Chapter 22: The Discovery of Demons

Azreon moved toward the portal first. Chris followed closely behind, and Aldric and Serena entered after him.

The moment Chris stepped through the portal, his surroundings changed. The familiar sensation of passing through space disappeared almost immediately, leaving him standing in the middle of a dark forest.

A crimson sky hung above the trees, casting a strange red glow across the entire area.

Chris’s eyes narrowed. It looked almost identical to the dungeon he had entered before, but it felt different.

The moment he took a breath, he felt it. The air was heavier, and breathing felt slightly more difficult, as if something was pressing down on his entire body.

An oppressive feeling filled the forest, making even the silence seem threatening.

Chris instinctively tightened his grip around his sword.

"This is strange."

Aldric looked around carefully.

"I’ve entered quite a few dungeons throughout my life, but I’ve never felt anything like this."

Serena’s expression was serious as she looked between the trees.

"Do you think the monsters here are stronger than normal?"

"We don’t know yet. That’s why we need to be careful."

Chris nodded.

They began moving slowly through the forest, carefully watching their surroundings. They moved quietly between the trees, making sure they wouldn’t be noticed before finding their enemies first.

Azreon took to the sky and began circling above them.

A few minutes later, the dragon suddenly returned. He flew back toward them much faster than before and landed nearby before pointing his head toward the forest.

"You found something?"

Azreon nodded.

"Let’s go."

The three of them followed him through the trees.

After walking for several minutes, Chris finally spotted movement in the distance.

There were five creatures standing together in a small clearing, and even from this distance, their appearance was unsettling.

They had humanoid bodies with skin as dark as night, while their blood-red eyes stood out. Strange pieces of dark armor covered their bodies, making them look like warriors rather than ordinary monsters.

Chris narrowed his eyes.

’They’re similar to the Dark Spirits, but not the same.’

The Dark Spirits he had fought before looked as though their bodies were made from condensed smoke. These creatures, however, appeared far more physical. Their bodies had a solid form, although the dark aura surrounding them still made them feel unnatural.

Chris and Aldric exchanged a serious look.

There was no need for a long discussion.

The three of them activated the System at the same time.

[Demon - A-Rank - Level 45.]

Chris’s expression immediately became serious.

Five A-Rank monsters at Level 45 were already enough of a threat, especially since each one was close to his own level.

He tightened his grip around his sword.

"Azreon."

The dragon immediately understood.

He rose into the air and circled around the clearing while Chris moved through the trees.

The demons remained unaware of them.

Then Azreon suddenly dove from above.

A powerful stream of flames swept across the clearing, catching the demons completely off guard.

Before they could react, Chris rushed in from the side.

His sword flashed several times.

One demon fell, followed by another and another. Azreon continued attacking from above, keeping the remaining demons distracted, and within moments, all five were dead.

The fight had ended almost as quickly as it had begun.

Chris looked down at the corpses. His increased Agility had made the difference.

After gaining more experience over the past weeks, he had started putting more attention into Agility because he had realized something important. Even if his Strength wasn’t enough to defeat a much stronger monster directly, his speed could still allow him to escape.

In the Wilds, being able to run from an enemy you couldn’t defeat was sometimes just as important as being able to kill one.

He crouched beside the nearest corpse and opened its head, searching for a beast core.

Nothing. He checked another, and still found nothing.

After checking all five, he stood up.

"There aren’t any cores."

Aldric and Serena approached carefully.

"None?" Aldric asked.

Chris shook his head.

"Not a single one."

"That’s strange."

"It is."

Chris looked at the dead demons for another moment before turning away.

"It doesn’t matter. I don’t need the cores that badly."

Still, the discovery made him more cautious. The dungeon was already different from the one he had entered before, and now the monsters weren’t even leaving behind cores.

"We should keep moving."

They continued through the forest, following Azreon as he searched for a suitable place to rest.

After some time, the dragon found a cave hidden between several large rocks.

Chris stopped at the entrance and crouched down.

He carefully examined the ground, looking for footprints, broken branches, or anything else that could indicate recent activity. He checked for tracks around the entrance and checked farther inside, making sure there were no signs that a monster had recently entered or left.

After checking the area for a while, he finally stood.

"Nothing recent. It should be empty."

They entered the cave. It wasn’t particularly large, but it was deep enough to provide a safe place to hide.

Chris turned toward Aldric and Serena.

"You two stay here."

Serena immediately frowned.

"And what about you?"

"I’m going hunting."

He looked toward the deeper part of the cave before continuing.

"The monsters in this dungeon are close to my level of strength, so I need to increase my strength before we go any deeper. If I find something dangerous, I’ll avoid it. But if something catches us off guard while you’re with me, I might not be able to protect both of you."

Serena remained silent, but was clearly worried about him leaving alone.

Aldric, however, had become unusually serious.

Chris noticed the change in his expression.

He had seen Aldric serious before, especially during dangerous situations, but this was different.

Chris looked at him.

"Do you know something about these demons?"

Aldric was silent for a moment before answering.

"I’ve never seen one before, but I’ve read about them."

Chris waited.

"The records I read were ancient, and most ordinary people don’t even have access to them. They were kept for the highest-ranking officials because they described an old war between humanity and a race known as demons."

Aldric’s expression remained grim as he continued.

"According to those records, the demons appeared without warning and began attacking human settlements. Nobody knew where they came from, but they were extremely dangerous. The war lasted for years before humanity eventually defeated them."

