Pain was no longer a sensation.
It was a state of existence.
Max's body had been reduced to ruins—his last arm shattered, his legs broken beyond recognition. His flesh, once burned, now barely clung to his bones.
Yet, his head remained intact—kept alive by dark magic, forced to endure an agony that no human should bear.
He could not scream.
His voice had long since abandoned him.
All he could do was feel.
Every tendon torn. Every nerve lit aflame. Every inch of him begging for an end that would never come.
The demon lord stood over him, watching with cold amusement.
"You still cling to life? How pathetic."
Max could barely register the words.
His mind was drifting—slipping between unbearable suffering and the terrifying void of nothingness.
Would he die here?
Would Hell erase him completely?
Then—
A word escaped his broken lips.
"System."
---
The air shifted.
A blinding interface flickered before his fading consciousness.
[QUEST COMPLETE: LEVEL 1 → LEVEL 2]
His mind barely had time to comprehend the words before new text appeared.
[Choose Your Reward: Select Three Skills]
His vision swam.
The choices glowed before him.
1. full recover
2. Superhuman Strength, Speed, and Agility
3. Magic Resistance
4. Absorption – Gain Abilities by Consuming Monsters
5. Sharp Instinct – Detect Enemies Within 10km
Max chose.
1. full recover.
4. Absorption.
5. Sharp Instinct.
The moment his selection was made—his body ignited.
---
A surge of energy erupted from his broken form.
His wounds, once fatal, began knitting themselves together.
Bone reformed. Muscle rewove itself from the shredded remains of his flesh.
His ruined limbs regrew—but they were not the same.
They were stronger.
Faster.
He felt it—the overwhelming power flowing through his veins.
His senses expanded—his mind now aware of every movement within a vast 10-kilometer radius.
And then—
An instinct.
A hunger.
He looked up.
The demon lord loomed above him—staring, uncertain.
For the first time since arriving in Hell, Max smiled.
"Now... I will show you what true Hell looks like."