moment they were free, Shamiel lunged forward and threw her arms around him.

“Hngh… hngh… I thought you were dead.”

After everything she’d just endured—she worried about him first.

Gangwoo’s face twisted at the sight.

All of this had happened because he’d dragged his feet.

“I’m sorry I was late.”

Still—at least she wasn’t dead. That was a mercy.

He scratched his cheek, a guilty look on his face.

“You are truly incredible.”

“A hero of mankind!”

The Skeron soldiers gathered around him, beaming.

And parting through them came their lord, Dikas Skeron.

His expression was grave as he dropped to one knee before Gangwoo.

“I failed to recognize a hero. You are a hero of mankind.”

When Gangwoo had killed Asrul, he’d still been in demonic form—but distance, or perhaps the Coercion at work, made them treat him like a savior.

Or was it the Coercion?

Either way, Gangwoo didn’t care what NPCs thought.

Ding-

[Scenario cleared.]

A single system window floated high in the sky.

Above where the boss, Asrul, had been, a massive Gate still hung in the air.

The Scenario was over, but this world kept on spinning.

‘Interesting.’

He could leave right now if he wanted to, but he wanted to finish things properly.

So Gangwoo hoisted Shamiel, Zelta, and Evan over his shoulders and moved them to another spot.

***

Everything moved like clockwork after that.

“Hey! Let’s haul this over first.”

People clearing rubble from collapsed buildings.

“Ugh! That reeks.”

Laborers carting away the corpses of dead monsters.

They were in the Teron Kingdom now. He’d helped rebuild Teron from within Skeron territory.

Why bother helping them?

He didn’t know the reason, but either way, here he was.

‘Should I distribute my stats first?’

He could do stat allocation and check his rewards once he was outside—but he wanted to do it now.

Especially the reward he’d gotten for killing that boss. He was dying to know what it was.

Ha Gangwoo dropped onto the roof of one of the few intact buildings with a dull thud.

Whoosh—

A crisp breeze swept through the clear sky, ruffling his hair. The sunlight streaming down from the twin suns was almost unbearably warm.

That was right. Skypier had reclaimed its perfect peace.

Ha Gangwoo cracked a faint smile and opened his Status Window.

Ding-

[Ha Gangwoo]

Level: 60

HP: 2820/2820

MP: 272/272

Strength: 113(+193)

Agility: 110(+51)

Vitality: 80(+202)

Mana: 70(+202)

Sense: 70(+30)

Luck: 70(+30)

Unallocated: 77

‘This is insane.’

Ha Gangwoo gazed at his level, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips.

Between the Scenario-clear EXP and the Boss kill, his level had shot up by nine in the span of a heartbeat.

A staggering 77 points in total.

‘Just balance it out.’

This fight had made one thing crystal clear.

That Strength and Agility were plenty for now.

Which was why balance mattered more than ever.

Sense governed detection and gauged enemy strength; Luck boosted every probability in the book.

No stat was worth throwing away.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ha Gangwoo began assigning his points.

Ding-

Strength: 113→115(+2)

Mana: 70→85(+15)

Sense: 70→100(+30)

Luck: 70→100(+30)

‘Distribution’s done.’

Thump—thump—

Now came the part that mattered most.

‘I wonder what I got.’

He’d cleared the Scenario—rewritten by the DLC—Another Story—at a goddamn L-Grade.

He was dying to see what kind of reward that earned him.

Ding-

Inventory (7/10)

[Madness of Temperance]

[Warp Altar x1]

[DLC – Book of Job Change: Blood Devil]

[DLC – Book of Job Change: Legendary Blacksmith]

[Big Glaive]

[Fragment of Evolution]

[Asrul’s Lust]

[-]

[-]

[-]

“Hoo…”

The Scenario clear had yielded two items.

[Fragment of Evolution]

[Asrul’s Lust]

The Fragment of Evolution was a reward from the heavens for earning an L-Grade.

Asrul’s Lust had risen from the demoness’s shattered corpse.

Thump—thump—

However he got them, both looked promising as hell.

‘Let’s check them out.’

Ding-

[Fragment of Evolution]

Grade: L

Description: A fragment broken from a fabled Evolution Stone, so rare it’s barely a legend. With this shard, any object can ascend one stage of evolution.

Effect

– Evolves the item.

[Asrul’s Lust]

Grade: ???

Durability: ∞/∞

Description: A necklace infused with Asrul’s lust. It holds such potent carnality that it influences every living thing near the wearer.

Effect

– Immunity to all abnormal statuses.

– All living creatures feel affection toward you.

“Good.”

Ha Gangwoo looked at the items and broke into a bright smile.

The Fragment of Evolution was vague in its effect—but Asrul’s Lust wasn’t.

[- Immunity to all abnormal statuses]

‘Is this insane?’