"What happened to them afterward?"

"No one knows. The records only say that the demons disappeared after the war and were never seen again."

Chris thought about that for a moment.

"I might have found something related to that war."

Aldric looked at him.

"Where?"

"I found an abandoned fortress in the Wilds while I was looking for shelter. It seemed empty when I arrived, so I went inside and stayed there for a while. While I was there, I noticed beasts approaching from outside and realized the fortress was actually their nest."

Chris paused briefly.

"There were too many of them for me to fight, so I had to find another way out. I discovered some secret tunnels beneath the fortress and used them to escape."

Aldric listened carefully.

"What did you find in those tunnels?"

"Records left behind by a dying soldier. The records said that the beasts that attacked the fortress were Amphiteres. Flying serpents."

Aldric’s expression changed immediately.

"Amphiteres... Flying serpents... You did mentione before that you knew about the beasts that attacked us before."

For a moment, he said nothing.

The memory of that battle came rushing back.

He remembered the flying serpents descending upon his soldiers without warning, their overwhelming strength leaving the group almost no chance to fight back. One after another, his soldiers had been killed, and even Aldric, despite being a powerful General with decades of combat experience, had barely managed to survive the attack.

Serena had been there as well, and she remembered it just as clearly.

Both of them slowly turned toward Chris, their expressions filled with disbelief.

He had encountered those same beasts alone in the Wilds.

Not only had he come into contact with them, but he had been inside their nest when they returned and somehow managed to escape alive.

Serena’s was also extremely shocked.

"You survived an encounter with them by yourself?"

Chris looked at them with a slightly confused expression.

"I managed to escape."

Aldric exchanged another glance with Serena.

Even now, he could hardly believe it.

The beasts had been strong enough to slaughter his soldiers and leave him seriously injured, yet this young man had somehow encountered them in their own nest and lived to tell the story.

Once again, Aldric couldn’t tell whether Chris was extraordinarily lucky or simply attracted to situations that should have killed him.

Chris merely shrugged before continuing.

"The soldier wrote that they were fighting in a war against demonic beasts when they were suddenly attacked by the Amphiteres. Everyone inside the fortress was eventually killed."

"Did the records say anything else?"

Chris shook his head.

"Not much. They only described the war and the attack briefly."

He glanced toward the cave entrance.

"But after hearing what you told me about the demons, I can’t help thinking there should be some connection between demons and demonic beasts."

Aldric remained silent for a moment before nodding.

"That is possible."

Chris didn’t say anything more. There was no point speculating without more information.

Serena looked at him, her concern becoming more obvious.

"You’re still going hunting alone?"

Chris nodded.

"I need the experience, and staying here won’t make us stronger."

"But those monsters are A-Rank."

"I know."

He looked at her calmly.

"That’s why I’ll be careful. I won’t fight anything I can’t handle, and if I find myself in a situation where I can’t win, I’ll run. I won’t take unnecessary risks."

Serena still looked worried, but she eventually nodded.

"All right. Just come back safely."

"I will."

Chris turned toward the cave entrance.

Outside, Azreon lowered himself to the ground, allowing Chris to climb onto his back.

A moment later, the dragon spread his wings and took off.

Flying gave them a much better view of the dungeon, and it also made it easier to avoid unnecessary fights.

Chris activated Dragon Vision as they rose higher.

The ability allowed him to see far beyond what his normal eyesight could manage, and without it, he wouldn’t have been able to properly observe the forest from this height.

They flew over the trees for some time before Chris spotted many more groups of demons.

There were far more of them than he had expected.

Chris didn’t attack. Instead, he continued following them from above, trying to understand where they were coming from and whether there was some kind of central area where they gathered.

After watching them for a while, something strange caught his attention.

The demons weren’t simply wandering around.

Many of them were heading toward rocky areas, where they would stop and crush pieces of stone before looking through the broken remains.

’What are they looking for?’

Chris continued following one group.

The demons kept searching.

Eventually, one of them struck a large piece of rock and suddenly stopped.

Something blue was visible among the broken pieces.

The demon quickly grabbed it.

Chris narrowed his eyes.

’A crystal?’

Before he could get a better look, the demon immediately ran away with it.

The other demons continued searching as if nothing had happened.

Chris followed the one carrying the blue crystal, keeping Azreon high above the forest. He didn’t want to get too close and risk being noticed.

The demon eventually reached a rocky area and disappeared between the cliffs.

Chris followed from above.

The deeper they went, the more unusual the surroundings became. Huge rocks surrounded the area, forming a natural barrier around a wide opening.

Chris slowed Azreon’s flight.

Then his eyes widened.

There were demons everywhere. Dozens of them stood around the opening, and more continued arriving from different directions.

There had to be at least a hundred.

Chris carefully observed the gathering from the sky.

Most of the demons were similar in size, but one figure immediately stood out.

It stood in the center of the group. The demon was several times larger than the others.

Chris’s expression became serious.

’That’s probably the leader.’

There was a strong possibility that it was also the dungeon boss.

He couldn’t tell exactly how strong it was from a distance, so he activated the System and scanned the creature.

A system message appeared before his eyes.

[Demon - A-Rank - Level 52.]

Chris’s expression immediately became grim. [This was definitely the boss of the dungeon.

He looked down at the enormous gathering of demons surrounding it.

’This dungeon is going to be much harder than I expected.’