Just as Esil had mentioned, the difficulty spiked sharply from the 90th floor onward. The abilities and numbers of the monsters guarding the keeps were on a level that paled in comparison to the floors below. Despite having raised his Intelligence stat, the mana pool he had managed to keep near maximum at all times now fluctuated with every battle. That meant more and more of his Shadow Soldiers were being destroyed and regenerated in rapid succession. But then again, Jin-Woo hadn't made it past the 90th floor by sheer luck. From the lowest floor all the way up here, he had been hammering himself like hot iron on an anvil, refining his abilities over a long stretch of time. His level, which had now reached 97, was proof of that. And the stronger the resistance of the high-ranking nobles grew, the more powerful his and his Shadow Soldiers' attacks became as they broke through their defenses.
[Level Up!]
A haze-like shimmer rose from Jin-Woo's body as he emerged holding the entry permit for the 97th floor. It was steam created by the heat of movement that exceeded his limits, evaporating the beads of sweat on his skin. This battle, too, had been fierce. A look of victorious satisfaction crossed Jin-Woo's face. Esil, who had been hiding and waiting, spotted Jin-Woo and ran toward him. Behind him loomed the burning castle, and in his hand was the permit.
'The Ricardo family, ranked 5th... and now the Arakkas family, ranked 4th, taken down as well...'
Esil had no energy left to be surprised. If every intruder fought like this, forget protecting her own territory — it would be hard just to survive by fleeing from them.
"Are all the other humans as strong as you are?"
Esil asked, her voice laced with worry. Jin-Woo rummaged through his memories for a moment and gave a measured answer.
"Maybe two of them?"
Go Gun-Hee and Cha Hae-In. Those two definitely felt stronger than the other S-rank Hunters. But the rest of the S-rank Hunters — Baek Yoon-Ho, Choi Jong-In, Lim Tae-Gyu — didn't strike him as particularly powerful. Especially Choi Jong-In, called the "Ultimate Weapon," who seemed to enjoy a reputation that outpaced his actual ability simply because he owned Korea's top guild, "Hunters."
'If I were to judge by aura alone, Cha Hae-In was a cut above Choi Jong-In.'
Even among S-rank Hunters, gaps existed. No — given that S-rank was a grade beyond measurement, those gaps might actually be wider than in any other rank. Jin-Woo let out a small smile.
'And what will it feel like once I leave here?'
Just as his impression of Baek Yoon-Ho had changed the first and second time they met, would his own gaze toward Chairman Go Gun-Hee shift as well? Jin-Woo's heart raced at the thought of seeing how much he had changed.
'To do that, I need to...'
First, he had to finish the Demon Castle dungeon. The remaining floors, all combined, numbered only four. Jin-Woo turned to Esil.
"You can head back down now."
Esil, who had been feeling deflated after hearing that two other humans were just as strong as Jin-Woo, looked up in surprise.
"What?" "From here on, I'll find my own way."
Thanks to Esil's guidance, he had been able to locate and conquer the nobles' keeps quickly. But he no longer needed her help.
'Partly because my Perception stat has gone up, but also...'
The aura of the high-ranking nobles was so powerful that he could find them easily even from a distance. With pathfinding being the only role she served, there was no reason to drag along one more burden. He explained this to her, and—
"Am... am I useless now?"
Esil's face turned pale.
'Always full of surprising reactions.'
Jin-Woo swallowed a laugh at Esil's consistently unexpected reactions. Then he stepped right up in front of her.
'Gasp!'
Esil's eyes went wide as Jin-Woo closed the distance.
'Am I going to be eliminated too?'
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. The sound of her heartbeat roared like thunder. Just then, Jin-Woo raised his hand. As that hand slowly approached her face, Esil squeezed her eyes shut in terror. But then—
'Huh?'
The hand came to rest gently on her shoulder. Esil cautiously opened one eye. Jin-Woo's face was close. He smiled and spoke.
"You've worked hard. Thank you."
That would do. Having said his farewell in his own way, Jin-Woo stepped into the teleportation gate. Ding.
[Floors 1 through 96 are now open.] [Where would you like to go?]
When he turned around and looked at Esil's face, her expression was an even mix of surprise and disappointment. Fear, worry, surprise, disappointment... the emotions displayed by monsters capable of thought. Just as Esil had said, were they residents of another world? Or were they nothing more than monsters created by the System?