Immunity to all abnormal statuses. In other words, immunity to Debuffs.

No conditions attached whatsoever. If the description was accurate, it would block everything from poison to every flame spell imaginable.

‘This is broken.’

He’d just picked up the perfect item for what he’d been missing.

One problem, though.

“No stat boosts.”

It didn’t carry any stats at all.

But that didn’t matter.

[Barzel’s Appetite: Blue]

Grade: ???

Durability: ∞/∞

Satiety: 0/100

Attack Power: 122

Strength: +43

Agility: +21

Mana: +6

Description: Gloves steeped in Barzel’s appetite. A ravenous hunger lurks within—beware, it may devour its wielder as well.

Effect

– Barzel’s Appetite gains the Devour effect.

– Barzel’s Appetite gains the Ruin effect.

Bonus Effects (3/10)

– 30% (↑5) chance to explode on hit.

– Gains the Agony effect.

– Can use Paralysis Fog.

With stats like those, this one item was more than enough.

‘I need to devour Asrul’s corpse, too.’

Come to think of it, back when he took down the boss, everything was chaos—he hadn’t consumed Asrul.

And the Satiety was back to zero. He had to find time to Devour a boss monster.

‘But how do I use this thing?’

Ha Gangwoo picked up a stone shimmering with blue light.

[Fragment of Evolution]

Grade: L

Description: A fragment broken from a fabled Evolution Stone, so rare it’s barely a legend. With this shard, any object can ascend one stage of evolution.

Effect

– Evolves the item.

Evolves an item. Both the description and the effect were too ambiguous.

Still, this was easily the item that raised his expectations the highest.

A Scenario-completion reward item. He’d gotten it after an L-Grade final evaluation—and the item itself was L-Grade too.

“Should I try it?”

If the description was right, this function probably boosted performance the way Barzel’s Appetite had transformed.

And he had the perfect item for it.

[Lucifel’s Ring]

Grade: ???

Durability: ∞/∞

Description: A ring containing Lucifel’s madness. Fierce Demonic energy rages within—beware, it may corrupt you!

Effect

“You can use Demonization.”

‘Think it’ll work?’

It was the item he’d gotten from the Tutorial, the one that showed the best performance.

On top of that, the ability unlocked at level 50 was practically broken.

If he had to pick an item to Evolve, there was none better.

‘Let’s do it.’

Ha Gangwoo pulled Lucifel’s Ring from his middle finger and set it on his palm.

Thump— thump—

His heart hammered with a strange anticipation.

Ha Gangwoo took the Fragment of Evolution—blazing bright in his right hand—and *tapped* Lucifel’s Ring with it.

Then.

Ding—

A system window rose before him.

[Items of [???] rank cannot be evolved.]

‘……’

His heart, hammering a moment ago, stopped dead.

‘What?’

Was it because he’d gotten his hopes up about the Evolution? The disappointment hit hard.

‘I don’t have anything decent.’

Right now, among all the items Ha Gangwoo had, there were three of that [???] rank.

[Lucifel’s Ring]

[Barzel’s Appetite:破]

[Asrul’s Lust]

As for the decent items aside from those—

[Equipment Window]

Weapon: Barzel’s Appetite:破 [Lock]

Weapon:

Helmet:

Top: Red Steel Top [Lock]

Bottom: Red Steel Bottom [Lock]

Belt: Gravity Belt [Lock]

Shoes: Red Steel Boots [Lock]

Necklace: Spell’s Madness [Lock]

Ring: Luminel Ring [Lock]

Ring: Lucifel’s Ring [Lock]

Ring: Warp Ring [Lock]

Bracelet: Reins’ Armlet [Lock]

Bracelet:

‘Nothing…’

There was nothing.

The best he had was the Gravity Belt—B-rank. Too low a grade to waste the Fragment of Evolution on.

‘Hmm…’

He didn’t need to use it right now. But one item surfaced in Ha Gangwoo’s mind.

‘Could it actually work?’

Curiosity surged, and Ha Gangwoo immediately opened his palm.

‘Mimic.’

Shrrrk—

A small box *slotted* into his open palm, sucking in with a soft *chack.*

Mik!

Mimic was slumped, its whole body smeared with some strange paint.

[Mimic]

Rank: D

Status: Exhausted from playing with the children. It wants to be left alone now. Please, leave it alone.

HP: 100/100

Satiety: 53/100

Capacity: 26/50

Skills: [Mimic Summon] [Aura of Growth]

“What the hell?”

Looked like Rain and Teil had really put it through the wringer.

*Please, leave it alone,* huh. Its corners were drooping, and it looked pretty worn out.

Ha Gangwoo held the drooping Mimic in his hand and licked his lips with interest.

‘Could it work?’

Among everything he carried, the best item — save for the ???-ranked one — was Mimic.

Gulp.

