Drip—! Drip—!

The sound of the demon’s blood dripping on the lavish floor of the throne room echoed inside my ears.

Drip—! Drip—!

Ba...dam—! Ba...dam—!

With each drop of blood which fell to the floor, my heart raced inside my chest like I had ran a marathon.

Something was wrong! I could feel it!

But...

Then it happened...

“Y–you.... you human filth!”

The contained and poise demeanour of the demon flattered completely.

The hand which had been severed by me a few seconds ago, was already getting regenerated.

‘Fuck... them and their high regeneration capabilities.”

I cursed inwardly.

The pressure around the demon changed.

Placing his left hand over the left side of his face, he glared at me as he spoke with his murderous tone.

“You... you think that just because you injured me... you can defeat me...”

Then the pressure around the throne room increased.

The hair on the back of my head stood up in a response.

“Don’t overestimate yourself human!”

He hatefully spat.

Each word held a mountain worth of animosity.

Crack—! Crack—!

I saw the floor underneath him start to crack.

Starting with the small fissures, the floor started to shake.

The atmosphere around the demon changed and a blood red aura exuded his body.

Suddenly the bloodlust in the air thickened. I felt worried, not for myself, because I had experienced much worse bloodlust from opponents in my previous life, but rather for Jiyoung and Jihoon.

Both of them were unconscious which made this battle disadvantageous on my side.

But the demon had not attacked them... yet!

Then a pair of obsidian black horns emerged from the side of the demon’s head.

The two horns, each on the side of his head looked as sharp as knifes. They shined with a dark obsidian colour.

With a pulsating throb from my heart, he spoke.

“Just because I held myself back by concealing my strength... you thought you could do something against me?”

The pressure around him had completely changed.

At first, his gaze which was only piercing, now felt suffocating.

I knew from the start something was wrong, but with all of these things crashing down of me one by one, I couldn’t think straight.

I looked down at my left hand, I felt a slight ting coming from it.

Drip—!

My hand had started bleeding. Blood dripped down from my forearm.

Snapping my head back in the direction of the demon I looked at him with dumbfounded eyes.

He still gave me a wound after I had attacked him so precisely.

He was able to react on time and hit me on my forearm.

Wait... the moment I cut his arm off, in that moment he...

Taking a healing potion out of my inventory, I quickly chugged it down. Soon the wound of my forearm started to heal.

Then he started to move.

“Huh...?”

In a swift movement the demon was already in front of me.

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“Eek...”

Without have anytime to evade or counter his attack, I was sent flying in the left wall of the throne room.

Cough—!

With a cough, blood spat out from my mouth.

The punch which caused me to crash into the wall, and cough out blood, was monstrously powerful.

I had overly underestimated the demon and overestimated myself.

I though I could counter power with years of experience.

But no... all that matters in the end is that who is the stronger one.

I was the one being foolish.

But what am I supposed to do in such a hopeless situation?

If I don’t clear the quest I die! If I don’t kill the demon here then I will die!

Both options lead to my inevitable death.

“Add ten points into each stat.”

I mumbled underneath my breath, as I thoughfully looked at the demon in front.

A window opened in front of me.

[You have levelled up]

[You have levelled up]

The system interface appeared in front of me.

I clicked on the shop and swiftly selected the skills section.

I had already thought of purchasing a skill, but I was hesitant because this skill was not something I wanted to get just yet.

This skill was a good match-up for Mind’s Eye. So I was saving up my points to purchase it.

But the situation had turned into something that made me take this step.

Making up my mind, I clicked on the interface and bought the skill.

Then taking a Mana and stamina recovery potion out of my inventory, I chugged both on them down at the same time.

Slowly my Mana and stamina started to recover.

Everything occurred within five seconds of time.

I could feel my increased strength.

Each of my stats had been increased my ten.

Positioning my body I grabbed Bleak Star tightly within my hands then I lunged in the demon’s direction.

With another swift movement he closed the distance between us in a blink of an eye and slashed towards my abdomen with his razor sharp nails.

But with my now increased stats I avoided his attack by twisting my torso and slashing my sword horizontally.

My sword connected with his nails and multiple sparks came to life.

Each time his nails and my sword connected, the sparks would fly around.

***

Slash—! Slash—!

I heard the subtle sound of metal clashing against each other.

Positioning my body, I steadily sat down on the floor.

