While Demon awakenings were known among the general public,
Information about the Devils that had manifested on Earth was top-secret, shared only among the upper echelons of the Velvet Hunter Academy, the Demon Extermination Squad, and the Hunter Management Bureau.
The chat was filled with confused voices as they didn't understand what was happening.
Min Tae-hoon's pupils began to tremble, as if he was about to awaken.
"W-What...! What are you saying...! Am I the sacrifice...! No, no! I didn't summon them!"
Min Tae-hoon shook his head, clearly flustered, his head tilted upwards.
"No, no! Stop! Stooop! Damn it, stop!!!
Shin Se-hee looked at Min Tae-hoon with a calm expression and continued.
"Until now, the Devils have been summoned by offering sacrifices or self-sacrifice, which
hasn't been known to the outside world. But that's about to change. If you ever see a black gate appearing somewhere, please be cautious."
This information, which was originally classified, needed to be made public to warn people about the dangers of the Devils that might emerge from the gates.
"These Devils will be our new enemies in the world."
With Shin Se-hee's final words,
A deafening roar filled the air,
And a black energy erupted from beneath Min Tae-hoon's feet.
.
.
.
"It's been a long time. The beginning, perhaps."
Dudu-duk!
Kang Do-hee couldn't hide her excitement, her hands itching for battle as she anticipated the fight with the Devils.
She had recently encountered the Demon Tree, but she had only inserted the Demon Stone and hadn't directly fought a strong opponent.
She had been eager to test her recent training progress.
"Wait a little longer."
I understood her eagerness, but I chuckled and stopped her.
"What? Why?"
"Well, if this Devil is the one I know, he'll be incredibly weak at first."
"Hey, weak? Didn't you say it was a Devil?"
"Yeah, just at first. Wait a bit, and it'll become a worthy opponent."
'Kaaaah!!! Damn it─!!!!!'
I watched calmly as Min Tae-hoon, enveloped in the black energy, screamed.
Then, at one moment,
He stopped.
The black energy converged within him, and his screams ceased.
"Ugh, what the heck is that...?"
Lim Ga-eul said with a disgusted tone.
Gulp, gulp,
Of course, Min Tae-hoon's entire body was melting.
His arms, legs, eyeballs, bones, and skin were dissolving like wax, as if drenched in hydrochloric acid.
The melted black mass of Min Tae-hoon's body then coalesced into a spherical shape, like a blob of slime.
Wriggle, wriggle.
"S-Slime...? No, that's not it..."
Yoo-ri spoke in a bewildered voice.
Although the black light emanating from the slime was ominous, the creature that appeared was indeed a slime.
'Normally, this is when you'd attack and easily defeat it.'
If this were near the final chapter, I would have attacked right away.
This creature's difficulty varied greatly depending on when it appeared.
'But this isn't the final chapter, and we need to warn people about the dangers of Devils. Plus, Utopia can gain valuable experience fighting this creature.'
For these reasons, I decided to hold off on the easiest strategy for defeating this creature, which was to attack during its transformation.
The slime's viscous substance spread like tree roots on the ground.
Slowly, its form began to swell and transform.
This creature was called Giman.
It had the troublesome ability to manifest the forms that people feared the most.
And it wasn't just one monster; it was a mix of various creatures.
'If we waited for the final transformation, it would be a chaotic mix of all sorts of monsters.'
Of course, the old-timers of Velvets would boast about who created the most bizarre form of Giman and post their achievements on the community.
But that was just the old-timers' childish way of showing off, spending money and
complaining about the lack of content.
The first clear form Giman took was one we were familiar with.
"Hey, isn't that the Fire Dragon we hunted before!?"
'Oh... Rare! Crazy! Giman in Fire Dragon form, I have to take a picture and post it on the community right now!'
I couldn't help but get excited for a moment, but I cleared my throat inwardly.
'Hmm, I'm not like those guys.'
Anyway, the appearance of the Fire Dragon was truly a rare sight.
'But why are people afraid of the Fire Dragon when they haven't even encountered it properly?'
After a moment of thought, I found the answer.
'Ah, it must be because of that TV program where they showed the Fire Dragon's corpse.'
It seemed that the impact of that broadcast was quite significant.
"But didn't they only show the severed head back then?"
As if to prove this, the Fire Dragon's head remained, and various monsters' limbs and faces began to sprout.
Giman's body began to take shape, a mix of different monsters.
