Sapporo Station, north gate

KangWoo's group was hidden among the rubble.

Not even their breathing could be heard. They were looking around with sharp eyes.

"Grrr"

It seemed like Fujimoto Ryoma wasn't lying. Sapporo Stations surroundings were full of demonic monsters.

They still hadn't seen anyone who belonged to the Demon Cult.

Demonic monsters didn't have intelligence, but despite that, they weren't fighting with each other, so they were probably being controlled by someone.

"What are you going to do?"

Chae YeonJoo whispered in his ear.

It tickled.

KangWoo used the Authority of Silence.

"Sound won't leak, so you don't need to talk like that anymore."

"Ugh! Wh-what? Are you saying that it's unpleasant?! I also find it unpleasant!"

Her face was blushing while she shouted. KangWoo smirked and turned his head toward Jang HyunJae.

"Once we receive the signal, we will break through head-on. Are you okay with that?"

"Hmm. The idea is to cause confusion, so that seems to be the best way."

Jang HyunJae nodded after thinking about it for a while.

Although it was risky, he couldn't deny that it was the most effective way.

"Seol-ah, when the signal comes, apply a buff to everyone and follow us. You don't need to overwork yourself with healing. Focus on maintaining the buff only."

"Yes, Mr. KangWoo."

"Yeon Joo, and Echidna, protect Seol-ah, and I'll leave you with long-range support. The rest of us will ambush them upfront. Oh, captain Jang HyunJae, what weapon do you use?"

"I use a sword."

"Then you're a close-range warrior type. You can charge along with us."

""

The plan was made in an instant.

Jang HyunJae looked at KangWoo, impressed, after he took his role from him.

'I heard he was someone talented'

The most impressive thing about player Oh KangWoo he had heard was obviously that he'd defeated Chae YeonJoo in a sparring match.

He'd also heard that he was the one behind the El Quero hunt and the person who had solved the Isu Station incident.

When he first heard about him, he simply thought that he was someone who was born with a talent for fighting.

'It seems like that wasn't everything.'

Although he'd known him for only a few hours, he quickly realized he wasn't simply a strong player.

KangWoo was cold and could think at an amazing speed.

He had excellent judgment and was good at taking action. He had a charisma that made people follow him.

'He's going to become someone important.'

The fact that he was following KangWoos orders even though he had been the leader of the Hwarang Squad for many years was proof of that.

Jang HyunJae was glad that someone like him had appeared when the world was struggling with monsters and the Demon Cult.

Whir-!

That sense of relief lasted for a short while. Jang HyunJae's receiver began vibrating.

As a weird sound spread from a distance, the demonic monsters turned their bodies in that direction.

"As expected"

KangWoo mumbled after seeing the demonic monster's movement.

Only a few monsters had moved toward the source of the sound, the north gate. It seemed like they were already prepared for the feint plan.

But

'They probably never imagined that the people in charge of it would be us.'

Leaving Fujimoto Ryoma aside, the level of the rest of the Japanese players wasn't high.

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It wasn't like there weren't any ranker-level players like Kurosaki Yurie, but there weren't as many as in Korea.

Although they may have been prepared for the feint plan, they probably didn't imagine that Korean players would take part in the plan.

No, even if they'd imagine it, it made no difference.

'Because I'm here.'

KangWoo raised his right hand.

He combined the Authority of Ice and the Authority of Iron.

Leviathan.

An axe made of ice appeared in his hand.

They probably could've guessed that help would appear

But they probably would've never imagined that there would be someone as strong as a world ranker.

Compared to his strength, KangWoo wasn't very well known.

That was because he'd tried his best to remain anonymous.

After all, a sword that can't be seen is more frightening than one that can be seen.

"Ready," KangWoo said in a low voice. The rest nodded and took their weapons out.

Han Seol-ah used buff-type magics, and Echidna snorted and prepared wide-area magic.

"Curtain of Light."

Ting-

[Physical Defense and Magic Defense have increased by 300.]

[An intermediate HP buff has been applied.]

Area buffs

Considering Han Seol-ah's level, it wasn't bad.

After all, receiving an increase of 300 in Physical and Magical Defense was equivalent to having an extra unique item.

But that wasn't the buff that KangWoo wanted.

"Use Graceful Light, please."

"Ah, yes. Mr. KangWoo! I can only use Graceful Light on one person, and it doesn't last for very long"

"It's okay."

He didn't imagine a buff that increased a stat by an absolute value would last very long.

Han Seol-ah began casting again; soon, a light appeared in her hands.

"Graceful Light!"

Ting-

[You've received Graceful Light.]

[Your Physical Defense and Magic Defense have increased by 300. Your unique stat (demonic energy) has increased by 3.]

The effect had improved compared to before.

His demonic energy stat became 106.

KangWoo smiled in satisfaction after feeling the explosive amount of demonic energy.

If his stats were low, he probably wouldn't have seen great results with an increase of only three points in the stat.

But just taking into consideration his stat value, he was at the level of world rankers, so he profited a lot from an increase of his stat by an absolute value.

"Begin."

"Dark Swarm!"

* * *

Echidna's clear voice rang, and a black fog spread through the place. All of the demonic monsters touched by fog melted down, and a horrible odor wafted over the air.

Slide-!

Red chains began spreading wide.

The bodies of the demonic monsters touched by it were cut.

KangWoo stood.

