Chapter 7
Chapter 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The One-Horned Demon
-----------------------------------------------------------------
When he first saw Go Yohan's true form at the Incheon villa, Lee Jae-kyung was stunned.
After that, he was curious.
'How strong is he exactly?'
No matter what lurked within that six-year-old boy, he wondered what its true nature was.
And now.
"Kuhk!"
Lee Jae-kyung saw it.
The Sword Ghost, revered and feared by countless players.
He had retired from the front lines at a young age, but since that day, he had never slackened in his training, and his combat ranking had actually risen as a result.
It was something impossible under normal circumstances, achievable only through bone-grinding effort.
"Kuhk!"
Even he could barely hold his own against this monster—this burning bastard.
Even if he barely dodged the rushing flames, the heat would seize his ankles.
Kaang!
His sword, which could pierce even ogre hide, bounced off pathetically.
Nevertheless, Lee Jae-kyung did not give up.
"Uwaaaak!"
The unbearable sense of defeat was enough from that one time.
Kaang!
Even as the Hell Hound's swift movements continued and his rare-grade armor melted away.
Kaang!
Lee Jae-kyung focused on one spot—the Hell Hound's throat—and thrust his sword again and again.
Swish.
When Lee Jae-kyung's sword, which seemed to vanish, reappeared.
Kwaduk!
Finally, Lee Jae-kyung pierced through the toughened hide and embedded his blade in the Hell Hound's throat.
"I won... you son of... a..."
As he let out a sigh of relief in victory.
Kwaaak!
The Hell Hound's maw opened right in front of his nose, gathering flames.
This was a monster beyond common sense.
Kwaang!
In that instant, the head of the Hell Hound that had lunged to bite Lee Jae-kyung exploded.
"Those things don't die that easily."
Go Yohan, who had already annihilated all four Hell Hounds, spoke.
"You have to shatter the magic stone glowing in their heads or tear their entire bodies to pieces."
Go Yohan spoke as if it were as simple as solving a basic puzzle, but Lee Jae-kyung, who had faced them himself, knew how absurd that claim was.
"These things..."
"They're called magical beasts."
Go Yohan anticipated Lee Jae-kyung's next question and answered.
"The lowest of the demonkin, mere cannon fodder among cannon fodder."
"...This is cannon fodder?"
He couldn't believe it.
[Your level has increased.]
He, a top ranker, had hunted one Hell Hound and shared the experience from the rest, yet he had leveled up.
"You can kill them."
"......!"
"That's what makes them cannon fodder."
Only then did he realize.
"The real ones are impossible to kill. All you can do is banish them."
From that day at the Incheon villa, he had entered an entirely different world.
"Survive this, and if you make it back, I'll answer your questions."
That was the moment Go Yohan decided to accept Lee Jae-kyung.
"...Don't jinx it."
Lee Jae-kyung rose on his weary body and stood beside Go Yohan.
"I'm really not going to die."
Lee Jae-kyung was right.
Even if he tried to die, it wouldn't be easy.
That was what it meant to catch Go Yohan's eye.
And something Lee Jae-kyung had forgotten.
Swaaa.
The Authority of Recovery existed.
"Ah... right."
Lee Jae-kyung scratched his head sheepishly.
*
*
*
It was a well-known fact that time flowed differently inside gates compared to the outside world.
It varied depending on the gate's mana reserves, but the exact cause remained unclear.
However.
Taat.
One thing was certain: they had to hurry.
If they took too long and dawn broke outside, even the divine guards would notice something was off.
Taat!
So Go Yohan and Lee Jae-kyung hurried.
"......"
Lee Jae-kyung witnessed Go Yohan in action inside the gate for the first time.
And he could say with certainty that no player conquered gates like Go Yohan did.
Kwaaang!
The earlier fight with the Hell Hounds seemed like mere practice for Lee Jae-kyung.
Peong!
Go Yohan advanced without stopping, exploding every Hell Hound in sight.
'What kind of skill is that?'
A skill that outright detonated anything he touched.
In any case, Go Yohan's uniqueness didn't end there.
Gates were filled with countless traps and obstacles that ensnared players.
They were often blocked by terrain or ambushed by monster hordes.
Peueong!
But nothing like that existed on Go Yohan's path.
It was as if.
'Does he have a mapping skill? No, even that wouldn't explain this.'
His movements suggested he knew the gate's interior like the back of his hand.
Just as Go Yohan had said.
Taat.
All Lee Jae-kyung had to do was follow.
He had just grown accustomed to that refreshing conquest when.
Thud.
His heart sank, and Lee Jae-kyung froze.
At this moment, Go Yohan seemed to do the same.
"......"
