After Ten Millennia in Hell

He had no intention of killing the Troll Chief with that attack. Instead, he'd been trying to catch its attention and then lure the monsters to the other Players.

Kang-Woo had thought that he still wasn't strong enough to deal with the Troll Chief and the dozens of Trolls and Orcs simultaneously. Yet, he ended up killing the Troll Chief with the demonic energy spear he'd used for the purpose of grabbing its attention.

'Was that really the boss monster?'

Kang-Woo still couldn't believe that he had killed the boss monster, so he checked the message windows again.

'Are B-rank monsters weaker than I thought?'

Kang-Woo tilted his head and thought about the energy he had felt from the Troll Chief and the monsters around it.

'No.'

The Troll Chief had emitted power that was incomparable to the Trolls around it.

That meant there was only one possible explanation.

'I've become stronger than I thought.'

Ever since his encounter with the red-haired woman, Kang-Woo had believed that he wasn't that strong. That was natural since he had encountered a Player who was stronger than him in an internet cafe instead of a high-ranking Gate, where strong Players were expected.

'But that wasn't the case.'

Kang-Woo had without a doubt gained immense power after achieving his Third Awakening and going through the Andras Guild's ritual. It was just that it had not been enough to reach the level of the red-haired woman whom he had met by coincidence.

'Just who was she?'

While thinking about the red-haired woman, Kang-Woo walked out of his hiding place.

"GRRRR!"

"GRAAAHH!'

After losing their chief, the monsters angrily roared at Kang-Woo.

He used the Authority of Blades and approached them slowly.

"Change of plan."

Killing the boss monster in one hit helped Kang-Woo realize how strong he had become. A tiger did not need to shrink back when facing cats. So, he scrapped his plan to attract the monsters' attention and make them fight the other Players.

"I'll wipe you all out," Kang-Woo stated.

It wasn't his style to fight recklessly against multiple opponents. Others might find his style of fighting cowardly, but he prioritized his safety above all else when he was in battle. However, that was unnecessary when there was such an enormous gap in power between him and his opponents.

"KAAAARRRGGHH!"

Kang-Woo stabbed the Troll that swung its club at him in the stomach with a blade made of demonic energy. Then, he filled the Troll with the demonic energy in the blade.

Slash! Crack!

The demonic energy turned into blades that sprouted from inside the Troll's body like thorns, tearing it apart from the inside.

This was one of the ways the Authority of Blades could be used. Now that Kang-Woo had accumulated a lot of demonic energy, he could use this method without much issue.

'Nice.'

Kang-Woo smiled after feeling how light his movements had become compared to when he had faced the Lizardmen.

He felt good to know that he was recovering his old level of power. It felt like he was removing the heavy burdens that had been weighing down his body one by one.

Kang-Woo jumped right into the fray of enraged monsters and began to run wild.

"Kiieekk!"

"Krrr!"

The screams of monsters spread throughout the forest. They were predators that devoured humans, yet they were now in a state of panic because of the appearance of a new predator.

After almost half of them had been massacred, the Trolls and Orcs began to run away from Kang-Woo.

'I see they have enough intelligence to know when to run away.'

Perhaps, it didn't have to do with their intelligence but rather their survival instinct. The monsters had probably concluded that they wouldn't be able to defeat Kang-Woo and decided to flee in fear.

Kang-Woo extended his hands toward the monsters trying to escape.

'This is a good chance.'

It was the perfect chance to see what he could do now and to what extent.

Kang-Woo focused on his demonic energy and gathered the maximum amount that he could use. Then he cut the palm of his hand, and a drop of blood fell to the ground.

"Field of Blades."

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Black blades rose from the ground starting from the point where his blood landed. A wave of black blades engulfed the monsters, who looked too pathetic and miserable to be called monsters. The few that barely managed to escape the blades just kept running without looking back.

Ting.

[You have successfully defeated a group of C-rank monster Trolls.]

[You have successfully defeated a group of D-rank monster Orcs.]

[Your level has risen by 2.]

"Pant, pant."

After using Field of Blades, Kang-Woo was panting, and his entire body was covered in sweat.

"I actually managed to use Field of Blades"

He looked around while wiping the sweat off his forehead. The ground, which was covered in black blades, was painted with thick monster blood.

Field of Blades was a technique that Kang-Woo had developed using Sabnak's Authority.

'Demons lack imagination.'

They used the Authority that they possessed in one-dimensional ways. Of course, there were a few exceptions, but Sabnak wasn't one of them.

Riiing.

[You have learned the skill Field of Blades (Rank: A).]

[Techniques registered as skills can be used more easily and precisely.]

'Huh?'

Kang-Woo tilted his head at the message window that popped up.

'Oh, so these are what they call skills.'

