Demon lord’s Martial arts ascension

After a round of shouting that echoed through the office…

“It’s difficult for now,”
Martan calmed down and spoke in a steady tone.
That wasn’t the answer I wanted.

“Why?”
“To enter a B-rank gate or higher, you need to pass the association’s approval.”
That was news to me.
Without responding, I stared at Martan, silently asking him to explain further.
“It’s a bit of a long story, would you like something to drink?”
“Ice Americano. Make it a bit weaker.”
A moment later, a beautiful woman in a business suit entered the office.
“Here you go.”

Bang!
The ice in the cup clinked loudly as it was placed on the table.
Her hand was a bit rough.
‘Guess she was annoyed after I went into the building alone, leaving her behind with the reporters.’
It was Elli, Martan’s right-hand woman, who was now assigned to me.
She had been shoved aside by the reporters, while I entered the building alone, so I could understand why she wasn’t happy.
I chuckled lightly and sipped my coffee through a straw.

Martan, on the other hand, drank a cup of rich tea slowly, with an elegant posture.
‘That’s so out of place.’
A dwarf should be chugging beer with foam all over his beard, right?
Tea? He had an unnecessarily refined taste.
After sipping enough to wet his throat, Martan continued the conversation.
“The final decision on gate assignments lies with the association.”
Gate control is the responsibility of the Hunter Association.
They operate the “Dimensional Alert System,” also known as DOS, which detects and announces the appearance of gates around the world.
Gates are otherworldly spaces with unknown possibilities.
If you can conquer them, you can acquire great wealth.
“Every guild is working hard to be assigned more gates.”
Using gate detection machines, even without entering, you can roughly analyze the terrain and the type of monsters inside.
Gates with rare resources or specific monster types were the first priority for guilds.
“Does this have anything to do with me?”
“Because there was some noise during the bidding process, the association has set the criteria for conquest.”
The association laid out the conditions for entering high-level gates:

Clear 40 D-rank gates.
Clear 30 C-rank gates.
Veteran hunters who had accumulated gate conquest experience were the only ones eligible to enter B-rank or higher gates.
“Only hunters who meet those conditions can be assigned to B-rank gates.”
“Not even at the guild level?”
“No. And right now, there are no B-rank gates assigned within the alliance.”
So, in other words, it wasn’t possible.
Tch-
I stirred the coffee with the remaining ice.

Clink, clink.
The sound of the ice colliding echoed through the quiet office.
‘The required number of attempts is too high.’
An unreasonable number of conquests.
Even if I were to conquer gates every day, it would take over two months.
“Is there no other way?”
I muttered it absentmindedly.
Elli, who had been standing behind me, spoke up with an answer I hadn’t expected.
“Hm-hm, I can explain that. Actually, there’s another way to get the association’s approval.”
“What is it?”
I perked up, curious.
Elli glanced between Martan and me, then cautiously spoke.
“You can fight a duel with an A-rank hunter from the association.”

The Hunter Association.
It’s a global organization with authority comparable to the UN.
After the Great Cataclysm, awakened individuals with the ability to fight monsters, known as hunters, began appearing worldwide.
With the rise of gates and towers, the emergence of an international organization to unite the hunters was inevitable.
“I only saw it in pictures. I never thought I’d be here.”
I exclaimed in admiration.
The Hunter Association headquarters.
It was located in the old Gwacheon Government Complex.

In the complex, in addition to the main headquarters, there were also specialized buildings for various association-related agencies.
Elli looked surprised.
“Is this your first time at the association?”
“I’ve been awakened for less than a month.”
“Well, that makes sense. You’ve gotten so strong so quickly, I forget sometimes.”
Elli pouted playfully.
She was strikingly attractive, enough to melt the hearts of most people.
But I wasn’t paying any attention, instead focusing on the association building.

“Do you know why the association headquarters is located in Korea, Hunter Mincheol?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Hehe, it’s because of the Tower.”
“The Tower?”
When Elli referred to “the Tower,” there was only one she could mean.
The enormous structure that appeared in Seoul during the first Great Cataclysm. Its official name was the Tower of Trials, but everyone just called it the Tower.
“The Tower is being watched by multiple dimensions. The people of Earth realized its importance and established the association headquarters in Korea.”
“You, an otherworldly being, seem to know more about it than I do.”
“Hehe. Information is money for a merchant.”
Elli laughed while covering her mouth.
Then, she suddenly wiped the smile off her face and turned to look at me seriously.
“Are you really going to take the association’s approval test?”
“Of course.”
“But you’ve only been awakened for less than a month.”
You’re repeating what I just said, aren’t you?
“It’s worth a try.”
I casually threw the words out and moved forward.
The association’s approval test didn’t require defeating an A-rank hunter.
It was about fighting a duel and meeting the pass criteria.
‘It’s not a life-or-death situation, so it’s worth trying.’
It wasn’t arrogance.
It was the overwhelming chaos energy that flowed through my soul.

The new equipment acquired.
And the countless experiences and knowledge accumulated in my past life.
With everything at my disposal, I wasn’t sure if I could defeat an A-rank Hunter, but I was confident I could at least hold my own.
“Mincheol Hunter. Do you know where to go?”
“…No.”
I stopped walking.
Elli laughed softly and then led the way.
The association’s approval test was held at a training ground located some distance from the main building.

