ALL NOVEL Chapter 91
In the Reincarnated Hero, the Gate, Dimensional Gate, and Summoning Circle are the prime farming spots for the veterans.
When recruiting a new hero, the fastest way to level up is by pairing them with a strong hero and occupying a decent gate to farm enemies pouring out all day long.
Like an automatic hunt, obviously.
But I lacked something.
Waiting for enemies in front of the Dimensional Gate, I thought and thought about how to gain even more, more extreme benefits.
Clearly, in the game, I’m just a human, so the Gate is merely an object.
But now, I’m also a demon, right?
One that has inherited Andras… a Great Demon.
So…
It’s time to stop just feeding off the scraps.
*
– Thud!
The rag burst apart easily to the point of being anticlimactic.
And fragments rained down like a shower.
– Kekekekek!!!
A chilling laugh escaped Bunea’s lips.
He fancied himself a genius of necromancy.
A grand sorcerer.
Even though the Corpse Rag didn’t have Andras’s touch, Bunea had put in some effort to create it.
What he originally anticipated was that the rag would grow by devouring the rookie corpses of Claris, and when McClone showed up to deal with the mess, he’d kill it in front of everyone and make it his minion.
But, things had gone awry.
He thought they were rookies, but they managed to successfully tackle the rag with just the right setup.
– Slurp.
Bunea licked his lips again.
This turned out even better.
Corrupting those who showed signs of being a hero is exciting in a different way.
Eventually, deciding he needed to vent his frustration, Bunea used [Power – Dimensional Movement].
*
Then, Bunea appeared in the Lint Forest.
Although dimensional movement consumes an immense amount of mana, for someone like Bunea with high magical talent, it was a readily available ability.
– Phew…
After a long time, the disgusting smell of… humans pierced Bunea’s insides.
– Damn it. Hihih!
Just this one smell soured Bunea’s mood, and he tapped the ground once with his staff.
– Boom.
– KAHWHAM!!!!!
With just that single movement, everything around started to explode.
Bunea’s magic power.
– !!!!!
– Kraaaah!
The three who had just been toying with the Corpse Rag collapsed in an instant.
– …Heh!
Bunea pondered.
Creating minions was one thing, but he needed to think about how to make each and every one of them suffer in death.
He considered turning them into living wax figures and slowly killing them, but unfortunately, he didn’t have the time for such efforts.
Just then, Edwin stood up,
– ?
And unsteadily approached Bunea.
– Kek!
Seeing the staggering individual, Bunea broke into a broad smile.
– Uuuung…!
A black orb of magic materialized at the tip of Bunea’s finger.
– Slash!!!
It struck Edwin dead on.
“!”
– Kaboom!
Edwin barely dodged, but one exploding orb soon buried him into the ground.
But he didn’t give up.
He got back up and attacked.
– Kek! If you want to die so badly…!
What Bunea hated most was the pathetic human drama.
Thus, he decided to use an instant death spell on the annoying pest.
Showcasing a difference in caliber.
In an instant, a black magic swirled around Bunea’s body,
[Power of Bunea – Curse of Death]
That ominous energy wrapped around Edwin’s body in a whirl.
That was all it was.
“?”
Soon, a malevolence that seemed to condense all the darkness of the world consumed Edwin’s brain.
“Guu… Gugh!!”
“Edwin…!”
“…”
“…!”
‘……’
Barely regaining her senses, Yeriel felt it.
The rag was truly child’s play, and they stood no chance against this Great Demon.
However, she couldn’t be scared.
‘The more so, I must keep my mind… keep my wits…’
If by any chance she were to die, she needed to buy time for at least one other person to survive.
Contrary to Yeriel’s wishes, Bunea’s next target was the gray-haired boy.
– A human archer, huh. Hehe!
How pitiful it was to see such a lowly creature step up; was this the stature of Claris aiming for extermination?
He mercilessly tossed the now limp boy beside Edwin.
– Thud.
And with a trashy look, he commanded Yeriel.
– Girl? Obey my words. Then, I’ll let you deal with those two bugs yourself. Hehe!
– Flare!
Instead of a reply, flames erupted from Yeriel’s hand, which only excited Bunea’s peripheral nerves.
– Crack!
“Grrr….!!!”
“Lev…!”