Before the halted pair loomed something like a massive cave.
It was shrouded in utter darkness, an aura so violent it forbade even a glance.
Gulp.
But perhaps because they had already endured so much, Lee Jae-kyung didn't collapse or cower like before.
Go Yohan seemed to find him even more admirable for it.
"...Boss."
Lee Jae-kyung easily grasped the identity of the thing inside the cave.
The core of the gate, the entity that represented the entire gate.
The boss.
"Are you coming?"
Go Yohan asked.
Lee Jae-kyung smirked at the words.
He felt gratitude for the consideration in the words of this mere eight-year-old boy, Go Yohan.
"Wasn't it irreversible the moment we entered here?"
Lee Jae-kyung said.
"I have no intention of backing down. I said I'd protect you no matter what."
Lee Jae-kyung stepped forward.
"Use me as a shield if you need to. Just take me with you."
His eyes burned with resolve.
Go Yohan asked no more.
That was the moment they entered the cave together.
Kwaaaa!
With a sound that tore the air, a massive hand swept down toward Go Yohan and Lee Jae-kyung.
It was a claw hidden within wings covered in needle-like feathers.
Kwaduduk!
In an instant, it seized them both and began to crush them in its grip.
Kkududuk!
But Go Yohan's hand had already moved, mangling and twisting the claw.
Now free, Lee Jae-kyung and Go Yohan landed and assumed their stances.
'It's different.'
Unlike the Hell Hounds they had faced so far.
Nothing had withstood Go Yohan's strikes—they always exploded.
Kwang.
The monster swung its unbroken hand in irritation, even if shattered.
It was a truly astonishing presence.
[You have encountered the One-Horned Demon, Drows.]
[All stats are greatly reduced due to the Demon's Sin.]
This was the first demon they had faced in this world.
*
*
*
Demons denied the very fabric of reality just by existing.
When the first demon manifested in Travania, that territory vanished entirely.
Countless inhabitants succumbed to Pride, and those who took up swords to defend it fell to corruption.
That was precisely.
'One-Horned.'
It was a One-Horned Demon, possessing a single horn.
"Remarkable."
A voice echoed from the far side of the cave.
It was undoubtedly speaking human language.
No, demons had no language.
"The door shouldn't open for a long while yet."
They merely emitted sounds that one could naturally comprehend.
Koong.
Finally, the One-Horned Demon, Drows, revealed itself.
It resembled a massive crow fused with a dog.
A long head, with a single curved horn at its temple.
"How have humans trodden upon forbidden ground."
Flutter.
Feathers poured from its wingbeats, encircling Go Yohan and Lee Jae-kyung.
Pajijik!
Black lightning coursed through them, trapping them in an instant.
"And how..."
Thud.
Any ordinary person would have died merely from facing it.
"Have you wounded me."
Drows blinked its three eyes.
In that moment, Lee Jae-kyung was bombarded with system messages.
[All stats are greatly reduced due to the Demon's Sin.]
[You are being eroded by demonic energy.]
[Skill, Song of the Sword, has been sealed.]
[Skill...]
Every one of the countless messages was negative.
And such system messages.
No, the goddess's voice reached Go Yohan as well.
[You have encountered a demon for the first time.]
[You have acquired the Unique Achievement, One Who Beheld the Abyss.]
[You can now discern demons.]
[Black Knight Privilege, One Tainted by Darkness, activates.]
[You have faced the Demon's Sin.]
The goddess speaks.
[Your Karma Points surpass the Demon's Sin.]
That he had finally found her great foe.
And.
"......!"
Drows's eyes began to tremble.
It must have sensed something too.
[The hierarchy of Sins activates.]
Thud!
[All of Drows's stats are greatly reduced.]
Something.
"H-How...?"
Something...
"How can this be possible-!"
Something was gravely wrong.
"A human! How can a human!"
Drows repeated the same words like a broken robot.
At that moment, Go Yohan stepped forward.
"Truly... I thank you."
Paaang!
The feather barrier sealing his movements shattered.
"I thank you, my goddess."
When it awakened in Go Yohan's body.
When he prayed to the goddess.
When he opened the gates to the demon world.
In every such moment, he had imagined it.
What it would feel like to face a demon again.
Beings of utter negation incomparable to mere magical beasts—the demonic kind—he now confronted.
"I shall never disappoint you."
An excitement like his heart might burst, a profound fulfillment, enveloped Go Yohan's entire body.
"You!"
As the startled Drows frantically swung its wings.
Kwaaang!
It collided with Go Yohan's outstretched hand and was caught.
Kkuduk!
Just like before, twisting but not breaking.
"You! You're that one!"
Drows cried out.