Drawn into the Demon Realm
Suddenly, Eden found himself thinking the world had turned upside down. The darkness pouring from the demon's body moved at a speed no human could dodge. In the blink of an eye, his party had been pulled from the church basement into somewhere else entirely.
Eden looked up at the sky with a calm expression.
“……”
What might have been called clouds was pitch black, and the rest of the sky was a uniform crimson. A space utterly divorced from the normal world—an other realm. It was a landscape worthy of being called hell, but Eden knew full well this wasn't some grandiose place.
Just an ordinary boss stage.
“This is…”
“The demon's dwelling, I suppose.”
Neb answered Fran's murmur. She scanned their surroundings with sunken eyes. Even for her, this was the first time seeing it with her own eyes—her true descent would have shattered the space itself.
And then.
The demon appeared before the party. Its form was utterly different from before. If the previous version had been like a void punched into empty space, this one felt closer to a “living creature.”
Chance. Life. The foolish barbarian's wish.
Veins pulsed across the demon's body. Around its massive eye orbited smaller ones, while scales and leather alternated over its form. And tentacles of some unidentified, liquid-like texture propped up its torso.
Eden grimaced. What an appetite-ruining sight.
The demon writhed its enormous body and addressed the party.
Laughter. Satisfied now? Question.
But Eden could barely hear it. He had something far more pressing than the demon's intimidating presence.
...Where the hell's my axe?
The axe he'd hurled at the demon in the church basement was gone. Eden called its name inwardly. No response. He let out a small sigh. Fucking spellcasters and their bullshit. Nothing ever works right.
With no choice, Eden gripped his remaining axe with both hands. If it had fallen in the church basement, he could just kill the demon, go back, and pick it up.
That's when Neb sidled up beside him.
“...So, got any plans?”
“Plans.”
Eden murmured low. A sharp canine glinted at the corner of his mouth.
“Charge the demon.”
“...?”
“Smash its head with the axe. Until it dies. Done.”
PROFIT. Eden nodded, satisfied with his flawless plan.
“...Looks like you've gone full barbarian, head to toe.”
Neb sighed briefly at his response, but there was no helping it. Even Eden hadn't expected to end up fighting the demon. He'd only come to deal with some thugs for a good night's sleep.
028.
Eden glared at the demon. His ash-tinged black eyes locked straight on the enemy.
Full barbarian, huh. Might not be wrong.
In just a few years, he'd gone from an ordinary office drone gamer to a demon-hunting barbarian. Neb's words rang true.
The demonkin. Even at max level, not an opponent he could guarantee victory against.
But Eden grinned. His emotions surged at the presence of a powerful foe. The demon let out a voice laced with curiosity.
No fear detected. Not even from the others. Deeply displeased.
The demon's crimson eyes turned to Fran. Its narrowed gaze brimmed with dissatisfaction.
No sun here. Eternal night. Darkness. No salvation. Forever. Rundel's holy knight. Do you not grasp your situation?
In response to the demon's question, the holy knight in her dented helm silently raised her mace. Unlike her earlier panic, she'd quickly regained her composure.
“……”
Fran answered with silence.
The demon, which drew pleasure from negative emotions in intelligent beings, wasn't pleased by the sight.
Confirmed. Insufficient. Severely. Threat, pressure, tension, weight, mass, fear.
The demon's tentacles rippled.
Then add more.
In that instant, Eden's senses felt off. His depth perception was wrong. The massive demon had grown even larger.
What the fuck kind of pattern is this? It felt like a background painted on the horizon—too distant to properly gauge its size.
Fear me. That's all I desire.
Monstrosities of bizarre shapes began spilling from the demon's tentacles. Eden confirmed one leaping toward the party, glanced back, and said,
“You stay hidden in the back. Fran, keep Neb safe.”
“Even this goddess has something she could—”
“Understood.”
Fran grabbed Neb's shoulder and pulled her behind. Even this green paladin could see Neb was a liability. If she could cast higher-level spells, maybe, but right now, all Neb had was talking to the dead.
Eden kicked off the ground toward the demon. Clearly aiming to overwhelm with numbers—even now, more monsters poured out.
If he weren't max level, he'd call this an XP farm. Eden felt a twinge of regret.
The monsters varied wildly in form, but they all shared bloodshot tears and agonized expressions.