Players obtained skills by creating techniques to utilize their Traits.

Usually, Players had to try numerous times before they could register a technique as a skill, but since Kang-Woo was already proficient in the technique, he could register it immediately.

"Hmm… So, Authorities and Traits have many things in common after all."

Authorities and Traits were similar in that there was a wide range of Authorities and Traits and that they could be applied in many different ways. Kang-Woo thought that it would be worth investigating this idea a bit more.

While thinking that, he walked toward the corpse of the Troll Chief.

"Now, it's time to enjoy the rewards."

Kang-Woo smiled and used the Authority of Predation. The Authority of Predation spread out and devoured all the corpses of the monsters around him.

Crunch! Crack!

Was it because his demonic energy had increased? The Authority of Predation devoured the monster faster than before.

As the amount of demonic energy inside him rose, Kang-Woo got immersed in his thoughts.

'Should I also consume all the mana stones?'

Ever since achieving his Third Awakening and acquiring the Trait 'Mana-Hungry Demon,' he could convert the mana inside mana stones into demonic energy. This left Kang-Woo wondering whether he should choose power or money.

'Power comes first.'

After thinking about it for a while, Kang-Woo decided to leave ten C-rank mana stones and devour the rest. He wasn't desperate for money at the moment, and he would be able to earn a lot more once he became stronger.

'Devour everything,' Kang-Woo inwardly commanded the black smoke that had emerged from his hands.

Horrifying sounds rang out as the Authority of Predation devoured every monster Kang-Woo had just massacred.

Riiing.

[Demonic Energy has risen by 2.]

"Only two?"

Kang-Woo frowned after reading the message window.

He had devoured the boss monster and all the trolls around him, but his Demonic Energy stat had only increased by two. Was it because his Demonic Energy stat had already reached 50?

"So, this is what they meant when they said that the higher your stats become, the harder it is to raise them."

Kang-Woo turned around while clicking his tongue. He had just gained another reason for why he should go to a higher-ranking Gate.

'But the leveling up speed is still okay.'

He had simply become too strong for his level, so the speed at which he leveled up was extremely fast. His Level had risen by four just by him killing a boss monster, and after he cleared up the rest of the monsters, it had risen by two more levels. Kang-Woo only had four levels left until his Fourth Awakening.

"Should I hunt a bit more before going back?"

He had to wait for the big party to exit the Gate so that he could use the disorder to leave without anyone noticing.

While continuing to hunt alone, Kang-Woo checked the party's location with his Authority. They were searching for the boss monster everywhere in the Gate.

"Where the hell is the boss monster?!"

"Did the government get the date wrong?"

"Damn it!"

The players shouted angrily after wandering around for a few hours without being able to find anything.

Ranger-type Players had spread out to search so that they could find the boss and hunt it as quickly as possible, but they couldn't find the boss monster anywhere.

"We only saw Trolls scatter and run away for some weird reason…"

"You didn't see the Troll Chief's body, did you?"

"No. There were traces of a battle, but there was no body."

One could see the disappointment in their expressions.

"Sigh, let's just go back."

"Ah! L-Let's stay just a little bit longer…"

"Let's go. Damn, we just wasted an entire day."

The excitement cooled down as quickly as it had heated up. When a few party members mentioned that they should leave the Gate, everyone began walking toward the exit.

Kang-Woo followed them stealthily.

'I'll just use the commotion that they'll cause to leave unnoticed.'

Kang-Woo, who had obtained good rewards from hunting, smiled with satisfaction and stealthily followed the party out of the Gate.

"There wasn't any boss monster!"

"Do you have any idea how much time we just wasted?!"

The Players who exited the Gate before him complained to the soldiers and caused a commotion.

'Nice.'

Kang-Woo seized the opportunity to go unnoticed and once again flew over the fence. He landed on the ground and was about to head home when…

"Silence!"

A group of people in uniforms colored in a mix of red and black approached the Gate entrance.

"The H-Hwarang Corps?"

"Hey, isn't that Baek Hwa-Yeon, the captain of the Hwarang Corps' 3rd Squadron?"

"Woah, you're right."

The person at the forefront was Baek Hwa-Yeon, a beautiful woman with a very dignified appearance and silver hair tied in a ponytail.

While overwhelming everyone with her charismatic eyes, Hwa-Yeon said, "We've recently received reports of Chaos Players appearing in D-rank Gates, so we're carrying out a surprise inspection of Players who have achieved their Third Awakening and above. We appreciate your cooperation."

After she finished talking, the Players who had just left the Gate were surrounded by a squadron of uniformed Players.

Kang-Woo's expression stiffened.

'Don't tell me…'

He bit his lips a little bit and looked around.

'Have I been found out?'