'No way to tell yet.'
But if he kept gathering clues like this, little by little, wouldn't he find out someday?
"Um..."
Esil called out to Jin-Woo. Almost simultaneously, he raised his head and answered toward the System message.
"97th floor."
***
97. 98. 99. Jin-Woo finally had the key that would allow him to enter the Demon King's abode.
[Item: Entry Permit] Difficulty: ?? Type: ?? A permit that grants access to the 100th floor of the Demon Castle. Can only be used at the teleportation gate on the 99th floor.
Before ascending to the 100th floor, Jin-Woo checked his status.
[Level: 93]
His level was already approaching 100. He could feel the increased stats throughout his entire body. Strength surged through every limb, and his senses had grown even sharper. His condition was at its peak.
'Good.'
Jin-Woo pulled up the shop. He used the potions he purchased to fully restore his stamina and mana. Then he bought bandages as well. Just like once before, he wrapped his knife-wielding hand in bandages. It had been a while since he'd felt this kind of tension. He moved his body slowly at first, then gradually picked up speed. His body responded exactly as he intended. Step. Jin-Woo, who had been darting around creating shadows in every direction, stopped dead. A faint sheen of perspiration rose from his shoulders. A warm-up, one might say. Preparation was complete.
"Phew—"
Jin-Woo drew a deep breath in and let it out, then stepped onto the teleportation gate.
"100th floor."
He stated his destination, blinked, and the background had already changed. Jin-Woo looked around.
'No fire?'
The horrific flames that had been blazing all the way to the lower floors had completely vanished, leaving only charred remnants scattered about. He raised his head and noticed something falling from the sky.
'Snow?'
The color seemed off for snow, so he reached out a hand. But the snowflakes that landed on his palm oddly didn't melt. Upon closer inspection, it was ash. Ash was falling from the sky like snow, one flake at a time. Then. A mechanical chime rang out. Jin-Woo's sharpened gaze remained fixed on the sky, as though pinned there.
'Up there...'
Soon, a System message announced the enemy's appearance.
[The King of Demons, Baran, has detected the intruder!]
A black dot hovered in the sky above. It drew closer to the ground, then landed far in the distance. It was a knight riding a winged, lizard-like creature. Five characters stood out clearly above its head.
[Demon King Baran]
Beads of cold sweat formed on Jin-Woo's forehead. An extraordinary aura radiated from the creature. As expected, this was the presence befitting the boss guarding the highest floor of such a massive dungeon. Jin-Woo's gaze shifted.
'Hm?'
The lizard-like monster the creature was riding had a name as well.
[Wyvern Kaisellin]
'That thing doesn't look like a demon, no matter how you look at it...'
Even if he managed to defeat demons, Shadow Extraction was impossible on them. He hadn't held out any hope of growing his Shadow Soldiers in the Demon Castle for that reason — but the monster the boss was riding looked different. It was a flying monster.
'Looks pretty useful, actually?'
He wanted it. Since Baruka, the leader of the White Shadows, this was the first shadow Jin-Woo had encountered that he truly wanted to claim in a long while. He swallowed hard. Just then, Baran raised one hand high. Ding.
[Demon King Baran is summoning demon soldiers!]
Along with the message, soldiers began materializing around him. A glance told Jin-Woo there were several hundred.
'So it begins.'
Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed. As Baran's skyward hand pointed arrogantly in his direction, the summoned demon soldiers charged forward in a swarm. Thud-thud-thud-thud— The ground shook under the fury of their advance.
'If it's soldiers, I've got those too.'
Jin-Woo cracked a smirk as he faced the Demon King's army.
"Shadows."
Jin-Woo's shadow began to ripple and spread outward. The Monarch's Domain skill. When the demon soldiers set foot on the darkened earth, Jin-Woo called forth his Shadow Soldiers.
"Assemble."
The shadows surged upward all at once.
'...!'
He could feel the enemy's confusion. Seizing the opening, Iron and Tank — the two bruiser knights — charged at full force and slammed into the enemy lines. Crash! Grrraaaaaaah!
"GRAAAH!" "KEUURGH!"
The sheer strength of the two sent the demons flying with screams. Behind them, over a hundred Shadow Soldiers surged forward like a wave.
[Demon King Baran is summoning demon soldiers!] [Demon King Baran is summoning demon soldiers!]
