For Dr. Bled, this was an exceptionally exciting day.
As the person in charge of this research base, Dr. Bled had uncovered a secret beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Beneath this desolate alien world, an advanced civilization had once been hidden. That civilization had ultimately been destroyed, but from the records they left behind, Dr. Bled obtained a piece of technology.
A technology that could reach a place called the "Warp."
Afterwards, Dr. Bled successfully restored this technology and, as he had long dreamed, opened a gateway to the Warp. And there, he saw it, he felt it... the truth of the world.
It was the origin of this world, the essence of everything!
So, he opened the portal, attempting to merge this world with the Warp completely. In doing so, he would gain infinite power and become a god beyond human imagination!
At the beginning, the plan had gone very smoothly. The fools in the base were no match for the demons. Whether it was the defenseless researchers or the armed soldiers, all of them died in despair and agony under the shrieks and howls of the Warp demons.
But then…
What was that thing?
Staring at the surveillance screen, Dr. Bled was dumbfounded. On the display, a massive armored monster charged through the corridors. Demons that could effortlessly slaughter fully armed soldiers were no different from chicks before it. Their attacks could not leave so much as a scratch on the terrifying armored creature. Even the molten flames unleashed by the raging demons, flames that could melt steel, failed to leave the slightest mark on its body.
On the contrary, this armored monster killed demons with ease. Where ordinary people would collapse in terror at the mere sight of a demon, this monster seemed not to take them seriously at all. He simply swung the warhammer in his hand, and with a sweep, smashed every demon before him into fragments—like sweeping away trash.
"Bang!!"
On the screen, Dr. Bled watched the armored monster swing its hammer again, smashing down a sealed iron gate in one blow. At the same time, the demons waiting inside roared and lunged at him. Leading the charge was a bull-like monster without horns. Its hide was thick, its strength immense, capable of overpowering even an armored vehicle!
Yet the scene that followed left Dr. Bled in utter disbelief.
Facing the bull demon's charge, the armored monster did not dodge or defend. Instead, with a roar, he lowered his shoulder and charged headlong into the beast. With a thunderous crash, the bull demon did not even last a second—it was flipped over, slammed against the wall, and with another heavy impact, torn in half.
"Hssssss!!"
Dr. Bled sucked in a sharp breath.
What the hell is this monster?!
But the battle wasn't over. At that moment, a massive demon rushed the armored warrior. This demon was bloated, resembling an oversized fat man, with arms that had transformed into massive rocket-like flamethrowers. It could unleash devastating firebombs on its enemies. Yet this time, the obese demon did not fire. Instead, it rushed in, swung its arm down with great force, and slammed against the armored monster's warhammer, pinning it. Then the fat demon roared, opened its mouth, and raised both arms, aiming straight at the armored creature's head.
But at that instant, the armored monster abruptly let go of his warhammer. He reached behind his back, drew a chainsword, and brought it down hard against the fat demon!
Bzzzzzzzzzz!!
The roaring chainsword cut through the obese demon as though slicing pork fat, cleaving it in two. Under the harsh lights, the fatty flesh glistened with greasy sheen. The demon had no chance to resist, reduced to two quivering slabs of meat before collapsing, motionless.
The armored monster picked up his warhammer, stepped over the corpse, and continued forward.
By now, Dr. Bled was beyond shock. In fact, when he saw the armored creature pull out a chainsword, something clicked in his mind. He hurried to the computer, bringing up stored images. Soon, a series of photos appeared on the screen—ancient stone tablet records excavated from deep within the planet, left behind by that long-vanished civilization.
"Just as I thought...!!"
His expression grew grim as his eyes fell on the last tablet. In the photo, countless demons poured forth, but a terrifying warrior clad in armor engraved with skulls wielded a chainsword, charging alone into the horde. He annihilated every demon and destroyed the portal.
But afterwards, that fearsome warrior turned his blade against the inhabitants of the planet themselves—because they had betrayed the sacred will and colluded with demons!
That was the true cause of the civilization's destruction. They had not perished to the demons, but to the very being that was meant to save them!
