『 Soul Devourer’s special function ‘Soul Release’ has been unlocked. 』
『 Soul Devourer: Soul Release 』
Once the souls reached 100%, the special function unlocked.
A blue chill began seeping from Soul Devourer’s blade.
That chill traveled up my hand.
At the same time, the sensation and image of using Soul Release surfaced in my mind.
‘This is incredible.’
I raised my head and looked toward the demon of growth atop the cliff.
Awooo……
A massive black wolf howled beneath the moonlight.
There was a faint distortion mixed into its howl. Because of that, even the wolves that had approached after hearing it from afar merely circled nearby without coming any closer.
Even so, the demon of growth shamelessly continued howling.
Once enough of them gathered, it would probably begin hunting them.
‘I’ll kill it before that.’
The demon of growth, which had been little more than black slime, had swallowed the Alpha Silver Wolf and obtained its appearance and power.
The sheer pressure created by its size was tremendous, but I knew the truth.
‘Right now is when it’s weakest.’
After crossing over from the demon realm into this world, it had devoured the Alpha Silver Wolf.
But digestion took time.
That was also why it still could not imitate the howl perfectly.
For the time being, we did not need to worry about it turning into a wave and swallowing us.
‘Soul Devourer’s gauge is at 100% too. There’ll never be a better time to bring it down than now.’
The special function Soul Release, which increased both attack power and range.
The conditions for fighting it were ideal.
Especially when I took its ‘restriction’ into account, Soul Devourer’s special function was an excellent trump card.
Unlike me, who was confident, Hunter Yoon Seohyeon still looked uneasy.
A boss that vastly exceeded the difficulty of a D-rank gate.
Of course she was worried.
She asked me,
“Are you sure we can win? You saw it earlier too. I’m not even sure that thing can still be called a monster. It’s almost like a natural disaster.”
“It swallowed the Alpha Silver Wolf, so it won’t be able to move around like that for a while.”
“How do you even know tha……”
“A Skill.”
Just as Yoon Seohyeon was about to ask for more details, a message appeared.
『 You have entered the domain of one who follows Demonkind. 』
『 A restriction has been imposed in accordance with Demonic Law: Contract. 』
『 Living beings within 50 meters cannot ‘grow’. 』
Yoon Seohyeon’s eyes widened at the ominous contents.
“……One who follows Demonkind? A restriction? What is this?”
“Must be an extremely unusual monster. The System itself is warning us.”
“See? You obviously know something!”
“That’s intuition.”
Yoon Seohyeon narrowed her eyes.
Still, I could not explain everything to her.
It was too early for that.
For now, it was enough for her to think of it as an unusual monster.
Knowing the truth about demons could actually put Yoon Seohyeon in danger.
‘As far as I know, demons are hiding inside the Association too.’
Whatever else happened, she had helped me.
I could not repay that by making enemies for her.
‘Anyway, a restriction. Just like I remember.’
A demon’s restriction.
It was a kind of characteristic that always accompanied their race, which wielded demonic energy and governed Demonkind.
In practice, it was a special authority possessed by the demon race itself.
Each demon possessed its own domain and could exert influence over others who entered it.
‘The demon of growth’s restriction is Growth Suppression.’
Living beings around it could not grow in any way.
That meant they could neither increase their strength nor obtain new abilities.
‘Right now, it only affects living beings within fifty meters, but……’
As time passed and it gained tremendous power, that influence would eventually extend even to inanimate objects.
Once that happened, gaining abilities in the middle of battle or strengthening oneself with items would become impossible.
Comeback attacks and hidden trump cards would no longer work.
It was a vicious demon that crushed even humanity’s smallest hopes and slightest possibilities.
When the demon of growth reigned as a demon commander, it had become fear itself to humanity.
‘For now, it only affects living things, so Soul Devourer’s effect should still work without a problem.’
That was another reason I had to kill it this time.
I absolutely could not allow it to escape the gate.