Perhaps rattled by the shadows' momentum, Baran replenished his forces. But behind the newly summoned demons, the knight Keaton unleashed his skill, "Song of the Blazing Dragon." Whooooom— A massive pillar of fire blasted an entire demon regiment away in one go.
'...'
Baran, who had taken to the skies on his wyvern to dodge the pillar of fire, touched down some distance away. Then he dismounted. Jin-Woo recalled the fighting style of the demon nobles.
'Those ones hated riding mounts into combat.'
Baran, who had been heading toward the battlefield where shadows and demons were locked in combat, quickened his pace and broke into a run. Just as Iron, at the front lines, raised his warhammer to crush a demon's skull— Baran extended his hand. Iron went soaring into the air.
'...the Ruler's Reach?'
Jin-Woo also used Ruler's Reach to catch the falling Iron and set him gently on the ground. Baran's gaze shifted to Jin-Woo. It seemed he, too, had realized who his primary target needed to be.
'...'
Baran drew his sword and charged. Jin-Woo tightened his grip on the twin daggers in both hands. Then he sprinted toward his opponent. The two Monarchs, moving like the wind, collided exactly at the midpoint between them. Sparks erupted where Baran's sword met Jin-Woo's daggers. Krrrng! Krrng! Krrrng! Jin-Woo's attacks were grazing Baran's body bit by bit, but they couldn't deal enough damage to pierce his armor.
'Daggers against armor — not a great matchup.'
But punching his way through barehanded, like with other armored foes, wasn't viable either — this opponent was no pushover. He had no choice but to aim for gaps in his defense.
'The helmet? Or the joints?'
While Jin-Woo searched for an opening, Baran struck him in the chest with an invisible skill.
"Guh!"
His body launched briefly into the air before Jin-Woo used Ruler's Reach to regain his balance.
'So it really is Ruler's Reach.'
Having been hit by it, he was now certain. Baran had been using Ruler's Reach freely this entire time. The Demon King extended his hand again. This time, Jin-Woo thrust his own hand forward as well. Boom! Boom! Both Jin-Woo and Baran were sent flying back by the opposing force. By the time they both recovered their balance, they had each been pushed a considerable distance. Just then, a thought struck Jin-Woo.
'Baruka's Stiletto had higher attack power, didn't it?'
Baruka's Stiletto was A-rank, while Knight Killer was B-rank. Jin-Woo tore the bandage tying Knight Killer to Baruka's Stiletto. Then he hurled Baruka's Stiletto with every ounce of strength he had.
'Dagger Throw!'
Baruka's Stiletto shot forward at ferocious speed, but Baran simply tilted his head to dodge it effortlessly. The Demon King briefly bent his knees, then in a single leap crossed the battlefield and landed before Jin-Woo. Light as a feather, he swung his sword in a straight line. Clink! Jin-Woo's left hand stung. He grimaced — blocking an attack meant for two daggers with only one had put severe strain on his wrist. Seeing Jin-Woo's face contort, Baran pressed the advantage and intensified his assault. Clink! Krrrng! Clink! Wounds began to multiply across Jin-Woo's body.
'Ngh!'
But Jin-Woo focused on defense, quietly biding his time. And when the moment finally came, he reached out with his right hand and seized Baran's helmet.
'...?'
Through the helmet, Jin-Woo could sense Baran's confusion. Jin-Woo grinned. Then, pulling the helmet with all his might, he yanked Baran's head back just as Esil's had been — and created a small gap where the helmet met the neck.
'Ruler's Reach.'
Baruka's Stiletto, which had been hanging in the air since the throw, now struck true. Thunk! Baruka's Stiletto buried itself in the back of Baran's neck. The Demon King's pupils dilated.
'...!'
Jin-Woo didn't miss the chance. He shoved Baran aside with his shoulder, then before the Demon King could recover, he drove the Knight Killer — gripped in both hands — into his throat.
'Critical Strike!'
Thunk! Baran dropped his sword and collapsed. Yet even after two lethal blows, the creature still clung to life. Jin-Woo mounted Baran and rained down his fists. Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! With a Strength stat pushing two hundred, the titanic force whittled away the boss monster's HP at a terrifying rate. And at last. Boom! With a cheerful chime, a welcome message appeared.
[Demon King Baran has been slain.] [You have acquired Baran's soul.] [Quest 'Gather the Souls of the Demons 2' has been completed.] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!]
=