Descent of the Hellfire Devil

Before the system message could even finish declaring that Lee Yeonhee, the Demon of Hellfire, could now be resummoned, her body reacted on its own.

"Ilwol—! Help—! Ugh… sob—"

She wailed for someone in a voice that barely escaped her throat. The trio immediately stopped tormenting Cha Jin-hyeok and turned to stare at her.

"What the hell is she saying?"

"Hey, bro. Let's just kill her too. Yeah? Can I do it?"

"Shut up! Wait a damn second. Something's—"

While they bickered, a deep vibration rolled through the air—then a heavy clang.

"What the hell is that?"

"A door?"

The instant a colossal gate tore open in midair and a figure clad in full armor stepped through, they realized something had gone horribly wrong.

The moment the gate opened and he emerged into the outside world, Ilwol sensed that something was off. Why did she summon me in the air?

He instantly expanded his senses. In a flash, he could perceive the movements of every living being in the area down to the millimeter.

What are these things? Why is Cha Jin-hyeok in that state? And why is Yeonhee crying?

The three bastards stabbing the blood-drenched Cha Jin-hyeok, and Yeonhee screaming at them with everything she had. As he plummeted from the sky, Ilwol rapidly assessed the situation and reached a cold conclusion.

It's because of those worm-like pieces of shit!

Yet because he stood somewhat apart from the battlefield's frenzy, he could analyze the scene with icy clarity.

All three of them… something's changed. Their stats have risen by around seven percent. How is that possible in just a few hours?

That might very well be the root of this disaster.

A druid capable of partial transformation, an assassin class, and a tanker with taunt and war cry. The assassin dies first.

Ilwol had already examined their abilities the first time they met. Though their exact classes differed, they were all melee fighters, and the woman who could react to his speed the fastest had to be the opening target.

They were clearly rattled, which meant a surprise attack would land with devastating effect.

Having finished his calculations in a fraction of a second, Ilwol's gaze locked with Yeonhee's bloodshot eyes. She clasped her hands tightly together, staring at him with desperate longing.

Crack.

Why are you crying when I'm not here… You filthy fucking bastards!!

The sight of her face—more tormented than he had ever seen it—and the hood sliced by something sharp sent white-hot fury exploding through his mind. He hadn't even consciously activated it, yet he instantly shifted into combat form.

Bone grated against bone. The smooth full-plate armor warped and twisted, reshaping into savage, flame-wreathed armor. Crimson fire erupted from within him like the descent of a fire ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠god.

Cold Judgment.

Thanks to that lingering scrap of reason, he triggered Special Strong Acid in one hand while simultaneously unleashing a movement skill.

Crackling blue lightning exploded outward from his feet in every direction. At the same time he summoned his minion Gori and hurled it toward Cha Jin-hyeok.

I'm counting on you.

"Beh!"

The entire sequence happened in the sliver of time it took the trio to even register his presence.

"Wh-what the—!"

Choi Seong-ung had definitely seen the armored figure appear in midair. Yet that monstrous being vanished from the sky in the blink of an eye—an insane speed that even a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠B-grade hunter's eyes couldn't track.

Crackle— Roar—!

Only faint traces of lightning and flame lingered where the entity had been. Then, behind Ji-yeon's back, a demon straight from the pits of hell materialized.

Among the three, Ji-yeon possessed the greatest agility and attack power, but the weakest defense and vitality—an assassin through and through. Had the monster, once armored and now a blazing devil, deduced that in mere moments?

"O-oppa—"

Ji-yeon instinctively sensed death at her back and whispered.

BOOM!

Hiss—

An acid orb detonated against her neck, releasing thick, choking smoke. A razor-sharp greatsword sliced clean through the melted flesh with a single, decisive stroke.

"Kkik—"

Her short scream ended abruptly.

Ilwol finally understood the situation. Ji-yeon's severed head, engulfed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in flames, floated into the air.

"Uh? Uwaaaaack!! Fuck!"

"Kyaaaaak! Ji-yeon!"

The two men watched their comrade die in the blink of an eye. They had seen countless allies fall on their climb to B-grade. They had always believed they were prepared. But they had never imagined being slaughtered by a monster whose movements didn't even stir the air.

Instinct took over. They turned to flee.

"Kugh!"

A blazing wall of flames had already sealed them in. It wasn't something they could simply charge through. Forcing their way out risked the burn status effect, which would only make things worse.

As they faltered, Ji-yeon's burning head dropped from the sky, rolled across the ground, and tumbled into the flames. The stench of burning flesh and hair filled the air.

"Goddammit!"

The overwhelming heat merged with the gruesome sight of their comrade's severed, burning head. Survival instinct forced them to turn back toward the demon.

They were veterans. Their panic lasted only a moment. Without a word, breathing in perfect sync, they launched themselves at the blazing devil, unleashing their strongest skills.

Provocative Thorn. Fierce Strike. Transformation — Moonlight Beast. Transformation — Blood-Severing Claws.

Choi Seong-ung's massive warhammer and the long, blade-like silver claws hurtled toward Ilwol's head and lower body.

But the taunt the man activated while charging was completely nullified by Cold Judgment. By then, the will to fight had already drained from his attack.

Ilwol stared at them blankly and tilted his head. Hmm… why do they look so pathetic?

It wasn't an attack that should have allowed such leisurely thought. If it connected, it would have dealt damage beyond his defenses. Yet after witnessing the monstrous Chaos Residue, this felt like nothing.

He could probably afford to take a hit just to test them. Still, complacency was dangerous.

First, restrain the woman.

The moment his magic manifested, enormous chains of fire spiraled outward and instantly bound the charging woman.

Crack!

"Kyaaaaaaaak! H-hot!"

She tumbled helplessly across the ground. The flaming chains devoured her, tightening mercilessly.

At the same time, Ilwol used Phantom Dash to slip past the man's attack and spat another orb of Special Strong Acid directly at his face.

"Hiiik!"

The man twisted away in panic, stumbled, and fell. He tried to scramble away on all fours, but Yeonhee's freshly summoned Lizard No. 1 was already waiting.

"Churrup!"

Thud! Crunch!

The man never managed to stand again. He could only lie there and endure the summoned beast's relentless assault. Lizard No. 1's body glowed bright red, dozens of thorn-like horns bristling aggressively toward the sky.

It was a newly evolved ability. Using the club it had received from Ttungi in the hidden dungeon, Lizard No. 1 beat the man without pause. It was clearly influenced by Yeonhee's own fury.

Rage was a double-edged skill that dramatically boosted physical abilities at the cost of rapid stamina depletion—a true last resort.

The man somehow blocked the attacks from his prone position, but the barrage severely restricted his movement.

Deonni No. 1 was summoned at once and roared. One by one, additional summons piled onto the man like a living sandwich.

With the mana recovery buff triggered by Ilwol's appearance, Lee Yeonhee could finally breathe again.

Ilwol swept his gaze across the battlefield. This… ended way too easily.

It had been close to an ambush, and the trio was already somewhat exhausted, but he hadn't expected the gap between them to be this vast.

He calmly turned away from the pinned man and looked at the woman still struggling inside the flames.

"Kwaaaaahik! Kheuk!"

Even as the flame chains burned her alive, she fought desperately to break free.

Still holding her pretty well, huh?

Druids usually had strong resistance to binding effects, yet she couldn't shake them off. As expected, that Chaos Residue really was on another level. Flame Chains… you're pretty damn excellent, aren't you?

Cracks were already forming along the chains, so they wouldn't last several minutes, but it was more than enough. The ability to lock down an enemy for nearly a full minute in combat while continuously draining their health? This skill was completely broken.