Damien stepped into his room at the Mercenary Guild building, the soft glow of a single lantern illuminating the sparsely furnished space. He’d just finished with Arielle over the counter.
After his return, Damien found out that Arielle had resumed her position and that the other receptionist had left.
He’d submitted the completed mission scroll to her and she’d confirmed that he’d indeed completed the mission after which he was rewarded.
The rewards from his completed mission jingled softly in a pouch he held, a satisfying reminder of his efforts. Yet, his focus wasn’t on the coins or the acclaim.
Closing the door behind him, he let out a deep breath and sat cross-legged on the modest bed. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the familiar, shimmering blue screen of his system interface.
“Let’s see how far we’ve come,” Damien muttered to himself, pulling up his own stats first. However, before he could actually check it out, he dismissed it once again.
Damien smiled faintly free dismissing the panel as he knew how far he had come. Still, he knew he had a long way so he didn’t want to always monitor his growth. At least not yet.
He’d made significant progress since leaving the Twin Disasters Forest, his survival instincts honed into a lethal edge but he wasn’t quite there.
“Almost there,” he mused. “A few more thousand kills, and I’ll be ready to face him.”
Next, Damien shifted to the stats of his summons.
“Summons panel, shall we?” Damien asked the system rhetorically. As the long screen appeared, he nodded in approval.
Available summons: 5
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Name: Luton
Race: Stellar Slime
Grade: Three
Endurance: 1,500 Intelligence: 20
••••••••••
Skills:- Universal Space, Devourer.
Name: Fenrir
Race: Monstrous Wolf
Grade: Three
Strength: 400 Endurance: 370 Agility: 388
Intelligence: 110
••••••••••
Skills: Immense Strength, Rapid Growth, Devourer.
Name: Cerbe
Race: Three-Headed Hellhound.
Rank: Grade Four
Strength: 350 Endurance: 290 Agility: 330
Intelligence: 97
••••••••••
Skills: Ferocious strength, Berserker, Half-Immortality, Flames of Hell.
Name: Aquila
Type: Griffin
Rank: Grade Four
Strength: 270 Endurance: 245 Agility: 265
Intelligence: 125
••••••••••
Skills: Super strength, Flight, Piercing Eyes, Wild Combat, Magic Essence Resistance.
Name: Skylar (New)
Race: Shadowfang Wyvern
Grade: Four
Strength: 310 Endurance: 300 Agility: 310
Intelligence: 120
••••••••••
Skills:-
Shadow Flames: Unleashes black fire that consumes both essence and life force.
Winged Shadow: Creates decoys to confuse enemies in battle.
««««««••••••»»»»»»
Damien stared at the Wyvern’s stats for a moment longer. Its potential was immense, and though it was still young in terms of power, he could see it becoming one of his most formidable allies.
“Definitely worth the effort,” he said with a small grin.
After reviewing the stats, Damien leaned back on his bed, his thoughts swirling with strategies.
Fenrir and Cerbe had proven themselves invaluable in close combat. Aquila’s aerial superiority was unmatched, and Luton’s versatility made it indispensable.
With the addition of the Wyvern, Damien now had a summon capable of large-scale destruction, a tool he intended to use sparingly for now.
He decided that his next course of action would focus on balancing his combat capabilities.
While his summons were powerful, he didn’t want to rely on them entirely. His own strength needed to grow alongside theirs.
As Damien closed the system interface, a knock echoed through the room.
“Come in,” he called, sitting upright.
The door creaked open, and Arielle stepped inside, carrying a tray with a steaming cup of tea. She looked relaxed, her usual mercenary demeanor softened by the late hour.
“Figured you might still be awake,” she said, setting the tray on a small table near the bed. “Thought you could use this.”
“Thanks,” Damien replied, taking the cup. “What are you doing up this late?”
Arielle shrugged, pulling a chair closer to sit across from him. “Couldn’t sleep. The guild is unusually quiet tonight.”
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Damien said, taking a sip of the tea. “It’s rare.”
As they sat in comfortable silence for a moment, Arielle’s gaze drifted to Damien. “You’ve come a long way since I met you,” she said. “Your strength, your summons… it’s impressive.”
Damien chuckled. “Thanks, but there’s still a lot I need to work on.”
“You’re holding back,” Arielle said, leaning forward slightly. “You’ve got this air about you like you’re carrying something heavy. What is it?”
Damien’s smile faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression. He considered her question carefully before answering. “It’s not something I like to talk about,” he said. “But let’s just say I’ve got a lot to prove and a score to settle.”
Arielle nodded, respecting his boundaries. “Fair enough. Just don’t forget to take care of yourself in the process. It’s easy to get lost in the fight.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Damien said, finishing the tea. “Thank you.”
As Arielle stood to leave, she glanced back at Damien. “You’re planning something, aren’t you?”
Damien smirked. “Always.”
