Chapter 625: Elvenheim (6)

The Demon Realm.

A world inhabited by the most horrific and ferocious beings in existence.

A place where battle never ceased and a race born for combat lived as its people.

Yet a single being had thrown that entire realm into turmoil.

His name was Grout.

Some called him a mongrel.

But Dantalion, one of the great demons, described him differently.

—Who is the mongrel? Can one call a being with regenerative powers no great demon possesses and demonic power no vampire possesses a mongrel?

—If he joins the ranks of the Seventy-Two Demons, all doubts about his mixed blood will disappear.

—If he forces his way into the top ten, the very word “mongrel” will disappear.

—That is the kind of demon Grout is. He will become both revolution and reform.

Dantalion was one of the rare demons who did not care about purity of blood.

His words served as a warning to the foolish great demons who mocked the rampaging Grout as a mongrel.

To the demons who had heard the story, Grout lacked only the formal rank of “great demon.”

He already looked every bit like a true demon.

“Haaaa...”

Grout stretched just as High-Ranking Demon Vadia had moments ago.

It was as graceful as a swan stretching its wings, yet as sensuous as a cat arching its back.

The handsome, dark-skinned man raised his head toward the sky, displaying a presence Vadia could never hope to match.

After all—

High-Ranking Demon Vadia had admired Grout, the mongrel born to shake the Demon Realm to its foundations.

Vadia’s grand entrance had been nothing more than an imitation of Grout.

The genuine article was different.

A mist of blood spread around Grout.

BZZZT—

A blood-red sword appeared in his hand—the blade once wielded by the mongrel who had dared challenge the great demons.

The way he held it with effortless elegance was almost beautiful.

Moreover—

Demon Grout was a natural genius.

He understood the flow of battle better than anyone and observed everything from within Full Bloom.

“Vadia... Wasn’t he the idiot who offered me ten thousand demonic beasts if I would accept him as my subordinate?”

“...”

“The former lord of Count Ardo’s territory.”

Grout knew exactly how those words would alter the flow of the battlefield.

And they were no lie.

Vadia had truly made such an offer.

The proof was evident in the tens of thousands of demonic beasts he had abandoned.

Grotesque wyverns with melting bodies descended from the sky around Grout.

The hellhounds that had been barking moments ago whimpered and pressed their bellies against the ground.

The wyverns folded their wings around themselves, expressing reverence in their own way.

[The demonic beasts will return to their master Vadia in 1 minute.]

Grout regarded them with a bored expression and took a step forward.

The hellhounds moved alongside him.

The wyverns unfurled their folded wings.

As previously noted, Grout was an intelligent demon.

He would not waste this opportunity to sweep away the monsters still swarming around Vadalla.

Had Vadalla boasted that he commanded several legendary monsters?

However—

I should show them that my master has me.

Was it because he was fond of his master?

No.

It would be more accurate to say that he wanted to flaunt his power.

His master had always underestimated him.

Now, before these demonic beasts, he was delighted by the opportunity to show what kind of being he truly was.

When Grout had first appeared in the Demon Realm, nine counts had assembled their armies to stop him.

His master probably knew nothing of that story.

But by commanding the demonic beasts here, Grout could at least show him indirectly.

Watch and see who I am.

SWISH—!

The moment Grout raised his sword, the demonic beasts Vadia had left behind charged.

SKREEEE!

BARKBARKBARKBARK—!

KWAAAAGH—!

And Vadalla—

“Wh-What kind of goddamn bullshit is this?!”

Shock and bewilderment mingled on his face.

He could not understand why the demonic beasts that should have become his strength were instead attacking his monsters.

Who the hell is that demon?!

Amid the tens of thousands of demonic beasts streaming past him, Grout merely strolled forward at his leisure.

Then the demonic beasts and monsters collided, sending blood spraying everywhere.

SPLASH—!

SPLAAASH—!

Filthy demonic blood soaked the ground and spattered the tall, beautiful trees of Elvenheim Forest.

And at times—

CRAAAASH—!

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!