Then Yoon Seohyeon stopped.
“……I think it noticed us.”
The black wolf sitting atop the cliff had discovered us.
The enormous beast’s pupils turned toward us.
Tap.
It jumped down from the cliff.
There was no sound when it landed.
By the time the demon of growth reached the ground, the Alpha Silver Wolf’s form was nowhere to be seen.
Hunter Yoon Seohyeon muttered,
“That’s a child.”
The demon of growth had transformed into the shape of a young child.
Only its form had changed.
Its entire exterior remained completely black.
Rather than something alive, it looked like an exquisitely crafted sculpture.
I added an explanation to Yoon Seohyeon’s words.
“A young elf. Just like the Alpha Silver Wolf, it must be something it absorbed in the past.”
“An elf? You mean the elves from fantasy stories?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
The young elf stared silently at me.
Its lips moved as though it wanted to say something, but that was all.
It did not possess intelligence yet.
Only the instinct to kill and absorb whatever stood before it.
Hummmm……
Several masses of black magical energy began condensing around the demon of growth.
Seven in total.
“Don’t tell me it’s going to fire all of those at once.”
That was something even I genuinely did not know.
I only knew fragments of information about it.
I did not know every individual technique it used in detail.
I gestured toward Hunter Yoon Seohyeon.
“Let’s dodge first and worry about it afterward.”
That Skill itself had probably been stolen from the elf as well.
If I treated it as a type of magic, there should be ways to deal with it.
Tap!
Yoon Seohyeon and I split left and right as though we had planned it beforehand.
Slowly.
The demon of growth pointed a finger at me.
Ratatatatat!
At the same time, the black magical energy gathered in the air fired like missiles.
They moved too quickly for the eye to even follow.
Normally, an attack like that would be impossible for a Level 20 hunter like me to evade.
However—
『 Swordsmanship Lv.10 has taken effect. 』
I had Skills.
In that instant, a strange gleam entered my eyes.
The trajectories traced by the black magical projectiles became clear to me at once. Each projectile flew separately, carving out its own distinct curve.
There was no way to dodge an attack like this with ordinary movement.
『 Agility Lv.10 has taken effect. 』
『 Martial Arts Lv.10 has taken effect. 』
『 Footwork Lv.10 has taken effect. 』
I kicked off the ground with all my strength and forcibly twisted my body in midair.
The magical projectiles grazed past my ears by a hair.
BOOOOM!
The projectiles that missed me exploded behind me with deafening blasts.
Black earth erupted one after another.
I landed as though sliding across the ground.
‘I have to use four Skills simultaneously just to barely dodge it?’
Cold sweat ran down my back, but the sensation itself was exhilarating.
The same rush I had felt while fighting the named monster Kuhullen surged through me.
If not for the restriction imposed by the demon of growth, I might even have acquired several new Skills.
To think that I, a talentless F-rank hunter, was finally fighting a real battle.
‘Still not enough, huh.’
The side of the metal armor I was wearing felt hot.
That was where one of the magical projectiles had grazed me.
‘Good thing I changed armor before coming here.’
If I had still been wearing that crappy leather armor from before, it probably would have resulted in a serious injury.
‘I’ll attack first before it can gather magical energy again.’
Bang!
With Soul Devourer gripped in my hand, I shot forward like a cannonball.
Agility, Martial Arts, and Footwork took effect simultaneously, closing the distance between us in an instant.
Hummm……!
The black magical energy that had not yet finished forming swirled in the air.
The demon’s inorganic eyes stared at me.
I drew my sword far back and shouted.
“Now!”
“Got it!”
The instant I shouted, violet magical energy boiled up from the ground.
It was Yoon Seohyeon’s Magical Chains.
Clatter!
Violet chains of magical energy erupted from the ground and bound both arms and legs of the black elf.
It twisted its body in an attempt to escape, but there was no chance.
Now I would drive my strongest technique straight into it.