Ha Gangwoo swallowed dry spit as he brought the Fragment of Evolution to Mimic and pressed it on.

Thump-thump.

His heart pounded with anticipation,

and then — Click!

The moment Mimic and the Fragment touched,

Whirrr—

The shard and the creature reacted to each other, and a blinding light flared.

Ding—

[Used Fragment of Evolution.]

On the heels of the cheerful chime,

Whummm!

An intense radiance swelled from Mimic’s body, growing brighter and brighter.

Ding—

[Mimic has evolved.]

Sssssss—

A massive cloud of steam poured off Mimic, then parted to reveal her form.

‘……’

Ha Gangwoo took in Mimic’s changed appearance and grimaced.

‘What the hell is this now.’

A child’s body — she looked about six years old. Naked as the day she was born, she sat sprawling on the roof.

“I’m tired.”

With a face that could be boy or girl, she rubbed her eyes and spoke.

“What the hell is this now.”

Out of nowhere, his warehouse had jumped species straight into childcare.

***

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

“Thank you so much for everything.”

“You are our hero.”

Shamiel and Evan answered Ha Gangwoo’s farewell with tears glistening in their eyes.

The Scenario — short if you thought of it that way, long if you didn’t — had finally reached its true end.

“No! Don’t go!”

“Sniff… sniff…”

Rain and Teil sobbed as they looked at Ha Gangwoo.

Ha Gangwoo said nothing. He just gave a little wave and kept walking.

‘Kinda bittersweet.’

It felt like only yesterday he’d wanted to finish the Scenario as fast as possible, but now that the real end was here, relief and regret tangled in his chest.

‘Once I step outside, it’ll all disappear…’

Based on everything known so far,

the moment a Player crossed the last Gate, this world would cease to exist.

Good memories, bad memories — the whole first story he’d written here with Rain, Teil, and Evan.

Knowing that every being who remembered him would vanish? That didn’t sit well at all.

“Huuuh…”

Ha Gangwoo walked a ways, then looked back.

Evan and Shamiel were waving from far off. Rain and Teil were waving too. But—

‘What’s that bastard doing over there?’

Right next to Teil, Mimic was naturally waving her hand as well.

‘Mimic.’

Ding—

[Recalled Mimic.]

In an instant, Mimic — who’d been waving from a distance — popped right in front of Ha Gangwoo.

Thunk!

Ha Gangwoo lightly smacked her on the head.

“Ow! That hurts!”

Ding—

[Mimic’s Loyalty decreases.]

Had he been too indifferent to her all this time? She was turning out to be a pretty prickly little thing.

“If you don’t hurry up, no food.”

“Ahh! I’m sorry!”

Under Ha Gangwoo’s threat, Mimic gave a docile nod and followed in silence.

‘I need to train her.’

Ha Gangwoo wore a satisfied smile, laced his fingers behind his head, and strode forward.

After walking for thirty minutes, they reached the place.

Ding-

[Scenario 1 – Final Checkout][Main]

Description: All stories of Scenario.1 have concluded. Exit via the last Gate. A new Player measurement awaits.

Reward: [Job Change System Unlocked]

“Hoooh…”

Ha Gangwoo stood before the blindingly radiant Gate, confirming the quest one last time.

‘This really is the end.’

Once he crossed that Gate, this world would shut down.

A wistful look on his face, Ha Gangwoo crouched down on the ground.

‘Asrul…’

Asrul, obliterated in a gruesome explosion. Her form was barely recognizable, but there was more than enough mass to Devour.

“Ugh… Master, what are you doing? That’s disgusting.”

Mimic muttered beside him, but he ignored her and picked up the corpse with Barzel’s Appetite.

‘Devour.’

*Shlurp-*

Barzel’s Appetite undulated and swallowed Asrul’s body whole.

*Crunch-crunch-*

Like a stomach digesting, the rhythmic motion continued, and then—*gulp*—a sound of completion.

Ding-

[You have Devoured the Demon Lord Asrul.]

[Absorption rate: 70%]

[Attack: +145]

This time, the stat increase was Attack.

‘Not bad.’

An Attack bonus of 145. The kind of number you’d expect on a B-rank weapon. He’d have preferred an effect over a stat, but the reward alone was satisfying enough.

‘Let’s go.’

*Crack-*

Ha Gangwoo clenched both fists.

From here on, things would only get busier.

The Job Change, Association work, the remaining Scenarios—

*Thump- thump-*

Without another word, Ha Gangwoo let himself fall into the Gate, its brilliant light undulating like a living tide.

Ding-

[You have cleared Scenario.1.]

[DLC – Another Story applying…]

[Reassessing Player rank.]

[Assessing…]

[Player: Ha Gangwoo]

[Rank: L]

The pleasing notifications chimed in succession, and with a *whoosh*, he let his body sink into the overwhelming surge of light.