Before the test began, an association staff member explained the details of the approval process.
“The approval test consists of a duel with an A-rank Hunter affiliated with the association. Your passing will be determined based on this duel.”
“If I defeat the opponent, do I pass?”
“You’re making jokes. The decision will be made by the examiner.”
“I’d like to know the grading criteria.”
“That’s confidential, so I don’t know either.”
The association staff member closed their mouth. It seemed unlikely that I would get any more information.
Elli whispered into my ear,
– The main grading factors are basic abilities, reflexes, and decision-making in critical situations.
What a competent partner she was.
I pretended not to hear her words and gave a slight nod as a response.
“The test preparation is complete. Please proceed inside.”
Clop-clop—
As we walked down a long hallway, a large metal door appeared.
When I pushed the door open, the layout of the training ground became visible.
Low hills, rocks, and trees— the interior was a close approximation of a gate environment.
There, a man was waiting for me.
“Mincheol Hunter. We meet again.”
“You are…?”

To my surprise, the examiner was someone I had already met.
Jeong Seonghui.
She was the association agent who had come to handle the Gate Break incident a few days ago.
Jeong Seonghui looked at the test subject.
We were already acquainted.
Jeong Mincheol. The key figure who resolved the “00 District Gate Break” incident.
‘If he hadn’t stepped in, the damage could have been much worse.’
A sudden gate appearance that even the DOS system couldn’t detect.
The black gate immediately triggered a Gate Break, summoning monsters into reality.
Thanks to Mincheol’s efforts, the incident was contained without any casualties.
‘But duty is duty, and personal feelings are personal.’

The only A-rank Hunter on standby from the security department was Jeong Seonghui.
It was an ironic turn of events, but Jeong Seonghui was not swayed by personal feelings in situations like this.
On the other hand, Mincheol’s eyes glinted with interest.
‘So she really is an A-rank.’
The finely tuned mana I had sensed when I brushed against her.
She was indeed a formidable Hunter. A-rank, no less.
Could I defeat her?
No.
Thinking about the possibility was pointless.
Though this duel was to test gate access, Mincheol had no intention of holding back.
‘This is the first time I’ll be using all my strength in this life.’
He smirked slightly.
Even when I faced off against the “Blue Sentinel” in the Hunter test or took down the so-called “Black Triad”—
I never once thought I might lose.
I fought because I knew I could win.
Now, facing Jeong Seonghui, I could tell this opponent was on an entirely different level than anyone I had faced before.
Mincheol assessed her abilities with a discerning eye.
Was she truly A-rank?
Unlike the immature opponents I’d faced in previous tests, she had a fully developed skill set.
She was an A-rank Hunter, a foe far beyond my current level.

‘This will be the first time I can truly unleash everything.’
The spirit of Tumah, a warrior by nature, burned fiercely in Mincheol’s heart.
The stronger and more difficult the opponent, the more fiercely Tumah’s essence would ignite.
‘Let’s start with a reconnaissance match.’
Mincheol imagined the shape of his weapon.
[Dark Star – Spear]
The bracelet on his wrist vanished, and simultaneously, a black spear materialized.
Mincheol gripped the spear’s shaft with both hands.

“Are you ready, examinee?”
“As you can see.”
Mincheol responded with a slight flick of the spear.
Though his demeanor was somewhat rude, Jeong Seonghui, who had taken a liking to Mincheol, didn’t mind much.
“Then let’s begin the Hunter approval test.”
As soon as the start was declared, Mincheol’s feet slid across the ground, propelling him forward.
Pavatt!
The black spear shot forward like a beam of light.

Almost simultaneously, Jeong Seonghui’s left-hand sword— the curved blade—twitched in response.
Clang!
The curve of the blade intercepted the spear, altering its trajectory.
Jeong Seonghui didn’t just stop there.
“If you’re offering something, you must also be ready to take something.”
Stepping forward with her left foot, she extended her torso and thrust her Bastard sword straight at Mincheol.
The Bastard sword aimed for Mincheol, ready for the next move.

He aimed for the chest.
[Dark Star – Blue Edge Sword]
The black spear that had been deflected vanished in a swirl of dark smoke, and a sword appeared in Mincheol’s empty hand.
*Clang*
The sound of sharp metal echoed as the swords clashed.
When Jeong Seonghui saw her attack fail, she quickly drew her sword back and simultaneously swung both the sword and the curved blade.

“Can you block this?”
The sword and curved blade unleashed dozens of sharp strikes.
Mincheol created some distance and once again transformed the Dark Star into a spear, blocking the successive attacks.
Elli, who had been watching the approval test, couldn’t contain her admiration.
“Mincheol Hunter’s skills are at this level?”
The speed of the A-rank Hunter’s strikes was merciless.
Even Elli, who was inexperienced in combat, could see how sharp Jeong Seonghui’s continuous attacks were.
Just watching it gave her chills.
Mincheol, however, remained silent, either blocking or dodging the attacks without speaking a word.
Five minutes passed.
The two continued to exchange blows.
‘At this rate, passing the approval test is a done deal!’
Elli clenched her fist.
The owner of Code R.
VIP’s avatar.
Her superior, Martan, had treated Mincheol as an equal to the VIP, making things difficult for him, but she was different.
She treated Mincheol as a mere human, ‘Jeong Mincheol,’ and genuinely hoped for his success in the test.
*Clang!*
Suddenly, Mincheol swung his spear with great force.
He used the power of his strike to repel Jeong Seonghui’s attack and took a step back.
The distance between them was now 30 meters, a considerable gap for close combat.
Jeong Seonghui was genuinely impressed.
‘He blocked my attack with ease.’
The Hunter approval test.
She hadn’t been using her full strength, but the attacks she had unleashed were at a level that even a B-rank Hunter, fully opening their potential, would struggle to block.
And Mincheol had stopped them.
“Impressive. I now understand why you were able to single-handedly stop the 00 District Gate Break…”
“You.”

A cold voice interrupted Jeong Seonghui’s words.
Mincheol’s eyes, which had not shown any malice during the duel, now glinted with a chilling murderous intent.
“Use your full strength right now. If not, I’ll kill you.”
Fwoosh!
The chaotic energy around Mincheol stirred violently in response to his murderous intent.