The Black Serpent Cult.
The organization had begun with a single, insignificant little snake.
According to legend, the lowly creature had consumed a forbidden fruit, transformed into a Black Dragon, and ascended to the heavens.
Witnesses recorded the unbelievable tale as scripture, and it eventually became the cult’s enduring doctrine.
Following that doctrine, members of the Black Serpent Cult would stop at nothing to obtain power.
That remained true even when the method was ‘Demonic Descent,’ one of the continent’s greatest taboos.
‘We shall summon one of the superior races of the Celestial Realm at any cost. Through it, our ambitions shall be fulfilled.’
Of course, the members of the Black Serpent Cult were not fools.
Cases of demons harming those who summoned them were far too infamous.
That was why they had chosen to summon ‘Morgon, a Lowest-Rank Demon.’
‘Morgon, a Lowest-Rank Demon. A wretched combat slave of the Celestial Realm whose entire body is said to be bound in burning chains.’
It was a lowly creature belonging to the very bottom of the Celestial Realm’s hierarchy.
A demon known for its limited intelligence could surely be controlled by the cult after descending.
Even if it unexpectedly refused to submit, there would be no problem.
‘This book will allow me to control the demon.’
The priest of the Black Serpent Cult gripped an ancient parchment book.
It was the Grimoire of Sacred Chain Command.
The book could restrain the actions of one specific being: Morgon, a Lowest-Rank Demon.
The discovery of this treasure within an ancient ruin had marked the beginning of the present summoning ritual.
‘Even so, the process was anything but easy.’
The ritual required to summon even a Lowest-Rank Demon was formidable.
They had attempted to summon a demon countless times, yet every attempt had ended in failure.
Some disasters had even resulted in the summoning of a ‘Gray Bracken Thicket,’ an ‘Unidentifiable Black Residue,’ and a ‘Tiny Corpse-Like Dragon.’
‘This time will be different.’
Niral, priest of the Ninth Branch of the Black Serpent Cult, had prepared everything meticulously.
The current offerings consisted of four severed heads, each belonging to a person of a different age and race.
The offerings might have appeared unimpressive at first glance, but obtaining them had required tremendous effort.
‘We had to select and kill travelers from every region—the west, south, east, and north.’
That was not all.
The offerings also needed to remain fresh.
As a result, their preparations had already taken more than half a year.
Each failed summoning had released ominous demonic energy throughout the surrounding area.
Because of that, this land had become a corrupted forbidden zone.
‘But every humiliation we have endured will end today.’
This time, they would summon a demon and use it to fulfill the cult’s ambitions.
Priest Niral solemnly stood before the offerings he had prepared with such difficulty.
“O Morgon, though you stand lowest within the Celestial Realm, you are the one closest to us. Partake of the offerings we have prepared and descend in all your magnificent glory upon this primitive Mortal Realm!”
As though answering his prayer, black and malevolent energy began flowing from the altar.
Then—
Niral’s chest was torn open.
“Ghk!”
It was not a figure of speech.
The surrounding cultists, who had assumed prayerful postures, stared with wide eyes.
The priest responsible for completing the ritual collapsed, spilling blood and entrails across the ground.
“P-Priest?!”
The hunters and followers of the Black Serpent Cult could not even maintain their composure.
The area around the altar began to shake as black energy surged from it.
The violent power erupted in every direction as though it had gone completely out of control.
Everyone sensed it instinctively.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
“Huh?”
As they panicked without knowing what to do, the blood-soaked grimoire floated out of Niral’s fallen robes.
They stared at it in shock.
An indifferent man who had not been there moments ago was now standing beside it.
“Wh-Who are you?”
“An intruder! He was spying on us with Invisibility!”
“How dare you interfere with a demon-summoning ritual!”
“Now that you’ve witnessed our rite, we cannot allow you to live!”
The demon summoning was a secret ritual conducted solely within the cult.
Naturally, they could not tolerate a witness.
The members of the Black Serpent Cult immediately drew their swords to eliminate the intruder.
“Enough noise.”
Kranol, holding the grimoire, silenced them with ease.
Black electricity was already forming around his other hand.
“...!”
“Prepare to fight. I know how to survive that demon.”
***
Black Lightning.
As previously stated, it was advanced black magic that could ordinarily be wielded only by someone who had contracted with a demon.