What I saw had made me flabbergasted.

Jiwoo was currently fighting someone, but the feeling of wariness that I had since entering this castle had been correct.

I could feel the demonic energy coming from the man fighting Jiwoo.

He was without a doubt a demon.

But why?

Why was a demon here in this beginner’s rank dungeon?

Many thoughts crossed my mind as I looked at Jiwoo and the demon fight.

Every attack the demon made which were not visible to the naked eye, Jiwoo was able to evade them and counter them barely.

There I saw Jihoon also getting up from the floor.

He also saw Jiwoo fighting! He also had the same look of surprise on his face as me.

Then my eyes met with the demon’s blue eyes.

I froze on the spot.

Whatever spell we both had been trapped inside had been lifted.

But the demon didn’t pay me any mind and continued it’s battle with Jiwoo.

He didn't find me worth attack or taking hostage.

But Jiwoo fighting a demon, didn’t he have the same strength as us?

Wasn’t he only ranked?

But currently he was fighting a demon, and on top a ranked one at that.

Just who was he?

Multiple thoughts crossed my mind as I witnessed the battle, folding in front of me.

But I had to do something, anything to help him.

“Jihoon...”

I said as I called out to Jiwoo.

He gave me a nod in understanding.

He already knew what I was going to say.

Grasping my sword, I straightened my posture and used my skill.

“Skill: Shadow Emergence”

Just as I spoke, I started to melt into the shadows of the throne room.

Swiftly making my way towards Jiwoo and the demon, I held my sword tightly.

I knew I was not strong enough to fight the demon nor give it a proper wound.

But, if I can make an opportunity for Jiwoo to attack him, that’s what I was aiming for.

Soon I emerged from the shadow behind the demon and slashed my sword toward its rips.

But the demon was nonetheless able to react.

A surprised expression flashed Jiwoo’s face when he saw me emerge from behind the demon.

But the look of surprise vanished after the second it came.

The demon was able to avoid my sword and slashed with his sharp nails.

Slash—!

I heard metal cut through flesh.

By the time I saw, Jihoon was close to the demon and his dagger had pierced into the demon’s abdomen area.

But the demon paid him no mind.

But something was wrong? He didn't react to Jihoon' attack.

I saw Jiwoo’s face turn a shade darker.

The demon extended his arm and punched forward.

Boom—!

A sonic boom emerged as the air split around the area where the demon’s hand was.

I could only see as the demon attacked me and I just stood there blankly.

I closed my eyes.

But the punch never came. In response I heard the sound of bones cracking and breaking.

Crack—!

Opening my eyes, I saw Jiwoo standing in front of me with his left hand now broken.

Steading his body he twisted his torso and kicked the demon in its abdomen.

His leg connected and the demon stumbled back a few steps.

Creating some distance, Jihoon and I stood beside Jiwoo, whose hand was now broken.

He held his sword with his single working hand now.

“Heh... what are you going to do now human?” With a broken arm and two dead weights, you have practically lost. Not that you had a chance of defeating me in the first place?"

The demon amusingly said as he pursed his lips and as his lips curled devilish upwards.

I looked at Jiwoo with apologetic eyes.

If he hadn’t protected me his arm wouldn’t had been broken.

But Jiwoo’s expression didn’t change one bit.

The solemn look on his face never faded.

“Jiyoung, Jihoon... I might have a way of defeating the demon, so support me would you?"

He spoke with a voice low enough for only us to hear.

Nodding our heads in unison, both of us held our weapons in our hands.

***

Taking a healing potion out of the inventory, I quickly chugged it down.

Soon the twitching pain in my hand slowly but surely started to recede.

But my arm was still broken.

My only bet was on the new skill I just bought from the system shop.

Grasping my sword in my right hand tightly, my eyes never left the demon.

***

“How is the progress going?”

“For now there are no changes then before.”

“Huh...?”

The young man confusingly looked at the monitor, whilst sequentially snapping his head to looked at the device near the monitor.

“S-Sir...”

The young man shouted.

“...the Magic power from the dungeon just increased... a dungeon break can occur at any moment now.”

Turing around Glenn brought the transmitter in his hand close to his mouth.

“Come in... send team alpha and gamma to the dungeon out post.”

“Roger.!”

A heavy voice came through the transmitter.

Putting the transmitter down on the table, Glenn solemnly looked at the dungeon, displayed on the monitor.