The Sweet Poison of the Blood Demon
Around the time the two team members returned from their vacation, Karla and Ping Lei also rejoined the team on the same day.
“Did you plan this behind my back?”
“What do you mean…?”
“Never mind. Just thinking out loud.”
Leaving the bewildered Ping Lei behind, I turned my gaze to Karla.
“What about Director Ellen?”
“She said she intends to focus on training herself for the time being.”
“So you came alone.”
“Yes. The only one who can train me properly is you, Team Leader.”
The words could easily be misunderstood if spoken by anyone else. But coming from Karla, they stirred no such thoughts. She delivered them in that perfectly flat, emotionless tone—what ulterior motive could possibly be hiding there?
“Karla! You’re back?”
“Yes.”
No matter how you looked at it, the reply sounded forced. Yet Lee Jiyoung grabbed both of Karla’s hands and bounced with uncontainable excitement.
“Team Leader.”
“What? Don’t tell me you’re already trying to skip training the moment you arrive.”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at Ping Lei. His demeanor had changed considerably since our first meeting, but I still couldn’t let my guard down. Not with Death’s Hand, the man who once ruled the global underworld. Knowing the path he had walked, I had to remain suspicious at all times.
Ping Lei stepped closer and lowered his voice.
“I have something I need to discuss with you.”
He bent slightly at the waist, murmuring so only I could hear.
Interesting.
I glanced behind me, then stood up.
“Ping Lei, you’re getting special training.”
“Huh?”
“It’s been a while. Time to loosen up those muscles.”
“Does three days really qualify as ‘a while’?”
“I’m just that happy to see you.”
Nyx shook her head with a sigh.
You truly have no concept of moderation.
“Training. I’m jealous,” Jiyoung muttered.
“Karla, you really shouldn’t be jealous of that kind of training.”
After acknowledging their varied reactions, I looked toward Zhu Yixian, the Guryong-bang guild member standing at a distance.
“Please look after Ping Lei.”
He didn’t seem to have noticed anything unusual. I sent everyone else away and descended to the training ground with Ping Lei.
“No one will overhear us here.”
“Thank you, Team Leader.”
“I never expected to hear those words from you.”
“It’s only right, after you accepted my unreasonable request.”
Ping Lei offered a respectful fist-and-palm salute. The earlier whisper had clearly been a warning that this was not something Zhu Yixian should hear. I sat down on the floor.
“All right. Let’s hear what this story is that required sending even your master away.”
“Do you know of the Constellation known as the Master of the Blood-Red Sky?”
“Watch your tone.”
“...Do you know him?”
“The Blood Demon. An S-rank Constellation who reached the pinnacle of martial arts.”
Blood Demon. Evaluated as one step beneath the Heavenly Demon, yet among all Constellations tied to martial arts, he ranked near the very top.
Ping Lei furrowed his brow.
“This is the first time I’ve heard that name.”
Come to think of it, the incident where the Blood Demon’s contractors went berserk happened in 2028.
“There’s ‘blood’ in the title. Doesn’t that give you any hints?”
“If it’s a martial artist from the evil faction who ascended to Constellation status…”
“Worse than the evil faction. It’s the Blood Cult.”
The Master of the Blood-Red Sky was the leader of an evil cult known to be even more vicious than the Demonic Cult itself.
“Does the name ring any bells now?”
“It feels ominous, but I still don’t…”
“They’re masters of the very sorcery your people despise.”
Corpse techniques. Blood curse arts. The Blood Cult wielded all manner of vile sorcery with terrifying proficiency.
“A truly wretched Constellation.”
“Well, his martial prowess is genuine, at least.”
“Is that so?”
“He’s interested in you because he sees value in your martial arts. Contract with him and he’ll grant you a five-star technique.”
Blood Heaven Asura Art. The Blood Demon’s personal secret art, a supreme martial technique that could rival even the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Ping Lei let out a short, heavy breath.
“Even so, you’d be wise not to accept.”
The Blood Demon’s sponsorship was sweet poison. The Blood Heaven Asura Art granted as proof of contract was no proper martial art. Every time one circulated their inner energy, they would need to consume the blood of living creatures. The higher one’s attainment grew, the more their sanity eroded, until they ultimately surrendered their body to the Blood Demon’s whispers.
The result was always the same. Every martial artist who accepted the Blood Demon’s patronage eventually fell into madness and lost all reason.
China was the only nation that aggressively promoted martial artist development. Naturally, they had suffered catastrophic losses from the players who contracted with the Blood Demon and went berserk.
An event that had not yet occurred. I adapted the future tragedy and recounted it in measured terms.
“Heh… heheheh.”
Ping Lei collapsed onto the ground.
“Did you contract with the Blood Demon?”
“No, not yet…”
“In any case, it means the Blood Demon has taken an interest in you.”
“Hoo… yes.”
“What did your boss say about it?”
“He told me that an S-rank Constellation’s hidden contract should obviously be accepted.”
“Yet here you are, ignoring him. Impressive.”
I softened my voice. Zhang Wufei—the big brother of Guryong-bang and China’s top ranker.
“I never told him that a hidden Constellation had offered a contract.”
“Why not?”
“Because I want to defeat you, Team Leader.”
A fierce, burning emotion blazed in Ping Lei’s eyes. Pure competitive spirit.
“You asked whether this was a Constellation capable of surpassing me?”
“Correct.”
“I like it.”
A low chuckle escaped me. Kuk, kuk kuk. This guy really was something else. It was far easier to handle an opponent who showed his blade openly than one who hid it behind his back. Of course, the statement itself might have been calculated to win my favor. Even so, I found myself genuinely pleased by it.