Bunea reflexively crushed one of Lev’s arms.
Lev bit his lip and endured the pain.
This single display shook Yeriel’s heart.
“P-Please…!”
Not responding to him here… Edwin could die, and Lev might follow suit.
Just then, Lev grabbed Yeriel’s wrist.
“…!”
His surprisingly calm eyes swayed side to side.
As if saying not to.
“…”
So the flames from Yeriel’s hand flared up and then subsided.
In truth, she understood.
What the demons were targeting was likely her.
So she thought it best not to provoke them.
– Hybrid bitch. You will be my last… Why? Hehehe! Because I shall corrupt you and make you a part of my legion…!
After saying that, Bunea began to inscribe the demon’s runes on the no longer resistant Yeriel.
“Guh…!”
Simply killing someone, then harvesting their soul was impossible.
This woman’s body contained the curse of a Tarchangel, and preserving it and awakening it required extremely delicate work.
– Scritch… Scritch…
With each stroke,
Yeriel’s magic power faded away, and the latent Tarchangel’s curse was forcibly awakened.
Unlike with Tobiel, it wasn’t a forced awakening, so within a generous two hours, this girl would likely become a demon.
– Hehehe!
Bunea envisioned the grim future of this girl soon descending into Pandemonium.
“……”
However, Bunea, irritated by Yeriel’s impassive expression, instead picked up Lev.
– You. Why so unresponsive? Hehehe!
Now, Yeriel finally reacted.
– Hehe! You look utterly disgusting. Kek!
Then Bunea began throwing Lev around before Yeriel.
With that, her complexion became ashen.
“Just kill me! That’s what you want!”
A human’s body isn’t so durable.
Most of all, Lev was nearly unconscious.
Bunea frowned at the blood-soaked Lev and muttered.
– That’s right… but this bug is strangely irritating… Hehe! I’ll make you into a demon as a special treat.
“…!”
– Ah… I wonder if his body will burst before becoming a demon? That’s not my concern. Hehe!
Leaving those words, Bunea started injecting Lev with black magic.
– Whoooo…
– Wooo…
– Hooh…
But to Bunea’s surprise, a lot flowed in.
For a mere human archer, so much… did this guy have potential of a demon?
Of course, that was where it ended. The little bug gulped down Bunea’s black magic, and soon the demonic circuit etched deep within his body.
Probably in about 20 minutes, this little guy would become a demon and wreak havoc in the Academy.
– Hehe!
Just then.
– Sizz!
White flames erupted around Bunea’s neck—divine fire.
– What’s this, hehehe! Already?
With the guardians of the Academy and the war heroes Bunea loathed standing nearby.
And a delayed report came from one of his minion demons.
– Almighty Bunea! I apologize. The Gate of the Underworld… has closed.
We believe you closed it personally…
– ??
In an instant, Bunea felt chaos.
– What a bunch of idiots…
But only another Great Demon could close the Gate of the Underworld.
Moreover, it was located in the Academy.
A Great Demon was in the Academy…?
– This just got irritating… Hehe!
Though he wanted to have more fun…
He needed to return and check the status of the Gate of the Underworld…
Having unnecessarily used too many curses on these hybrids in his moment of excitement.
Moreover, in this sanctum, the powers of the demonic race were significantly weakened.
Thus, all Bunea had left was enough mana to return to Pandemonium.
– Tch… Hehe!
Reluctantly, Bunea made his next plan.
– I will take my leave first, so I’ll see you soon, hehe? But you’ll be my slaves! Hehe!
The green-haired one was instant death.
With curses laid on the girl and the gray-haired bug, they would soon corrupt.
Then, those foolish war heroes would have no choice but to kill their corrupted comrades with their own hands.
And the souls of both would be collected back to Pandemonium.
How beautifully staged this puppet show will be.
– Tap-tap-tap…!
As Professor McClone’s orders rang out and the guardians surrounded Bunea,
– Hehehe!
Bunea used his power and vanished effortlessly.
*
“Oh, did he run away…?!”
Former war hero, McClone.
And the guardians.
Scarlet and Dustin, who came rushing after Lev’s urgent call.
What they encountered was… horrific.
Flesh splattered everywhere… bloodstains.
“W-wait! H-he’s… still alive…!”