Naturally, the members of the Black Serpent Cult immediately recognized the skill’s value.
“Th-That black lightning...!”
“Black Lightning! He’s contracted with a demon!”
“Why has someone that powerful come all the way here...?!”
Obtaining powerful black magic through a contract with a demon was already proof of strength.
The superior races of the Celestial Realm did not grant favorable contracts to just anyone.
That authority carried even greater weight among members of a sinister heresy such as theirs.
“W-We understand that you’re powerful. But you truly know how to survive that demon?”
“You fools. I am a Black Mage. I contracted with a demon directly, so naturally, I understand them better than you.”
With an indifferent expression, Kranol shamelessly deceived them.
However, no one present suspected that he was lying.
Because of his madness, his face was perpetually haggard.
He genuinely looked like a Black Mage who had sold even his soul to a demon.
“You three over there. Take the front.”
“Y-Yes?”
“If we intend to defeat Morgon, a Lowest-Rank Demon, it will be better to maintain a formation.”
The three armed cultists reflexively obeyed the Black Mage(?) Kranol.
He calmly reorganized their formation.
Black energy soon erupted violently from the shaking altar.
One thoroughly frightened cultist asked timidly,
“...C-Can’t we simply run away?”
Kranol answered without emotion.
“You won’t get far before dying. Our opponent is a demon.”
It did not take long for his answer to be proven correct.
The black energy gathered in one place before taking on a distinct shape.
A single arm protruded from a pitch-black rift.
It was covered in thick hair and was as enormous as the limb of a giant.
Strange chains glowing and burning with fire were wrapped around it.
‘As expected, the ritual was insufficient. The true body of a Lowest-Rank Demon failed to descend.’
Only Morgon’s left arm had descended into the Mortal Realm.
It was in a restricted state, capable of displaying only a tiny fraction of its true power.
Even so, its presence could not be ignored during Act One.
It had torn the priest’s chest open and killed him without the slightest effort.
SNAP!
The Lowest-Rank Demon’s left hand snapped its hairy fingers.
The chest of one of the three cultists at the front was immediately torn apart.
“Ghk!”
“Wh-What the hell?! Damn it!”
Everyone clenched their teeth in horror.
It was an utterly helpless death.
Kranol, however, issued a ruthless command.
“Do not panic. That arm’s attack has a cooldown. Its range is wide enough that you cannot escape it by running, but after using it once, the arm remains defenseless for a considerable time.”
He did not merely explain.
Kranol charged to the front and unleashed a barrage of sword strikes against the arm.
The other cultists hesitated, but his example gave them enough courage to follow.
“U-Urgh! We have to fight somehow!”
“If we cannot kill the rampaging demon, we’re dead anyway!”
Kranol had deliberately placed the cultists in front of him to avoid becoming the first victim, but they never realized it.
They swung their swords with all their strength.
The enormous arm’s skin appeared to be made of steel.
Their weapons could do little more than scratch it.
Even when everyone attacked simultaneously, they merely peeled away a little skin and drew one or two drops of blood.
However shallow it might have been, a wound was still a wound.
[The Venom Fang Sword has afflicted the target’s arm with poison.]
However....
[Failure!]
[The target’s immunity has prevented poisoning.]
Unfortunately, the Venom Fang Sword had no effect whatsoever against the demon.
Demons naturally possessed powerful resistance to poison and fire.
However, that did not matter.
Kranol was pursuing an entirely different benefit.
‘The stronger the target is compared to the user, the more Skill Experience an attack provides.’
Even though Morgon was only a Lowest-Rank Demon, it remained a superior being from the Celestial Realm.
It was a creature from the future that should not have become an enemy until Act Three.
Yet Kranol, who currently belonged to Act One, was repeatedly striking it with his sword.
He used the swordsmanship he had copied from the demonic beast hunters through Heavenly Martial Physique (Heaven-Wrought Body).
[The level of Demonic Beast Hunter Swordsmanship has increased! (Lv. 1 → Lv. 2)]
[Your strength efficiency when striking or cleaving demonic beasts has increased.]
[The level of Demonic Beast Hunter Swordsmanship has increased! (Lv. 2 → Lv. 3)]
[You can now strike the weaknesses of demonic beasts more easily.]
The System messages made Kranol’s eyes gleam.