"Ogre's arm? That's weak. Oh, it's because of the dungeon explosion. Minotaur's horn,
Golem's leg, Red Werewolf's claws, Vampire Bat's wings, and the Tentacle Monster was on TV too..."
Analyzing what monsters Giman was made of was quite an interesting task.
'If the monsters from the final chapter were mixed in, we might need to call Master. But this
should be manageable.'
With the Fire Dragon mixed in, it wasn't too easy either.
The party members, who initially thought it would be an easy opponent, now looked serious.
The sight of various dangerous monsters from around the world combined into one was overwhelming, even for Utopia.
The faces of the different monsters attached to Giman's body opened their mouths wide,
Krrr!!!
Grrrr
Gie!!!
Gaah!!!
It roared, showcasing its might..
As I had anticipated this, I removed my hands from my ears and turned to the party members..
"Well, it seems we're done here. Shall we go and take care of it now?"
At the scene, I took a deep breath and stared at the Devil before me.
'Phew...'.
The unpleasant energy it emitted pricked my skin.
It definitely felt like a level higher than the creatures we had faced before.
During the battle with the Devil Tree, I had borrowed the power of the Sword Emperor, so it
couldn't be considered our own strength.
'This time, we'll finish it with our own hands.'
Of course, I had the insurance of calling Director Lina if things got really out of hand, but that
wasn't something I wanted to use here.
'I'll save it for when that impossible Devil appears, which we can't defeat in one try.'
I steeled myself.
Yes, from now on, countless creatures like this would appear.
If we were defeated here, not only would we fail to save the world, but we'd be swept away by the currents of change without being able to respond properly.
'Focus.'
I sharpened my senses.
-What the hell... What is that...?
-Crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy!!!
-Can something like that actually exist...?
The whole world held its breath as the Devil's appearance was revealed to the public for the first time.
The people's reactions were a mix of horror, shock, and disbelief.
It couldn't be helped.
The actual form of the Devil was far more terrifying than the monsters people had encountered or imagined.
The Devil on the screen was beyond imagination.
The ominous black aura swirling around it.
The sticky yellow liquid dripping from its body, melting the weeds and emitting white smoke.
The disgusting, overgrown black tentacles.
The indescribably grotesque faces of various monsters.
And its enormous size.
It was like something straight out of a nightmare.
-So, from now on, these things will... appear from the gates?
-Shit, I'm a veteran Hunter, but my legs went weak just from seeing it.
-How the hell do we defeat something like this...?
Even before witnessing the Devil's power, the people felt fear due to its overwhelming
appearance.
And this fear soon turned into concern for the heroes, Utopia, who were currently facing the monster.
-Isn't Utopia in danger too...?
-What the hell are they thinking...?
-Call the Mage Emperor! Call the Sword Emperor! Yuha is in danger!!!
The last time the public saw Utopia's strength was during the monster extermination mission
in the US.
Since then, they hadn't demonstrated their power in front of the public, so people's perceptions were stuck at that point.
Therefore, the monster dripping viscous liquid in front of them seemed too dangerous for Utopia to handle.
'This is a Devil...'
Shin Se-hee also broke out in a cold sweat.
Although she had been filming the whole time, when she actually witnessed the existence of a Devil, she couldn't help but feel tense.
A different breed.
She instinctively felt that if creatures like this roamed freely outside the gates, the world's
destruction was only a matter of time.
She gulped and turned to look at Jin Yuha.
Then, she suddenly felt a strong sense of unease.
'What... is this?'
The source of this unease was easy to identify.
After seeing the Devil, the instinctive fear she felt disappeared as soon as she turned her gaze to Jin Yuha.
The other party members seemed to feel the same, as they all looked at Jin Yuha's back with strange expressions.
'And today, Jin Yuha seems a bit different from usual...'
His eyes were calm, his arms relaxed, and his hand lightly rested on the hilt of his sword.
Despite his seemingly vulnerable posture, a keen aura emanated from him.
'What's different about him...?'
Shin Se-hee narrowed her eyes and focused all her attention on Jin Yuha's movements.
"Formation C!"
With Jin Yuha's command, the Utopia party members spread out.
Ta-at!
And in the center, Jin Yuha lightly leaped into the air.
Hweely!
And as if waiting for him, the Devil's tentacles wriggled and shot towards Jin Yuha at an incredible speed.
Yay!!!
"Jin Yuha! Danger!!!"
Shin Se-hee's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but exclaim.