“Do you mean that?”
“Why would I lie?”
“Fine. Let’s assume it’s sincere.”
THUD!
A heavy impact rang out. Ping Lei’s head snapped downward.
“Use honorifics.”
“…”
His face flushed crimson as his lips twitched. He appeared to be physically restraining a stream of curses.
Liking his attitude was secondary. I still did not fully trust him. Death’s Hand. I could not forget the countless atrocities he had committed before the regression. A person’s true nature did not change so easily. Therefore, I had to keep him thoroughly suppressed so he could never rise against me.
“Ah, one more thing. Has the Constellation known as the Owner of the Oasis approached you?”
“He did. But after my defeat to you in the promotion match, he departed.”
“I see. He attached himself to me instead.”
Ping Lei’s face reddened once more. I felt a twinge of apology, but from my position, confirmation was necessary.
The future had changed in subtle ways. The problem was that the Blood Demon was an even more vicious entity than Seth. Still, Ping Lei truly was remarkable—drawing the interest of S-rank Constellations in succession. The only downside was that every single one of them belonged to the evil alignment.
Once again, I reaffirmed my conviction. If I did not reform this man…
“Team Leader?”
“Ah, I was lost in thought for a moment.”
I swallowed the rising killing intent and looked at him.
“I have a proposal for you.”
“A proposal, all of a sudden?”
“Yes. I’ll introduce you to a Constellation who may be capable of surpassing me.”
“I have no interest in your jokes.”
“I’m completely serious.”
Ping Lei stared at me with doubtful eyes.
“The Handsome Monkey King of Flower Fruit Mountain.”
“What kind of Constellation is—huh?!”
“I will teach you how to form a contract with an existence who can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with even God-King rank Constellations.”
The venomous expression vanished. Ping Lei simply gaped, mouth hanging open.
“You’re not going to tell me for free, are you?”
“Of course there are conditions.”
“If it is something I can accept, I will listen.”
“Leave Guryong-bang.”
The surest way to dispel the shadow looming over Ping Lei’s fate. If he could accept this, then I would help him grow stronger.
“…Thank you for the conversation.”
Ping Lei remained silent for a long moment before quietly leaving. That was fine. It was not the sort of proposal one could answer on the spot. The important thing was that he was considering it at all.
“I’m looking forward to this.”
I sincerely hoped he would make the right choice. His answer would decide whether I saved him or killed him.
Without realizing it, Ping Lei had stepped onto a life-or-death crossroads.
After finishing my conversation with Ping Lei, I gathered the entire team.
“Our policy remains unchanged.”
“We’ll handle the Tower missions individually, then?” Karla asked. “And form teams only for gate raids?”
“Correct, Karla.”
“I only need training.”
What a consistent girl. Beside her, Ping Lei shivered visibly.
Bronze-rank missions awarded the highest records based on individual performance rather than team results. Team play simply meant mutual loss.
“This time I’m going to climb faster than Master!”
“Good. Give it your all.”
“Come on! Say it with some soul!”
“I genuinely can’t picture myself losing to you.”
“Ughhh!”
Jiyoung ground her teeth, eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
“Hehe. Since the contractor possesses leisure, it must be difficult indeed,” Nyx said, placing a hand on my shoulder with an elegant smile.
“Training is scheduled for this afternoon. I’ll see you all then.”
I dismissed the team and immediately accessed the Babel Tower.
You have entered the Shield Laboratory.
Shield Destruction
📍 Objective: Destroy at least 3 of the 7 shield layers.
🎁 Note: The deeper the layer, the higher its durability. The more layers destroyed, the greater your ability will be proven.
⚠ Special Condition: Mission ends automatically 10 seconds after the first hit.
The mission area on the twenty-first floor was a vast dome reminiscent of a baseball stadium.
-This barrier prevents interference between participants. How fascinating.
Nyx approached the translucent membrane with evident curiosity. Beyond the ten-square-meter translucent barrier, the silhouettes of other players shimmered faintly.
“Don’t touch it. The moment you do, the mission begins.”
-You should have said that sooner!
“Just kidding. Your spirit form probably won’t trigger it anyway.”
I gripped the Ars Goetia.
The “ten seconds” mentioned in the twenty-first floor mission was measured from the first strike. Whether it took five seconds or an hour to rearrange my mana, the countdown began the instant the completed spell touched the barrier. I intended to exploit that rule.
“Goddess, grant me your blessing.”
-Honestly. You really can’t do anything without my help, can you?
“You’re complaining over a single blessing?”
When Nyx placed her hand on my forehead, the Blessing of the Night surged through my body, amplifying every stat.
Demonic Power
All stats converted into magic power. Other stats reduced to 1. Duration: 60 seconds.
I did not rearrange my mana immediately. Instead, I waited for time to pass. Thirty seconds after activating Demonic Power, I flipped open the Ars Goetia.
The spell I would use was already decided.
Barbatos's Iron Flail
With only two seconds left on Demonic Power, the completed spell slammed down onto the barrier.
-I see. So that was why you waited until the very last moment.
“I wasn’t confident I could break the barrier with magic alone.”
Activating Demonic Power sealed away martial techniques and physical skills just as thoroughly as it amplified magic. If the Iron Flail failed to destroy every layer, I planned to immediately revert to my normal stats and charge in for close combat.
However—
KWAAAAAANG!
Main Mission — Shield Laboratory cleared.
All seven barrier layers destroyed within the time limit.
New record set for Floor 21.
My careful preparations proved entirely unnecessary. The twenty-first floor’s barrier shattered into pieces with a single strike.