I swung my sword in a wide arc and activated the Skill.
‘Shin Style Straight Slash!’
A pure white straight line was carved through space from the top of its head to the tips of its feet.
The killing blow capable of cutting even nonmaterial objects struck it dead on.
BOOOOM!
The terrifying force pierced straight through it and left a deep scar in the ground below.
Black liquid, severed from its owner, sprayed into the air.
Even a demon could not withstand an attack like that.
The moment I realized the blow had landed—
“!”
A shadow fell over my head.
Grrrr……
The small-bodied elf had vanished.
In its place stood an enormous wolf, hot breath pouring from its jaws.
‘Damn it.’
What I thought I had cut away was nothing more than part of its foreleg.
The instant it was struck, it had transformed into another shape and minimized the damage.
“You can’t just suddenly get huge after I bind you! Isn’t that cheating?”
Yoon Seohyeon shouted, eyes wide.
It was probably instinctive behavior, but the creature had exploited the weakness of binding Skills perfectly.
They could restrict movement, but they could not prevent transformation.
“Watch out!”
Yoon Seohyeon shouted from the side as she watched the situation unfold.
Creak.
Its jaws opened.
They were large enough to swallow someone like me whole in a single bite.
Black magical energy began condensing inside its mouth.
‘I need to get out of here.’
I reflexively pulled back.
Gritting my teeth, I ran as hard as I could to create as much distance as possible.
Ratatatatat!
The same magical projectiles as before erupted from the giant wolf’s mouth.
Even after transforming, it retained the abilities it had used previously.
‘What kind of ridiculous monster is this……?!’
Even though I knew demons were beings that existed outside ordinary standards, it was still shocking.
I threw myself to the ground and slid.
Once again, the magical projectiles barely skimmed past my body.
BOOOOM!
Fortunately, I was not caught in the explosions that followed.
A transparent membrane had wrapped itself around me.
It was the Barrier Hunter Yoon Seohyeon had cast.
I used the opening to charge in and attack again.
I kicked off the ground, shot forward, and swung my sword.
Slash!
Straight Slash struck the creature.
Black liquid sprayed out, but it swung a foreleg at me as if nothing had happened.
I stepped backward and avoided it.
Ever since it transformed into the Alpha Silver Wolf, its movements had become considerably simpler.
But the fact that my attacks were not working properly had not changed.
‘Tch.’
Boom. Boom.
Several bursts of fire from Hunter Yoon Seohyeon flew in, but they had little effect.
The areas struck merely liquefied into black fluid and churned violently.
This attempt failed as well.
The black wolf opened its jaws.
Now it was my turn to run again.
I rolled and scrambled around desperately, avoiding the barrage of magical projectiles.
It took repeating that cycle several times before I realized it.
‘Damn it. If this turns into a battle of attrition, we’re at a disadvantage.’
The attacks used by the demon of growth were simple.
The more I dodged them, the more accustomed I became to their patterns.
The problem was how little damage I could inflict on it.
‘It’s not like all my attacks so far were meaningless.’
The black liquid scattered across the ground was all made up of pieces of the demon of growth’s body.
It did not seem capable of absorbing those pieces again.
My attacks were definitely hurting it.
‘But without one big finishing blow, there’s no telling how long this will take.’
Compared to its enormous body, the amount I could cut away each time was nowhere near enough.
I had enough Attack Power.
The problem was range.
‘This thing is disgustingly strong.’
And this was supposed to be when it was weakest.
It had not even completely digested the Alpha Silver Wolf yet, and it was already this powerful.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
I had prepared myself for this, but actually fighting it was on a completely different level.
It did not feel like fighting a monster.
It felt like swinging a sword against a gigantic wall.
I turned my head slightly and checked Yoon Seohyeon’s condition.
Exhaustion was clearly visible on her face.
Most of the magical projectiles had been focused on me, but she had used numerous spells as well, so she had probably consumed most of her magical energy.
‘If this drags on, we lose.’