With that, she left the room, leaving Damien alone with his thoughts. As he lay back on the bed, he stared at the ceiling, his mind racing with plans for what lay ahead.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges, but for now, he allowed himself a moment of rest.
~~~~~
The heat of the First Layer of Hell felt oppressive, but Damon, Daveon, and Anaya were no longer fazed by it.
After nearly two weeks of training under Miss Leana, they had grown accustomed to the sweltering conditions.
Their guardian’s heat-regulation technique had not only helped them endure but had also strengthened their control over their own magic essence.
Today, however, marked a significant shift in their training. Miss Leana had decided they were ready to take on more challenging battles.
Gone were the isolated one-on-one skirmishes with Grade Seven and Grade Six demons. Instead, she had set up group battles against Grade Five demons. These were far stronger, more intelligent, and far deadlier than anything they had faced so far.
Miss Leana stood with her wards in a wide, open area within the First Layer of Hell. Steam rose from cracks in the ground, and the air shimmered with heat. Her sharp eyes scanned the horizon before turning to her wards.
“Listen up,” she began, her voice firm. “Today’s training will test your ability to work together. You’ve done well in individual battles, but teamwork is just as crucial, if not more so, when facing demons of higher ranks.”
Damon, Daveon, and Anaya exchanged glances, a mixture of excitement and nervousness flickering across their faces.
“I’ve captured three Grade Five demons for this exercise,” Leana continued, gesturing to the rocky terrain ahead. “They’re already waiting for you. These demons are faster, smarter, and more coordinated than the Grade Seven and Six you’ve faced so far.”
“Your goal is simple: work together and eliminate them. I’ll step in only if your lives are in immediate danger.” There was a mischievous grin on her face that warned of her seriousness.
The three of them took their positions as Miss Leana gave a signal. From the shadows of the jagged rocks, three Grade Five demons emerged. Each was unique in its grotesque appearance:
The First Demon was hulking beast with four muscular arms and a carapace-like skin that gleamed in the heat.
The Second Demon was slender, serpentine figure that slithered across the ground with unsettling speed, its eyes glowing a venomous green.
The Third was a winged creature with razor-sharp talons and a maw filled with jagged teeth, hovering just above the ground.
The three demons roared in unison, their guttural cries echoing across the barren landscape.
“Stick to the plan!” Damon shouted, drawing his dual swords.
Anaya nodded, her staff glowing as she prepared her spells. Daveon, daggers in hand, slipped into the shadows, ready to flank their enemies.
The first demon charged forward, its four arms swinging wildly as it closed the distance between itself and Damon.
He met the creature head-on, parrying its powerful blows with his swords. Sparks flew as metal clashed against the demon’s hardened carapace.
Meanwhile, the serpentine demon darted toward Anaya, its glowing eyes locked onto her.
She muttered an incantation, summoning a wall of ice to block its path. The demon hissed, its tail lashing out and shattering the barrier, but the delay gave Anaya enough time to cast a lightning spell, her specialty.
Bzzzzt!
The bolt struck the demon’s head, momentarily stunning it.
Daveon took advantage of the chaos, slipping behind the winged demon. He threw one of his daggers, embedding it in the creature’s wing and grounding it.
With a swift motion, he leapt onto its back, stabbing repeatedly while the demon thrashed beneath him.
“Anaya, focus on the serpent!” Damon shouted as he dodged another swing from the hulking demon. “Keep it off me while I deal with this one!”
Anaya nodded, her hands glowing as she cast another spell. This time, she summoned a vortex of wind, trapping the serpentine demon in its swirling grasp.
The demon screeched, struggling to break free, but the wind held it in place.
Daveon, meanwhile, had grounded the winged demon completely. As it flailed, he drove both daggers into its chest, silencing its roars.
“One down!” he called out, leaping off the corpse.
Damon gritted his teeth as he fought the hulking demon. Its strength was overwhelming, but he noticed a weakness: the joints where its carapace connected. With a calculated strike, he drove his sword into one of its arms, severing it.
Kreeeeeii!!
The demon howled in pain, staggering backward.
“Daveon, finish it!” Damon shouted.
Daveon darted forward, his daggers flashing as he targeted the demon’s exposed joints. Within moments, the hulking beast collapsed, its lifeless body hitting the ground with a resounding thud.
Only the serpentine demon remained, still trapped in Anaya’s vortex.
“Now’s our chance!” Anaya said, her voice strained from maintaining the spell.
Damon and Daveon moved in unison, their weapons cutting into the demon’s coiled body. It hissed and writhed, but it couldn’t escape. With one final strike, Damon severed its head, ending the battle.
The three of them stood amidst the carnage, panting and covered in blood and sweat.
Miss Leana approached them, a small smile playing on her lips.
“Not bad,” she said, her tone approving. “You still have a lot to learn, but you’re improving.”
Damon wiped his swords clean, his expression serious. “We’ll get better.”
“Of course you will.” Miss Leana smirked.