He hit the floor and charged toward the demonic monsters, jumping into the air and smashing the demonic monsters with Leviathan.

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An explosively cold energy spread. The bodies of the frozen demonic monsters were destroyed.

"Ha-ab!"

Baek HwaYeon, Jang HyunJae, and Goo HyunMo also took their weapons out and ran toward the north gate.

Although the demonic monsters were stronger than the ones that had appeared during the Isu Station incident, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the players fighting them were among Korea's strongest players.

Slam-! Crack!!

"Kiieekk!!"

A demonic monster that was almost three meters tall screamed in pain.

It was a demon golem, a demonic monster that lived in 2nd hell along the Buer.

Many demonic monsters that belonged in the 1st through 3rd hell were guarding the entrance.

He couldn't understand how the Demon Cult had summoned and controlled them.

Even KangWoo didn't know how to summon and control a being from Hell.

'But that isn't important.'

It didn't matter if the demonic monsters in front of them were summoned from Hell, were created by planting a demonic energy stone inside a monster, or even if they were created by exposing a person to demonic energy.

There was one thing he had to do, and he had no mental space to care about other things.

"Kiieekk!"

A thin demonic monster came running toward him. It was a demonic monster that looked like a zombie or a mummy.

He threw Leviathan; the rotating ice axe smashed through the head of the demonic monster.

He raised both hands.

He used the Authority of Hellfire. As he lowered both hands, the Hellfire spread with the shape of a fan.

He turned 180 degrees.

He pulled his right fist back and lowered his body.

He concentrated the Authority of Spallation in his fist, and demonic energy gathered in his fist with a wedge-like shape.

A demon golem ran toward him.

He punched it, and a hole appeared in its chest while it fell down.

Fwoosh-!

"KRAARR!!"

"AAGG! I I got surprised!"

Goo HyunMo shouted.

A hot air brushed past his cheeks. He turned his head around and saw a dog with three heads glaring at him.

Kerberos

It was a demonic monster that lived in the 3rd hell, but it was as strong as a demonic monster that lived in the 5th one.

'So they can even control a kerberos.'

It was the demonic monster he wanted to summon at first.

Of course, since he had summoned Echidna, a Kerberos looked like a trash dog with three heads.

"Ha-ab!"

Jang HyunJae blocked the kerberos.

There wasn't a need for Baek HwaYeon and Goo HyunMo to join forces.

Although kerberos was a strong demonic monster, it wasn't as strong as Jang HyunJae, who was one of the strongest ranker players.

Fwoosh-!

"Grrr!"

The problem was that there wasn't one, but three of the monsters.

Baek HwaYeon and Chae YeonJoo each fought one, and their momentum was dampened a bit.

"Keep the formation here!"

"Mr. K-KangWoo!"

After shouting that, KangWoo went through the gate alone.

Clearing up step by step was safer, but the situation was urgent.

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'When is Fujimoto going to appear?'

KangWoo looked around. They'd done more than enough if the idea was to confuse the enemy.

Most of the monsters guarding the north gate had already died. Even the troops that had escaped were starting to gather around it.

Slam-!

At that moment, a strong wind blew along with the loud sound of an explosion.

It was a wind so strong that it seemed like a typhoon.

'It's Fujimoto.'

He heard that Fujimoto mostly used wind magic by using his 'Susanoo's Eye.'

He had most likely caused the sudden typhoon.

KangWoo moved to join Fujimoto Ryoma, and an annoying amount of demonic monsters charged toward him.

As he swept them away, he saw the stairs that led to the higher floor.

'They said that they're on the top floor, right?'

It wasnt a tall building, so the highest floor was probably the 3rd or 4th.

If it was only that tall, he could get to it just by jumping without using an Authority.

KangWoo put strength in his feet.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, he sensed something strange.

He felt something unpleasant as if he'd seen a gear that didn't match.

KangWoo narrowed his eyes and looked around, and he soon realized why he was feeling that.

'There isn't anyone from the Demon Cult here.'

He hadn't seen anyone from the Demon Cult up to that point. There was also none on the stairs or the higher floors when he had seen it from below.

That was strange.

If the summoning ceremony was so important, there shouldve been many people guarding it. It wasn't enough with just demonic monsters.

Even if they weren't expecting them, the fact that they hadn't appeared despite all that noise was strange.

He saw Fujimoto Ryoma fighting demonic monsters and going to the top floor.

'What if the ceremony isn't taking place on the highest floor?'

There was a chance that was the case.

Of course, his guess could be wrong.

Maybe they weren't there because they needed as many people as possible to make the summoning a success.

'Fujimoto is going to the top floor anyways.'

He had insurance in the form of Fujimoto Ryoma.

KangWoo looked around once more.

Judging by the amount of demonic monsters around there, it really seemed like the place the summoning was taking place.

There was also the demonic energy spread throughout the entire station.

"Then"

His thought was short, and his action fast. KangWoo clenched his fist and fused the Authority of Divine Power and the Authority of Waves.

Sky Break.

A destructive amount of power gathered around his fist.

It was a simple process of elimination.

'If it isn't on top'

It's underground.

He raised his fist and smashed it down.

Boom-!!

The floor was destroyed, and he fell through into a dark tunnel used by the subway.

"Ugh! Wh-who are you?!"

A red-mask-wearing Demon Cult member greeted him.

lghtnvlubm fr th bt nvl rdng rn

'Bingo.'

KangWoo stomped the floor.