Living Hell

We reached the deepest level of the underground.

No light reached this place, and there was no ventilation either. Three of us had come down here: me, David, and Colin. Colin had been a director at Lilith Entertainment—the bastard who, without knowing his place, had proposed sexual tribute to Pobitz. His arms and legs had been severed; he lay sprawled on the floor like a worm.

"Kill me… please… I was wrong… Just kill me…!"

David and I gave the worm no response.

I drew out the Core of Living Hell. It looked like a pitch-black jewel, almost identical to obsidian.

A gift from the King of the Demonic Heavens. Honestly, it made me a little uneasy—precisely because it belonged to him.

How the hell do I even use ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this?

I clenched the Core of Living Hell tightly first.

Nothing happened.

The moment I stirred my mana, a notification window appeared.

"…Use it."

Pitch-black energy poured from the Core of Living Hell. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface, and then it crumbled into dust and vanished. A darkness that froze the spine flooded outward in every direction. The aura was so chilling that I flinched without meaning to.

I frowned at the cascade of windows.

Why the hell are there so many?

I skimmed them slowly. The skill’s general shape came into focus.

Periodic AP acquisition… similar to a district. No idea how much I’ll get yet, but it’s a hell of a skill.

All my stats had risen. That alone put me in a good mood.

Might as well pick a Living Hell trait.

Luck’s shining again. Heh.

Sudden good fortune always put a smile on my face.

Let’s see what these traits actually do.

Ah. So that’s how it works. Got it.

I couldn’t pick a trait carelessly.

The ones who would be thrown into Living Hell were the bastards who had tried to touch my women. I wanted them to suffer as much as possible.

Hmm. Now that I think about it, there’s nothing to agonize over. Only one trait fits me perfectly.

Blaze and Self-Harm are automatic torture functions. They inflict pain on their own. But I don’t need automatic.

Because I had David. I could just order David to torture the vermin myself.

I looked at David and Colin.

David’s face had gone rigid; he avoided my eyes.

The instant Colin was designated a prisoner, his mouth tore open in a scream of pure agony.

"AAAAAAARGH! M-my body…!"

The limbless Colin writhed. His skin shriveled; ugly wrinkles carved themselves across him. His lips turned into something like rotten leaves. Every drop of moisture in his body was vanishing at terrifying speed.

Drought trait effect.

Not even thirty seconds had passed and Colin had become a living mummy. Under normal circumstances he would already be dead… but because of Living Hell, a designated prisoner could not die. He would simply suffer here forever.

"AAAAARGH! Water! Give me water! Just one mouthful! Please, just one mouthful! No—spit is fine! I’ll drink piss if I have to! Please! This thirst…! AAAAAARGH!"

Colin thrashed like a madman. The sight of a caterpillar flailing in desperation was not pleasant to look at.

I pulled gasoline from my inventory and poured it over Colin’s body. A flick of Heavenly Demon Qi sparked a flame. Colin’s body ignited.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!"

His scream hammered my eardrums.

Even as he burned, Colin could not die. Skin charred to ash and regenerated again. Amusingly, the hair did not grow back. He was a half-corpse.

"Choosing Extreme Pain was the right call. As long as I have gasoline I can burn them myself—no need to waste a slot on Blaze. Heh."

After that I ran a series of experiments inside Living Hell.

When I expanded its range, the underground space rippled and the atmosphere itself changed. The space grew larger.

As Living Hell’s stage rises, the space will expand too. No need to hire specialists to dig out the basement. At this size… two hundred people. Push it a little and three hundred could fit.

Beyond that, training Heavenly Demon Divine Art inside Living Hell produced outstanding results.

Now I understand why the King of the Demonic Heavens gave me Living Hell. This place is perfect for training Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

This was how demonic arts were meant to be.

I was thoroughly satisfied.

"David. Bring every single name on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the list. Cut off their arms and legs so they’re easier ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to manage. ‘Human farm’ doesn’t suit the place… just call it Living Hell."

"…I’ll need some time. There are too many names on the list for me to handle alone."

"Are you saying you can’t?"

David flinched. His trembling eyes flicked toward Colin, who was still screaming. He bowed his head deeply.

"Three days! Just give me three days! I’ll drag every last one of them here!"

"David. Don’t disappoint me."

I left Living Hell behind and headed for Lilith Entertainment.

Thirty days.

Yuria’s and Mi-ryeong’s summon durations had ended.

From the moment I seized control of District 6700, all of Pobitz’s activities had been completely suspended. Once the goal was achieved, there was no longer any reason to keep performing. After we stopped, roughly three days of summon time remained. We spent those three days playing. We rented an entire luxury resort and lived it up.

"Every moment spent with Master has been joyful. The idol profession… doesn’t quite suit me, though. Still, if it is Master’s command, I can do anything."

"You did well, Yuria. See you later."

Yuria vanished.

I forced down the emptiness that rose in her wake. I could meet Yuria again whenever I wanted.

"That was fun! Honestly, I was a little curious about idol life too!"

Mi-ryeong spoke in a bright voice.

"Yeah? Would you do it again if I asked?"

"Nope. Being an idol is way too hard. No time for games or comics either. I’d rather just stream casually on my own. Ah, I should go. Call me again next time, Seobang-nim!"

"Leave it to me."

Mi-ryeong disappeared.

"I should be going as well."

"Elena. Feels a little late to ask, but is it really fine to leave your house empty for a whole month?"

"Do you think the Valdert family would collapse just because I stepped away for a single month? And the situation is different from when I was trapped in hell. I can handle family affairs remotely without issue. Well… idol work kept me busier than expected, so I only managed the urgent matters… I’ll have a mountain of work waiting when I return. Haa."

Elena left with a sigh.

Only Ju Seo-hyeon remained. She and I would return to the A-Plan Legion with Etwall.

"That turned into a longer vacation than I expected. How was it? Fun?"

"…Not really."

Ju Seo-hyeon stared straight at me. She clearly had something she wanted to ask.

"Ask. I’m in a decent mood right now. I’ll answer anything."

"Yuria and Mi-ryeong… what exactly are those women?"

"That’s a secret."

The tip of Ju Seo-hyeon’s eyebrow climbed.

"…You said you’d answer anything."

"I did answer. I said it’s a secret."

"……Is it true that you’re the Heavenly Demon?"

"It’s true. That’s also a secret, so don’t tell anyone else. Got it?"

"If I tell, will you kill me?"

"Are you going to tell?"

"……."

Ju Seo-hyeon didn’t answer.

I trusted her to keep the secret. That was simply her nature. And the Ju Seo-hyeon of now had no choice but to obey me.

"That’s all your questions? Let’s head back to the A-Plan Legion. Ah—and the fact that I took District 6700 is also a secret."

"…Just what the hell are you plotting?"

"That’s a secret."

We returned to the A-Plan Legion.

And three months passed.