The blood of the monsters Vadalla had brought from outside and spent his entire life taming erupted into the air.

A river of blood formed at the heart of the collision.

Only then did the demon who had been watching so leisurely curl his lips into a grin.

For Grout, the Blood Demon, this battlefield was a place where he could briefly wield the power of a true great demon.

He swept out one arm, and the blood soaking the battlefield floated into the air.

Tens of thousands of tiny, beadlike droplets answered a single elegant gesture, then devastated the enemy ranks.

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!!!!

The monster legion was swept away.

Hundreds vanished instantly, and the destruction spread through thousands more.

Still holding only one sword, Grout raised their freshly spilled blood into the air once again.

RUMMMMBLE—!!!

The streams of blood converged, forming an enormous shape.

The mass was vast enough to cover the sky.

It resembled a single object.

An awl.

“Blood Spike.”

It was one of the powers Grout had wielded at his peak.

It could only be activated when an enormous quantity of blood had been spilled by those dead for less than ten seconds.

The colossal spike, its tip sharpened to a point, plunged downward.

Its destination—

The Colossal Griffin.

The Dullahan King brought from the land of the undead.

The Ent King.

The King of Fairies.

The King of Centaurs.

And countless other beings of Elvenheim mingled among Vadalla’s monsters.

BOOOOM—!!!

The Blood Spike struck the ground.

Blood spread outward in every direction like a single droplet rippling across water.

RUMMMBLE—!

Those directly struck by the Blood Spike suffered tremendous damage.

Their bodies shattered or were crushed, and the overwhelming pressure drove them into the ground.

CRAAAACK—!

Meanwhile, the blood that had surged outward like a tidal wave upon impact—

FSSSSSS—!!

[The bodies of those drenched in blood begin to melt.]

The blood produced an acid effect that dealt damage equal to 300% of Grout’s base Attack Power every second, melting the monsters away.

Hyunsoo watched Grout’s performance in amazement.

[You are hunting Vadalla’s monsters at an inconceivable speed.]

[This is an astonishing achievement.]

[EXP acquisition increases by 50%!]

DING!

[Grout has leveled up.]

[Grout has leveled up.]

[Because you hunted a large number of monsters in a short period, essence acquisition has temporarily tripled. You have acquired 456 essence.]

[You have leveled up.]

A master received EXP even when a summon or pet performed the hunting.

However, EXP was divided according to contribution. If a summon or pet did one hundred percent of the work, its master generally received only fifteen to thirty percent of the total EXP.

But Grout’s overwhelming performance—

Combined with the unexpected arrival of the demonic beasts abandoned by the high-ranking demon Vadia—

Allowed Hyunsoo to monopolize rewards beyond anything he could have imagined.

In fact—

The twenty thousand remaining wolves, which had previously been losing ground, were now joined by thirty thousand demonic beasts.

Together, they swept through Vadalla’s monsters at an exponential rate.

As a result—

[The number of enemies hunted within a short period has surpassed 3,000.]

[The number of enemies hunted within a short period has surpassed 5,000.]

[The number of enemies hunted within a short period has surpassed 10,000.]

When Hyunsoo had first arrived here, the enemies’ high base levels had made victory seem nearly impossible.

Now, he suddenly found himself in what players commonly called a ridiculously sweet deal.

It was also an unfamiliar feeling for Hyunsoo.

What did people usually call this?

After giving it some thought, Hyunsoo realized the answer.

I’m being carried...

It was commonly called power leveling.

A high-level player hunted on behalf of a low-level player, allowing the latter to level up explosively and acquire artifacts.

But this was no ordinary carry.

This is a deluxe luxury carry!

Hyunsoo was thrilled.

He had never once ridden a deluxe bus in his life.

Even in the real world, he had always taken ordinary buses because deluxe buses cost a full thirty percent more.

Yet here he was, finally enjoying a deluxe luxury ride inside a game.

And Demon Grout himself was carrying him!

Let’s gooooo!!!

Hyunsoo shuddered with excitement as he gazed at Grout’s reassuring back.

But then—

Grout turned around.

“I am tired now.”