‘The experience efficiency is completely absurd.’
Most Skill Experience could only be accumulated through relentless repetition.
Training the proficiency of physically demanding techniques was especially grueling.
Yet despite his low current stage, his swordsmanship skill had risen by two levels almost instantly.
It was only natural.
Kranol had not performed any physical training since transmigrating, yet he was successfully landing consecutive attacks on an ‘Act Three creature.’
The others were desperately swinging their swords merely to survive.
Kranol was different.
Now that he had realized the arm was an extraordinary source of Skill Experience, striking it only with a sword felt wasteful.
‘Give me more Skill Experience.’
Kranol took out the bow he had purchased in the territory and fired at the arm.
Most arrows bounced away the moment they struck.
Occasionally, however, an arrow lodged in one of the wounds created by their blades.
Whenever that happened, System messages appeared without hesitation.
[The level of Basic Archery has increased! (Lv. 1 → Lv. 2)]
[The destructive power and accuracy of your arrows have slightly increased.]
[The level of Basic Archery has increased! (Lv. 2 → Lv. 3)]
[Your arrow-loading and rapid-fire speed have increased.]
Basic Archery had also reached Level 3 in an instant.
He could have summoned the hatchling or the girl, but this time, he intended to monopolize the Skill Experience.
Until now, Kranol had enjoyed an abundance of automated hunting.
Although he had easily obtained loot, he himself had experienced little growth.
‘To achieve my goal of curing the madness, I must become stronger in every respect.’
His ambition would not be satisfied by automated hunting alone.
He also needed to raise his own stage through genuinely efficient combat.
Thus, Kranol committed the madness of using a demon as a target for grinding Skill Experience.
‘Enormous rewards for minimal effort. Profitable. Excellent.’
However, Morgon’s arm did not simply endure the attacks forever.
The veins across its thick surface bulged violently as the arm trembled.
Anyone could see that it had become utterly enraged.
WHAM!
The Lowest-Rank Demon Morgon spread its hand wide.
A violent burst of energy sent the cultists flying and knocked the swords from their hands.
The arm tensed before slowly curling its fingers into a fist.
Pitch-black energy gathered around it and formed a round sphere.
Kranol narrowed his eyes.
‘That is dangerous. It must be genuinely furious.’
The arm was undoubtedly preparing the strongest technique it could use while only partially summoned.
If it completed the attack, no one present would escape annihilation.
Kranol quickly raised the grimoire he had stolen earlier.
He knew the ancient parchment book’s true nature.
‘The Grimoire of Sacred Chain Command. A book designed specifically to suppress Morgon.’
It could freely control the chains restraining Morgon.
However, although the cultists did not know it, the book alone was insufficient to control the demon’s actions.
Commanding the chains required far more sacred power.
Kranol already possessed items capable of providing that power.
‘The Pure Silver Cross and the Rod Stained with an Angel’s Tears.’
He placed the sacred Hidden Pieces he had previously obtained for hunting the Rot Dragon atop the book.
The objects, saturated with sacred power, burned and crumbled away.
The words written within the grimoire began shining brilliantly.
Kranol opened the book, pointed it toward the enemy, and spoke in a low voice.
“Morgon. This is not yet the stage upon which you are meant to appear.”
The grimoire’s light struck the enormous arm.
Morgon’s left arm, which had been gathering ominous energy into the sphere, suddenly twisted out of position.
“...!”
The chains binding the arm stretched taut.
Then they began dragging it back into the rift.
The arm resisted with immense force, but the restraining power of the chains was superior.
“....”
Eventually, as though abandoning its resistance, the arm became still.
However, the tip of the demon’s index finger remained pointed at Kranol.
It was as though Morgon were promising that it would show him no mercy when they met again.
The arm was dragged into the black rift and could no longer emerge.
Every trace of the suspicious dark energy disappeared.
It was over.
“Is... is it finished?”
“...W-We succeeded!”
“Fuck! I thought I was going to die!”
With the demon’s banishment, the demonic energy that had spread through the surrounding area disappeared completely.
Kranol discarded the book and approached the place where the demon had vanished.
A jewel-like black sphere remained on the ground.
It was the residue left behind when Morgon’s left arm failed to complete its technique.
Kranol picked it up.
[Name: Malformed $@#@$.]