Some even spoke.
“...Saaave meee.”
“……”
Eden's face hardened like stone. Fuck. Creepy as shit.
A demon's style, alright. A cutscene he hadn't seen in the game.
Eden didn't stop. He hurled his axe even harder. It flew with a ferocious whistle, embedding perfectly in the monster's skull. Impressive accuracy for a non-throwing axe.
Kraaaagh!
With his only weapon gone, the monsters swarmed Eden. Their mummy-like skin seemed starved for human blood.
As Eden called its name inwardly, the axe returned with the same force it'd left. Monsters caught in its path lost limbs. So powerful was the pull that a severed head clung to the blade.
Eden caught it, his body drenched in gore, face twisted in annoyance. Won't shake this blood stench for a while.
He'd felled several in seconds, but it was nothing against the horde. They filled the space like waves crashing in.
Eden could fight monsters all day, but unfortunately, he wasn't alone. The demon's space was vast—too vast to block them all.
“Don't worry about us—keep pushing forward!”
Fran's voice rang from behind. Monsters had already reached them; Eden's sharp senses caught the mace swings.
Individually weak, but their numbers were the problem. And still growing.
Eden swung silently, cutting a path forward. He blocked or dodged most attacks, but couldn't handle every one.
A multi-armed monster swung a fist at him.
Keh-heh!!
Eden's head snapped to the side from the hit. The monster laughed through bloody tears, then stared blankly at its broken fist—shattered on impact.
Been a while since I took a hit. Fist or blade.
Eden kicked it square in the gut. It crumpled and bowled into others, flying back.
...Fucking endless.
The numbers were unmanageable. Eden grew urgent—not for himself, but his comrades. Despite the distance covered, the demon still loomed far off, its eyes smug with assured victory.
Eden wanted to smash that look.
And then—as he split a nearby monster's head—a familiar sensation pierced his body. His raging grinder of a pulse halted; monsters piled onto him, using their bodies like a pyramid to crush him down.
Shadows darkened his vision, but he had no time for trivialities. Strength transcending human limits surged once more. Blood raced through his heart; his body rebuilt like newborn.
A feeling he'd had nine times before. This made ten.
Vascular tendrils spread across Eden's vision. Crimson lines branched wildly, surpassing [One Who Touches Transcendence] at the top and rooting deeper.
...Wasn't max level the cap?
A novel shock. He hadn't imagined growth beyond the limit.
Slaughtering hordes had filled his XP unnoticed. Eden felt a unique thrill, but no time to dwell.
His gaze reached the tendril's end. A white light blinked, urging him to spend his new trait point.
Traits unseen in the game flashed by, but instinct told him their powers.
[Incarnation of War]
[Strength to Lift Mountains]
[Dragon's Blood]
[The Revived]
[Terrifying Presence]
All tempting, but choices limited.
A trait to handle this mess.
Short deliberation, decision made.
By now, monsters buried him in a mountain of flesh. Fran, smashing another head, sighed.
“...Eden!”
But Neb, knowing his power, wasn't too worried. She sensed something extraordinary brewing within.
“Better plug your ears.”
“...Ngh, what do you—?”
“Won't hurt allies, probably…”
And as Neb covered her ears—
■■■—!!
A roar like the space itself exploding echoed out. No one understood the words, but rage filled it utterly.
“...Urk!!”
It was an explosion, literally. Shockwaves from Eden's center blasted surrounding monsters away. Torn corpses rained crimson from the sky.
Fran scanned in bewilderment. Moments ago fearless, now all lay strewn on the ground. Yet she and Neb felt no impact—save the deafening sound.
Neb eyed the barbarian behind it all. One touching transcendence. The ascender. The poor modern soul dropped into the game world.
Eden exhaled. Rough breath burst from his mouth. First fatigue since becoming a barbarian, but his superhuman heart restored his stamina swiftly.
He turned forward. The demon's eyes bled ruptured veins.
Pain. This is. Hurt.
Choppy, emotional voice. Laden with shock.
Shriveled tentacles barely held its body as it asked Eden,
What. Are you. Question. Great question.
Eden sensed a familiar emotion in the demon's eyes. Fear in those pupils. The demon feared this unknown existence.
Eden trampled monster corpses and advanced.
“Barbarian.”