At that moment,
Crack!
The tentacle, which had been shooting towards Jin Yuha like a bullet, was sliced into pieces by a sword swung at an indiscernible speed.
Kugugugu!
The severed tentacle fell to the ground, kicking up dust.
"Kiiieee!!!!"
The Devil let out a painful scream, spewing out black, contaminated blood.
And so, the hunt for the Devil began.
.
.
.
-What the hell is this...?
-No, he's too strong, haha!
-What's up with this Devil?
-Haha, it's just standing there getting slashed, haha!
Contrary to the initial tension, the battle was completely one-sided.
Crack!
Jin Yuha swung his sword again, slicing off a chunk of the Devil's body.
His movements were not flashy at all; rather, they were almost carelessly light.
Despite this, every time Jin Yuha's sword struck, the Devil let out a painful scream.
The Devil then unleashed its Demonic Magic, launching various attacks at Jin Yuha, but he was already gone from that spot.
-Haha, Jin Yuha's sword is so easy to wield!
-he's strong, but he's not even gripping the sword tightly!
-What's up with this Devil? It was acting like a final boss a moment ago, and now it's just getting sliced up, haha!
However, it didn't seem like the enemy was weak. The other Utopia party members were also fighting alongside Jin Yuha.
"Haaaaaap!"
Kang Do-hee's fist clashed with the Ogre's, creating a deafening sound and causing cracks in the ground.
"Eek!"
Yoo Ri-ri firmly planted her feet and raised her shield, blocking deadly attacks aimed at the party members.
Shhhhhhhh!
Sophia performed acrobatic flips in the air, firing a barrage of arrows.
Silver arrows curved like snakes, piercing the Devil's weak points, while golden arrows landed on the backs of the party members.
"Hyaaaaat!"
Lim Ga-eul wrapped the Devil's body with mana threads, using aerial maneuvers and slowing and accelerating at the right moments to control the tempo of the battle.
Ichika summoned shadows to take devastating attacks for the party members or to create platforms, expanding their space.
The party members moved like one body, their flawless teamwork showcasing why Utopia held the top spot.
-These guys are crazy! When did Utopia get this strong?
-Yeah, they're definitely facing a tough enemy.
Amidst the dazzling and flashy exchanges, the viewers' eyes were inevitably drawn to one person.
Jin Yuha.
He charged straight at the Devil and swung his sword.
Crack!
Another monster's head flew off with ease, as if Jin Yuha was invisible right in front of it.
-Huh?
-Huh?
-Huh?
-What the hell, is this Devil crazy? It can't even see Jin Yuha right in front of it?
'Coincidence...?'
Shin Se-hee couldn't help but laugh at the thought.
'No, that can't be it.'
However, it was hard to think otherwise, as Jin Yuha's approach and attacks seemed so
careless.
It wasn't an illusion or some trick.
He simply struck at the right moments when the party members were drawing the Devil's attention, making it seem like the Devil was foolish to the viewers.
'Let's try seeing from the Devil's perspective...'
By now, the initial worries had completely vanished.
Shin Se-hee smiled and thought to herself. Her fingers deftly controlled the drone, zooming in on the Devil's point of view.
The viewers were shocked, and goosebumps ran down Shin Se-hee's body?
-Wow...
-What is this?
-Where's Jin Yuha?
-He can't even see him!
-He's just standing there, and the Devil's limbs are flying off, haha!
-His timing is perfect, just charging straight at it!
-He's in a blind spot, that's why!
At a moment when no one noticed, the Devil's body seemed to split apart. From the Devil's perspective, Jin Yuha was invisible.
If it weren't for the dedicated camera on Jin Yuha, the viewers might have forgotten that he was even there, so quiet was his strike.
Yet, each strike was critical, and it was clear that Jin Yuha's sword was also protecting the party members.
Boom!
She deflected attacks aimed at the party members with precision, creating openings in the deadly onslaught.
[Yoo Ri-ri, three steps forward and shield at a 45-degree angle. Provoke in 4 seconds. Ichika, create a shadow behind Kang Do-hee. Sophia, no need to shoot healing arrows.]
While giving these instructions, Shin Se-hee's nimble fingers controlled the drone, capturing every moment for the broadcast.
-Jin Yuha, this guy's crazy...
-What's going on here...
And finally,
Utopia defeated the Devil.
It only took 30 minutes to take down one Devil.
Not a single member of the Utopia party was injured.