Straight Slash was not a technique I could use infinitely either.
There was no System attribute being consumed by it, but my stamina and physical strength had limits.
‘Then there’s only one option left.’
I thought of Soul Devourer’s special function.
Soul Release.
It could instantly expand the range of my attacks and greatly increase their power.
That should be enough to break this deadlock.
The time I had was only five seconds.
And if I wanted to make absolutely certain the attack landed, I needed one more thing.
I shouted as I ran toward Yoon Seohyeon.
I had to reach her while dodging the magical projectiles raining down around me.
“Hunter Yoon Seohyeon!”
“Yes?”
“Can you Teleport us above that thing’s head?”
“I can, but……!”
She hesitated.
Her Teleportation had a cooldown.
Once she used it, she could not use it again for at least thirty minutes.
BOOM!
A magical projectile exploded directly behind me.
The impact violently shoved my body forward.
I landed while sliding across the ground.
‘Either way, the longer this takes, the worse it gets for us.’
I had to decide here.
“Now!”
I immediately sprinted toward Hunter Yoon Seohyeon.
“W-wait! You’re being way too reckless!”
Yoon Seohyeon’s eyes widened as she waved her hands, but at this point it was all or nothing.
If the demon of growth finished digesting the wolves around it as well, we would lose our chance entirely.
HUMMMMM!
Yoon Seohyeon and I had been separated until now.
The moment we came together in one place, it became the perfect opportunity for the demon of growth.
A different current from before began forming around the black wolf.
Magical energy gathered as though ready to erupt at any moment.
I did not stop running toward Yoon Seohyeon.
Once she understood what I was trying to do, Yoon Seohyeon squeezed her eyes shut and shouted.
“You’re seriously insane!”
Despite saying that, she did not retreat.
She knew exactly what she needed to do.
The instant my hand touched Yoon Seohyeon—
Ssssss……
The scenery around us began to distort.
The fluorescent shrubs and trees vanished, replaced by cold night air.
The solid ground beneath my feet disappeared.
Open air.
Yoon Seohyeon and I floated in midair.
Only for a moment, but unmistakably.
Perfect.
Yoon Seohyeon’s role ended here.
Everything after this was up to me.
The demon of growth was directly beneath my feet.
Right now, I was floating above the top of its head.
I knew it would last only an instant.
I raised my sword all the way above my head.
The demon of growth was still pouring out the demonic energy it had gathered inside its mouth.
Naturally, there was now nothing in the direction it was attacking.
HISSSSS!
Blue smoke erupted wildly from my sword, Soul Devourer.
『 Soul Devourer: ‘Soul Release’ activated. 』
『 Attack range and power are temporarily greatly increased. 』
A full moon filled the dark night sky.
Beneath it, Soul Devourer flashed in the moonlight.
“New Soul Style: Colossal Straight Slash!”
All that remained was to fall straight down from a height of nearly ten meters.
The blue chill pouring from the sword began drawing a beautiful straight trajectory through the air.
There was no way to dodge it.
Whether it shrank its body or enlarged it, Straight Slash would bisect it without fail.
In an instant, a single straight line appeared between the night sky and the earth.
And the moment my sword touched the ground—
BOOOOOOOOM!
The enormous slash swallowed the demon of growth whole.
A vast quantity of black liquid erupted into the sky.
『 Defeat a demon (1/1) 』
『 You have completed the Talent Adjustment: Limit Break Quest! 』
『 Congratulations. You have become a D-rank hunter. 』
『 Maximum Level of all Skills increased by 1! 』
『 Attribute growth per Level is now increased by 1.2x! 』
『 Causality Reversal Shop has been unlocked! 』
Patter, patter……
The black liquid that had formed the body of the demon of growth—
It became a shower of raindrops, endlessly soaking the ground around us.
I stared at the falling black rain and muttered,
“I did it……”
I was overwhelmed.
After all, this was the first victory I had ever won against a demon.