[Warning! Access to this item’s information is restricted.]
[This object cannot be interpreted at your current stage.]
It was a mysterious item whose information he could not read.
Kranol trembled at the magnitude of his achievement.
‘...This is incredible.’
This was not an item obtainable at the current point in the story.
It was something that should only have become available much farther in the future.
An item meant to appear during Act Three.
‘I never expected this. I actually obtained an item unavailable in the current scenario.’
It was on an entirely different level from the profits he had made until now.
No matter how outrageously efficient his previous gains had been, they were all theoretically obtainable during Act One.
This object was different.
Even with his knowledge of the original story, Kranol had never imagined he would obtain an Act Three item so soon.
‘The probability of Morgon leaving this item behind is exceedingly low. I cannot believe I succeeded by chance.’
If used properly, it could trigger events capable of completely destroying the balance of Act One.
It was an absurd treasure of an entirely different caliber.
Just then—
“Wait a moment. Why is he taking that?”
“We survived, which is fortunate, but is that man really claiming the demon’s loot for himself?”
No one had agreed that Kranol could monopolize the reward.
The members of the Black Serpent Cult whom he had saved began complaining.
Now that they had survived the demon, they immediately began coveting its loot.
They were heretics and criminals by nature.
They were not the sort to feel gratitude merely because someone had saved their lives.
“We don’t know what it is, but it’s a jewel dropped by a demon. Surely our cult could find some use for it.”
“More importantly, we were the ones who worked so hard to summon that demon!”
“That’s right! After everything we endured, the reward naturally belongs to us!”
Kranol looked at those openly voicing their complaints.
“You talk too much.”
Black Lightning began flashing around his left hand.
The cultists finally flinched and stepped backward.
Then—
“...Urgh!”
Blood suddenly gushed from Kranol’s nose.
He bent halfway over and began coughing violently, his face deathly pale.
The terrifying image of an overwhelming powerhouse vanished.
To anyone watching, he now appeared severely ill.
His madness had chosen that precise moment to flare up.
“Wh-What is wrong with that man?”
“His condition suddenly deteriorated.”
“Could it be a side effect of the black magic? Why don’t we kill him and take that object?”
The followers of the Black Serpent Cult whispered among themselves.
One by one, they began retrieving the swords they had dropped.
At this rate, Kranol would be surrounded, killed like a dog, and robbed of the Act Three item.
At that moment—
FWOOOOSH!
A rift opened, and a small dragon suddenly appeared.
She placed herself in front of Kranol and unleashed her breath.
“What? AAAAAH!”
“Wh-What is that dragon?!”
“It looks somehow familiar—Aagh! It burns!”
The white flames pouring from the hatchling’s maw were anything but weak.
Every nearby cultist was engulfed in fire.
Some panicked and fled into the distance, but they did not survive either.
“You were trying to hurt Mister, weren’t you? I will not let you escape!”
The girl emerged from another rift and unleashed Black Lightning from her hands.
The lightning struck the fleeing cultists.
The villains who had attempted to kill the man who saved them finally paid for their crimes at the hands of the two children.
Thus, the followers of the Ninth Branch of the Black Serpent Cult, who had attempted to summon a demon, were completely annihilated.
“Urgh... Ugh, urgh.”
Meanwhile, Kranol struggled to remain conscious and stuffed medicinal herbs into his mouth.
Only then did the bleeding stop, allowing him to regain his senses.
The girl proudly placed both hands on her hips.
“Hee! I defeated the villains and saved your life, Mister! I am an extraordinary benefactor!”
Kranol looked at the child with a pale face.
The two young creatures had saved him from a crisis.
‘Although I still had the Rot Dragon’s heart as emergency medicine, so I would not have died.’
Nevertheless, they had unquestionably helped him greatly.
After a moment of thought, he asked,
“What do you want from me in return?”
“Hmm. You must buy me beautiful clothes and sweet desserts!”
“Very well.”
“Hee-yaa!”
The delighted girl flapped her wings and jumped into the air.
Seeing her, the hatchling hurriedly clung to Kranol’s lower leg.
“SKREE! SKRREEE!”
“...Yes. I will buy you fresh dried meat as well.”
The two children happily clung to and embraced Kranol.
It would cost a considerable amount of money, but that did not matter.
It was time to collect the reward the lord had promised him.