“...??”

Hyunsoo wondered why Grout had said that.

The reason soon became clear.

[Grout consumed MP while commanding tens of thousands of demonic beasts.]

[Grout used several ultimate abilities simultaneously, reducing his MP below 1%.]

“...?”

Even Grout could not freely command tens of thousands of demonic beasts without consequence.

There had to be a price.

And no matter how much blood surrounded him, using such tremendous power still required an equally tremendous amount of MP.

[Grout falls asleep within Full Bloom!]

FWAAAAASH—

Grout was drawn back into Full Bloom.

Then the tens of thousands of demonic beasts—

[The demonic beasts return to the Demon Realm.]

Their time expired, and they vanished.

“Khak—Kahahahahaha!”

Vadalla burst into relieved laughter when Hyunsoo was left alone once again.

Many of the legendary monsters struck by the Blood Spike had survived and were beginning to rise.

Hyunsoo, who had been preparing to enjoy his free ride, suddenly came to a realization.

[The Ent King gazes at you with sorrowful eyes.]

[The Fairy King gazes at you with sorrowful eyes.]

[The King of Centaurs gazes at you with sorrowful eyes.]

He could not allow himself to become intoxicated by such an easy windfall.

Their fates.

Their long lives.

Their stories.

All of them would be decided by his hands.

Besides, since when had Hyunsoo ever relied on someone else to carry him?

I let myself grow far too complacent.

FWAAAAASH—!!

Enormous power surged through the Twin Dragon Swords as Hyunsoo drew them back.

To those gazing at him with sorrow, he gave his answer.

There was no need for them to grieve.

As long as he was here, they would never be forced to kill the elves with their own hands.

“Gather.”

“...!!?”

Hyunsoo marked a single point before him.

The beings who had lived in Elvenheim were dragged toward that point.

So were the creatures Vadalla had brought from outside.

The beings that Grout and the demonic beasts had beaten within an inch of their lives were pulled in as well.

Even Vadalla, the dark elf who had enslaved and commanded them, was dragged into the same place.

Then—

“AWOOOOOOO!”

[Jepae, the Wolf King, howls for you before losing his final hold on his sanity.]

[The power you unleash will become 20% stronger.]

[In 10 seconds, Jepae, the Wolf King, will become completely enslaved to Vadalla, lose all his memories, and forget that he was once a friend of the elves!]

Hyunsoo gathered the wish of yet another being—the enormous silver wolf howling in sorrow—into his sword.

“Blazing Cut Them in Two.”

Its range of 1.4 kilometers increased by twenty percent to nearly two kilometers.

Hyunsoo cleaved through an area with a circumference comparable to a sizable stadium.

SHHHHHRIIING—!!!!!

Some of those caught within the severed space survived and smiled in relief.

Vadalla was among them.

As they rejoiced at having survived, the attack showed them what Mythic power truly was.

It showed them what Blazing Cut Them in Two meant.

FWAAAAASH—!!!

Flames ignited across their bodies and swallowed them whole.

CRACKLE. CRACKLECRACKLE—

The Ent King, twice the size of an ordinary ent, reached 0 HP and looked at Hyunsoo.

[The Ent King will never forget the human who came from the human world.]

[Purified.]

Then came the Fairy King.

The enormous butterfly-like being, whose radiant wings had been taken from it, looked at Hyunsoo.

[The Fairy King will never forget the human who came from the human world.]

[Purified.]

Then came the King of Centaurs.

The half-man, half-horse being had possessed eyes stained black like those of a demon.

The whites returned to his eyes, and he smiled at Hyunsoo.

[The King of Centaurs will never forget the human who came from the human world.]

[Purified.]

[2,561 ents have been purified.]

[2,810 fairies have been purified.]

[3,001 centaurs have been purified.]

They were simply beings who had lived in this forest for countless years.

Now they smiled from within the blazing flames.

The centaurs raised their swords high.

The fairies shone with brilliant light.

The ents waved their branches.

They conveyed a single message to Hyunsoo.

[None of them will ever forget you.]

They would never forget this kindness.