After the village incident—
After the trolls, the blood moon, and the rising whispers of his name—
Lucifer advanced again.
Platinum Rank.
Now—
He stood among monsters of a different kind.
High-rank adventurers.
Veterans.
Killers.
Survivors.
A Raid Dungeon.
Uncleared.
Unforgiving.
Lucifer scanned the crowd.
Then his eyes stopped.
Her.
Hena.
The raid leader.
Scarred armor.
Steady breathing.
Eyes that had seen too many battles—
And survived them all.
"...Strong," Lucifer muttered.
Around her, adventurers gathered.
Trying to impress.
Trying to align.
Lucifer?
He just watched.
The Dungeon Opens
The gates cracked open.
Darkness spilled out.
They entered.
The smell hit first.
Rot.
Blood.
Death.
Bodies.
Old ones.
New ones.
Adventurers who came before.
Hena's jaw tightened.
"...We move carefully."
They didn't.
The first wave of orcs charged.
And the raid party responded with overwhelming force.
Steel flashed.
Magic roared.
Blood splattered.
High orcs fell one after another—
Especially under Hena's blade.
Clean.
Efficient.
Deadly.
Lucifer watched.
"...Too easy."
That was the problem.
The Trap
Victory came fast.
Too fast.
And with it—
Complacency.
"We rest here."
No scouts.
No perimeter.
No caution.
Lucifer sighed.
"...Idiots."
He felt it.
That subtle pressure.
Eyes watching from the dark.
Waiting.
"This isn't a dungeon..."
He murmured.
"...it's a hunting ground."
But he said nothing.
Because no one would listen.
So—
He left.
The Slaughter
At dawn—
It began.
War horns echoed.
Orcs.
Hundreds.
They crashed into the camp like a tidal wave.
Half-asleep adventurers—
Cut down instantly.
Chaos erupted.
Hena fought.
Desperately.
Her blade cut through enemies—
But they kept coming.
Too many.
Too organized.
"...This was planned..." she realized.
Her comrades fell.
One by one.
Her strength failed.
Her blade slowed.
And finally—
She stopped.
"...So this is it..."
An orc raised its weapon—
Then—
Smoke exploded.
Vision gone.
Sound distorted.
A hand grabbed her—
Darkness.
The Devil Appears
When she woke—
She was somewhere else.
Safe.
A figure stood nearby.
"Hello," he said casually.
"I'm Lucifer Morningstar."
A grin.
"...The devil."
Hena's eyes burned.
"Where were you?"
Her voice trembled with rage.
"While they died?"
Lucifer sighed.
"Even if I warned you—would you have listened?"
Silence.
"You trusted your strength too much."
Each word—
A blade.
"I'm strong," he continued,
"But not strong enough to carry dead weight."
Hena clenched her fists.
"...Then why save me?"
Lucifer turned.
"Because I need you."
The Plan
"The exit is blocked," Lucifer explained.
"They'll guard it."
Hena frowned.
"...Then we fight through."
"No."
Lucifer smirked.
"We go where they won't expect."
"...Back."
The Camp of the Dead
They returned.
Bodies hung like decorations.
Orcs had turned the camp—
Into a message.
Hena trembled.
Rage.
Guilt.
Lucifer grabbed her shoulder.
"Focus."
"They want you like this."
She breathed slowly.
"...What now?"
Lucifer was already moving—
Searching corpses.
Weapons.
Items.
Anything useful.
"They don't need these anymore."
Hena buried her comrades silently.
Then—
They moved.
The Gate Battle
The exit was guarded.
Heavily.
Dozens of orcs.
More hidden.
Lucifer grinned.
"Time for chaos."
Smoke bombs exploded.
Vision vanished.
Toxin spread.
Orcs staggered.
"Hena—go."
She moved.
A storm of steel.
Even blind—
She cut them down.
Lucifer supported from the shadows.
Throwing blades.
Triggering traps.
Poisoning targets.
They advanced.
Closer.
Closer—
Then—
A staff struck the ground.
Dark energy surged.
Dead orcs—
Rose again.
The Shaman
"...There you are," Lucifer whispered.
A Shaman.
The mastermind.
"Kill it!" Hena shouted.
Lucifer shook his head.
"Not yet."
He rushed forward—
Clang!
An invisible barrier sent him flying.
"Shield," he muttered.
Hena blocked wave after wave.
"They won't stop!"
"They don't need to."
Lucifer narrowed his eyes.
"...It's external."
"A mana source."
The Hunt
Lucifer vanished into the battlefield.
Dodging.
Sliding.
Bleeding.
Healing.
Every step—
Calculated.
His senses stretched—
Tracking mana flow.
"...Found you."
Hidden behind debris—
A glowing orb.
Lucifer smirked.
"Too obvious."
He crushed it.
The End
The barrier shattered.
The Shaman froze.
Confused.
Too late.
Lucifer appeared behind it—
And drove his blade through its chest.
Silence.
Then—
The undead collapsed.
The battlefield stilled.
Aftermath
System activated:
Skill: Composure
Title: Orc Hunter
Karma Points: Granted
Lucifer clicked his tongue.
"...No necromancy? Disappointing."
Behind him—
Hena collapsed to her knees.
"...You came back."
Lucifer smiled.
"How could I leave you?"
"...You're too valuable."
(He didn't say that part out loud.)
She looked away.
Blushing slightly.
"...Thank you."
Lucifer stretched.
"Well—let's go."
Side by side—
They walked toward the exit.
Stronger.
Smarter.
And for Lucifer—
One step closer—
To killing a god.
To be continued...