But... that was tens of thousands of years ago!
Where had this creature come from now?!
Sweat dripped down Dr. Bled's forehead. He had assumed that whatever had happened on this planet was ancient history, buried under millennia. Yet this monster before his eyes seemed like a nightmare stepping straight out of legend. Could it really be possible...?
No, impossible!
A shiver ran down his spine. He could feel the demons' fury and hatred toward this armored monster, as if from the deepest pits of hell. Their rage was so scorching it felt as though his own brain was about to burn to ashes.
He absolutely could not let this monster ruin everything!
He didn't know what the armored creature was, but one thing was certain: its target was the demons he had summoned. No matter what, he could not allow it to succeed!
Of course, Duanmu Huai had no idea what this schemer was thinking. In truth, he only had one task right now, since the secret advancement quest gave only a single line of instruction.
[Charge into Hell and annihilate the demons!]
Simple, direct—just kill!
Of course, Duanmu Huai wasn't an idiot. To "charge into Hell" naturally meant entering the Warp. And for him, entering the Warp wasn't difficult. Even if there were no Warp Fragments resonating with souls here, he knew how to break in. Since that idiot doctor had opened a rift to the Warp, there had to be a core. All Duanmu Huai had to do was find the core point and dive in.
After all, he had done missions like this countless times back when he was a player. He could do it blindfolded.
But... how many demons did he have to kill for the quest to count as complete?
Strictly speaking, demons of the Warp could never truly be exterminated. Without special powers, they were difficult to kill. At best, they could be temporarily destroyed before regenerating. But Duanmu Huai had no time to worry about such details. For now, he just had to break into the Warp, and then figure things out!
As the saying went, when the cart reached the mountain, there'd be a road.
Wait... was that right?
Hmm... After the dark willows, the flowers bloom bright? A red apricot branch juts over the wall?
...Whatever, close enough.
Duanmu Huai shook his head and kept walking. He wasn't familiar with the base, but that wasn't an issue. The servo-skull scouts had already scanned the entire facility. All he had to do was follow the map and head for the place with the strongest Warp fluctuations.
Of course, it wasn't that easy. Thanks to the ongoing battle, much of the base was sealed off, with many areas fully locked down. Like the elevator door in front of him—it had been completely sealed. Normally, in game terms, he would probably need to find an ID card to unlock it and proceed... but this wasn't a game.
Duanmu Huai reached out, grabbed the edges of the elevator door, and pulled hard.
BOOM!!
With a shrill alarm, the thick steel doors were forcibly pried apart. He peered into the shaft below—it was nearly a hundred meters deep—then leapt down!
Whooooosh!!
The wind roared past his ears. Gravity pulled at him like invisible chains, dragging him downward. Just before he hit the bottom, he raised his right hand, and with the power of the Gravity Gauntlet, the tremendous impact was nullified. Even so, he slammed into the ground like a boulder.
But it wasn't over yet.
Screeeech!!
The moment he landed, a shrill grinding noise came from above. The elevator car plummeted straight toward him! Yet instead of dodging, Duanmu Huai hefted his Thunder Warhammer and swung straight up at the falling car.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The entire floor shuddered violently. Moments later, the wrecked elevator doors burst open, and Duanmu Huai strode out. His armor didn't even have a scratch.
What the hell is this monster...?!
Seeing this, Dr. Bled's legs went weak with terror. That blow would have crushed even powerful demons, yet this creature came out completely unscathed?
He thought of the stone tablet again—that armored being who alone destroyed all the demons and even slaughtered the aliens who had summoned them.
Could it really be true...?
If so, how could he possibly kill this thing?!
Wait—an idea!
Dr. Bled's eyes lit up. A plan formed in his mind.
That armored monster was heading straight toward his teleportation device. Most likely, he intended to destroy it, just as the stone tablet depicted, shutting the gateway to Hell. In that case, why not reverse the plan? Instead of letting him destroy the gate—throw him into Hell! If the demons here couldn't deal with this monster, then surely the endless legions of the Warp would tear him apart!
(End of Chapter)