The priest of the Restoration Chamber confirmed that Edwin hadn’t died, but was barely clinging to life.
Yeriel appeared undamaged on the outside, but…
“M-My God, Dustin! What can we do about this…?”
“As it stands…”
At Scarlet’s question, Dustin held his tongue.
It was the curse of a Great Demon.
He would soon lose his physical form and his soul would transition to Pandemonium.
The curse placed on her was top-tier.
Even with the Empire’s best specialized healer, it would take quite some time.
Dustin spoke in a serious tone, turning to Scarlet.
“…What about Lev?”
“…Huh?”
He had vanished at some point.
-…
In this situation of rising chaos, only Yeriel kept echoing his last whisper.
Despite having done nothing for him…
– Don’t forget our promise today.
-!
A pleasant chime, no different than usual, soothed Yeriel.
“…I don’t understand… Lev.”
*
– Knock. Knock.
In a damp place where droplet marks hung and dropped.
Claris Underground Waterway.
– Staggering.
With each step, the sound of bones creaked, and blood dripped out of rhythm.
“Hehe… You really made it impossible for me to hit once…”
Had a black flame dragon possessed my left arm?
Had I met a boss so absurdly overpowered I’d lost my mind?
My team’s been slaughtered, yet laughter just keeps slipping out.
——————————————————————
[Combat Recovery (Passive)]: When damage is taken, 90% of that damage is gradually recovered. You can also immediately heal using mana.
(Reuse Cooldown: 24 hours)
——————————————————————
I took a beating just before death, but grabbing the Corpse Rag and quickly choosing the reward of Combat Recovery meant I was forcing my body to keep moving.
– Creeeak!
‘What a racket.’
Along with that, incessantly, the demon’s shouts, temptations, seductions, and whispers buzzed in my ears.
That old Bunea was nice enough to slap [Target Designation – Demonization (Active)] on me.
I was thankful.
[Consumption Level: 565/130]
Thanks to that, I filled my consumption level to well beyond the cap.
And right now, the only reason I could hold onto my sanity was because of.
[In 2 minutes, the effects of the Elixir of Free Will will disappear.]
[Cooldown of the Elixir of Free Will: 30 days.]
The Elixir of Free Will I had taken before facing Bunea.
It made me a 2-minute ticking time bomb.
In the game, it features an option that allows you not to be afflicted by status effects for the duration, with an outrageous cooldown of 30 days.
It felt excessive, but it’s based on Closed Beta standards.
Later, it was changed to 7 days.
‘Enough rambling…’
I was startled that the Hell Mode was spicier than expected… but everything was according to plan.
I stuffed all of this down, dragging my body to the front of the ‘Gate of the Underworld’.
While it isn’t my favorite saying, there’s one in Korea that goes like this.
“When you came in, you could do as you pleased, but when you leave, it’s not up to you.”
As I placed my hand on the demon-formed door, the cold and rough touch of limestone greeted me.
This door surely connects to Pandemonium,
That, too, to Bunea’s stronghold.
And in Reincarnated Hero, the dimensional gates opened by others can only be interacted with by parties, preventing usage.
That means the dimensional gate I opened as a gamer can only be used by me, right?
“Wow, feels like it’s been ages?”
A thought I imagined while playing a game.
[Question]
If you attack inside a dimensional portal, does that attack occur at the destination point?
[Answer]
???
I distinctly remember that in Reincarnated Hero during Closed Beta, if you interacted with the dimensional gate at the moment of attack, the skill would transfer… a bug.
Moreover, what was mentioned in the strategy as Bunea’s only weakness was that he had controlled the rags, used dimensional movement twice, cast instant death on Edwin, and cursed both Yeriel and me, exhausting substantial magic power.
The bastard had run out of survival techniques.
“Where are you? Great Magical Shield…”
——————————————————————
[Third Style Gale Annihilation] (Active) (Ultimate Technique)
: Jemiseon (制魔滅邪) – Attacks everything as if sweeped away by the wind.
Attacks a vast range of enemies upon casting.
[*Due to the contract with Ariel, the consumed energy of the wind is reduced and the damage dramatically increases.]
(*1-time use available)
[*When the number of uses becomes 0, it changes to Third Style Windopulation.]
——————————————————————
“Experience points, 100 times.”
What’s left is to pour everything I have into this damned Gate.